"I'm excited, happy and scared."
Lynn Stratten is on her way to the Games. The fact that she is 65 years young is a great accomplishment in and of itself. The fact that she’s been a CrossFitter for a mere 10 months makes it an even greater feat.
A retired teacher and marathon runner, Stratten was encouraged to consider CrossFit as an alternative to the not-so-functional regimen she’d been practicing at a globo gym. Her son Todd, who lives in Yellowknife, and her daughter Taryn, who lives in Australia (and attends CrossFit Gold Coast) introduced her to the benefits of CrossFit and brought her to last year's Games.
It was there that Stratten decided competing would be for her. “I’d like to do that,” she said to her daughter while watching the events.
An athlete at CrossFit Connection since July 2011, Stratten threw herself into the 2012 Open and emerged in 12th place in the Masters Women 60-plus world standings.
Stratten made her ground early by securing an impressive 4th place in 12.1. It should be no surprise that she identifies burpees as her strength; at 5’3 and 109 pounds, it’s not difficult to imagine the speed and intensity that went into her first competitive workout.
That same all-out effort was applied in subsequent events as well. While Stratten had been exposed to weightlifting in her globo gym days, it was nothing compared to the work she had to put forward for snatches and wall balls. “Those were really tough,” she chuckles.
“I’m excited, happy and scared,” Stratten explains as she shares her plans for the Games. “I just did the WODs with everyone else.”
She’ll continue to do the workouts with her fellow athletes at Connection, but she’s also going to be working closely with trainers Ruth Sheridan and Jason Bird. “In addition to the daily WODs, I’ve got a list of activities that I’m working on improving,” she says.
Stratten has also been investing in her foundation. She identifies the importance of getting enough sleep and rest, and follows a three on, one off, two on, one off training schedule. Stratten has made nutrition changes as well, opting for a more paleo-like diet by cutting back on grains and sugar and focusing on vegetables, meats and proteins.
“My husband is so excited about this,” she says.
Stratten hopes her daughter and son will be able to watch her at the Home Depot Center. Last year she watched and met Jill Spealler and this year she’ll be competing against her. How much more exciting can it get?
