The Stacy Park Boot Camp recently gathered around our park mascot (burpee the turtle) for a group photo.

There are 8 athletes in the photo.  Can you find them all?

I had a great weekend in San Antonio improving my ability to coach the olympic lifts.

Speed in the middle or piddle in the middle?  Which are you?

Check out Coach B’s talk on weightlessness of the barbell.

I’m considering it no coincidence – in fact it was more like karma – that I put on my New England Track & Field Championship t-shirt from 1985 on this morning before heading to Jessica’s 6:15am Crossfit workout at Runtex.  The benchmark workout for the day was “Helen”.  400m – 21 KB swings – 12 pull-ups.  I checked my split as I was coming in from my first 400m: 1:52.  Almost a full minute slower than in 1985.  Granted, I was doing 3 rounds and in 1985 I ran around the track once and then lay on the ground in lactic acid hell for many minutes thereafter… but that provided little solace for me this morning as I recalled a typical workout back then to be 4 x 400 @ 65-70 seconds with one minute rest between each interval.  As painful as it was in those days, I loved the longest sprint.  It was pure and raw.  One lap around the track with the goal of leaving nothing in the tank.  On the basketball court, my efforts were part of a bigger collective that could be masked in the shadows of my teammates.  They could make up for my errors or hide my faults… if I was tired after a full-court press I could be lazy on offense for a few seconds to recover.  On the track, there’s no where to hide.  I want to get back there.  I realize that 24 years later my ability to run a sub-60 400m may be questionable but what am I capable of doing?  More importantly, do I have the guts to find out?  Anybody up for a track workout once a week?  Get in touch.

I am currently accepting small group (2-4) and 1-on-1 personal training clients.  Session locations can vary based on the workout planned for the day and are always challenging, unique, and fun.   For those needing a more structured location, various parks, indoor gyms, or your home are all possibilities.   If not now, when?

sarahmount@crossfitcentral.com

I awoke with the sunrise a few mornings ago.  It was my last day of vacation in Vermont and I was eager to soak it up.  My paddle dipped into the calm waters of Lake Champlain well before the alarm would sound later in my empty room.  The air was brisk at 62 degrees so I gently slipped into my kayak hoping to stay dry and warm.  I could feel the muscles in my shoulders and back awaken with every stroke as the mindfulness of my morning greeted the perfect day.  I paddled in silence along the cliffs looking for signs of animal life.  Unexpectedly and without warning – a flock of Canada Geese took flight from the water.  I heard the flutter kick spray of their splash before sighting the birds with the black heads, distinctive white chinstrap, and graceful wing power.   I sat in stillness observing the beauty of that moment from take-off to v-formation until their pack was out of sight.  And there it was: beauty, movement, teamwork, and nature.

Wilderness is therapy.  The word wilderness is derived from the word wild-ness. Or, that which cannot be controlled by humans.  It is fascinating to consider the notion that what soothes us is something beyond our control.  What is it about nature that is so healing and why don’t more people take advantage of it?  Researchers have acquired ample evidence on the restorative benefits of nature.  Nature restores us by alleviating stress through the replenishment of our mental abilities.  Mental fatigue results from social interactions, school, work, and other daily stressors.  A flock of Canada Geese taking flight over the glassy morning water does not require our steadfast attention but distracts us with simple fascination.  Such wonder invigorates us.

So, what happens when you add intensity and variety to my placid morning on the lake?  An exercise prescription that renews the mind, spirit, and body.   Envision this:  your workout begins with a short and easy trail run through the woods.  You see a switchback in the distance that will continue you on the trail but beside you is a tower of secure boulders that provides a more adventurous route to the same path above.  You take the shortcut; scramble up the boulders and continue your run, picking up the pace to attack the short hill before you.  The trail narrows to singletrack before winding down to a river.  You notice a doe and her fawn drinking water out of the river downstream.  The choice before you is to continue on the trail or swim 100 yards across the river to new territory.  You choose the swim.  You exit the water refreshed and resume your run only to discover a 10 lb medicine ball at the foot of a cliff.  Your task is to get the ball up onto the landing above.   You can carry it to the top by running it the long way around or test your strength and ability to throw the ball up the cliff wall….time is ticking….what do you choose?

