We all find ourselves in places like the picture where the path separates. What do we do? Which way will we go? What is the better path? How did we get to this spot in the first place?
This week, I start an amazing new journey, and separate somewhat from another. I'll talk about the new journey more in a later post, but want to talk a little bit about what I'm leaving behind first: "My" 6:30 a.m. CrossFit class at CrossFit Cedar Park.
Ugh.
Last summer, after seeing my results with CrossFit, a friend decided to give it a try, but there wasn't a class at the time he needed to attend, so he asked if I could fill the slot and coach the class. Why not, right? I mean, I know what I'm doing, right?
Well, maybe I didn't. Let's back up a little...
Even though I have the title of "the first" CrossFitter at CrossFit Cedar Park, I wasn't always the most dedicated, and honestly, looking back at it, I wasn't even really very good at most of it. I heard what David was saying, but I was strong and I didn't take things like stretching, executing the foundations, or the diet (!!!) very seriously.
Eventually, I started getting whipped regularly by people like Fio and Carson. I got frustrated, cut some corners one day, suffered a little injury and had to take some time off and evaluate my commitment -- was I going to finally dig in and improve my functional ability and fitness, or would I be stubborn and wind up with bad knees from doing bad squats at a 3-sets-of-ten globo-gym?
Pride swallowed and hat in hand, I got some help from the other coaches at CFCP and went on a bit of a tear. I adopted a rough paleo-zone diet, added some independent programming to the WODs I was doing in class and got on the right path. Within a couple of months, I lost over 40 lbs. and my fitness was pretty solid -- especially for a guy approaching 40 years old. I wound up putting my money where my mouth was and getting my Level-1 Coaching Cert. without any real expectation that I would actually coach.
Thankfully, the powers that be had enough faith to give me a shot. And, the past 9 or 10 months have been unbelievably rewarding...
I've been witness to people taking charge of their health -- and taking as much work as I could throw at them through differentiated and/or scaffolded programming. From the smile on someone's face after losing 50 lbs. over the past seven months, to someone else's smile for shaving a minute off of a 4:30 Fran (today), and someone else getting their first handstand (also today), these people are achieving their own goals and living a better life because of their commitment to themselves..... Overall, they are more functional, more fit, more flexible, stronger, leaner and they continue to push and pull each other past the ever-extending finish line again and again. And, on top of that, their foundations are solid, so they have a platform to continue to advance.
So, thanks to those of you in my classes for digging in, remaining so positive, and letting me be a part of this journey with you -- I'm really happy for your successes, and grateful for what you've taught me about myself in the process.
For those in my 5:15, sorry, but you can't get rid of me -- I'm going to continue coaching that class. And, for those at 6:30 a.m., pack your lunch and hold on tight -- after seeing his Saturday morning programming, you're in for a great ride with Carson!
Today marks the end of thirty years of space shuttle missions. I remember the excitement of that first launch, the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, the excitement of Dr. Sally Ride being the first American woman in space, and the general sense of pride, amazement and wonder at the men and women who commit their lives to Space...the final frontier (sorry, Captain Kirk, had to do it).
It's impressive, you know, all of this "spaceman" and "going to the moon" stuff. And, it's challenging. Kind of like many things in our lives, achieving what we've only imagined sometimes requires us to accept a seemingly impossible (or just plain CRAZY) goal, challenge our comfort zone, and rely on individual and collective commitment. Here's a clip of President Kennedy giving a speech at Rice University describing the challenge our space program faced when he was President...Have a look:
We choose to go to moon in this decade not because it will be easy, but because it will be hard; because that goal will serve to organize the best of our energies and skills; because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.
Thirty-five years after we started flying airplanes across the Atlantic Ocean, our President told our country we were going to invent new super-strong metal and go to the moon.
And, we did.
Wow.
I'm always impressed with loose collectivism -- people who share a common dream towards the success of a mission, or idea, and then see it through. Our space program has operated in that manner for most of the last century, and I'm sad a big part of it (at least where my life experience is concerned) is coming to an end.
Anyway, enough with the sadness, it is time to for me to: be bold; accept the challenges ahead of me with the excitement and confidence of a kid running into the waves at the beach; keep loving the ones I care about with everything I have; keep challenging my mind, working on my fitness and...
...figure out how I'm going to get my happy a** to the moon one day.
Every morning, my step-grandfather shows up at my Dad's house with a delivery of something "fresh" for my Dad and step-mother. In his 80s, his health is waning, and that shrapnel he's carried in his back for over sixty years after being on the first boat in the first wave at Iwo Jima during World War II gives him fits, but it doesn't deter him from getting up with the sun and hunting out good vegetables or homemade tamales.
Nobody really talks to him about how it happened, but I know one person who has, and he's told the story to me.
Basically, Iwo Jima is a very small island shaped a little like Brazil, with a big mountain/volcano at the "small" end of the island. The Japanese held the strategic little island, and the United States wanted it.
