Every Second Counts

This morning I participated in the Lost Pines Triathlon in Bastrop, TX. The race consisted of a 400mish pool swim (the director said it was a little longer), a HILLY 16 mile bike and a HILLY 3.65 mile run. This race was so much harder than I thought it was going to be, I feel sorry for any first time triathletes out there today. My first sprint was last summer in Waco and it was a much friendlier course than this one. The hills reminded me of the hills in the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 I did last fall. Well, I will go through the morning and describe the event as best as I can remember....

I brought my trigger point foam roller and rolled out for a good 30 minutes about an hour before the race, I think that really helped because my low back always hurts when I have been on the bike more than 30 minutes. After rolling out I started on my circuit (the same one we do at CSCF). I had about 10 minutes from the time I was done with my warm up until the time I got in the water for the swim, which was perfect.

On a side note, I originally planned on eating a piece of grilled chicken I brought, with a sweet potato and some avocado BUT I changed my mind and did a chocolate Advocare meal replacement shake, banana and some almonds instead. I have been having a meal replacement shake for breakfast lately and I like it because it is light and gives my body the nutrition it needs. I usually do not eat the banana but I knew I would need it today.

The swim was in a pool that was about 33m in distance and we went down and back enough times to complete the 400m. It was really weird and really exhausting. I definitely need to work on my swimming, I am not efficient and probably expend a lot more energy than I need to. My swim time was 9:03.

From the pool I jogged about 200m to my bike. I tried to recover on the jog and I could tell that the swim wore me out more than I thought it would. My transition was 2:30 and I actually took longer because I put my ipod on. Then as soon as I started on the bike a lady told me that I would get disqualified if I was seen with headphones so I took them off and gave them to her....wasted a little time there. I ate about a fourth of a banana before getting on the bike and I had two water bottles on my bike, one with water and one with a scoop and a half of spark mixed with a scoop and a half of rehydrate. I kind of knew what I was getting myself into on the bike course because I drove the route yesterday, but actually experiencing it on my bike was much harder than I anticipated. It was a combination of uphills and downhills, several people were getting off of their bikes and walking up some of the steepest hills. CrossFit training definitely helps with this, I am happy to say that I never got off my bike; and the hills is where I would pass people up. BUT, at the top of those hills I would sound out a groan and the entire uphill I would take very loud deep breaths in my nose and out my mouth.....ugh.....it was SO HARD. Well, the bike route was an out and back, SO, we rode the hills coming back in the opposite direction that we rode them going out. I finished my bike 16 mile bike in 58:27, the race director told everyone at the beginning this is not a bike course you would set a personal record at, I feel like that worked in my favor a little because I am not strong on the bike but I can probably handle hills better than the guys who are because of CrossFit.

My transition from the bike to run was a little faster, 1:32. I knew this run would be a test because i saw the first 2 miles of the run going out on the bike, they were the same. And one of those miles was a MEAN hill. I had an entire goo (nutrition) the last 2 miles on the bike because I knew I needed something in me to get through this run. The first mile was not bad at all, I actually felt great and was so glad to get off the bike. I think I ran about a 7:15 mile. The second mile however, was TERRIBLE. It was an entire mile up hill, imagine a never ending hill, that is what it felt like. It is on this 2nd mile that I asked God to get me through this race and allow me to finish it strong. I know He has more capabilities than I do, and if I asked He would deliver. I think I clocked about a 8:30 mile on that one. The 3rd mile started better but then got really bad...another big hill. Imagine from the 2.5 mile marker to the 3.1 mile marker another TERRIBLE never ending hill. It is at the beginning of this hill that both my quads began to cramp, not terrible at the beginning, but they were definitely telling me they have been overworked today. By the top of the hill they were almost gone, I really thought I would pull a muscle or tear them both, I was in pain. I had the wind to sprint in the last 1/2 mile but I did not have legs that could do that, imagine this, I was wanting to finish strong but physically could not.....or at least without doing major damage to my body. I feel like God used a race volunteer to tell me "Charlie, don't sprint it in, just keep it slow and steady", because as I reached the turn at around mile 3.2 I told a lady my quads were burning and really in pain, then I asked her, "should I sprint it in?". She said, "No, just keep that pace". I did exactly as she said and cruised in at probably an 8:30-9 minute mile pace and finished the VERY BRUTAL 3.65 mile run in 28:32.

