Second place ain’t all that bad when it comes to competing against the quarter-thousand who participated in the 2015 CrossFit Open.

 

25-year-old Kara Webb is back in action, staking her claim near the top of the leaderboard, next in line to Annie Thorisdottir.

 

And this (second place) after being out with an injury she suffered at the 2014 CrossFit Games.

 

“I certainly surprised myself and I am excited to see how much better I can be by Regionals and again by the Games. I know this year, I am a more well-rounded athlete with good programming and a heck of a lot of hard work which helps too,” Webb said.

 

With two worldwide second place finishes during weeks 2 and 3, and a fourth place finish on 15.5 in the Open, Webb was able to solidify her second-place overall finish, despite a tougher time with Open WOD 1 (49^th place) and 4 (50^th place).

“Week one was rough as I didn’t feel very ‘fit’ yet, but each week improved a little more the more I focused on my nutrition (of all things). I loved the programming this year and had so much fun doing some different workouts. By the end, all I wanted was a ‘gross one; for 15.5. I thoroughly enjoyed going out with a bang on that one. It hurt (6:36 minutes to complete 27-21-15-9 calorie row & thrusters),” Webb said.

 

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Webb is no stranger to being ‘on top’. Ever since she started CrossFit three years ago, the Aussie has become a staple name and face in Carson, finishing 19^th (2012), 12^th (2013), and 31^st (2014; injury), respectively.

 

This year, is no different, as she plans to make her fourth appearance back to the Stub Hub Center to redeem what she lost out on last year.

 

“About a week before the Games, I compressed a nerve that runs from my cervical spine down my left arm. It was very sudden and very aggressive. I avoided training for the whole week leading up to the Games in conjunction with treatment and lots of anti-inflammatories to give myself chance to compete,” Webb said.

 

By Monday of the Games week, Webb struggled to carry her own bag around, but proceeded “as normal”, registering to compete. By Wednesday, she went out for the beach event not even knowing if she complete a burpee, much less use her arms to swim.

 

“To my surprise, I made it through pain free but just feeling very unfit after a week off. I decided to progress with the week as much as I could, being very cautious along the way. I was able to do everything pain free but had a lot of weakness in that arm with movements like the muscle ups and handstand push-ups. The handstand walking finally tipped me over the edge,” Webb said.

 

By that point into the competition, isolating her arm was ‘too much’ and it compressed the nerve so badly that her whole arm went numb.

 

“Pins and needles…the rest was history,” Webb said.

 

The medical team advised she didn’t continue, saying it could be a disc issue, so she pulled out, choosing to withdraw from the final two events.

 

“Safety first,” she said. “Recovery has been long and slow. I actually have an imbalance in my jaw that caused me to overload that side for my whole life. With extensive orthodontic work and constant maintenance I am training almost as though nothing happened. I feel fine but I still get cautious,” Webb said.

 

Now, with less than a year’s worth of recovery under her belt, finishing the Open in second place meant much more than just another gold star to add to her own list of accomplishments within the sport of CrossFit.

 

“My attitude has completely changed after an injury. I appreciate it (my ability to compete and train) so much more. I am a lot more focused now with every aspect of my training…just smarter, more composed, and I appreciate every opportunity to compete more than ever. At any stage, I know this all could end, so I need to enjoy it more,” Webb said.

 

Webb’s injury also taught her more about her recovery and nutrition.

 

“My nutrition has always been good, but now it’s even cleaner. If I do all the right things than what will be will be. I don’t want any excuses to fall back on. My life revolves around training hard, and most importantly managing my recovery and my fuel,” Webb said.

 

So what does the day in the life of the second place Open finisher look like?

 

She’s up at 4:30am everyday to coach a couple classes at CrossFit Roar (“after a cup of black tea of course”), then, depending on the day, it’s either a training session of her own or back home to cook breakfast of 3 cups of cooked vegetables with bacon all thrown into a pan with some coconut oil.

 

By mid-morning, she takes time for her own recovery and physical treatment, as well as housework, food prep, and additional work, such as e-mails or things she needs to get done.

 

“I also schedule in a nap since I get up so early and finish so late,” she said.

 

Lunchtime happens around noon, which always included meat and vegetables (“usually leftover dinner from the night before”), before heading back to the gym at 2pm to train again.

 

“I finish my session at about 4-4:30pm because I have to coach 2 to 3 more classes in the evening. I’ll have some Progenex and some fruit after training and lots of water while I coach,” Webb said.

 

She’s home by 8:30 pm depending on the day, eats her dinner of meat and vegetables (“again”) and is in bed by 9-9:30pm.

 

Fridays are scheduled as active recovery days for an hour, followed by some training and a regular massage on Saturdays, and Sundays strict rest.

 

“All I strive for in my life is the feeling that I have done a good job. I like to do well, progress, make myself, and my loved ones, happy. I hate letting people down. I am filled with guilt if I don’t think I have done my best, so I typically try to do my best,” Webb said.

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