Four in the bucket

Well I know you see me pull four in a weekend all the time, but this time it was on super short notice and actually had to do work as well.  Work told me on Wednesday to get my travel in order and be in Lynchburg, VA in 36 hours.  EASY!  So I dropped a travel request, got a rental and headed to pick up my coworker and blast down there.  DAB is a great partner cuz he understands my hobby and helps me out getting places.  Got there...Got Shit done...FAST.....and got out of there.

(6/17) I blazed a trail 60 miles west to Brickhouse CF (129) in Roanoke, VA.  I was a little late, so i did the burpee penalty and got in on the warm up.  The WOD was one that I was leary of at best. 4rds of 400m runs and 50 squats. Easy, sure, but if you know me, it's the WOD that I tore my calf on back in April of last year.  It only took me a few moments to not think about it and take off.  I tore threw this WOD in just over 13 min.  I took the time here to drop that squat deeper and keep up a solid run pace.  It was a good atmosphere and the crew was really supportive of one another.  Thanks for having me, even if it was my second time trying to make it there. 

(6/18)  Now that I got everything done at work, I had a chance to visit a new friend in Gretchen Kittelberger at CF Charlottesville (130). It may have been a 75 mile drive but it was worth it. GK as I call her, and I chatted for a bit and figured out a good WOD since Saturdays were pretty much open gym. "Nate" was posion and GK pushed me threw. I finished 10 rounds of the 20m AMRAP of 2MU, 4HSPU, and 8 KB @ 70. There were a 3 others in the class but unfortunately I didn't catch there names. They killed a previous WOD from their week of training and we all even chatted a bit about the local farmers market. It was a great time and well worth the drive to spend time with a 2011 Reebok Games competitor in GK.

(6/20) I took a day or two off and headed for a double strength day in the Tidewater Area.  First up was CF Great Bridge (131) in Chesapeake, VA.  It was in a globo gym but I didn't hold that against them.  It was Deadlift day and I love Deadlift day.  3-3-3-3-3 was the scheme but it was a new 3 rep for me. I got up to 485.  To say the least, I gave CFGB a small show and got a cue to fix one little thing in my set up.  After that we hit a 5m AMRAP of 10 MB lunge twist and 10 MBC all at 20#. Managed 4rd and 1 twist.  It was a good experience and I'm glad to use every color of weights they had. 

 I finished up at CFGB and head over to meet my BFF, Cheryl Parker, at GSS CF (132) in Va Beach, VA. This place is where I would train if I still lived in VB.  Strong guys and girls and great coaches.  We warmed up on our own and then some intro's and demo's.  Strength day two was 12x3 Back Squats @ 75% with CHAINS!!!!  We had a man group with BK, Billy, Kev, B, and myself.  We ranged for 205 to 285 but ran threw all the rounds not letting one person get more than 2min rest between sets.  We were all finding that point that makes us stronger and I think we all found it.  Once we finished we all hit 10 rounds on the sled with 90#.  I'm so glad I got to visit this box and will make it a point to hit WOD's hard with this crew.  Thanks a lot GSS, I'm still hurting a bit!!!

Cheryl and I post sled work

Oh yeah, there are two new goals. Shots at box 151 and 200 by the end of the year. Let the WODs begin!

Mid Atlantic -v- Central East Region

So I got the opportunity to attend more than one regional this year.  Along the way I also got to do what I love to most, visit new boxes and meet people.

June 3rd thru 5th I was given the opportunity to judge at the Mid-Atlantic regional. All the athletes in this region are beasts!  I'm am fortunate to know or have worked out with many of them in my travels.  It was kinda like a reunion of my L1 sorts, which was really cool.  Teams RAW(#1) & Pittsburgh from my home in Pittsburgh had great showings and rep'd the 'Burgh well.  Other boxes like Vitality, Ultimate, & Takeover that I have visited this year all did really well too. 
On the ladies side a fellow games judge Courtney Modecki was a competitor, recent workout partners Dionne Danielle & Jennifer Jones placed well, new friend Amelia Bell tried her hardest, and L1 classmate Becky Conzelman won the whole thing!
As for the guys I saw the 'Burgs Jim Edmunds humbled by HSPU, great WOD partners Ian Hardin, Tom  Hooten, & Andrew Z give it there all and AJ Moore's dream fade as strict judging and him not fixing himself became his undoing.
I did get to squeeze in a WOD on Friday night with the Hizz and the Rizz at CF Mainstreet (127) in Fairfax, VA. It was a small, non-descript box with a little bit of equipment but big dreams.  The WOD was 3rds of 10 Tire Flips, 15 KB Swings, 20 Push Ups and a 400m run.  We all did really well.  Glad we got the chance to get a wod in while we could.  Thanks CFM!

