Choices, a decision of choosing one option or another

It's Crossfit Open season, so  my decision to participate was made without much thought.  The Open is five weeks of unexpected, grueling kind of  wods, none of which are known until the Wednesday afternoon of each week and performed on that Saturday at the box (gym) with others cheering you on.  Scores are posted worldwide and you get to see where your fitness falls into place.  My fellow crossfitters at Hardass Fitness are so motivating and just fun people that I couldn't NOT join the HAF team.  Mind you, I have no delusions of winning anything, but just being able to say, "I did it and I wasn't always last", makes it a winning experience for me.  Sure, the Open may put a cramp on my pre-marathon training efforts, because I am often left sore after a solid wod.  Leaving me feeling lazy, since I feel like I worked out already, then the excuse-making starts for not doing a run session.  In the end though I think my decision to do the Open will make me a stronger person, both mentally and physically, as I have to 'perform' in front of 'others'.  In this case, the others are my friends and fellow HAFers, but during the marathon, it'll just be a whole bunch of 'strangers' watching me- nerve racking to say the least.

Lesson(s) learned: Don't do a 20 minute wod (Crossfit jargon - workout of the day) just hours before doing the Open wod. It doesn't lead to a grand result. On the other hand, I am training my body to be able to endure longer periods of having to work and that is my primary focus, so everything else experienced is simply gravy.