For time:
Run 1200m
63 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg
36 Pull-ups
Run 800m
42 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg
24 Pull-ups
Run 400m
21 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg
12 Pull-ups
Compare to: women's results and men's results.
Post time to comments.
Courtney, Emmalee, Stef, Slaughter, Tiff, and Manda on Hermosa Beach.
Love, Pain, and the CrossFit Games
This weekend was one of the best of my life. Cherie and I are on the airplane, heading back to Denver to rejoin our family, friends, and to celebrate the successes of the weekend with the people that helped make it happen. After competing in the 2008 and 2009 CrossFit Games, I decided to step it up a notch and see exactly what I am capable of. Cherie and I decided that the next year would be devoted to winning the CrossFit Games in 2010.
I put in the training hours, addressed weaknesses, developed my strengths, and refined my diet to reflect my focus on performance. Some methods were adapted or abandoned all together along the way because they didn't provide desired results. Other methods were used until progress slowed or until a point where additional gains would cause a deficiency in other areas.
One thing remained constant throughout this year – Cherie and my dedication to the goal. Every decision we've made took my training into consideration. For this, I cannot thank her enough. She worked more, ate less, and dealt with more attitude than any other wife would have. Love – plain and simple. There is no other reason to do what she did.
This weekend the fruits of our labor were revealed. Despite being sick and injured, I was able to lay it all on the line with 100% confidence in myself and my abilities. I sat in the basement of the Home Depot Center by myself, awaiting my heat of the first workout. Calmly, I walked out of the tunnel to faced by a barbell and a pair of rings. I'm not sure if I remember hearing Dave Castro say "3-2-1 go!" But I certainly remember dropping the bar after the final rep and feeling like I had driven out of a tunnel into sunlight.
The next day I decided that I would need help and officially designated Mas as my coach. Cherie could not do it because she had already committed to being a judge for the event. Mas chased after things for me, gave me insight into what strategies other athletes were using in workouts and always sent me to the wolves saying one thing – "go to that deep, dark place". He knew that these workouts hurt – bad! Physically I was prepared, but each workout required a mental commitment as well. Mas – can't thank you enough.
So I stood in line, awaiting the most heinous version of "Helen" that you could ever imagine. Last year running any distance at all scared the shit out of me. But this year I got comfortable with my weakness by facing it. I ran track drills with Pat Burke and on my own for 2 months. I got comfortable with running hard and fast. He and I stood together on the track with less than a minute to go. We were behind Mikko, Speal, Rob Orlando, Graham, and so on. I looked at him and said "We don't want to start back here" and we quickly moved to the front on the outside of the track. "3-2-1 Go!" and we started out in first and second. I couldn't be happier about how I finished that workout – the training paid off.
A few events passed and I found myself in third place going into the last workout of day 2 – the sandbag/wheelbarrow WOD. I was confident that this one could put me in the lead. But after loading 600# of sandbags into a weak little wheelbarrow, the unthinkable happened – it tipped… not once, but twice. The second time I was nearly to the unload point and I had to reload all 600#. I was frustrated, but I knew that one year of training and eating right hinged on how I handled the rest of this workout. I yelled F#CK!!! and loaded it up and after finishing that WOD in 21st, I was still in 3rd place overall.
But it all came down to Sunday. The first event was a moderately heavy power clean and a movement I have never done before – ring handstand push-ups. Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle with handstand push-ups. Imagine my thoughts of doing them on rings. But again, I knew that one year of hard work depended on me doing these HSPU's. Mas spotted me in the warm-up area as I figured them out. I visualized myself doing them and doing them fast. The only reason I would not be able to do these ring HSPU's would be because I prevent myself from doing them. I convinced myself that I would complete this WOD with a positive attitude and try to win my heat. I did just fine.
Lastly, myself and 31 other athletes were put in a room that had no ammenities other than a bunch of weights and some couches. We were told that heat by heat we would lead to the stadium with no advance notice and would hear our workout for the first time and start seconds later – no questions. Three and a half hours of sitting in a room with a bunch of nervous, tired athletes with nothing but the anticipation of the WOD and some water. No food, no TV, no AC, nothing. We talked, we warmed up, we laughed, and we wondered about the workouts. It was unbearable.
Finally, I was lead out to the stadium and it was blazing hot. Dave described the first workout and explaimed "3-2-1 GO!" and off we went. My chest and hands melted to the black rubber mats as I did push-ups. My judge corrected my push-ups as I did them, as I had never done them like this before and the description was vague at best. Over the wall to some light overhead squats. The next workout was similar – light and fast. But the last WOD was the real deal. After three days of very taxing events in the hot sun, we were tasked with 15 burpees over a wall and 9 rope climbs that were 20' high. My brain said "no", but this was it. It all came down to turning my brain off and allowing my body to recover enough to confidently climb the rope safely.
In the end, I can call myself the 4th fittest man on earth. I am lucky to come home to a wonderful gym full of wonderful people. I am happy to have each of you in my life, as each of you add something to our gym, our community, and our movement. I want to sincerely thank each of you for your support and for being a part of CrossFit.