Well, it turns out I finished first place in my age group (25-29) with a time of 1:40:07.....eight seconds before the guy who finished in second place. I am not sure where I finished overall, but i think it was top 20.

A HUGE congratulations to all of the participants out there today, it was hot, hilly and definitely not your usual sprint triathlon. There were people still coming in at 3 hours, a lot of the experienced triathletes said this race was harder than an olympic distance triathlon.

Do not ever try to take things on by yourself, God will provide you with much more than you will ever do alone.
Luke 11:9-10
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

Regionals Videos Released!

When we traveled to Fort Worth to compete in the South Central Regional competition we were fortunate enough to have Jordan Meserole with us. Jordan owns a company called Rock Cottage Media, he does video for weddings and events. Jordan put together a 26 minute DVD that covers the entire Regional competition from start to end, he follows the College Station CrossFit Affiliate Team and me as an individual competitor. This video is AWESOME! Check this first scene out, we will have the entire DVD at the box for people to take home and watch. We will also be releasing segments of it on the CSCF blog so be sure and check it daily!

Thanks Jordan for such an awesome video!

New Book - Stand By - Bad Sleep - Big Delay

So I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday about being on time. I am terrible at this and God decided it was time He teach me a lesson on this subject. Our flight was supposed to leave College Station at 9:55am yesterday and connect to another flight in Dallas at 1:20pm to fly out to Burbank, California where the CrossFit Games is. Well, my wife and I picked up Daren at 9:10am and she was going to drop us off at Easterwood to catch our 9:55am flight. I decided on the way that I really wanted to get a book - 4 Hour Work Week - at Discount Bookstore on Texas and Southwest Parkway. This stop made us miss our flight and the only option we had at that moment was to drive to Dallas and try and make our 1:20pm connecting flight. So my wife, bless her heart, drove us to Dallas and dropped us off then she had to turn around and drive back to College Station, what turned out to be a 11 hour part of her day. Daren and I arrived at DFW Airport at 1:05pm ran in rushed through the checkpoints only to get to our gate and find out that our seats were given away and we were put on stand by. The next flight leaving for Burbank was at 7:30pm and we were not gauranteed seats on that flight, we were on stand by. We were the 4th and 5th spot on the list, and sure enough, the first 3 spots went on the flight and we were stuck at DFW.

So, the next flight to Burbank was scheduled for 9:25am Friday morning, today, and we do have seats for this flight so we will be going on it. The craziest part to this story is that we decided to sleep in the airport - Terminal A19 to be exact. It was not comfortable and it was really loud and noisy from all the cleaning going on and the intercom....you can imagine.

So, we should arrive in Burbank, California at 10:30am LA time and we'll get to our hotel, get cleaned up and head to the Home Depot Center for the Games.

If you are reading my blog for the first time then I want to let you know that I try to relate my posts to scripture and hopefully the readers can learn something from reading what they have read here. Today I want to share an article that I found on the internet written by a lady named Becky Barnfather about being late. If you are a person that is always running late, like me, then hopefully it helps you....it sure did me.

Running Late?

June, 2003

by: Becky Barnfather

You know, I've been at Calvary Bible Church for about 12 years. It was here that I began in the College Ministry and became quite familiar with the phrase “Calvary time.” I guess I never thought it was very funny when I would show up on time and no one else arrived for another twenty or thirty minutes. Arriving to church on time has always been somewhat important to me. Oh, yes, there are the occasional last minute problems, traffic jams, and tie ups. But, let's be honest — that doesn't happen every time we go to church, right?

The Bible doesn't have a lot to say about being “late” or even use the word “late” with regards to being on time. But when you're late, it affects others. And the Bible does talk about considering others. If you're late, you are not considering at all how that affects others who have worked hard to be on time. According to Webster's Dictionary, to consider someone else is “to keep in mind, to be thoughtful of others.” It would be self–centered of someone to think that their time is more important than yours. (I Cor. 10:24). One verse comes to my mind, “Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4). By being constantly late, you are not considering that others have made an effort to be on time so that they can begin our meeting, Bible Study, or service on time without others straggling in. Imagine if you planned a dinner party at your home and everyone arrived an hour late. Wouldn't that be inconsiderate of others to make you wait an extra hour for them?