(6/11) I got up early Saturday morning and headed out to Columbus to get a WOD in before catching the regional action.  I headed out to CF 614 (128) for a little Boys(2) v Girls(3) WOD. My Partner Ben and I had this task in front of us: 250m Yoke Carry(275#), 60 Rock to OH (@90), 250m Ammo Can Farmer Walk, 120 Push Ups, 250m Sled Pull (225#), 100 24" Box Jumps, and 250m Sandbag Carry (50#). We killed it in 21:21! The girls(Chelsea, Meredith, & Jolene) pulled a 25:43.  Everyone had a blast.  It was a small but fun group, glad I got a chance to get it in. 

Now for the CE Regional.  I don't know as many people in this region, but I know some good ones! 



As for the men, my boy Dan Bailey killed it, taking home the gold.  Friends Rich James and Nick Fory did amazing! Amazing athlete Michelle Kinney took top honors here.  Teams CF Covington showed up in last place and stormed ahead to finish 13 sec out of the finals on Sunday To Emily, Alicia, Laura, Jarrett, Ben, and Will, I'm glad I could see it, it was an amazing effort!  Teams I've WOD'd with in the past were Ktown, NKY, Nasti, Rogue and SPC and competed well with HyperFit taking Top Honors.

 

Now for what I learned: I learned that not every regional had the same standards but the athletes were all kept to the standards in their region.  Not exactly fair but fair enough for the time at hand.  I'm glad that I had the opportunity to see my friends, acquaintances, and people I look up to in this sport.  Here's to more boxes and good friends!!!!!

 

 

 

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

(5/27) So as in all long weekends I find myself trekking from my home in the 'burg to somewhere that has a box I haven't been to. The weekend is no different and I'm heading south to the DC area. I sometimes plan these trips out to overwork myself but get in the boxes or I look around for the best options.  This was a bit of both. I headed out early to my first destination, CF Frederick (122) in Frederick, MD. After a brief intro and the standard waiver, we hit the warm up and then the WOD: 5rd 30 GHD / 25 Back Ext.  This didn't look so rough, but looks are always deceiving!  This 13min of work made my abs hurt all weekend!  Thanks Dave for a great time and I look forward to another beating soon!

No that that beating was out of the way, time to get to the city!  So I continued my journey south and ended up at the open gym of District CF (123).  There I met Andrew, one of the coaches at DCF. I also got the regionals competitor Jennifer Jones and her husband Mike. We talked for a while and then Mike and I started our workout, "Amanda".  Mike and I did really well, beating our previous times by about 3min each.  We watched his wife do some skill work and then talked about the next weekends events.  I actually wound up being here almost 2 hours and could've stayed longer since Mike was going to get lunch.  I didn't know how good this visit was yet bet I would soon.  I wished Jenn luck and was out. Thanks for the hospitality Andrew! This box is totally worth the time to drop into when your in our nations capital. 

Now I wanted to do one more today, but the bed at my friends house kept me away from it.  12 hours of recharging was just what I needed!

(5//28) Now I convinced my good friends Chris, who has crossfitted and Tracy, who has never seen this joy, to go with me for a little 4 person team WOD at Trident CF (124).  A little background with me and CFT owners Chriss and Andrea, they were my L1 coaches, love Primal Palate and I just love them two! So after they described the memorial WOD for their friend "Jason Freiwald", we were off.  This was no ordinary team WOD, this was brutal. 2K Row, 160 Thrusters @ 95#, 160 Burpee Box Jumps, 320 Double Unders, 400m Tire Pull, 50# walking lunges down and back, 160 Pull Ups, & 160 KB Swings.  My team was awesome, we finished in 31 minutes Rx.  This was a great time and a great WOD.  I think Chris and Tracy had a good time.  This box was amazing! Coaches and crew paid tons of attention to form and how you were handling the heat.  If you are ever in the DC Area, make this a must WOD on the Crossfit circuit. 

(5/29) I met up with some friends today and spent the day having brunch and catching up.  After 3  WODS over the last 2 days I was feeling the affects of the deceiving workout on Friday morning.  As the day moved on I keep feeling like I needed just one more to cap off the trip.  I headed around the corner to Potomac CF (125) for a quick Sunday night WOD.  5 Rds 1min row cal 1 min rest 1 min DU 1min rest. Score Cal plus DU divided by 3. Scored a 207.  Cool people and a nice trainer.  Glad I got my friend Karen to join this box. 

 (5/30) I finally decided that it was time head back to the 'burgh but I had one last stop on the way. CF Hanover (126) was having a Memorial Day Hopper Challenge. 3 WOD choices, one pulled from a hat. I got McGhee 30min of 5 deadlifts @ 275, 13 push ups, 9 box jumps.  I wasn't feeling super hot so I got thru 10 rounds. CFH had a great showing of CrossFitters all over PA.  I got to meet some new great people like the Hizz, the Rizz and Tash and donate to a great cause.  Thanks for having me and I'll definitely see you guys again.