Saturday WOD

Thanks to everyone for allowing me some flexibility with the coaching schedule. This week we met on Wednesday instead of Tuesday night. Our CFE group met in the parking lot of Eastlake Little League. We ran hill repeats. 4 times up the big North Creekside Drive hill ( just short of a half mile long). We had residents who were out walking their dogs saying they have never seen anyone run the hill, let alone a pack of runners.....4 times!!!!! I think some of you were pretty nervous about what I was roping you into. But you put your best foot forward ( yes a cheesy running pun) and ALL of you did it. I was so proud. Not because I didn't think you weren't capable of completing, but because I think some of you could've possibly talked yourself out of being able to do it.....if you were there alone. So once again...THE POWER OF THE PACK!!!


Special shout out to Theresa who said to me via text that night " I THINK I HAVE A RUNNERS HIGH!!!!!!!" ..... Right On!!!!!


Ok so here are the details for tomorrow's WOD. We will be meeting at 8am in the parking lot of Montevalle Park:


840 Duncan Ranch Road
Chula Vista, CA 91914-2534


We will meet near the dog park. We will be running 4 x 1.5 mile repeats. . The route is part groomed trail and part road. It is hilly ( of course ) but pretty and lots to look at. There are bathrooms and drinking fountains. But I suggest bringing water and Honey Stingers.


Please bring a friend if you'd like. Especially if you know someone who is wanting to get trained up for Rock n Roll half or full marathon.This is a great workout for people who are just getting started running as we can scale back the number of repeats to meet their level of fitness. I will bring some coffee and supply some Paleo Pumpkin Muffins for post run chat under the eucalyptus trees!


Looking forward to seeing you all in the morning!


~Coach Aubyn

Saturday recap.

Hey Everyone:


Great job today everyone. The run was not easy. It was a jump in mileage for some. It was hilly. And it was hot and dry. Not to mention that it came at the end of a week full of WODS such as Fran and walking lunges! So way to push through the pain and exhaustion and get it done.


Some of you may have walked away from today's run thinking "Wow, I just got my ass handed to me." But I want each and every single one of you to know that whatever time it took you to finish in, it was a great accomplishment. See, in my mind there are CrossFitters, and then there are CrossFitters who do CFE. Many "Crossfitters" WON'T run more than a 5k. In fact, they hate any WOD that has running and if you want to see proof of that, check out how few people show up for a 5k WOD when Rick schedules it. So congratulate yourselves. You are in the minority. Not only can perform technical lifts with heavy weight, you can do basic gymnastics, sprint, and run long distances. Proving that you accept all challenges and you are a well rounded athlete.


Special recognition today goes to Ralph. He ran the loop twice. He opted for a second loop even after taking a nasty spill at mile 4. He had the joy of finding out how bad a 10 miler can feel post marathon. It's really amazing how much a full marathon can take out of your body. For 4 to 6 weeks post race longer runs are just life suckers. Great Job Ralph. Way to be king of the "sufferfest."


This past week I have had several interesting comments from some of you that have me a bit on edge. Some of you are indicating that you are losing your appetite, not sleeping well, and kind of feeling a bit trashed. I am worried that many of you may be over training. I want to make sure that I go on record again by saying the following:


1. The CrossFit Rx is 3 days on/ one day off. This is "ideal" and this really is what you should be following. Some of you are doing 6+ days of CrossFit and CFE and that my friends is a recipe for disaster.


2. "More is just More" think long-term. Yes, today you feel awesome. You've done 4 days of CF in a row. You feel like you can handle a run or even an extra WOD. But, do you need it? Could your body benefit from rest? Taking a rest doesn't mean you are a wimp. It means you are tough. And you are calculating. You know that your body makes HUGE gains on rest days and without proper rest....all that hard work you've done with your WODS have just become more harmful than good.


3. Listen to your body!! Say you have had 2 days of CrossFit and you are on day 3. You wake up tired after a horrible night's sleep. You are hungry (or not hungry) maybe feeling drained. DON'T Drag yourself through a workout. Take a rest day, and readjust your schedule. Listen to the warning signs.


