high flight

U.S. Air Force photo

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

High Flight
by Gillespie Magee

Pilot Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force

Thanksgiving

It's another beautiful day in Austin Texas! Went up to CrossFit Central this morning for the 5k fun run. My time was 23:53. Feeling good!

I am thankful for all the blessings and challenges of my life. It's great to be alive! Peace.

25 November 2009

WOD: @ CrossFit Central

2 person team for time:

50-40-30-20-10

overhead walking lunge @ 25lbs plate

push-ups

box jump

push-press @ 75lbs barbell

sit-ups

Mike and I teamed up and, splitting each movement evenly between us, were starting box jumps on the last round when time was called at 25 minutes. Make that a DNF. Between soreness and my performance the last two days, I can really tell I took almost 3 weeks off! Still, my back never bothered me so I'm happy with today!

I've shared $.02 about the Robb Wolf firing, but I want to point out that Greg Everett has posted his take on things. Also, go read CJ Martin's outstanding post on his blog today.

WODs and controversy

WOD first, controversy second...

WOD: @ CrossFit Central
for time
10 kettlebell swings, 1 burpee
10 KB swings, 2 burpees
10 KB swings, 3 burpees
... build until
10 KB swings, 10 burpees
women: 1.5 pood, men 2 pood

My time was 11:47 scaled to 1.5 pood (24kg). Being careful and scaling my way into things, but my back fared well with the WOD, it was the bonus that I should have sat out. Zach had us do tabata push-ups, resting in a plank, then we rolled onto our backs and held our feet at 6" for I don't know how long. Stopped that about midway through when things started to lock up in my back again. Rolled out immediately by the front desk, and then again at home. I was stupid, but managed to not do any real damage. I've gotta be more disciplined though...

On to controversy...

First of all I think it's a shame that Robb Wolf will no longer be doing the nutrition certs. I was unable to attend the one held here in Austin (last year I believe it was), and frankly, will not be attending one until I know there is a presenter of his caliber on board. I did not attend the Black Box Summit, but I did drop by Sunday afternoon to check out the OPT training log and just hang around. I chatted with Web and Kris and then snuck in and sat in the back for the last 45 minutes of the Q&A portion, paid rapt attention to the discussion and promptly forgot all about training logs. (A good thing too because Erika has hand-made me a training log! Contact her to get your own!)

Anyhow, it's obvious the fallout over the Dave Castro meltdown that took place Saturday, the Robb Wolf firing, and the issues surrounding it won't go away (and in my opinion should be discussed in a frank and open manner). Also, I have no doubt that this episode will not diminish what is being reflected on as a phenomenal weekend by many people. For instance, read the recent stuff by C.J. Martin at CrossFit Invictus, Freddy C. at CrossFit One World, or Dutch, and make sure to check out Nicki Violetti's latest post (read the comments as well). The fantastic presenters and the wealth of knowledge they represent are bigger than this controversy, and will outshine it. I could tell that from sitting in the back row for a few minutes. If you were there, you know what I mean. If you weren't, go watch the video clips at sicfit.com and then you will too.

23 November 2009

Well, I managed to not set my alarm this morning. Got too used to sleeping in these past few weeks! So I missed the WOD at Central this morning, but went for a run instead. Of course I wasn't able to time my run because I left my watch at home! Seeing a pattern here? Anyway, got in a 3 mile-ish run around townlake this morning and felt good throughout.

Check out the Black Box Summit recommended reading list. Amazon.com here I come...

Also, read Change your mind and the rest will follow. It's about the self-defense mindset, but widely applicable. A very good post on an interesting blog.

quality

Check out this video of Dutch Lowy and Robb Wolf speaking at the Black Box Summit. Looks like it was a quality weekend...

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

I'm baa-aack

Man it feels so good to be back to training! After my little injury-induced vacation it felt like coming home to walk into CrossFit Central this morning. I say that for two reasons.

One, because it's true.