The Japanese had tunnelled throughout the island, and the thinking was that if we could cut off the "ant-hill" at the small end of the island from their counterparts on the other end of the island, we could divide and conquer.
The orders to my step-grandfather and the others in his unit were to hit the beach and scramble to the other side of the island -- if they were successful, they would essentially create multiple points of attack. To be honest, it was suicide -- "just go" didn't offer a whole lot of opportunity for shelter or survival. Those boys knew the Japanese would be taking shots at them as they hustled to find cover anywhere they could. Joe took some shrapnel that made it impossible to run, but he continued fighting, and kept pushing - ultimately dragging himself by his elbows to the other side of the island and helping secure the United States' position on the island, and ultimate victory in that war.
Terry
My Mom's Dad grew up a California beach kid who loved surfing. In fact, over twenty years before The Beach Boys made surfing "cool," Terry was the president of the Santa Monica Surfer's Club -- a group of boys who made their own surfboards and skipped school every Thursday morning to catch some waves before the local truant officer showed up and escorted them to class.
After the war, Terry married my "Nana", an Irish-Catholic girl from Maine (a real corker) and somehow, they wound up in Texas where their love for the water turned from surfing and lobster to walking the beaches together down near Bolivar at sunrise and looking for sea shells.
I remember listening to him hum big band and Frank Sinatra songs while I was in the front seat of his brown Cadillac on our way from Houston down to their beach house in Bolivar. The windows were cracked a little to let the smoke from his cigarettes escape, and the air would get increasingly humid as we drove along the beach highway and he'd try to convince me that he saw a pink elephant on his last trip down to the beach.
"Pop" never spoke of the war, but we knew he was in it. He'd say just about anything to get out of the conversation. I remember as a child I'd ask if he was at Pear Harbor and he'd say yes, then I'd ask if he fought the Germans and he'd say yes. It turns out the latter was accurate.
Just before he died, he gave my Mom a letter of thanks personally addressed to him from the country of France, and medal from our government commending him for his service at Normandy that he had never shown anyone. We don't know any details of what he did there (he handed those things to my Mom as he said he wouldn't talk about it), but whatever it was made such an impact that he'd never speak of it, and it was important enough to receive a medal and letter of thanks from a foreign country. The United States also gave him a flag for his service, which I now have, and will always treasure.
Pepaw Joe (yes, another Joe)
I didn't get a chance to know my other grandfather, Joe. He was killed before I was born, so I don't know much of his story or experiences during World War II. I do know, however, he was a gunner on a plane much like the one in the movie the "Memphis Belle," and he married one of the most spirited women anyone will ever know.
Bonnie, a fiery, tall and slender, dark haired young woman of German descent from Memphis was seventeen or eighteen years old when her brother was getting married in Dallas. Bonnie travelled with the rest of the family from Memphis to Dallas for the wedding, and after the long trip, she laid down and fell asleep on the couch at the home of her soon to be sister-in-law's (Ruthie's) family, facing away from the room and towards the cushions.
After Bonnie had been asleep for a while, Ruthie's brother Joe, on leave from the war, showed up at the house in uniform, walked into the living room and spied Bonnie asleep on the couch. Joe saw the young woman (who, from the back, was about the same age, hair color and body type as his sister) and just assumed it was Ruthie -- he hadn't even heard of Bonnie at that point -- so Joe did what any brother who wanted to surprise their little sister would do, he walked over and gave her a huge smack on her rear-end.
Bonnie was startled. Who was this soldier? How could he? How DARE he?!?
That was Sunday. By that Thursday (only four days later) Joe and Bonnie were holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes and saying "I do" while standing at the altar for a (completely unexpected) double-wedding featuring the brother and sister of one family marrying the brother and sister from a different family...
My grandmother, Bonnie, is still alive and tells us stories about Joe now and then, and even though she remarried to a wonderful man over thirty years ago (whom we all very much love as our grandfather), we are all sure Joe still has a pretty safe place in that heart of hers. And, Joe must really deserve that spot, because my Dad, Aunt and Uncle all turned out to be great parents, and wonderful examples for their kids and other people in their community.
Heroes
Every year, we lose more and more people like Joe G., Pepaw Joe, and Pop -- part of the Greatest Generation. Most of those men were just boys when they were called into the service of our growing country. Their efforts helped secure America's place as the most incredible country in history.
During our national holidays, it can be beneficial to revisit the way President Lincoln closed his Gettysburg Address in November 1863 and draw the parallel for what our grandparents did in World War II, what our military had fought for before that generation, and what we, as Americans, must continue to do today:
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.
Happy 4th of July
I realize this is a little early for the 4th of July, but I am involved in a fundraiser right now called The Hero Course that benefits the Military Warriors Support Foundation which helps servicemen and women injured in combat transition back to civilian life, and these ideas have been at the front of my mind for the past few weeks. I feel it is important, and as my Mom reminded me, it is never inopportune to give thanks and celebrate our freedoms.
