Be Awesome!

So….are you a runner or someone who just runs?  Are you a triathlete or someone who just likes to swim, bike, and run?  Or are you a crossfitter or someone who just likes to go to the gym and hang out with really cool people?  I guess my point really is...have you embraced the culture of what you are doing?  Many came up with excuses or define themselves negatively in regards to fitness and sports.  It is a fact that our bodies were made to run for miles to escape from cheetahs (well, maybe not cheetahs) and hunt buffalo…we were also made to lift heavy things (like rocks, trees, and elephants…well, maybe not elephants).  In order to be the athlete you were meant to be you must embrace the culture of activity.  Put down the remote control, throw the cigarettes away (or that goofy glass pipe thing everyone is smoking now) and get yourself outside.  There are talkers and doers…there are consumers and producers.  Which one are you?

Go be awesome!

Workouts are improving everyday.  Extra sleep and programming has helped a ton.  I am scaling the exercises, but getting stronger. 

WOD1: 5min AMRAP

5 Toes to Bar

7 Box Jumps (24/20)

9 KB Swings (53/35)

-       Rest 3mins –

WOD2: 2min AMRAP HSPU

-       Rest 3mins –

WOD3: 7min AMRAP

3 Hang Power Clean (135/95)

7 Front Squats (135/95)

3 Shoulder to Overhead (135/95)

So Others May Live….

I had the pleasure of spending this past Saturday with combat rescue.  It really was an incredible experience to observe and learn from these quiet professionals.  There are brave men and women out there that will gladly risk their lives to ensure yours is saved.  I am thankful for their sacrifices and devotion to duty.

I have to say…there is nothing like being tossed into the ocean, man handled by a PJ and then hoisted into a helicopter.  Afterwards I looked at the PJ and said, “you and I are forever connected…. you put your legs around my hips, now we are bonded for life.”

I follow Lisbeth Darsh’s blog, http://wordswithlisbeth.com/2014/03/23/to-make-a-fire/, and in her post this morning she briefly discussed the intensity and focus of starting a fire.  What could we accomplish if we focused that intensity on ourselves and becoming better at one or two tasks?  If we could really hone in on this concept I personally believe we could change the world.  Jeff Olson talks about what it takes to create the Slight Edge…it is being consistent day in and day out.  While others muddle along the truly courageous focus their “fire building” and consistently become better over time.

CrossFit morning.  It is a Chipper version of the 14.4 open workout.  I am going to call it Rescue…because when you are done you will need someone to “rescue” you.

20 Min AMRAP

Run 400 meters

25 Toes to Bar

20 Wall Balls

15 Cleans (135/95)

10 Chest to Bar Pull ups

I scaled all parts and was able to get 2 complete rounds.  Everyday I feel like I am getting stronger and stronger.  My diet and pull-ups are going to be the focus. 

Week in Review- 17- 23 Mar 2014

I have to pinch myself everyday…I am thankful for this opportunity to serve great American warriors.  The most precious treasure of our country has freely given themselves to this cause and it is my job to make sure their efforts are not in vain and they have everything they require to accomplish the task at hand.  It is an amazing responsibility and one I take very seriously.

This week has been great.  I am slowly but surely getting acclimated to the heat and humidity.  I completed 3 CrossFit workouts, 2 gym strength sessions and ran 6.3 miles.  My goal was to cut the running down and that was accomplished.  I was also able to get 58.3 hours of sleep to aid in recovery.  Most days I am still sore and stiff, but there is definitely some fitness progress being made.  I am currently struggling with the nutrition/diet piece.   This will be the main focus of the next week's efforts and I hope to establish better habit patterns.

The goals for this week are:

-       56+ hours of sleep

-       All 3 CrossFit workouts & all 3 strength workouts

-       18 miles of running

-       Dialing in the diet

-       Drink more water

JJ

Today we honored Lance Corporal Justin James "JJ"Wilson, United States Marine Corps. He was killed while on patrol by an IED.   I have never participated in a Hero WOD…it is powerful.

via CrossFit.com

U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Justin James "JJ" Wilson, 24, of Palm City, Florida, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was killed on March 22, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Hannah McVeigh, parents Lance and Frances, brother Christopher, and sister Jamie-Ella.

"J.J."

