Patti Comeaux works out. Not like you or I. She works out like few people you probably know.
Comeaux spends every day in her gym, CrossFit Herd in Lafayette. When she’s not teaching more than a dozen classes, she’s working out herself, spending about 15 each week training for the CrossFit games where the world’s fittest athletes compete.
"Some people can be addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking and so forth. CrossFit was just an addiction," said the 47-year-old. "Your mind wants to tell you stop, but your body has more to do than your mind tells it. It’s like a challenge within."
When the CrossFit season began, Patti was one of more than 11,000 women, 45-49 competing, for 20 spots at the CrossFit games. After The Open, CrossFit’s open regular season, so to speak, she ranked 11th which qualified her for the qualifiers, CrossFit’s playoffs.
There her, and 199 others were give four days to perfect four workouts and when scores were tallied, she ranked 17th in the world, and was qualified for the August games in Wisconsin.
"The first time I went as a spectator back in 2012, I remember watching the masters perform and that was the first year they started the age group at 40. I was 40. I remember telling someone next me and I told them I’m going to be on that stage," she recalls.
CrossFit isn’t a standard workout. It’s not barbells, cardio, and leg day, instead it’s a an intense workout using varied exercises for each routine, commonly timed. Seven years ago Patti gave up her gym membership to start a CrossFit gym, now her full-time job.
Inside that gym sits a blackboard and on it are the words "The Games." It’s a reminder that Patti put up there a few years back of what’s she’s working towards. This year she reached that goal.
If you’d like to support Patti at the CrossFit games, click here.