For years, Sue wanted to try CrossFit. And for years, it intimidated her.
She’d played sports through high school and college, and stayed active afterward with running and spinning. The itch to lift, to try something harder, was always there – she just never acted on it.
Then life got hard. Sue was working through several difficult changes, and somewhere in the middle of it, she realized something: she could do hard things. That realization is what finally got her through SONA’s doors, at the invitation of a friend.
Starting CrossFit as a Beginner
Sue’s first real conversation at SONA was with Coach Traci – and it didn’t start with a workout plan. It started with a question Sue hadn’t considered before: What are you training for?
“It made me really consider my long-term goals,” Sue says. Her answer, once she found it, was overall wellness – the strength and health to take care of her family for as long as possible.
She started in spin classes, then moved into CrossFit. The classes were great. What kept her coming back was something else.
Building Strength and Mobility From the Ground Up
Sue didn’t walk in and start hitting PRs. “When I started, it felt like I struggled with every movement,” she says. The coaches focused her early work on joint mobility, shoulders, hips – groundwork that turned out to matter more than she expected.
That mobility work protected her from injury and, unexpectedly, reshaped her running. Sue went on to complete a marathon in 2024, and a second in 2025. Along the way, she started hitting PRs in her lifts and building real overall stability.
Coaches who meet you where you are
Ask Sue what made the difference, and she doesn’t point to one coach, she points to all of them.
“Every coach has made a difference for me,” she says. “Each one has been approachable and made me feel like I belonged right away, they didn’t make me feel like I had to prove myself to belong.” Every coach met her where she was and helped her build a skill, or just a little more endurance.
What stands out to her is the attention to detail: each coach takes the time in class to assess where she’s at, give real instruction, offer feedback, and notice when she reaches a new ability. “No gain is too small, and every win is celebrated,” Sue says. “Even just trying something new is a win worth celebrating.”
The Power of a CrossFit Community
Sue’s SONA story isn’t only about what happens in class.
“I have made great friends along the way,” she says, with a specific shout-out to her 5 AM crew. Those friendships didn’t stay inside the gym. They’ve gone running together, tried the local rock climbing gym, grabbed meals and coffee, joined other groups together, attended church services, and served in local ministries together.
“It’s really incredible to see my gym family during the week for workouts and then also see them on weeknights and weekends,” Sue says. “We put in the work and effort, together. We show up for each other. Shared sacrifice creates community.”
That’s Sue’s story, one question, a lot of consistency, and two marathons later, still going. We’ll be sharing a member story like hers here every month.