For time:
185 pound Squat clean, 1 rep
10 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 2 reps
9 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 3 reps
8 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 4 reps
7 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 5 reps
6 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 6 reps
5 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 7 reps
4 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 8 reps
3 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 9 reps
2 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 10 reps
1 Parallette handstand push-up

Don't Poop Your Pants

Don’t poop your pants…don’t poop your pants…don’t poop your pants.  It was all I could think about as I was looking at the white board with one word written across it… F-R-A-N.  Malaria drugs and Fran…potent combination.  Now…when you look at CrossFit sites and athlete profiles you always come across memories of their first experience with Fran and then their current times.  Most of the time the times are significantly better after several times taking her for a whirl.  It is truly a benchmark of strength and stamina.  Quite frankly, I really dislike both thrusters and pull ups.  My distaste for them probably stems from my level of suckiness at doing them.  Oh well, here we go.  One thing is for sure…Fran is a vengeful mistress….You cannot help but to love her.  Well, maybe not LOVE…but definetly LUST….lust because you want to visit again and do better.   21-15-9 (95/65) of thrusters and pull ups.  All in all I felt okay with it.  I scaled the weight and used bands on the pull ups…BIG bands.  Afterwards I looked at my instructor and stated, “the pull ups hurt my soul.”  That is some serious hurt. 

The rearranging of the workouts has proven to be awesome.  HRV is steady and so is my resting HR.  I am anxious to see what it is on Sunday and then chart across the whole week.  If anything, I feel great each morning…even on CrossFit mornings.  Work events took out my evening run…that is okay, I will make it up later in the week.

I "shamrock" Djibouti

Today was awesome!  I took everyone's advice and cut the workout a bit to help with heat acclimation.  This morning was all about CrossFit and then I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K.  The competitive spirit always kicks in, but I kept it tempered.  The weather was great and the humidity low.  I restructured the week so I could get extra sleep following my CrossFit/run days.  Let's see how it works….

The best part…corned beef and cabbage!


Dig my new shirt!

Workout 14.3

8 minute AMRAP:


10 deadlifts, 135 / 95 lb. 


15 box jumps, 24 / 20 inch


15 deadlifts, 185 / 135 lb.


15 box jumps, 24 / 20 inch


20 deadlifts, 225 / 155 lb.


15 box jumps, 24 / 20 inch


25 deadlifts, 275 / 185 lb.


15 box jumps, 24 / 20 inch


Lots of fun!  I completed the workout using.

10 deadlifts @ 95 lb

15 Box Jumps 20 in

15 deadlifts @ 125

15 Box Jumps 20 in

20 deadlifts @ 145 lb

10 Box Jumps…

Don't Touch It. It's Perfect!

There are many ways to count down time while deployed.  The easiest one for here is to count the incoming rotators.  I am officially one rotator into my deployment.  Woot woot!  I know that sounds negative, but in all actuality this has been the greatest professional experience of my career.  The opportunity to serve Airmen in a deployed environment is truly the pinnacle of an Air Force career.  Yes, I could have stayed home…no one said I had to go…I wouldn’t trade this for the world.  Penny and I were discussing this subject earlier this week and we both agreed that soon enough this time spent away from home will be a distant memory.

My "motivation wall"

This purpose of this particular blog post is to capture this past week…it is a week in review…of sorts.  This past week was really the start of my “get fit” plan and it has been challenging.  The heat and humidity have proven to be a challenging adversary.  I have experimented with workouts, timing of workouts, daily nutrition and have not been able to establish a rhythm.  The nightly runs around the camp leave me drained and nauseous.  The early morning workouts sap my afternoon energy.  So…today I went back to the drawing board and massaged this week’s plan to capitalize on more rest and better timing of the endurance sessions.  Right now it is all about volume and getting used to consistent training and the heat.  I will make a better effort to stay hydrated, eat cleaner and get more sleep. 

Actual triathlon specific training starts 2 Jun for a 9 August race.

The week in review….

-       25.3 miles of Running (All Z1-Z2)

-       2 CrossFit workouts

- 98 pull ups (band assisted)

- 50 push ups

- 50 abmat situps

- 60 mountain climbers

- 50 yards of bear crawls

- 25 burpee broad jumps

- 88 alternating kettlebell snatches

-       1 Gym strength session

-       Avg HR- 53.7

-       Avg HRV- 74.8

-       Time Sleeping- 50.6 hours (Goal is 56 hours)

Goals for next week

-       25 Miles of Running

-       3 Crossfit workouts

-       3 Gym Strength sessions

5   56 Hours of Sleeping

13 March 2014

Whew!  The humidity is rising and the dust is blowing.  I added a strength workout today to help with overall general conditioning.  Also, pushed out 6.33 miles on the running dirt/rock path.  With all the construction it is difficult to come up with a set route with a set distance.

The General's # 4 priority is being adaptable….I am being adaptable.

I am on Mars

I going to use my youngest daughter's logic in solving complex problems.  Quite frankly, it seems to work pretty darn good.

This is a picture of where I am at on the first day….

This is a picture of Mars…..

I am on Mars….

Below is this morning's workout.  Yes…it was a butt ton of pull-ups….Yes….I struggled…No…I didn't puke.