It is dry, and really hot this year. There will be no fireworks for sale in Central Texas this 4th of July. With that in mind, I encourage you to spend whatever you might have spent on fireworks on those who insure the freedoms we will all be celebrating. My fundraiser ends next week, so if you'd like to sponsor me in our effort to raise awareness and funds for Military Warriors Support Foundation, click here. If you have a relationship with a different organization, thank you for supporting them.
Thank you Joe G., Pepaw, Pop, and all the other men and women out there like you who put their lives on the line so that we might enjoy the freedom we have.
So, what do you get for being The Best? Your name on a plaque. That's what you get for being the best fighter pilot, in command of a $40million machine, trusted by 350,000,000 Americans to keep us safe.
Cool.
Okay, I'm exaggerating, you know you get more than that... When you are The Best, you get stuff like respect, your choice of assignment, the ability for advancement in your career, access to cooler stuff, and even if you are like Tom Cruise and stand only slightly over 5 feet tall -- if you are The Best, you get the hot chicks.
So, there is a reason to be the best. But, does being "The Best" mean you are the best scorer, or does being "The Best" require something more? After watching the LeBron James fiasco last summer and seeing JaMarcus Russell turn into the biggest bust, "evah," I think being "The Best" takes something more. Let's explore...
Foundations
If we want to get to Bestville, we have to start by laying a proper foundation. A good foundation helps us understand information and gives us a platform from which we might advance. At this stage, we have to learn how to think, and learn how to move.
At this cognitive level, we process information, apply the result of that process and develop preferences. Through the application of proper foundations (taught to us by good teachers and coaches!), we see improvement, and we start to learn.
Whew...Finished. Tough WOD, thanks!
Easy there, Trigger -- the proper application of foundational principles isn't going to get your name on any plaque (well, maybe if you play soccer, but that's a different story). You'll have to push deeper, farther, faster if you want Top Gun.
Deeper, Farther, Faster!!!
Once the foundation is in place, we are capable of moving on to higher order thinking, or metacognitive skills. This is where we start thinking about thinking. We learn to evaluate ourselves, the landscape ahead, and how to best approach it. We problem solve at this stage, and through awareness, we make some critical gains.
With great metacognitive ability layered on top of a solid foundation, we achieve the potential to become the best scorer. But don't be complacent -- even though we may have developed the capacity for excellence, if competition exists, we may not be "The Best."
Wait, did you just say what I thought you said? Did you just say, "But...I'm the best scorer! How can I be beaten?" Ask Kobe.
Let's recall how Maverick and Ice Man became The Best (or, at least "their best"). Maverick and Ice Man were excellent pilots when they arrived at school, but they weren't The Best -- Hell, Jester got Mav below the Hard Deck three minutes into the first hop!
Immeasurable or Never Measured
To be the best, Maverick and Ice Man had to tap into and develop their non-cognitive skills. Things like the effective and efficient use of interpersonal skills, ethics/morals, as well as elan, perseverance, self-discipline and consistency, etc. all come into play here.
Non-cognitive skills are tough to measure (and tough to teach), because they are sort of like hugs (note to Fio: No, sporting a "Free Hugs" sign won't make you The Best). Hugs are great, and they make people feel good, but admit it, some people seem to be better huggers -- they are either more in touch with you, or more in touch with themselves, or both, or "something."
It really comes down to this: If you want to be The Best, you have to have some "human-ness." It turned out that Mav and Ice were better when they realized they needed each other. When they acknowledged their individual limitations and how relying someone else actually provided an opportunity to enhance their abilities, they became The Best.
Where I See The Best
We see people become The Best - or let's say "their" best - in lots of settings, but most frequently and most measurably, I get to see it at my CrossFit classes. In the six months I've been coaching, I've seen individuals achieve individual success, I've seen groups of individuals become a class, and I've seen classmates become friends.
As classmates (and friends), I've seen people who have finished their workout not only cheer for their classmates, but also jump back in and do the workout (again!) with those classmates to give their (less advanced) classmates some extra motivation to finish. When those who are behind see a classmate get back into the workout (despite being dead tired) just to help them, the people who were lagging get inspired -- and they often finish several minutes faster than if they were working alone.
This push/pull community helps both the advanced and beginning student. First, the advanced student gets to do more work (further developing their true score I talked about last time) and second, the beginning student layers their foundations, sees first-hand application of those foundations, and gets some touchy-feely inspiration to be better. The bottom line is that just like Mav and Ice Man, some "human-ness" made both better.
So, is it the teachers, the students or the school?
Yes -- all of them, and then some!
People often talk about "the community" of CrossFit, and we definitely have it at CrossFit Cedar Park. We have exceptional coaches and we regularly send athletes to the CrossFit Games, but in my opinion, we do more for the "everyday athlete" who enjoys the competition that the sport invites, as well as the opportunity to really achieve their goals while being part of something bigger than themselves. The sense of connection through community is non-cognitive, and its power leads to massive gains and success. In short, our "community" is what makes individuals Their Best.
