I need to create something sustainable.  The key word in that previous sentence is “I.”  Not “we,” and not “my coach.”  No one can give me a training plan — hell, a life plan — that I didn’t have a hand in making.  It’s my goals I need to achieve.  All these plans can do is hope to help me.

One thing I love about Robb Wolf is how he basically refuses to answer questions about training athletes for their sports.  The short of it is… if the person is still progressing, if they’re happy, then why mess around?  What’s the takeaway?  The formula to get someone to continuously improve, at first, is simple.  It’s when the progression stops that it’s hard.  Why is that?

Training changes from physical to mental.  I have a 400+ lb deadlift, but if I just don’t feel like working on that, it’s not going to get any better.  I have a reliable 1:43 half marathon; if I stop running, it’ll only get worse.  At some point, I’m just going to run out of steam.  I’ve got a full-time job, 2 part-time jobs, I need to train for some races I want to run, and I’ve got a social life that is too hectic for its own good.  In the rare time that I can balance all of this stuff, I’m a rockstar.  When something gets out of balance, I’m a mess.

In the last few months, from say late February through today, I’ve been more of a mess than a rockstar.  So how do I fix that?

I’ve been burnt out before, or just tired, or something.  But in those times, I knew that if I got up at 5:30 and went to work out at 6:15, there would be a group of people that would welcome my return, which would fuel my desire to get back on track.  More and more, this is not the case — that group of people is completely different.  The community is so large that it’s hard to re-enter.

This is a different kind of burn out.  This one is making me rethink everything.  For you CrossFit haters that read my blog, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with that… I still believe that CrossFit as GPP and sport-specific training layered on top is way more powerful than the traditional weekend warrior training plan.  Everyone should know how to clean a barbell and squat effectively.

It’s time to go back to square one, to come up with goals.  I need a coach for not only my athletic ventures but for life.  A confidant that knows how to motivate me, not just yell or criticize my food log (which I don’t have at the moment).

I don’t have the answer to this one… I don’t even have a good start at an answer.  All I know is that tomorrow, I need to move.  And how I move is going to be important.

How do you bring yourself back?  Post your thoughts to comments.

People use the expression “work hard, play harder” all the time. And I think they mean it, but I think most people use the phrase for that one bender of a weekend or that show they saw Wednesday night and had to work early the next day. I think I’ve found a group of friends who epitomize “work hard, play harder.”

Imagine the movie “Every Second Counts” — a movie about some elite CrossFitters experience leading up to and including the Crossfit Games.  Then imagine the movie Groove — a movie about the San Francisco party underground that juxtaposes “real life” with “club life.”  That’s “work hard, play harder.”  And while our lives are quite a bit different in both camps, the intersection of the two is the best way I can characterize 2010 so far.

Somehow we balance jobs, training, racing, and nightlife in a way that seems perfectly ok, but I wonder when it all comes crashing down around me.  This was last week:

Sunday: spend the day with friends at an Alzheimer’s benefit.  Drink copious amounts of champagne mixed with tequila shots (ironic? perhaps.). Go to bed late.

Monday: work all day, CrossFit.

Tuesday: work all day, CrossFit, teach spin class.

Wednesday: coach a morning track workout, work all day, tuneup bike ride, coach evening track workout, host a party, drink all night (it was Cinco De Mayo, after all).

Thursday: coach a morning spin class, work all day, tuneup swim, dinner with friends, drinks in celebration of other friends’ wedding.

Friday: took the day off of work. Easy workout, errands, go to friends’ wedding, go to bars after said wedding, stay up almost all night.

Saturday: coach a morning CrossFit class, try to pick up the drunken pieces (imagine the scene in Groove at the End Up), go to a party barge and try not to drink (I do have a race on Sunday, after all).  Go home, eat dinner, pack race bag, sleep.

Sunday: wake up at 4:50, arrive at race around 6:30, race at 8, home by 12. Brunch at 1, long ass nap, get groceries, cook. Sleep!

That’s a normal week for me… just move around the training days and the drinking days and somehow it works.

I have to say that when I race, I’m jealous of the people who can dedicate their time to training and being “clean.”  There’s a certain guilt associated with this lifestyle (at least for me).  I think that’s because there’s the elephant in the room — if I wasn’t out drinking all week, I’d do so much better at these athletic feats.  But at what cost?

My strict CrossFit friends only hang out with other CrossFitters who eat paleo and drink Makers or NorCal margaritas.  My triathlon friends only hang out with other triathletes who rarely drink, eat tons of carbs, and go out on long rides and runs every weekend.  My non-athletic friends do whatever the hell they want.  I’m tired of having to “pick a side.”  I want it all, and I want it all to work.

Perhaps that’s the downfall of Gen X — we want our (paleo) cakes, and we want to eat the whole damn thing with (paleo) ice cream, on a unicorn.  Why?  Because we can.  At what cost?  Who cares… just as long as I’m happy. (aside: I know that’s a long leap from the previous paragraph to this one. I’m not in the business of writing a thesis, this is just the way I feel at the moment… hell, I don’t even know how I got to this point)

It sounds self-centered, and perhaps it is.

(another aside: I read this back before I clicked “Publish,” and I realize it may come off as a) pretentious, b) whiny, or c) narcissistic. or any combination of the above. Again, realize that I’m attempting to write down how I feel and what’s been going on… not to tell you about my training log, but instead of tell how what the rest of my life looks like. It’s a vent at the moment. Deal.)