I was band assisted on the pull-ups and used 26 pounds for the kettlebell snatches.  Finished in 17:53.  I am a bit fatigued from the up tick in volume, but still hanging in there.  The overall heat and humidity is climbing and it is a struggle to stay on top of hydration.  I am already tired of eating baked chicken and salad.  Blah!!

For Time:  Reps of 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6

KB Alternating Snatch (53/35)

Pull-ups

To the poo pond….

….and back is 2.93 miles.

Temps and humidity is staying steady.  I woke up uber sore and stayed in bed.  Made up for my laziness with a quick run after work.

10 Mar 2014

Morning CrossFit workout

5 Minute AMRAP:

Sprint 25m

25 Hand release push ups

Sprint 25m

30 Abmat Situps

–Rest 2 Min–

5 Minute AMRAP:

40 Mountain Climbers

25m Bear Crawl

20 Jump Squats

25m Burpee Broad Jumps

–Rest 2 Min–

5 Minute AMRAP:

20 Double Unders

10 Pull-ups

20 Double Unders

10 Toes to bar

This workout was really tough…all body weight…and with my current body weight it was really hard.  I was around the middle of the pack.  It was really just three 5 minute AMRAPS.

1.     Made it all the way through 1 round and then to 20 abmat situps.

2.     Made it through 1 round and then 20 mountain climbers

3.     Made it through 1 round and then 10 pull ups.

I scaled the double unders with 3 to 1 singles.  The pull ups were band assisted.  Toes to bar became toes to elbows.  All is all it was a ton of fun despite the queasy feeling at the end.

Finished the day with a 5.75 mile run.  My Garmin dumped all my data…ugh!!!! 

Sleep 4:42

HRV 72 (+6)

HR 49

Unstuck

To Europe and back…

The past four days has done little to advance my physical fitness, but has done much to increase my mental and spiritual well being.  I knew there was no way I was going to be able to run, bike or swim during this trip and instead spent the time reading and reflecting.  Those reflections were on the how the past has influenced the present and then how to use those experiences (both negative and positive) to build a better tomorrow.  I know, I know…sounds really deep. 

I have been jotting down ideas on a concept of becoming “unstuck.”  Many of us have just become stuck in the present and cannot figure out how to get moving again or how to change course.  We just feel like we are….well….stuck.  I have been reading three incredible books: 1) The Only Way to Win by Jim Loehr, 2) The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and 3) The Way of the Seal by Mark Divine.  All three have a very different take on a common subject.   I hope to put my complete thoughts on the subject to paper in the future. 

The trip to Germany was great.  My wife enjoys Bitburger and so I enjoyed one for her while thinking about all the great things she has done for me.  I have been gone for a little more than a week and it feels like forever.  I was discussing this very subject with a coworker….it takes absence to better clarify what is important in life. 

I am back in DJ (Djibouti) and ready to get back on track. 

I knew there was going to be a little break in training and planned accordingly.  There is an internal debate going on in my head on how to proceed.  I am planning on Crossfit Mon, Tues, Wed, Break on Thursday and then Friday….adding strength building days on Thursday and Saturday…plus bumping the running volume way up to 4 times a week with 25-30 miles during a 7 day period.  I am going to experiment with this week to see how I respond to the volume.  I am also going to put a couple future events on the calendar to drive progress….50K on 7 June and then a mini Triathlon with my boss sometime in May.

3 March 2014

Operation: Tin Foil Window is complete.

CrossFit: Open 14.1

10 Min AMRAP

30 Double Unders (90 Singles)
15 Power Snatch (95/55)

I used the 90 singles and 65 lbs for the Power Snatch.  Cranked out 130.  I was really worried about getting hurt and asked for extra coaching on the snatch.

Still working on dialing in the nutrition.  The healthy food choices are a bit of a challenge and I refuse to only eat carrots for the next 5 months.

Sleep: 6:25 (Struggling to get sleep)
HRV: 70 (-7)
Avg HR: 50

1 March 2014

Today marks my third day in country and I working on getting my feet under me.  The temperature is in the 80s with a definite mark of humidity.  I have to dump the dehumidifier in my room every morning.  Last night I was abruptly woken up by a construction crew right outside my door.  The banging of equipment and shouting ensured there was no sleep to be had.  Oh well….it is what it is.

I checked out the running track…it is actually a rocky dirt path.  I am told that there is a ton of wildlife that hang out by the fence: mongoose, camels, and SNAKES!!!!  I hope these snakes like to lick and not bite.

Running…. 2 X 1/2 mile and then 2 X 1 Mile…then run to equal 60 minutes.  5.6 miles.  Total time was 58:33.

Hatha Yoga….60 minutes.   Started a beginner class today to work on flexibility and core strength.  Hard…but fun!