Viper knew what being The Best meant the first day of Top Gun School -- but it took Mav and Ice Man the entire movie (and a lot of heartache) to learn it...
Goose: [as Maverick is looking around the room] What are you doing? Maverick: Just wondering who's the best.
Viper: In case some of you are wondering who the best is, they're up here on this plaque on the wall. The best driver and his RIO from each class has his name on it, and they have the option to come back here to be Top Gun instructors.[turns to Maverick]
Viper: You think your name's gonna be on that plaque?
Maverick: Yes, sir.
Viper: That's pretty arrogant, considering the company you're in.
Maverick: [pauses] Yes, sir.
Viper: [smiles] I like that in a pilot. Just remember, when it's over out there, we're all on the same team.
If you are selecting a school (or a CrossFit) be diligent about your selection process. Be sure the curriculum offers you the opportunity to establish and properly develop a solid foundation. Be sure that as your skills and awareness advance, you will be afforded the opportunity to push yourself and continue to advance towards your goals (whether they be to get into a good college or jump tires that are stacked 52" high).
But most importantly, talk to the person who will be your teacher (or coach!) before you start school and make sure you understand each other's goals, styles, etc. See if you can sit in on some classes and visit with other students. See what their community is about! See if you are someone who holds values similar to the people you'll be sharing time and knowledge (or sweat!) with. If you have a match, go for it.
Don't be a number.
Be "The Best."
P.S. - I'm developing an idea called "The Hero Course" with Fio and Dave that I feel captures the message of today's blog. It will run from Memorial Day weekend through July 4th weekend. Stay tuned for what I'm certain will be an amazing CrossFit experience (both from a community and individual standpoint) for everyone who participates... Lots of work, LOTS of reward.
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Okay, again, I was a little thick. But, if nothing else, remember there are two "O's" in "Goose..."
Peace, health and happiness, y'all.
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The author of this blog is a proud parent, devoted, happily married husband, early morning CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Cedar Park, recently certified to teach 4th-8th grade and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He also loves to cook (especially Cajun food), work in his garden, watch LSU and the Saints play football, and he has a law degree. If your school could use an excellent teacher with some real world experience and amazing credentials, please let him know!
It is CrossFit Games season. At last count, nearly 20,000 athletes from all over the world were competing for the title of "Fittest on Earth". I am among the 20,000, but at 40 years old, I have no disillusions that I will win. For me, it is about the test, the competition, and the community - and I suspect it is that way for most folks.
This year, qualifying rounds for The Games are being handled differently. Once a week for six (er, "seven") weeks, a workout (or "WOD") is posted on the CrossFit Games website. Those who signed up have a week to execute the WOD and submit their scores. At the end of this "Open" round, qualified individuals will advance to live rounds of head-to-head competition in the Regional Competition. Those winners then proceed to The CrossFit Games, held in Los Angeles later this summer.
We are seeing athletes of all levels compete this year and this experience has further solidified my interest in CrossFit and its relationship to education. In this week's blog, I will detail why CrossFit is a better learning/testing pedagogy than we use in our public schools, and in my next, demonstrate how the intangible / non-measurable aspects of CrossFit (i.e. - coaching and community) fulfill educational goals that our current system does not. I'm not sure how many times I'll write on this correlation, but we'll at least get started with those two.
CrossFit, in its purist sense, relies on a "true score." In other words, a valid and reliable test is employed against an individual's physical abilities to determine their "fitness." For CrossFitters, "fitness" = "work capacity."
In CrossFit, the "valid and reliable test" of an individual's fitness is determined through a series of workouts (WODs) that combine three fundamental fitness applications: weightlifting, gymnastics and traditional cardiovascular / metabolic conditioning movements like running and jumping.
In order to achieve "fitness," an athlete has to demonstrate proficiency in ten basic (aka - fundamental) domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy. Importantly, CrossFit is scalable, making it available to anyone, regardless of experience.
Okay, that was a lot of words, this is what I was saying:
CrossFit measures your actual physical ability by using workouts comprised of gymnastics, weightlifting and running/jumping. Things like the amount of weight used in a WOD, number of repetitions, etc. vary from one WOD to the next, and are established to give a benchmark to measure against individually, and summatively. The "most fit" use the prescribed weight and repetitions, but "newbies" can scale back the workouts to their ability, gradually increasing the weight and repetitions as their mastery of the fundamental movements improves.
Importantly, there is no "final fitness score" in the sense there is in education. You might win The Games, but you never actually "win" or "graduate" from the School of Fitness. This unknown finishing point and the fact that you are ultimately testing only against yourself is what makes CrossFit a pure, or true test. To borrow a Billy the Kid quote from the movie Young Guns, "You have to test yourself every day, gentlemen. Once you stop testing yourself, you get slow.... And that's when they kill ya."
Okay, that quote is a little extreme, but the truth is we don't really have a similar application in our education system. We look at collective scores of a standardized test or a grade point average based on a 100-point scale and see how we (or our kids) measure up versus another individual or group, but we never really know our personal "true score."