4. EAT!!!!!!! And eat right. Those of you doing CFE have taken on a whole additional layer to the already BRUTAL CrossFit format. In order to be able to handle this kind of work, you need to have everything dialed in. As important as rest is....DIET is an even more important key to success. That's why it is the bottom third of the "CrossFit Pyramid." Eat clean, beautiful, healthy , fresh foods. And eat often. CFE requires fueling your tank. Hydrate, take your fish oil. And if you have specific diet questions please ask. I will always try and help. And you all know that Rick is a wealth of knowledge on this topic and he is more than willing to chat with any and all of you about your nutrition as many times as the topic may arise.


A scheduling note: This coming week,we will be meeting for CFE on wednesday night. I have a scheduling conflict on tuesday. So thanks to all of you who have already said this switch works out OK. If this is a problem for anyone please let me know and I will email you a workout you can do on tuesday without me. We will be meeting at 6PM at the Eastlake Little League parking lot. We will be running hill repeats. If any of you have been to that little league field, you know what hill I have planned. You better make sure you are rested and have been eating right because this hill is very very challenging.


Saturday I have a fun WOD planned. More details on that later. Again Great Job today everyone.


~Coach Aubyn

Saturday WOD

CrossFit Chula Vista Endurance will be meeting at 8am at CFCV tomorrow ( saturday ). We will be running a 5 mile loop on the road. Some of you will run it once, some of you will run it twice. Bring water, bring a GU or a stinger if you think you may one of the lucky ones that doubles the distance.

~Coach Aubyn

Saturday

Hey Gang:

Here is the plan for tomorrow. We are going to meet at 730am at
CrossFit Chula Vista. We will be running the 5k Time Trial on the 3
loop course we always use. This is a way for both you and I to see
your gains! The last time we ran this was back in December so I am
excited to see some AMAZING improvements.

I am bringing my video camera. I am going to film all of you at some
point between tomorrow and saturday. I will playback the video and
show you specifically where I would like to see changes.

IF we end up getting the storm of a lifetime overnight and it is just
a horrible wet mess outside in the morning then I have something else
planned. I won't make you time trial if it's raining cats and
dogs.....not because you aren't tough enough but because it won't be
an accurate measurement of your progress.

The Month of March is going to be tough. I am going to really start
talking to all of you intensely about form. We are going to run some
barefoot WODS if weather permits. A few of our Saturday WODS are
going to be "Soul CRUSHING" And we are going to have lots of
discussions about proper diet and proper rest. I don't want Rick to
start thinking I'm soft on you guys!! Please, please, please start
checking the Endurance blog as often as you check the main website
for CFCV as I will post all kinds of articles and videos on all of
these topics.

Newcomers are welcome as always. And perhaps some of us might grab
some coffee afterwards....
Coach Aubyn

Tuesday Endurance Training

Crossfit Chula Vista Endurance will be meeting tonight at the box at
6PM. We will be running

"Death By 10m"

Saturday Morning we will be meeting again at CFCV but a bit earlier
at 730am to make sure we are all done before ELL opening day!. We
will be running our 5k time trial to see how much we have improved
with our training!

See you tonight~ Coach Aubyn

Sunday

Thanks everyone for showing up to our Saturday "Muddy Misadventure."
We ran a 45 minute tempo run at the base of Mount San Miguel. We were
able to drive into the park and park in one of the lots for the
fishermen. We took off on a gravel road and ran the length of the
reservoir and back and some people ended up heading up a couple of
single track trails. Ron managed to tour the entire park and the
outlying baseball fields in 45 minutes, that's because he runs as
fast as lightning! I know the path was muddy and wet. But the
ridiculous condition of the terrain actually made the run fun.
Essentially, when things go wrong...the adventure begins.

Most of us finished up the run at Starbucks. Great to sit and chat
with everyone with the effects of the runner's high still upon us.
I'm sure most of you were like me in thinking that a warm shower, dry
clothes and a hot breakfast never felt so good!

Thanks to everyone for being so easy going with the workout today.
Maybe wasn't one of our most effective training runs...but surely one
of the most memorable!

~Coach Aubyn

Ralphs Story

My CrossFit Story (kind of a long testimonial)

I have always wanted to get in shape, really in shape, but life seemed to get in the way. I have for most of my adult life had some sort of gym membership yet paying that monthly fee never seemed to magically make the excess weight go away or build muscle. The closest I got in the past was when I hired a personal trainer ($60 per hour for three hours a week). I lost some weight and got stronger, but I seemed to plateau and not grow, and the expense was difficult to maintain. I did notice that having someone waiting for me in the gym made me show up, rather than when I had a generic gym membership and could show up whenever I wanted.

