Do I love running...?!

It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted--shame on me! Well, this update brings positive news--I am getting closer and closer to being 100%! Just last week, I was able to complete a CrossFit main site WOD as Rx'd. And why is this so special you may ask? Well, it is quite an accomplishment to me because it involved a total of 70 handstand push-ups. For those of you who have been following my blog, you will understand the gravity of this accomplishment. Overhead. Pressing. Shoulder strength. This has been my 'bread and butter' when it came to CrossFit. When I found out, a little less than a year ago, that I had torn my rotator cuff, well...you can imagine my devastation. I had just competed in the 2009 CrossFit Games...not satisfied with my overall placement. Now, please understand this: I was not disappointed with my performance...just not satisfied. Call it semantics...call it what you will; however, what CrossFitter will ever be satisfied with their performance?

The main site WOD was this:

Seven rounds for time of:

10 Handstand push-ups

45lb dumbells Squat clean, 10 reps

10 L-pull-ups completed this WOD, as Rx'd, in 23:05

Whether that was a stellar time or not...I simply do not care. What I DO care about is the fact that I was able to do 70 handstand pus-ups, pain-free. Week by week, it is getting better. I tend to get ahead of myself sometimes and do things that I probably should not be doing. A perfect example: muscle-ups. A muscle-up WOD is coming up soon, but I will refrain...as much as it pains me, I WILL refrain. Muscle-ups, push-ups...any kind of ring-work, pretty much hurt my shoulder before. Until I get the 'okay' from my Doc, I will not get over-zealous on the rings.

On a side note, I just completed another team marathon race at Mannheim, Germany. I ran the first leg, which was 12.5 kilometers--I finished in approximately 57:00 minutes. My goal was sub-60 minutes, so I am pretty happy. I also signed up for the Fit As F*ck competition in Koge, Denmark on 25 September 2010. I am hoping that I will be back to 100% by then; but, if not, that's cool--I will just be happy to competing again in what I love: CrossFit!

First Marathon...kinda

42.195 kilometers or 26 miles and 385 yards--that is a marathon. This was my first experience at a marathon event and I can honestly say that it will not be my last. I love competition. I especially love competition when it involves a test of capacity--physical and mental alike. I would like to thank Scott Simmons for inviting me and introducing me to the world of marathoning.

Scott, Sheffield, Greg, and I set off at 0700 on Sunday morning with hopes of taking first place at the Saint Wendel Marathon. Just kidding of course! But we did set off with the hopes of staying under four hours for the race as well as just having a great time! Well, as it turned out, we finished with a time of 3:45.04. Sheffield, being the stand-up guy that he is, volunteered to run the first leg. We found out (after the race) that the first leg turned out to be a little over 12 kilometers. Which, of course, meant that every other leg was approximately 1o kilometers long! So, good 'ole Sheff toughed it out for about two more kilometers than the rest of us!

The hand-off from the three-man (Greg) to the four-man (Me) was a bit shaky. I had timed it all wrong. My plan was to do some dynamic stretching, followed by jump-rope intervals, followed by about two tablespoons of honey, washed down with approximately six ounces of water. But after I answered 'Mother Nature's' call, I looked off in the distance and saw Greg 'beating feet' towards me. I had an 'oh s#!t moment' and stripped my warm-up pants off as quickly as I could. I had just enough time to put my headphones on, grab the electronic-timer-sensor thing, and start running! I was off!

It felt incredible! My plan was to pick a person in front of me and try to pass them. This method worked throughout my entire leg; I passed countless runners and never let anyone pass me. I passed the 41 kilometer marker and heard the crowd--they motivated me to 'kick it in' just a bit more...so I did! I was flying! I was nearing the finish line and everything on my peripheral was a blur. I sprinted, I passed more runners, I crossed the finish line. My 10 kilometer time: 42:31...a new personal record!

This was an incredible experience...especially for a CrossFitter. Why, you ask? Because I witnessed some amazing feats of physical capacity...and on a 'sport-specific' level. The top finishers completed the marathon in less than two hours and 15 minutes!

Next running challenge: a half-marathon!