Additionally, tests are too often used to measure rote ability, and not metacognitive ability (where Bloom's higher levels of analysis and synthesis might be employed.) In other words, we don't spend the time developing and mastering the fundamentals, and then test the logical extended application of those fundamentals (i.e. - advanced cognitive skills). Instead, we layer foundation on foundation with an ultimate goal of a standardized test score - and sadly, those scores determine funding for school districts (Title IX funds under NCLB, for example.)
Further, the information tested is typically based on a curriculum defined by people who are disconnected from any particular school, and without consideration for individual limitations or distinguishing cultural factors -- these tests are not "true," yet they define our education system and ultimately, the success and failure of individuals and their communities.
Accountability is important. Taxpayers should "get their money's worth" for their tax dollars, but they should also get good citizens who are taught to think beyond the book and not merely to it. Without the proper foundation and a true test, students will never achieve this potential. Instead, we will continue to work towards the middle, and ultimately wind up with a bunch of people who know nothing more than ACCA-CCA-CCAA, DABACCA-CCA-CAA, CA-DACCA-CAA-CAA...
BTW - at 40 years old, after the first week of the CrossFit Open, my true score vs. the rest of the world puts me in the top 1/3 against all male competitors -- lotta young punks should be ashamed an old dude like me is kicking their ass. Okay, that was mean. What I meant to say was "keep trying young punks, there is still plenty of time to try to catch me!"
Congratulations to my fellow team-members at CrossFit Cedar Park for being 9th in our region after week one of the Open!
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The author of this blog is a proud parent, devoted, happily married husband, early morning CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Cedar Park, recently certified to teach 4th-8th grade and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He also loves to cook (especially Cajun food), work in his garden, watch LSU and the Saints play football, and he has a law degree. If your school could use an excellent teacher with some real world experience and amazing credentials, please let him know!
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Impossible Fire
Some people have natural ability and they excel rather easily. Sometimes, these people flame out because they fail to learn dedication and discipline, and they fail to learn how to maintain intensity.
Others are more diligent in the work they do, and their fire burns most brightly after considerable education, experience and effort. They become masters at discipline and intensity. Their dedication is unwavering. They apply themselves to their ability, and when you see that fire burn, it is amazing, rich, and mesmerizing.
I am surrounded by that fire right now. As most people know, I coach CrossFit at CrossFit Cedar Park (Texas) and our motto is "Dedicated to Changing Lives." Living up to that ethos is intimidating, but as with anything worthwhile, it is a challenge cherished.
Eight weeks ago, we started a competition at our Box called the "I Do The Impossible" challenge where 5 of our coaches were assigned 6 challengers each. Those 30 challengers each set 5 goals that were unique and personal to them - things they wanted for themselves. (Let me stop for a moment and thank David, Robin, Nikki and Fio for including me as one of the coaches on this challenge!)
As coaches, our task was to help these individuals achieve their goals using the principles of CrossFit and good nutrition (paleo or paleo-zone). We designed specific training/workout programs for each challenger that included things like one-on-one training, "homework" WODs (outside of the WODs we do at CFCP), meal planning, nutrition assistance, food log feedback, etc. - all to help people reach their goals.
The results have been absolutely amazing.
The power that these people have is truly inspiring.
They have reached inside themselves, changed their diets, accepted challenging workout plans, pushed themselves into areas that they were not experienced or comfortable, and they accepted that if they wanted success, they were responsible for the work.
About a month ago, we (coaches) started comparing notes on how people were doing and were astonished. Speed, strength, stamina were all way, way up, and weight was dropping. This was no longer an "I Do The Impossible" challenge, this was an "I Got This" challenge.
It has been an absolute honor to see my team achieve this better vision of themselves, and I want to thank each of them for letting me be a part of this process.
Congratulations to everyone who put themselves out there on this one and shared their fire with so many people.
The spring is nice. I'm not going to write much here about myself today. This week is about my team.
3-2-1...GO!
PS - Hi Wladi
PSS - Oh, and for what it's worth, I don't think Carson should have shaved the beard.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Two Hands and a Vision
I rarely watch television. For one thing, we only have one. We will always only have one. My sisters and most friends think we are crazy, but the reality is that no matter how many stations they tell you they can give you, 99.9999% of the programming is garbage. There are, however, exceptions. One of those exceptions is a program called "Treasures of the Trust," which is a program that features stunning cinematography and great historical storylines about some of the 1500-1900 era estates that British families have given to the care of the National Trust. Essentially, the houses were too massive to be supported, so they are now properly maintained through public and private support.
I love that program.
Henry Hoare II is a hero of mine. Henry was born into money in the 1700s in England, and inherited early when his mother died. Henry took his fortune, bought about 1,000 acres in Wiltshire (South West) England and set about developing Stourhead, now the most recognizable feature in the National Trust's showcase of estates and gardens. Indeed, many of you may recognize the property from the film (and in particular the Temple of Apollo and Palladian Bridge) "Pride and Prejudice" -- and yes, I am a fan of Keira Knightley's cheekbones...
