Athlete of the Month: Dani Young
Posted April 9, 2018What made you decide to join the RIV?
Believe it or not, I was not much of an athlete growing up. I was a gymnast from 2 – 14yrs old but after my early retirement from that, I did not get into any sports-ball type athletics. I bowled in high school! But I don’t really think that counts.
In 2011, I found Obstacle Course Racing and was determined to do a 12 mile Tough Mudder. I ran my first 5k that year and found out just how “fit” I really wasn’t. After a year of running (hating every mile) and training on my own, I finished my first Tough Mudder and… ouch. But crossing that finish line is all it took for me to become hooked on OCR. Over the next 4 years my goals transformed from just wanting to survive a race, to never walking during a race, then to never failing on an obstacle, to hoping to finish as a top 10 female. I knew the typical gyms were not going push me to these goals. CrossFit seemed to be all the rage at the time, so I started doing some research. I wasn’t sold on CF but the RIV won me over because of the diversity and amount of classes.
How has the RIV helped you achieve some of your fitness goals?
After one year of rivFit my mile time dropped by 3 minutes and my obstacle completion rate was in the 90% range. Add another 6 months and include a few WODs into the weekly mix (yup, I gave in and drank the CF Kool Aid) and I am usually in the top 10% of female finishers in all of my races. I have done nothing but improve since my start at the RIV and it has been addicting! I can’t wait to see what I can do next!
What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved the most?
Anything that is going to hurt the next day! Preferably involving burpees, running/rowing, gymnastics, and at least 20 minutes of work (yeah, yeah… I’m that person).
My strength and endurance have obviously improved but I think my attitude and confidence have improved the most. Every failure I experience motivates me to keep striving towards success! I no longer see my small stature as my greatest weakness, it just provides a greater opportunity to prove my strength.
What is your favorite part of the RIV?
Oh, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Categorised in: Athlete of the Month, Blog
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