One other consideration is the kind of an example you set by being late. Again, occasionally being late for reasons unforeseen is one thing. But, if each week you know it's going to take you fifteen minutes to get to church, ten minutes to drop off your kids, another five minutes to get over to church…well, planning ahead would be both wise and thoughtful. Taking the time each night to prepare for the next day, leaving an extra fifteen minutes early, or getting up an additional fifteen minutes to half hour early are all ways that you can keep yourself from being late. Leaders and parents are especially the ones who need to set the example to others. As a leader, whether a Sunday School teacher, Bible study leader, elder, or pastor you need to be on time to set an example to others that they are important (I Pet. 5:2-4). As a parent, you set the precedent for your children in how important it is to arrive to church on time. Imagine how selfless it is of you to give your time to others by being considerate and planning ahead to arrive to your destination on time. Now, don't you think that it is pleasing to God when we make our best effort to arrive to church on time?

Motivation

What motivates you? Who motivates you? When you get excited about an exercise program or a nutrition program what triggers your mind to get completely focused?

I was thinking about this today because I am coming off of one of the most exciting "training seasons" I have ever experienced. Back in December when I decided to compete in the CrossFit Sectionals competition I began a "training season" that lasted until mid to late June. This "training season" is a period of time where I feel like my mind, body and spirit were all working together to make my workouts the most effective and intense they have ever been. This season lasted almost 6 months, that's a long time now that I think about it.

I experienced a similar "training season" in the Fall of 2009 when I did a sprint triathlon in July, an Olympic Triathlon in September, a Half Ironman in October, a marathon in November and another marathon December. Now when I look back at that "training season" I think to myself that I was nuts! But all it was is a "training season" - a period of time where my mind, body and spirit worked together and made me give 100% of my effort.

I feel like I am always following a strict diet and a consistent workout routine, but only during a "training season" do I really make progress in becoming a better athlete and a more fit individual. During the "off-training season" I am simply maintaining my fitness level and not really improving.

I only bring this up because I think anyone reading this blog can relate but you maybe never thought of it this way. When you are in a "training season" you are more focused, more excited and definitely more consistent on all levels of fitness. Some "training seasons" last one week, others one month and they could last even longer. But you will definitely know when they end. You won't feel quite as motivated, maybe you feel like your body needs to recover and maybe you just feel like taking some time off.

So what do you do in an "off-training season"? You definitely do not want to quit, or else you might really set yourself back from where you were before you lost motivation. I suggest talking to someone who you respect and look up to who can ignite that desire in you to get back in a "training season". Someone who knows you and who knows how to push your buttons, it could be a friend, a coach or even your spouse. Tell them you are lacking motivation and you need some direction on your training and your diet. You can also sign up for a race, a competition or some kind of event. There are plenty of these and if you feel like you are not ready for this you need to rethink that thought. I promise you that there is something out there you can do or train for.

I am assuming that if you are reading this then you are probably already working out, so I am telling people who are feeling like they are in a "slump" or what I am calling an "off-training season" what to do to get back into a "training season".

If you currently do not workout or eat healthy then you need to start by contacting someone who can guide you in the right direction. The "training season" and "off-training season" is what someone goes through who already works out regularly. I am just trying to get you to recognize the difference of these two seasons in order to get you back into a "training season". Does this make sense?

It is completely normal to feel this way, but it is critical not to stay in this "off-training season". Because it is in this "off-training season" that you lose sight of your accomplishments thus far and your future potential.

I am definitely in an "off-training season" right now. I just signed up for a CrossFit competition in Dallas on August 13th to get back "in season"!

2 Corinthians 8:10-11 I suggest that you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose this idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it. Now you should carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it.

Summer Challenge at CrossFit Houston

This past weekend I participated in the Summer Challenge at CrossFit Houston. The day started at 8am with the first workout, which was:
15 sandbag get ups (100#)
30 lateral burpees (24")
15 sandbag get ups (100#)
Then, about 3 hours later we did wod 2 which was a 1.5 mile trail run, pretty hilly and definitely HOT, with a 20 pound vest on. The combination of your time on wod 1 and wod 2 determined whether or not you advanced to wod 3.

