Windy City Pulse

This is #WindyCityLivin

Athlete of the Month: January 2017

Kate Walsh

Nickname: Kate

Member since: November 2015

Windy City: Kate jumped into Windy City with both feet from day 1. She has accepted every challenge Windy City has thrown her way. From Murph training to Murph 2016 and her first CrossFit Open (2016) to our "Skills and Drills" class, Kate never backs down from a challenge. She sets goals, achieves them, then starts the process over.  She never fails to show up to class with a smile on her face (even in December when her face is frozen at 6:30am). She also never fails to show up to our community events ready to participate and help other new members feel welcomed to our Windy City crew. Your energy and love for this place is contagious Kate, Thank you for bringing it every day!

“Always find time for the things that make you happy to be alive.”

Kate: Windy City really has changed the way I think about working out and how I feel about early mornings. It's ironic how I used to be awful in the morning growing up and now it's rare that I miss my morning 6:30 WOD.

I had thought of myself as a fairly athletic individual growing up, and then college happened. I played sports in high school and always enjoyed being a part of a team, but in college I did not make fitness a priority. My boyfriend at the time, who was very into fitness, tried to encourage me to work out and my typical response was that “I don’t work out because it makes my face turn red!” Fast forward four years and I graduated and started working as a new nurse on night shift at Children’s Memorial in the Pediatric ICU. For those people who have experienced night shift, you can appreciate what it does to you. I definitely didn’t make any progress towards improving my lifestyle or my fitness level.

A few years later, I started dating the same aforementioned fitness enthusiast again. He encouraged me to get into a better routine. Health and fitness was initially a big source of tension for us for a while. My tag lines were, “I will never be the person who works out every day," and "I'd never enjoy working out the way you do.” His response to me was simple: “you don't have to run marathons or do an ironman, but you have to do something.”

So I tried different things because it was important to him. I tried yoga and HIIT classes at LPAC, ran short distances, and even started training for a triathlon. I started having in my leg that was caused by a narrowing in my femoral artery, and my doctor recommended that I keep exercising and pushing myself to help my body build new areas of blood flow. So I kept trying different things. I completed two sprint triathlons, and eventually found a yoga studio I loved across the street from our apartment.  

Living in West Lakeview, Ross and I had walked by WCSC a few times before joining. We talked about signing up, but I always came up with an excuse to postpone it. I didn't want to have super big muscles or be super jacked like all of the women I'd seen watching the CrossFit Games. Then one day while I was at work I got an email welcoming me to WCSC, followed by a text message from Ross saying “sooo I signed us up.” After the shock wore off, I anxiously set up my meeting with Sheena to talk about WCSC. I remember telling her that I probably wasn't going to be there every day because I had yoga and that I wasn't a morning person.

I started the Level 1 classes like everyone does, and after 6-10 Level 1 classes I was given a push to finally go to one of the WODs. A Saturday team WOD was my first one...I hated and loved every minute of it. It opened the door for me. I tried Oly, I survived my first CF Open, then Murph training, and worked with Sheena for weeks at skills & drills to get my first pull ups since grade school.

From that point on, I found my niche in the 6:30 WOD. I rely on my morning crew to push me to challenge myself and to keep pushing even when it feels like all of my extremities are falling off.

I love being at the gym and seeing all of the friendly and new faces.

For me, Windy City has become the community I had been looking for and I now enjoy making fitness a priority.

Recent Adventures

This year I did the Pleasant Prairie and Chicago triathlons. My Chicago Triathlon time was 10 minutes faster than my previous time, which I have to thank WCSC for.

I am so happy I accidentally signed up for Murph training last year. I made some of my closest friendships during those early, long Saturday mornings. Looking forward to doing it again. I’m also looking forward to competing in my 2nd Crossfit Open.

Future Adventures

I would love to go back to Colorado and do more backpacking and hiking some day. There are a few mountains I never got the chance to peak when I was younger and think it would be awesome to go on a long backpacking trip. I’d also like to take a wilderness medicine certification class or go on an outward-bound trip. 

Personal Goals

Fitness: I would really love to get my handstand down and eventually handstand walk. Would like to be able to string together more strict pull-ups. Would like to break 200 lbs on my deadlift in the next year and improve in all of my Olympic lifts. Compete in the CF Open again and do more events Rx.

Professionally: I currently work as a Pediatric nurse practitioner in wound and ostomy care and I love my job. 

Personal: Super excited to be an Aunt in 2017 and am also looking forward to our wedding sometime next summer. I’d like to focus on making some nutrition changes in the next year…Whole 30 anyone?

Words to Live By

I first understood this after a yoga class. You cannot look around at everyone else doing crazy balances upside down and be upset at the things you cannot do. It's about where you are today and becoming better than you were before.

My other piece of advice is to cheer each other on. Pick a couple of people each WOD to root for. I cannot tell you how many times, just as I feel like I want to quit, I hear someone yell my name (shout out to J Orwat) and it gives me the push I need to keep going.

Comments

  1. Will Pareja

    Will Pareja posted at 1:53pm on Jan. 1, 2017

    Congrats, Kate! Well deserved. Keep pushing!

  2. Lori! posted at 4:10pm on Jan. 6, 2017

    YAY KATE!

Are you in?

Try Us for Free Or contact us for more info