7. MORNING ROUTINE WITH KATRIN DAVIDSDOTTIR
“Some of the best moments of the Games were the quiet ones. Every morning, Katrin and I had the same routine. I’d wake up and head to her room. She was usually in some state of getting ready, so I’d grab her bags and take them downstairs to the valet, then come back up and hang out until she was ready. After that, we’d walk across the street for breakfast at Gooseberry. We ordered the same thing every morning: omeletes with greens (Katrin also got oatmeal). After breakfast, we walked back to the hotel, got the car, and drove to the venue.
Our morning routine took about 45-60 minutes. In that time, we probably had a total of 8-10 minutes of conversation. Not because we were in bad moods or we were tired or because it was early or because there was nothing to talk about. We’ve just grown into a place where we’re completely comfortable in silence. It’s a sign of profound friendship, I think, when you don’t need to fill the silence with empty chatter; when the quiet feels just as warm as a deep conversation.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX8zMccF4Ow/?hl=en&taken-by=benbergeron
6. HEAVY 17.5 EVENT
“Another favorite event. It was the first time the CrossFit Games had retested an Open workout at the Games, and the heavier barbell was a nice touch. Back in the athlete area, I told Katrin that Heavy 17.5 for her was going to feel like regular 17.5 felt for me.
After the announcement, I jogged over to the coliseum (there was practically no cell service in the athlete area) to rewatch Mat’s 17.5 video on YouTube. His splits were insane; he averaged :37 per round back in March. Then he took the floor for Heavy 17.5 and averaged :49 seconds a round. With an extra 30# on the barbell, Mat Fraser went only :12 slower per round. Animal.
Heavy 17.5 was another visual masterstroke. With 100 barbells (!!) on the floor and the athletes advancing through 10 stations, it was easy and exciting to watch the race unfold. Well played.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX-c43QlICZ/?hl=en&taken-by=benbergeron
5. 2223 INTERVAL EVENT (TUESDAY)
“I thought this event was a great addition to the CrossFit Games test this year. The interval style, work/rest format had never been tested at the Games before. And if you’re trying to find the fittest, it’s an appropriate test that fit nicely within the programming—who can put the pedal down, recover and recoup? The work/rest format was very different than say, doing 4 rounds of the same workout for time.
Visually, 2223 was unique and exciting. Like a prize fight, the athletes would come out guns blazing for 2 furious minutes before slowly making their way back to their “corners.” With vacant barbells marking each athlete’s placement along the floor, it gave the crowd a chance to reflect on the previous round while anticipating the next. Loved it.
It might have been a novel format for the Games, but for our team it was “Tuesday.” Literally—for the last year or so, our training has included a max effort interval piece once a week, usually on Tuesdays. 2223 Intervals was remarkably similar to our usual format. We mix up the time domains, but it’s always some kind of heart rate-spiking buy-in to max effort work, followed by a short rest. So when Dave announced this workout, I was confident our athletes would do well and they didn’t disappoint— Mat Fraser and Katrin Davidsdottir won the event.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYBmq0FFYp8/?hl=en&taken-by=benbergeron
Image Sources
- Mat and Katrin: Ben Bergeron