"Pain is the penalty for violating the laws of Nature" - Sun-Tzu
This was one of the first things that Brain McKenzie from CrossFit Endurance said to us, as we sat in the Atlas Crossfit gym in Chicago this past weekend. Since my last post, people have asked, "how's the shoulder? How are you filling your time?" Well, aside from working my ass off in physical therapy, I have been reading, recognizing the need to become a real student of my body to get healthy, stay healthy, and get stronger and faster. And that journey has taken me to places that I would not have imagined. I've had the honor of working with Nate Aye and John Conquest out of Crossfit DuPage, and because of them, got to meet a truly stand up group of guys, all dedicated to doing one thing - making endurance athletes faster, fitter and stronger.
So, last Thursday, I shot an email to Brain at Crossfit Endurance, just to get some info on what they do. He was very direct, he invited me to come to the Crossfit Endurance Certfication class this past weekend, and made it clear it was the best way to see it all. With a personal invite and his graciousness, I took him up on his offer, and had my eyes opened to an entirely new way of thinking. Brain and his crew - Bryan Diaz, the head strength and conditioning coach for CFE, plus Ted Lin, a sports doctor and POSE running method instructor, spent 2 days of taking the typical training of a multisport athlete and turning it on its head. Actually, it was more like they chucked it off a Chicago high rise and laughed while watching it fall.
And the message wasn't just - "Run more efficiently", it was - how to run more efficiently, swim and bike the same. And do the one thing endurance athletes don't have a good grasp on - STRENGTH TRAINING. I was part of that group. I know my body, I lift weights, I bulk up. So, without analyzing why, I just stopped, and stuck to core work. Then I met Nate and John, and my mindset changed, but getting hit by a car has made it difficult to see the benefits of their work. However, Brain took it a step further, and reminded me of what my track coach from many moons ago used to have us do - strength train.
It would be a serious disservice to Brian, Nate, John, and anyone else who develops Crossfit workouts for me to even attempt to describe it here. My point of this blog is to remind those out there who are banging thier head against the wall, wondering why they aren't getting faster or stronger, to stop, and assess what you are doing. Read books, not just blogs. Think outside the box of multisport. We invest so much of our money and time, isn't it worth an extra hour a week to review your training and talk it out with your coach or other experts? I'm more excited than ever to race again, b/c I will have the confidence knowing I have been able to get fitter using different methods, revamped my diet, and got rid of the excess baggage in my life. And lets face it, we all have some baggage that we could use disposing. But bottom line, if you stop learning, and I mean in general and about yourself, that's when you will feel your age. I was with my very lively, and very intelligent grandmother to celebrate her 98th birthday. Andher words to me a couple of weeks ago were simple - "honey, I have never felt my age, because I refuse to let my mind get stale." Now she's 98. I knew at that moment, I no longer had any excuse to not keep growing, as an athlete and as a man.
For more info on Brian - check out www.crossfitendurance.com They are out of California, but don't hold that against them.
Stay strong,
Guy