Wod 3 was brutal:
Push a Prowler Sled down and back (45# about 20-30 yards)
9 db thrusters (50#)
Push a Prowler Sled down and back (45# about 20-30 yards)
6 db thrusters (50#)
Push a Prowler Sled down and back (45# about 20-30 yards)
3 db thrusters (50#)
Push a Prowler Sled down and back (45# about 20-30 yards)

Only 6 of the athletes even finished this workout under the 15 minute cut off time. From there we had about an hour and a half until the fourth and final wod:
500m row
5 squats (185#)
5 kb swing (55#)
5 box jumps (30")
1000m row
10 squats (185#)
10 kb swing (55#)
10 box jumps (30")
500m row
15 squats (185#)
15 kb swing (55#)
15 box jumps (30")

The whole day was HOT and very demanding of the lower body. I really felt like the first workout was my least favorite and makes me want to order some sandbags for our box so we can work on those. I ended up placing 3rd at the competition, I am still amazed by this. I feel blessed to have been able to compete and to have recovered well enough to push hard on all the workouts.

I want to share something that I thought was really inspiring on Saturday. After the first workout my dad, my wife and I went to a little taqueria across the street to cool off and so they could eat breakfast. We met a couple who was there eating breakfast but also at the competition supporting their son (Zach Stewart). I actually know Zach, he went to A&M and now he lives in Spring working as an athletic director for a community over there. Anyway, he trains at a box in Spring - CrossFit Silverback. His parents were telling me how much of an impact CrossFit has made in Zach's life, how he has lost 25 pounds and really gotten in great shape. (On a side note, Zach took 1st place in the scaled division at Saturday's competition - great athlete). They explained how he has inspired them and how it motivated them to sign up at CrossFit Silverback. They began sharing their "CrossFit Story". Telling me how hard it was at the beginning, how they couldn't even do "this" or "that" and how now they can do "this" and "that". Zach's dad said he has lost 30 pounds and Zach's mom has lost 20 in the 3 months since they started crossfitting. So in total, this family, including Zach, have lost 75 pounds! WOW! He is 52 and she is 49 years old, they said that they had not worked out in several years and how much they now enjoy going to "the box" at 5:30am. I'll bet that CrossFit has strengthened their relationship and I know it has improved their quality of life.

There are many stories out there just like this one, many of you have a "CrossFit Story". I encourage you to share "your story" with someone this week, or share it with several people, you never know when you might motivate someone to get off the couch and lose 25 pounds.



If God simply handed us everything we wanted, He’d be taking from us our greatest prize – the joy of accomplishment.

2 Timothy 2:4 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

-1.62 = 37th place

It has been a week since the south central regional qualifier and I am finally getting around to posting something about it. The first thing I want to say is THANK YOU, thank you to all of the people who hosted the event, the volunteers, the competitiors, our supporters from College Station CrossFit, Daren for programming my workouts this month, my sister Kandis for coming to watch, my wife Alicia for being my #1 fan, and all of the people who said prayers and sent emails wishing me a great weekend. I also want to thank God for being with me throughout all four of those workouts, I know He got me throught them and helped me stay heathly to complete the weekend without an injury.

This competition was a fascinating experience, it felt like it was a proffessional sport and like we were the athletes. CrossFit is growing so much and I would not be surprised if in the next few years we watch CrossFit competitions on TV. The CrossFit Games this year is taking place at The Home Depot Center, it will be a huge event and I promise you that it will only get bigger in the years to come. People who follow the sport of CrossFit recognize names like Rob Orlando, Chris Spealler, Jeremy Thiel, Jason Khalipa and other top performers in the sport. Just wait, this sport will get big. And I feel honored to be out there competing in it.