The thing I like about Henry more than the masterpiece is the path he chose. Henry had never so much watered a plant when he set about developing Stourhead with its fantastic reveals and brilliant surprises. In fact, developing the massive garden was a challenge that he did not need to undertake. Henry was somewhat of the father of the British Garden "movement" of the 1700-1800s, and people much more known such as Capability Brown did some of their earliest work at Stourhead before making their mark elsewhere.
Henry set about the task with a vision (and some money!) and saw it through. There was no heavy machinery for Henry to use when he had to dig the pond and fill it with potter's clay to keep it from draining off. He had to employ people to help his vision become reality. His finished product resulted in a 5-mile walk through some of the most beautiful park like and "picnic ready" landscaping you will ever see, and his legacy thrives after nearly 300 years. There are no crops to speak of, but his garden fetches nearly $10,000,000 a year in "foot-traffic" and millions more through donations to the Trust, merchandise sales, licensing, etc. Overall, a very sustainable model, I'd say.
Henry's vision inspires me. His finished product amazes me.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that Spring is coming. It is about time to get my hands dirty. I hope I see you in the garden...
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WOD BLOG
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I don't know if you could tell, but I had a rough couple of weeks staying motivated on the CrossFit front. It wasn't too tough to stay on task helping my folks in the IDI Challenge, but something about that cold weather just sucked the life out of my sneakers and I was down to 3-5 WODs a week instead of the usual 5-10. I think I was also a little frustrated that I did not compete this spring, but the reality is I don't really have time right now... But don't worry Robert -- I'm coming after you!
Anyway, this week has been better.
SUNDAY:
FRAN!
I hit a new PR. Still about a minute off my goal, but I'm closer than I used to be. Besides, I did FRAN by myself. Give me some friggin' credit!
MONDAY:
Skill work on my pistols, and helped out coaching in the evening class.
TUESDAY:
GWEN -- I still wasn't feeling it, so I just did 135 lbs. on a dead sprint. It was way too easy...
WEDNESDAY:
CLARITY!!!
8 rounds of 7 reps (touch-n-go): Deadlifts at 275 lbs.,
then
2 sets (one of 25, one of 30 reps, non-stop): Push-press at 135 lbs.
then
5k with a 25 lb. weight vest - 30 min.
THURSDAY:
(this one sucked!)
5 rounds of
25 lunges w/OH 1.5 pd kb - left hand
25 lunges w/OH 1.5 pd kb - right hand
25 goblet squats
5 Hand-stand push ups
26:32
FRIDAY:
Too early to tell, but this weather sho is nice, ain't it?
3-2-1...GEAUX!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
How to Make a Rainbow
I reckon I always wind up a little too weird for the normal people and a little too normal for the weird. But it is all perspective and perception, right?
At the beginning of the year, David asked all the coaches at CrossFit Cedar Park to start blogging, and I thought it would be a great idea. A bonus was the fun I've had watching some of my fellow CrossFitters and coaches also jump right in -- it has shown me just how differently we all look at things, and what makes us all tick, and how little our differences matter when you get to the important stuff.
I've enjoyed following everyone's blogs for different reasons: Nikki (because she's just an ass-kicker of a woman), Carson (because he does 17 wods and then blogs 14 pages a day...with enthusiasm), Fio (even though I have no idea what the hell he's talking about most of the time (neither does he, I might add)), Liz (I don't know many people as ate up with food as she is -- and plus, she's a hell of a lot easier on the eyes than Carson and Fio, right?), and everyone else who, like me, needs to update a little more often...
Anyway, getting a peek into my friends élanvital makes me feel a little more comfortable about this journey. If you read each of our blogs, other than the fact that we all dig CrossFit, you might not gather we'd ever know one another, much less be back-slapping friends... But, we do, and we are.
Enjoy the rainbow. Turns out, you don't always have to wait on the rain to see one...
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WODBLOG
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This weather has been absolutely crappy and I've had a ton of work to do for school lately (oh, I did pass my teacher certification test ~ Yay me!), so I only did four WODs last week -- and they were the easy ones:
1) 1 mile time trial: first time in about 3 years I've run a sub-seven mile.
2) Double-tabata row (40 seconds on / 20 seconds rest: 8 rounds) and measure calories. I had a 17 calorie total difference over the course of the row, so I had some pull-ups to do. Sucks for me.
3) 8-8-6-6-5 Clean and Jerks (80%)
4) 50 Doubles / 10 burpees; 40 doubles / 10 Burpees, 30/10, 20/10 -- 3:56. Deric is the only person who beat me on this one. Approaching 40 years old and weighing in at about 240, I'll take it...
Like I said, the "D" is for "Deceptive"...brah.
3-2-1, GO!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Where Do the Mermaids Stand?
