back in the ATX!

Oh how it feels so great to be back in Austin! My holiday was extended thanks to the snowstorm that hit the east coast Monday. I got to spend a few extra days with my Mom in Maine, and a little bit of a travel adventure getting home. No complaints though - I didn't sleep in any airports. JetBlue took care of me. They booked me on American Airlines flights (which allowed me to get home today) and covered all my expenses, including my hotel room and meals in Boston last night.

I've been up since 3AM eastern time, so before I go take a nap, I'd be remiss if I didn't wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Have fun, be safe, and I will see y'all next year! Peace.

merry and bright

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The snow started just after my plane touched down Monday afternoon... and this is how my mom's garden looked Monday evening. Love it!


AND big thanks to Shawn, Ginny and the crew at CrossFit321 here in Brunswick Maine for the workout Wednesday evening! Hope all goes well with moving to your new location. I'm sure 2011 will be filled with continued success!

CrossFit321 WOD 22 Dec 2010
AMRAP 20 minutes:
5 chest-to-bar pull-ups
10 ring dips
15 overhead squats @ 95lbs

5 rounds + 5 pull-ups , 10 ring dips rx'd

I hope every one's Christmas is merry! Peace y'all.

lift

"We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves."
- Orison Swett Marden

Rest week ahead! More shortly...


Peace.

translation? funny!

You just gotta laugh! H/T Cat

take action

"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."
- Benjamin Disraeli

SICFIT AUSTIN 16 DEC 2010
for time(s):
run 1 mile = 6:28
rest 6 minutes
run 1200 meters = 4:34
rest 4 minutes
run 800 meters = 3:09
rest 2 minutes
run 400 meters = 1:12

Definitely happy with today's times. Especially as we weren't on a track - we had to turn around every 200 meters! Even though the last 400 was an all-out sprint, that time is 5 seconds off my PR. Good stuff today!

Peace.

create

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."
- Bruce Lee



REST DAY! Moving slow. Walking on some seriously sore legs today... I did get in some foam roller and mobility work - because there are no mobility rest days.

It's a beautiful "hump day" here in Austin, Texas! Enjoy it y'all!

elevate

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."
- Henry David Thoreau

SICFIT AUSTIN 14 Dec 2010
STRENGTH
sumo deadlift
3-3-3-3-3

225-245-265-295-295

Satisfied here - 295lbs was the first challenging weight.

WOD
for time:
20-15-10-5
ring dips
one-arm overhead walking lunge @24KG kettlebell
250 yard sandbag run @70lbs

12:24 rx'd. Fun one! The sandbag runs slowed me down though...

Despite being back in my usual sleep deprived stupor, felt good this morning! Hump day is on deck!

persist

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press on.’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
- Calvin Coolidge

STRENGTH
back squat
5x5, sets across

All at 195lbs - up ten pounds from the last time. I'll take it.

My mentor Big Mike Gregory back squats 385lbs on his way to a 2nd place finish in Dallas last weekend at the All Cities Open. Congrats Mike!

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

Have a great week y'all. Peace.

aim high

"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.
It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled,
but it is a calamity not to dream.
It is not a disgrace to reach for the stars,
but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.
Not failure, but low aim, is a sin."
- Benjamin Mays


Thanks to Elliot for posting the poem.

SICFIT AUSTIN WOD
"Lynne"
5 rounds:
max reps bodyweight bench press
max reps pullups

bench press @ 155lbs/strict pullup
11/17
6/13
5/7
4/7
3/7

My bench press numbers got bad fast - happy with the pullups though. Felt good to work hard this morning. Peace.

attitude alterations

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind."
- William James

Jim Collins asks if it's time for a "stop-doing" list?

And check out Coach Travis Holley's post: What It's All About

Happy hump day!

go after it

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
~ Jack London


Staying busy but definitely "going after it." More soon! Peace.

find a way or make one

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."
~ Kurt Vonnegut

Thursday and Friday taught me a lot. Scratch that - it's more like they smacked me over the head with things I already knew, but had been avoiding.

Thursday, I was exhausted and half-sick. And the day before. Most of this week actually. It's what happens when you combine 18 hour days and little sleep. Like 5-6 hours a night. I left my office Wednesday night about 10PM and crashed as soon as I got home. I slept for 12 hours, missing Thursday morning training at SICFIT Austin, and appointments I had later that morning. Decidedly NOT BUENO. I got up, still tired, ate a quick omelet and drank a cup of coffee, then sat down on the couch and opened up my laptop to check my emails. While my laptop was powering up, I put my head back and promptly fell back asleep... for over two hours. All I managed to do Thursday was go to my office and work.

Aside from the obvious - that this is no f**k!ng way to live - I've finally admitted to myself that by making my life like this, I'm holding myself back. It's impacting my professional life but most importantly, it's impacting my personal life. My career, my relationships, and my fitness are all suffering.

I've got to a point in my life where no one thing is a priority, and thereby everything has suffered.

I've not been giving my coaching the time and energy it deserves. My "day job" is suffering too. I'm tired all the time, to a point where I'm basically neglecting my personal life.

I'm pissed that I took this long to admit that I'm doing this to myself. The good news? I'm the one who got my life like this, so I can change it.

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Thursday woke me up to patterns I developed in my life that I've been stuck in for several years, even before crossfit.

I know one thing, I'm finished living this way. It's been way too long since I've sat down and really looked at where I want my life to go, and what I want my life to be. So that's my new priority.

There is one other thing I know - once I've decided where I'm going - you better watch out 'cause nothing is going to stop me.

"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam."
Latin phrase meaning:
"I shall find a way or make one."

stand out

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"
~ Dr. Seuss


OLY/SKILL
split jerk
5x3 @ 90% 1RM

All at 165lbs. Happy hump day y'all. Peace.