I haven't been tested in the truest sense of the word since college. But it didn't take much to unearth that old anxiety; one click of the send button in gmail and I was back in that post-finals limbo — will I pass? In college, I always did. But getting certified to instruct indoor rowing is a different beast. It's sports. My greatest athletic achievement before CrossFit was the day I figured out that if I shadowed the best players in Ultimate 'bee, no one would pass me the frisbee.

This week I got the email that returned me to my rational thirty-something self: Congratulations! Welcome to the instructor crew and stopping bad rowing! Yes! Pass me the frisbee, please.