This morning I attended a workshop for parents of Gifted, or "TAG" kids in our school district, and at the end of the first session about gifted kids with "overexcitabilities," the instructor played the video (above). If I wasn't in a room with a bunch of parents, I might have cried.
"Where do the mermaids stand? All those people in this world who are different, who are not like everyone else, who don't belong in pigeon holes and who are determined not to give that up?" (Robert Fulghum)
Tonight, the Mrs. and I saw, "The Italian Girl in Algiers", a Rossini opera produced by the Austin Lyric Opera (note: please support the arts in your community). On the way home, I showed her "the mermaid video" and we talked about the video, this morning's gifted-student seminar, tonight's opera, and (as awfully cliche as this sounds) how the journey to peace and realization isn't always easy -- and certainly not always popular. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall; on these principles I am reminded that I am blessed to have ability to do the things I love, and the support of the ones I love that allows me the freedom to pursue those things.
In my ongoing effort to determine where I "fit" as a teacher, this week I accepted sub positions at a couple of high schools, one middle school and a last minute half-day position as a substitute at an elementary school.
I showed up with about 45 minutes until lunch at the elementary school gig, and within that 45 minutes, the kids had gotten comfortable enough to ask me to stay and have lunch with them (apparently, elementary school teachers very rarely eat with their class). After lunch, we worked together on some math problems (fractions), read one story, two Shel Silverstein poems, took a short quiz and did about twenty minutes of independent reading/study before we broke for the end of the day. When the independent study time was over, four of the kids brought me "thank you" notes with pictures on them they had drawn and two kids asked me to come back and be their teacher every day.
What a great week...
...I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be counted among the mermaids again.
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WODBLOG
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One of the suggestions offered this morning for helping gifted children with overexcitabilities was to get them involved in sports or exercise, and help them better understand a healthy diet. I've noticed that I am always most at peace when "health" is a priority in my life.
This week I did several fun WODs, and had some pretty good scores on a few, and some other scores where I didn't impress myself.
Last Saturday's WOD in the "competitor class" at CrossFit Cedar Park was brutal. Carson, Dave, Deric, Janice, H.B., Ro and I tackled a monster:
10: Front Squats, Push Press, Thrusters (115 lbs.)
2: Box Jumps, pull-ups, burpees
8: FS, PP, Thr
4: BJ, P-U, Burp
6: FS, PP, Thr
6: BJ, P-U, Burp
4: FS, PP, Thr
8: BJ, P-U, Burp
2: FS, PP, Thr
10: BJ, P-U, Burp
Deric scored about 10 min, Carson and Dave around 11, me at 14. Killer WOD.
Out of about 250 people from around the world who posted their score on Crossfit.com, I came out 11th, with a time of 3:23.
After I finished that WOD, I strapped on a 25 lb. vest and ran a mile and a half.
Tuesday was some OLY lifting (never enough!)
Wednesday was a great Kettle Bell WOD:
4 rounds for time - 1.5 pood:
3 Turkish get ups (each arm)
3 Clean and jerk (each arm)
3 Snatch (each arm)
I think this one took me about 12 minutes -- I wasn't impressed with myself.
Thursday was a "HERO" WOD, honoring US Army Captain Jason Holbrook from Burnet, TX.
5 thrusters @ 115 lbs.
10 pull ups
100m sprint
Rest exactly 1 minute, repeat for a total of 10 rounds.
Record fastest and slowest times.
Fastest: 1:05
Slowest: 1:40
(not too bad for an "old fat guy" like me)
Friday I did another HERO WOD: "Randy"
75 Power Snatch at 75 lbs.
5:47 (again, not an impressive time for me, but sort of burnt from Wednesday and Thursday's shoulder and leg work)
As always, we encourage you to get off your duff and join us at CrossFit Cedar Park. We do things that benefit everyone ~ even folks like me who are prone to "overexcitabilities"...
Friday, January 21, 2011
Whether it's life or lemonade...
What an awesome week!
Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. day. I like to click on youtube every once in a while over the course of the year just to hear the man give me that line one more time: "I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal..."
Thank you, Dr. King.
Looking past Monday's holiday, I knew I had a lot of school work due very soon, and had accepted two substitute teaching jobs as part of my ongoing effort to get a flavor for as many different campuses and teaching environments as I can this semester. I'm hopeful that my strategy will lead me to the best "fit" for me as a teacher -- there are pros-and-cons to all grade levels, so we will see.
One of the jobs I accepted was at an elementary school and the other at a high school where I had subbed before and had been requested for another job (which is quite a compliment). It turned out that the elementary school job wasn't for one day, but for three, and at the end of the third day, they asked me to stay for a fourth (another very nice compliment).
I approach every job with the attititude that there is work to be done and I am not above any work. I will take out trash, sweep, carry heavy boxes, "whatever." From life to lemonade, it doesn't matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full, sometimes, it is best to first be grateful that you even have a glass.