What you have achieved is a workout that improves cardio endurance, increases strength, power, and agility in an adventurous fashion that is challenging, spirit renewing, and fun.

“I have noticed that in our culture, transition is looked upon as ‘no-thing’, or a ‘no-place’ between places. The old trapeze bar was real, and the new one coming towards me is also real, but what about the place in between?  Is this place, as in my experience, our culture promotes, just a scary, confusing, disorienting “nowhere” place that I must go through as fast and as unconsciously as possible?  What if the trapeze bar was not real? My hunch is that this transition zone is the only real place, and the bars are illusions to avoid the void where real change and growth occurs.   Whether or not my hunch is true, the transition zones in my life are incredibly rich places that I honor and even savor. My imagination of fear and of being out of-control may accompany transition, but they are still the most alive, growth-filled, passionate, and expansive moments in my life.”  — Author Unknown

CrossFit Central Outside the Box is a 6 week action packed program of trail running, mountain biking, swimming, and bouldering (sometimes all in the same workout!) with Crossfit-style training mixed in to create an adventuresome fitness experience! This program will meet 3x a week at various locations around Austin such as the Greenbelt, Mt Bonnell, Walnut Creek, the Veloway, Barton Springs, and more – True to Crossfit form, every workout will be different, challenging, and fun!

This program is scaled to all levels of fitness – All abilities will be accommodated!                                                        Beginner & Advanced Mountain Bikers welcome.

Schedule & Sign Up

Monday & Wednesday 6:30-8:00pm (traveling locations)

Thurs 6:30-7:30pm (Little Stacy Park – 1 mile south of the river off So. Congress)

July 27th – Sept 4th

“Most people run a race to see who is fastest.  I run a race to see who has the most guts.”  –Steve Prefontaine

Humidity slows evaporation of sweat from the body because the air outside is too dense with water molecules to absorb yours.

-drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration

-slow down and cool off  if you experience a headache or shallow breathing

-overheating can cause serious, even life-threatening conditions such as heat stroke.

Dangers of heat include (from USA Today):

• Heat cramps: Exercising in hot weather can lead to muscle cramps, especially in the legs, because of brief imbalances in body salts. Cramps become less frequent as a person becomes used to the heat.
• Heat syncope or fainting: Anyone not used to exercising in the heat can experience a quick drop in blood pressure that can lead to fainting. As with heat cramps, the cure is to take it easy.
• Heat exhaustion: Losing fluid and salt through perspiration or replacing them in an imbalanced way can lead to dizziness and weakness. Body temperature might rise, but not above 102 degrees. In some cases victims, especially the elderly, should be hospitalized. Heat exhaustion is more likely after a few days of a heat wave than when one is just beginning. The best defense is to take it easy and drink plenty of water. Don’t take salt tablets without consulting a physician.
• Heatstroke: In some cases extreme heat can upset the body’s thermostat, causing body temperature to rise to 105 degrees or higher. Symptoms are lethargy, confusion and unconsciousness. Even a suspicion that someone might be suffering from heatstroke requires immediate medical aid. Heatstroke can kill.
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Qualifiers for international Crossfit Games in Aromas, California:

Carey Kepler

Crystal McReynolds

Lance Cantu

The Pease Park boot camp took a break from the heat by working out at Barton Springs yesterday.  We did a little trail running, push-ups, dips, with laps across the pool mixed in….we think we might move boot camp here.  :)

The number one predictor of failed adherence?

The statement “I’ll start tomorrow.”