Two, I felt like chiming in on the big-box vs small-box "debate". It's about the quality of training peoples! To have that you need competent, professional coaches who have a passion for what they do. When you love doing something, going the "extra mile" is a pleasure and a privilege. They've built a community, a culture of success. When your coaches and friends are focused on skills improvement, nutrition, and goals setting, it makes you want to "up your game." It's also a lot of fun. That is why CrossFit Central is so successful. Period.

On to the WOD today...

20 November 2009
WOD: @ CrossFit Central
"tabata roll with it"
8 intervals for each movement of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
barbell push-jerk @ 75lbs
med-ball clean @20lbs med-ball
row (calories = reps)
push-ups

The Mike's had us keep a cumulative total of reps for the whole workout (much easier than scoring each movement). My number today was 233. The barbell push-jerk and push-ups treated me well. The med-ball cleans killed me, but my back felt good the whole way!

It's Friday! Have a safe and fun weekend y'all.

S...s..s..s..s.. A..a..a..a..a.. F..f..f..f......

nerdly wisdom

"Do or do not. There is no try!"
- Yoda

moving down the road

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Once you know where you want to be, it's just a matter of getting there. Unfortunately, that's where trouble hits most of us. We get complacent, frustrated at pace of progress or lack thereof, and so on...

I stumbled on this short list last year, and it's helped keep me on track, and reminded me to get my ass back there when I strayed...

1. define your goal - decide "what you want"
2. visualize the accomplishment of your goal - create and image or set of images that embody getting or becoming what you want
3. develop a plan - chart your course to that goal - map specific steps to getting what you want
4. act on "three things" - consistently work on a small number of action items that can be accomplished in three days / three weeks / three months / three years
5. maintain focus on your goal - revisit numbers 1 through 4 on a regular basis - about every three days

Right now my short term focus is healing the muscle strain in my lower back... and the end of that road is in sight!

Then I'm gonna blaze a new trail!!

Veteran's Day

"War is an ugly thing, but it is not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

- John Stuart Mill

Happy Veteran's Day to all the vets out there... and thank you for your service.

getting work done...

"If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done."
- Dale Carnegie

WOD: Rest day. My back is coming along, actually looking forward to hitting the trigger point set again today...

also... Happy 234th Birthday Marines!

rest day thoughts...

As for my whole lower-back muscle spasm/strain situation, I'm seeing real improvement now that I'm resting it for real, even on the days where I feel pretty good. I can't wait to get back to training, but when I do, it will be once I'm completely healed.

I was going to post several links, but below is the one I want to post above all else. The Fort Hood shooting has been all over the news lately, and I don't have anything to say other than I never cease to be horrified by the worst of humanity, or amazed by our best. Many of you are likely already aware of this woman, but I'd still like to share this article about Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley.


Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" (before the shooting), this mother of two is credited as the one who took down the Fort Hood shooter, and was seriously wounded in the process.

"Here I come to save the day!" indeed.

Well done ma'am.

light blogging lately...

Today was going to be a training day. I was at the track this morning and was feeling OK, so I figured I'd do some light stretching, go through the CC warm-up, and then pace myself through the WOD and see just how I felt... bad call. I felt allright through the stretching, then started the warm-up... and my back started killing me again. Think old-man style lower-back hurts-to-pick-something-up kind of pain. So... I hobbled to the car, went home, broke out the triggerpoint, rolled out my back and made another appointment with my chiro for tomorrow.

Time to exercise my patience some more...

Oh- here's a helpful chart of trigger-points from CrossFit Oakland.

02 November 2009

"Each honest calling, each walk of life, has it's own elite, it's own aristocracy based on excellence of performance."
- James Bryant Conant

Check out the profile of CrossFit Central in a recent CrossFit Journal article. Good stuff!

WOD: After an "active rest" weekend at the ranch, took today off. My back is getting better, albeit very slowly. Muscle strains suck... especially in your lower back.