It’s time for a brand new Wildheart of the Month (WOM)! Every month we interview one of our Wildhearts. We ask them about their Crossfit journey, their day job, their favorite movements and about some other goofy stuff. This month our WOM is Elisa Maira (33) from Italy, she is a marketing intelligence manager at a software company and loves to run.
An Italian in Rotterdam
‘Eight years ago I moved to Rotterdam for a PhD at the Rotterdam School of Management in the Marketing department. After getting my degree I stayed in Rotterdam. Now I work as a Marketing Intelligence Manager at a software company. I live together with my boyfriend Mauro who is also from Italy. He actually joined the Wildhearts 3 months ago and really likes it! Ofcourse I miss my family and friends in Italy, that’s why I visit them at least 3 times a year and they come to visit me as well. I try to book my next stay everytime when I am there, so I have something to look forward to.
At the University I lived in an ‘expat’ bubble, there are a lot of expats there with whom I made friends, but they all left after some time. That’s why 2 years ago there was almost no one left, and I didn’t feel very rooted in Rotterdam. Joining Crossfit Wildhearts really helped me feel a bit more at home. Next to colleagues I also have some sport friends now!’
Running half marathons
‘I identify myself as a runner. I love running long distances, especially the half marathon. A year ago I developed a running injury so I couldn’t run for some time. So I was looking for something to do to not get frustrated by not working out. Some of my friends back home did crossfit so I decided to try it out.
I always thought of myself as a moderately fit person, because of my running. During the intake and the onramps I was fine, but after the first real workouts I was destroyed… but I did like it very much. I went from 3 runs and 3 crossfit workouts to 4-5 crossfit workouts and 2-3 runs in a week. Last year my personal records on the half marathon and 10k improved, so it turns out to work for me!’
‘Last year I ran less, but my running times improved. That is because of Crossfit’
Let’s talk goals
‘I work out (running and crossfit) to relax my mind. My job involves mainly sitting behind a computer and using my brain, so I really like to unwind after work. Running, and later crossfit, became my meditation.
I started crossfit to stay fit because of my injury, and after that it was always my goal to get better at running by doing crossfit. Now I have crossfit goals as well, I also want to get better at crossfit. For running, my goals are always quite big: faster times on my favorite distances. It takes some time to improve. For the next year I am focussing on the half marathon, but in 2021 I want to try a full marathon! In crossfit the goals are smaller, you can call it micro-goals. That’s why it is very satisfying, every time I am here I improve in one way or the other.’
Jump like a monkey
‘My favorite workouts are those involving a run of course, but I also enjoy everything on the rig. My favorite lift is the deadlift, because it gives me the feeling I can actually lift some weights! The first time that I managed to lift my own bodyweight was a big thing for me, and now I can lift more than than with the deadlift. Oh and I really like box jumps. I am very fast at them. Last Christmas I joined a workout at a local box in Italy. The workout involved some box jumps. My team members actually came to me and said I jumped like a monkey!
Overhead movements are a challenge for me, because I never really trained my upper body. That’s also why I got injured on my shoulder a little bit. I am now getting physiotherapy and it’s getting better. I used to skip workouts because I felt such a dork because I couldn’t do certain movements, but I stopped doing that and started facing my fears. It is the only way to get better.'
Stay for a long time
Last year I did my first open. I was very scared that I wasn’t ready but the coaches told me I was. Besides I really liked joining the open myself, I also enjoyed the judging part!
For me it was a good decision to join the Wildhearts and meet a lot of new people. I went to the gym for years and I don’t remember anyone saying hi to me ever, even in group classes there was no interaction.
That’s why I am planning on stay at the Wildhearts for a long time :)
Workout Elisa
This year all Wildhearts of the Month will be honoured with their own WOD. Their favorite movements, modalities and duration are combined in a special workout that is given their name.
The workout 'Elisa' wil be the Workout of the Day at January 26th. Don't miss it!
20 min AMRAP
400m Run
40 Box jumps 20/24''
400m Run
40 Deadlifts 60/80 KG
400m Run
40 Toes to bar
Stay tuned for our next Wildheart of the Month!