June Athlete of the Month

SARA KALLIO

ATHLETE PROFILE

Hometown:  Cleveland, Ohio

Age: 26

When did you first start training at FOCF?:   October 2011

Favorite WOD: I really like WOD’s that have rowing in them, because that feels the most natural for me, even thought they seem to be the hardest.

Least Favorite WOD: Anything AMRAP, it feels like a slow death.

Tell us about you sports & fitness background: I played all different sports growing up and in high school. Now as an adult, I realized that my parents spent all of their free time taking me and my sisters to all of our practices and games. In college I rowed for Ohio State and in graduate school a played on the club racquetball team. After college I was struggling to get motivated, until I joined CrossFit.

 

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit?  I knew a former rowing from college that started CrossFit back in Ohio, after he graduated. The way he described it, it sounded pretty insane so I kind of wrote it off.  Back in the Fall, my fiance, Mark and I were feeling so unmotivated about fitness, i.e. just going to golds gym, Mark decided that he would go checkout the CrossFit gym.  He came back from his first workout and was so excited and spent the whole night and the next convincing me that I had to go. So a went and never looked back, and have been getting my butt kicked ever since.

Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? My first WOD was a Saturday, which thankfully was a partner workout, so I was sore but I could still walk the next day. The second workout, however was the baseline and when I completed it, I felt like my lungs, arms and legs were exploding. Tammy was trying to talk to me but I could stop coughing the entire time.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I had knee surgury about three years ago on my left knee and not until I joined CrossFit, did I regain my leg strength back to match my right leg and this is the strongest my upper body has ever been, I actually have some biceps!

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? After leaving collegiate sports, I vowed never to workout that hard again but I realized, that I really enjoy physical challenges and that I have the best self esteem, sleep, energy and overall mood when I have this in my life.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / FOCF moments: Finally being able to do a dead hang pullup.

Any advice for people just getting started? Don’t worry about where everyone else is at, just keep coming and you’ll get there.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? I like going or doing anything outdoors.