I then turned 40, still not getting to that goal point so I decided to start running (I always loved running). I started with half marathons and worked up full marathons. I wasn't very fast, and my "training" consisted of going out each evening and running whatever distance I came up with. At first I just tried to run 10-13 miles every night, but plantar fascitis as well as other injuries made me re-think my strategy. I then alternated interval workouts during the week with long runs on weekends because I read it in a book. The injuries seemed less, but while my marathon times got down to 4:45, I would struggle the last five miles with severe leg cramping and knee pain, causing me to walk / limp to the finish. During all this self-induced injury period I did manage to get my weight down but it never seemed to stay off. I then took a break from running and suddenly 40 pounds found it's way on me and I was in a worse position then where I started. While I never had blood pressure problems in the past, I noticed my readings climbing past 140/90 on a consistent basis. I tried to go back to running early last year but during a slow jog my excess weight coupled with bad running form and reduced leg strength caused me to tear the meniscus in my right knee, further setting me back.

So, this brings me to six months ago. I met Rick from CrossFit and decided to check out the program. It seemed like a good mix of gym membership with personal training, and he seemed passionate about what he teaches. His initial seven minute workout completely kicked my butt, so I decided to give it a try. This was the best health decision I have ever made.

When I started (to serve as a baseline), I could not do a single box jump or run more than 100 meters without my right knee screaming at me because of the torn meniscus. My blood pressure was 140/90+ and I weighed in at 250 pounds. After just one month of CrossFit Wods three days a week, and following the Paleo Diet (to about 80%) I was able to shed 10 pounds and get my blood pressure back to under 120/80. I also noticed that my knee was bothering me less due to all the f$**#@ squats (er, leg strengthening). I could actually jog a mile without knee pain.

I became more motivated and started to dig into this thing called CrossFit more. I began to read the articles on the CrossFit Journal, watch the various videos on subjects such as nutrition and running, I was transitioning from a client to a believer. Rick keeps saying that 60% of one's success comes from nutrition and within the CrossFit Journal is the data to back it up. I really started to see the big picture and all the pieces they teach began to fall into place.

A couple months ago Rick and Aubyn began the endurance program (to teach running) so I immediately signed up. I knew I needed professional training in this area as all I could do by myself was create injury. Crossfit's philosophy of how to run is based on injury prevention, and that was something I desperately needed. As I stared attending the additional endurance workouts, I decided I needed a goal so I signed myself up for the Surf City Marathon, held in two months. This was the last marathon I ran (4:45 with major cramps after mile 21) so I wanted to see how close I could come to where I was three years ago.

When I shared my goal with Aubyn, she made it very clear that if I was to run this marathon in two months, I HAD to follow a specific CrossFit training program to get me ready. This I did, which included four regular strength workouts per week plus three endurance workouts per week. I had to run exactly what she told me to do, no more and no less. The funny thing was, none of these runs were long. Only twice did I run as far as 12 miles where most of the training runs were short interval sprints. I didn't know how well this was training me for a long run, but I put my faith in Aubyn and CrossFit. Aubyn's coaching included what hydration and nutrition I would use for the race, and at what intervals. The week before the marathon, I was told to basically do nothing (some squats on Monday, light jog on Tuesday, 10 minute WOD on Wednesday and easy workout Thursday - nothing strenuous). I felt like I should be training harder, but according to Aubyn and Crossfit's teachings, this was what I had to do.

Last Sunday, after five and a half months of CrossFit strength training, and a simultaneous two months of endurance training, I was at the starting line relying on blind faith of all these goofy workouts to get me through. I was 35 pounds lighter and a lot stronger than where I was when I started, and while anxious, I was curious how my body would perform. Well, to finish this long story, I was able to run the entire marathon with no walking. My right knee did not bother me at all, and I experienced no leg cramping. My time was 4:36 at the finish. While I didn't run a pace to qualify me for the Boston Marathon, I completed the race faster than I did three years ago and I was running across the finish!

These last six months have made me both a believer and a raving fan. The CrossFit philosophy works and I am extremely excited to see where I will be in another six months. Thank you Aubyn and Rick, you have helped me change my life.

- Ralph