The workouts this weekend were not longer than 15 minutes, there were no long runs or really long chippers. They challenged all the athletes in the 5-15 minute window of CrossFit. I feel like I learned a lot about myself as a CrossFit athlete in the four workouts. By far, the workout that made me feel the absolute worst was the 10 minute weighted Cindy workout. I did 9 rounds (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats w/ 20lb. vest) and 1 pull up. When I finished I was done, I could not do anything for about an hour. I was really happy with how I performed on that workout but my score was one of the lowest out of all the competitors. I feel like I need to lose 15-20 pounds to become a more competitive crossfitter. I feel like if I do that I will be able to move my weight a lot better and I will do better on workouts like this one. The top performers in this workout did 13 rounds.....WOW, that is moving fast, none of them weigh over 190 lbs to my knowledge.

My favorite workout was the third one - 100 double unders, then 3 rounds of 275# deadlift x 10 and 100m 75#sandbag run, then 1k row. I was happy to get 99 double unders in a row, then my deadlifts were unbroken until the third set and my row was under 4 minutes...I really wish I would have rowed harder. My time was 8:47, earning me 26th place in that event where the top performer had a time of 7:29. This workout was the first on Sunday and it didn't leave me feeling terrible, I felt like I still had enough in me to hit the last workout that afternoon pretty hard.

As for the other two workouts, the first - snatch/overhead squat - I PR'd with a 185 power snatch and then overhead squated it 3 times. This earned me a spot at 24th place for the event, tied with 10 other competitors who did 185# also. I would have loved to get 195# but I was really happy with 185#. The fourth and final workout on Sunday afternoon - 10 muscle ups, 15 handstand push ups, 20 squat cleans (155#) and a 600m run around the block (up and down hill) - was a big triumph for me because 2 months ago I could not do muscle ups at all and handstand push ups (head to ground) were not something I was comfortable. The handstand push ups almost knocked me out of sectionals. So immediately after sectionals I decided to go next door to BV Gymnastics and train with Jim Foght on muscle ups once per week. For 4 weeks I did not get one muscle up, then I got maybe 2 or 3 each week. It wasn't until about 10 days before regionals that I actually started to get a better grasp of them (and I still need to work on them). I was so happy that I got all 10 of them on WOD 4 and I also did well on the handstand push ups. I didn't fly through them, but I got through them in order to move on and complete the workout. Next was the 155# squat cleans which "ate my lunch" (that's for Will Schaub). These cleans were miserable, it was as if at that point the entire weekend of workouts caught up to me and I was done, my body did not want to go on. Fortunately for me (but unfortunately for my body) I had a group of awesome supporters yelling at me through out all 20 of those reps and I got them all done and headed out for the run. The run was a brutal up hill for about 200 m then came down hill. Kris Kepler came right by me, passing me up and then I was like "oh no! I need to move faster" so I came in right behind him....one second behind him to be exact with a time of 12:20. This earned me the 39the spot on that event and the first place time did an insane 4:54.

The combination of these events gave me a decimal point of -1.62 which equals 37th place out of 59 athletes. I am happy with that, I was happy to compete and happy to learn more about myself.

I have decided to gear my workouts strictly towards CrossFit for the next year, no marathons, half marathons and no triathlons longer than the sprint distance. I want to get stronger, lose 20 pounds and focus on the 2-10 minute window in my met con training. I really enjoy CrossFit as a sport, I enjoy competing and I feel like with God I can make it to the CrossFit Games. I am going to put my faith in Him and train hard this year. When He thinks I'm ready, He will put me there, I trust Him 100%.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

My blog - so now I am not going to post my daily workouts anymore, instead I am going to post things that I feel will encourage, motivate and educate people to be more healthy, happy and fit individuals. I will update it as I find information and feel inspired to write things worthy of posting. I plan to include scripture and messages from my church that will apply to what I am writing about. I hope you enjoy reading it and please feel free to comment on it, your feedback motivates me!

Picture from wod 1 -
Picture from wod 2 -
Picture from wod 3 -
Picture from wod 4 -

Time to suit up

When I saw this movie I thought this scene was so awesome. Ironman gets suited up to fight the bad guy, I guess I can relate to him a little right now. My suit is ready and so am I. We made it to the Hilton in Fort Worth and are headed up to checkin and attend the manditory athlete meeting. I feel incredibly rested and my body is ready to unleash the energy that has been stored up from this light week of training. All I can do now is wait...

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,