Anyway, my "just do the work" attitude was well placed this week. It turned out that I was brought in as sort of an "admin-overflow" person, and one of my jobs was not very glamorous --- lunch duty! Yes, I was on duty in the lunch room, essentially working as a waiter and part-time referee for kids ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade. Whatever they wanted (condiments, napkins, approval to go to the bathroom, help opening their milk) came from me. We can learn a lot when we put our pride and "relative self-importance" aside and just do the work... Oh, and here's a tip: kids like ketchup. They like it a lot.
I think most of the kids were pretty intimidated by me at first -- I was a big, unfamiliar man walking around and talking to them in their lunchroom while they ate. That initial intimidation changed after a day or two. By the end of the week, several of the kids were giving me "knuckles" or "high-fives" as they came into the lunchroom and just about all of them would at least give me a smile... It was pretty rewarding to get those kids to engage --- and I reckon there are lots of parents out there who might be surprised if they knew how many carrots I was able to get their 1st grader to eat this week!
I also spent a big part of my time helping out in their library, and W-O-W! What an awesome project this neighborhood school has going, sparked by their librarian, Trudy Marshall. Trudy has worked tirelessly for the past several years here in Austin developing an organization she founded called "Libraries of Love." Libraries of Love does book drives and raises funds to open libraries and has been successful in opening nineteen libraries in schools across Uganda. Many of the kids she has helped had never even held a book until they met Trudy.
One day this week, Trudy asked me to read the "Three Little Tamales" (a variation on the Three Little Pigs) to a group of 1st graders, and I loved it. The kids were wide-eyed throughout the story and laughed when the Big Bad Lobo wound up in the pot, and once again, all was right with the world...
Follow the link to Libraries of Love and get involved -- it is easy to get behind people who have Trudy's drive, and your time and money will be well spent.
Thank you Laurel Mountain for the experience. There are some incredible people and programs available to young people these days.
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WODBLOG
Outside of my substitute work and school (btw, I got a 98% on my first grad school paper, so I'm happy with that), CrossFit is going strong. I smoked through one of my favorite type WODs on Wednesday and my two classes (5:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. / M,W,F) are growing and blowing with some really great, great people. As always, we'd love for you to get past the stigma of my classes being "toodamnearly" and get in gear with us.
Our box is in the middle of the "I Do The Impossible Challenge" right now. It is an 8-week challenge where each coach has been assigned a team of six people who have set individual fitness goals that we help them reach. My group is kicking ass! Thanks Norma, Danielle, Shane, Doug, Neal and EMILY! You guys are working your tails off right now and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your success!
After this morning's FREE 9:30 a.m. community workout, I'm going to train with some remarkably fit CrossFit competitors at the "Master's Class" at CrossFit Cedar Park. I'm going to get my butt absolutely kicked three ways to Sunday...
....but I guess I have to put my pride aside, do the damn work, and just remember to be happy that I even have a glass...
As of this week, I am back in school, getting a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, along with a teaching certificate. Yep, I am going to be a teacher.
I couldn't be more excited. Honestly.
As I've mentioned to my friends, I look at life like a river. We steer the best we can, but we are at least in part, at the whim of the power of the river's currents, depths, eddys and obstacles (including our fellow travelers!).
This is the next stop for me, and it is a good one. Most of you who know me know that even though I've tried cases that went to the Lousiana Supreme Court, outside of the law itself, I don't much care for the practice. My talents lie elsewhere, and teaching makes sense.
I'll still coach CrossFit at CrossFit Cedar Park (because I friggin' LOVE IT!), but professionally, I'll be putting my law degree in the closet and taking on something I consider much, much more important and rewarding.
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Ugh, I hurt my foot late last week and had to boogie out of town to new student orientation, so I had a layoff of several days. I was back at it today and I had a ball watching the energy flowing from all of our coaches who will be competing in upcoming events this spring.
Today, I did a Back Squat Progression and then "Tabata Something Else". Probably not the best idea to do squats before tabata squats from a competitive score standpoint, but like I said, I've been off for a couple of days and feel the need to get back at it -- HARD!
"Tabata" is an 8 round workout. Each round is a total of 30 seconds; twenty seconds of work and ten seconds of rest (8 rounds = a four minute workout). Don't laugh until you do it... Trust me.
"Tabata Something Else" is a WOD that starts with "Tabata Pull Ups" then goes immediately to "Tabata Push Ups", then immediately to "Tabata Sit-ups", then immediately to "Tabata Squats." Yes, eight full rounds of one exercise (i.e. - burnout/failure) before moving to the next exercise for a total of 16 minutes.
It was a blast....
If you are in the Austin area and want to try out CrossFit, please contact us! I coach a 5:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. class and we are starting to fill up, so come check it out. We'd love to introduce you to this whirlwind...
3-2-1...GEAUX!!!
OH - and a BIG P.S. of THANK YOU for the kind comments after my last post. I took a week away from posting just so I could click back on my blog and be humbled again. Honestly --- those were probably the nicest words I've ever had spoken of me, and completely unexpected.