I first discovered Crossfit in February of 2006.  I was in grad school at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California.  My personal training at the time consisted of spending time with my clients outdoors for agility, speed, and endurance work while spending time indoors for strength and conditioning development.  I was coaching outdoor fitness camps for women during the summer in Vermont and having a ton of fun with that….combining mountain biking, trail running, and yoga with medicine balls, bands, and ladder work.  I also coached track and cross-country and was seeking new ways to challenge my high school athletes.  Crossfit hit the mark for many reasons. A few months after doing the WOD on the Crossfit HQ website, I took a 3 day certification seminar in Santa Cruz to become a Crossfit coach.  By Sunday afternoon, my body was beat but the spark that puttered along with me for the last few years had finally been lit.  I found what I was missing both personally and professionally. After finishing my program at Cal Poly, I returned to Vermont to teach for another year and started a Vermont affiliate.  I offered boot camps to the community and introduced Crossfit in my physical education classes.  I knew I was on to a good thing when the teenagers were getting fired up about our workouts and when 24 people showed up for my first boot camp.  Turns out, it wasn’t just me that was seeking a new element in my fitness routine. On a personal level, Crossfit reminds me of being a kid again…and that’s the hook.  I love the anticipation of logging on to see the workout of the day.  I love that every workout is different.  I appreciate age-old rules being discarded…doing squats 3 days in a row, specifically losing specificity, and the concept of differentiating by degree not kind. So don’t forget to play when you work out….while on a run jump onto and over boulders and rock walls….climb over the jungle gym at the playground rather than run around it….do cartwheels across a field and then keep running….play like a kid again.

November 4, 2008 Election Day, 2008.  Finally.  Dedicate your Crossfit workout today to your favorite candidate or Austin proposition.  And then contemplate what it means to be a good winner or loser (in politics or sport) and then be it.

Joe Dispenza, from “What the Bleep Do We Know” asks the question: “What is the greatest ideal of myself that I can be today?” each day before getting out of bed.  Try this for a week.  Notice the word today in the question.  Implying that you are in control of setting your standard for the day given your particular challenges, potential, and limitations.

This morning Austin hosted the annual Race for the Cure 5K.  Over 21,000 runners participated.  The weather was perfect and the crowd was full of optimism and pride.  Some races you do for fun, some for competition, and others to symbolize significant events in your life.  I dedicated this “race” to my new best friend and my commitment to support her on her recently discovered challenge with this crazy disease.  I was one of many who crossed the finish line in dedication of another and felt empowered by our collective intention.  To run and to give strenuous effort in this way gives exercise new meaning. On a side note, a wonderful benefit of Crossfit is the strides (pun intended) one makes in improving their 5K time while only doing Crossfit workouts.  A true testiment, indeed, to the functional application of random and varied.

One of the things I was most excited about when I moved to Austin from Vermont a little over a year ago was leaving the month of November behind.  In Vermont, November is like Crossfit’s Fight Gone Bad  — testing the readiness, the hardiness of the souls who call themselves Vermonters (or in the case of FGB-Crossfitters).  The sky is perpetually grey.  The leaves have all fallen and left the trees bare.  It’s bitter cold, often with freezing rain, maybe a snowflake or two but rarely, if ever, significant powder to play in.  It’s dark by 4:30pm.  Everyone heads to the gym.  Treadmills and Ellipticals have a waiting list and the Cybex stations are full.  30 days of this seems like eternity.  In December, it is more hopeful that the grey might turn to a blanket of white while skis and snowboards are excitedly pulled from the attic.  Holiday parties begin during the first weekend which finds your subcutaneous winter coat eyeing the cake and brownies.  But for now, it’s November, and life is elsewhere.  NOT!  You’re in Austin, Texas dude.  Get out….ride the greenbelt, run dry creek beds, swim in Barton Springs, praise the sun, the weather, and be grateful that you live in a town with such amazing recreational resources.  I have not been on a treadmill in over 18 months….I challenge you to do the same!

Some of my favorite Saturday mornings are under the bridge.  Crossfit Central’s free community workout occurs once a month under the Mopac bridge at 8:30 a.m.  It’s a good time and place to be alive in Austin.  The temperature is usually perfect and the buzz of energy from the walkers, joggers, cyclists, and rowers makes you realize what a special place this is.  And then our  warm-up begins….high knees, running in place, squats, push-ups, (if you know what comes next-you too may be addicted), rotations, agility ladders, lunges, etc…the energy under the bridge escalates from a buzz to a rhythm to a roar as the workout gets underway and all 70 of us contribute with command to the collective energy of Saturday morning in Austin, under the bridge.