May Athlete of the Month: Dana Wotruba

Congratulations, Dana! You’re our May Athlete of the Month!!!

Dana has been a part of our NoCoast community for over a year and a half and has been one of our most consistent Nooners. Dana’s consistency and work ethic doesn’t go unnoticed! She always makes time for the gym and, even though she may not always like what’s written on the board (and let’s us know), she always puts 100% effort into her workout. We appreciate Dana’s commitment to NoCoast and our community, and she’s always willing to help with t-shirt designs and production, which is amazing too! :) Thank you Dana for all of your smiles and hard work!

Quotes from Dana:

“CrossFit helps my wellness by really killing my stress and blues. Lots of days I walk in the gym not feeling great, usually stressed or a little down. If you go noon classes you have seen my Resting B@#$& Face walk in (I don’t mean it promise). Once the WOD is done or we have started, I am able to leave it all behind and feel great. There have been so many times where I have felt so bad and then left the gym a totally different person. It really is an instant cure for me.”

“CrossFit has given Luke and I something to be in together again. We swam on the same swim team growing up and then in college and we always had swimming. Then we lost that for a bit and it's great to have it back again. Even being on far different levels this time around. I think it is great for the kids to see their parents staying healthy and making their health and wellness a priority. I like that my kids think I am a strong mom.”

Age/Weight:

41, plead the 5th

Athletic/Sports history/highlights:

I was a division 1 swimmer at Southern Illinois University. My events were 200 Back, 400 IM (Fly, Back, Breast, Free) and distance Freestyle. After college, it was hard to find something that I could get into. Just ran and hit the gym. When we moved to Colorado I started doing sprint triathlons and had some first place finishes in my age group, thanks to my swimming. I also love to ski on the water and the mountains.

How long have you been CrossFitting?

A little more than 4 years.

How did you get into CrossFit?

Luke (my husband) started CrossFitting a few years before me after I told him it would be his JAM and convinced him to try it out. I was still into triathlons but it was getting increasingly hard to train. I hate training alone and hitting spin class and following that black line in the pool alone a few times a week wasn’t really cutting it. I was so worried to try CrossFit for all the same reasons that I knew that Luke would love it. Even at my peak of swimming I couldn’t do a pull-up and as swimmers we didn’t really lift weights unless you count machine lat pull downs, lol. I knew there was going to be so much to learn and that little competitive monster inside was going to have a hard time, but after one week I was hooked! I loved it. While there was so much to learn and so much strength to build, it was still exciting and the community was amazing. Everyone was so supportive and encouraging. I had my team back! We were all in it together... grueling through the WODS together and then talking about our highs and lows after. It was just the best feeling.

What is your favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?

Dumbbell snatches. I think I like them because it's a movement that has a standard weight that I can handle and it requires a level of cardio that I enjoy.

What is your least favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?

PUSH UPS!!!!!! Lol. If you have worked out with me at the gym you know I hate push ups. I am just not that great at them and it is one movement that some people can just blaze through and it makes me crazy. While I have been steadily working on them, they still are my least favorite.

What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?

I think any time I finally got a movement has been memorable. My first strict pull up, which I never thought I would get. My first few double under, that took me a year and half to get, after so much frustration (I may have thrown the rope a few times :)) Linking some T2B (still a work in progress). And all the lift PRs. The list of things to work on is long but can be so rewarding. Doing competitions has been fun and memorable. I have only done a few, always with a partner and it's so much fun to push together. My Friend Heather and I took 3rd in a local comp with some real “CrossFitty” ladies. I was so proud of us.

How does nutrition play a role in your fitness and recovery?

I can do better with nutrition… always a work in progress for me. I do a pretty good job most of the time, but I love good food and a good time and that usually doesn’t turn into good days at the gym. Of course when you eat well you feel well.

How has CrossFit improved your overall wellness?

CrossFit helps my wellness by really killing my stress and blues. Lots of days I walk in the gym not feeling great, usually stressed or a little down. If you go noon classes you have seen my Resting B@#$& Face walk in (I don’t mean it promise). Once the WOD is done or we have started, I am able to leave it all behind and feel great. There have been so many times where I have felt so bad and then left the gym a totally different person. It really is an instant cure for me.

How has CrossFit changed your family?

We have always been a fitness and sports oriented family. So I don’t think that has changed much. But it has given Luke and I something to be in together again. We swam on the same swim team growing up and then in college and we always had swimming. Then we lost that for a bit and it's great to have it back again. Even being on far different levels this time around. I think it is great for the kids to see their parents staying healthy and making their health and wellness a priority. I like that my kids think I am a strong mom.

Advice to new people:

Stick with it. Give it a month or six week. I think you will most likely be hooked. Try not to compare yourself to others. We are all on our own CrossFit journey and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Some days the WOD will be yours to crush and other days it will be your day to work on a skill or improve your strength. That is why it is so awesome, every day is different. You will never be bored. Stick around and chat with others in the community. This is what really helps you stay with it and reach your goals.