So I had a race on Sunday… The Rookie Tri.  And once again, I did… ok. Actually I did worse than I thought.  I was all amped on Sunday because I thought I PR’d, when I actually got 10 seconds slower.  I know exactly where it was.  This is the magic of repeating races, which coincidentally is one of the reasons CrossFit works — comparisons and benchmarks.

So… this is a wake up call for me that perhaps things have gotten a little out of balance, and it’s time to bring things back in line. We’ll see how I do on my next few rides and races, and hopefully I can maintain my existing relationships and get back to those PRs and achievements.

The year’s not quite over yet, but while I’m still at home for the holidays, I thought I’d use this downtime to think about 2009.

I’ve heard from a lot of folks that 2009 sucked for them… I don’t know that I want to paint a whole year in a bad light.  I can certainly say that the last few weeks have tested more than just physical ability for me; they’ve tested emotions, caused stress, and forced me to take a hard look at what I’m doing with myself and my role in the various situations and scenarios that have played out in the latter part of this year.  More on that later.

For now, I want to focus on the positive, some highlights of 2009:

• In the athletic realm, I’ve gotten stronger and faster, posting PRs in several events around CrossFit, duathlon, triathlon, and running.  I really feel that the CrossFit prescription is something that allows an athlete to progress, have fun, and create something lasting.  I’m not bored, and even when I get burnt out, I miss the community and the fun.
• I’ve messed around with various diet techniques and found that eating well really isn’t that hard, and eating crap sucks a lot more than it used to.  I look better, feel better, and perform better than I ever have.  Just like the physical realm, I think this is something that can be sustained, and there’s nothing but good things that come of it.
• In my 9-5 (lol!) job, I’ve worked in a tough environment that’s not only affected by the poor economy, but also a few people who must also think that 2009 sucked, because they’ve created a negative place to be.  More on that later, too.  But I think my team at work has matured and is continuing to do so… we’re more efficient, more effective, we make better decisions and we’ve made huge improvements to our product.
• In my other jobs, I’ve grown leaps and bounds as a coach.  I got my CrossFit Endurance, Nutrition (from Robb Wolf, phew), and Level 1 certifications.  I wrapped up over 3 years of teaching cycling at 24 Hour Fitness and I’m taking on new roles at both CrossFit Central and Pure Austin.  Starting in the new year, I am teaching one track workout a week for CrossFit Central, and two PIT classes at Pure Austin! I’m grateful to Jeremy and Beto for their trust that I can work with our athletes.
• In my personal life, I’m really just trying to hold steady.  Some relationships came and went, and while I know I’ve got a hand in everything that happened, I also know that right now, I’m better by myself.  Although that kind of stuff can change at any moment

And now… to the More On That Later section.

Over the last few months I’ve experienced a number of negative situations that were so negative they caused me to act out in ways that I’m not proud of.  My close friends throughout my life know that I’ve got anger issues from time to time, but since I’ve been CrossFitting, racing, and eating better, I thought I had all of that under control.  Guess not.  I am certainly not completely innocent in any of the negative events — both personal and professional — that went down.  It takes at least two to tango, and I danced along.

I would love to chalk some of this up to bad diet and crappy cortisol/dopamine/hormone/whatever levels.  But unfortunately those affected by my actions don’t have an instant blood panel to say “oh, he’s a chemical mess right now… leave him alone.”  Nor should they.

So… I’m always game to figure out how to get better at things that are important to me.  If there’s a problem I’ve caused, I want to fix it.  Over my vacation I read “How Full is Your Bucket?” And it gave me a great analogy to work with.  Throughout my life, people can add to my bucket with positive interactions, or they can take from my buckets with negative interactions.  The last few months, I’ve had more negative than positive, and I need to turn that around by being a positive force in the lives of those around me.  I also need to surround myself with more positive environments.  Both of these things are goals for me to fix over the course of 2010.

What can I do now?  Right now, I can calm my shit down (slow my roll, as they say).  I’m always moving, I know I need to plan time to think, sleep, reflect, and organize.  I’m taking steps to do that by freeing up blocks at odd times in my schedule.  Trying to work toward a 4-hour workweek style of living, where I can move freely and still get everything done.  I know it’s possible, I think I’m heading in the right direction, and only time will tell if I’m successful.

You’ve gotten this far… now onto the fun stuff.

Eric’s 2009 MVPs

I want to point out some people who have simply made 2009 work for me.  These people are inspirational, influential, or otherwise just good people to be around in some way or another.  There is no order here; if you’re on the list, you’re important to me.  It’s not a long list.

• Rich.  You’re first because I just got off the phone with you.  For only meeting you in like August, you’ve been a fixture of my life since then.  You’ve given me a ton of confidence in my abilities as a coach and an athlete, and you’re a great friend and confidant.  You’re also the only person who calls or texts me with no particular agenda, which has taken some getting used to, but now I’m happy to see it.
• TLSP.  Team TLSP… the group of you, the individuals, the synergy (that’s right, I said synergy).  We created something fun and important at the end of the year with The Label Says Paleo.  We’ve helped each other improve our lives collectively, we’ve helped a few other people.  Let’s keep that going.  I look forward to growing together as a group, and getting to know y’all better individually.
• Lance, Jeremy, Big Mike.  The three CrossFit Central coaches who have collectively changed my life.  Whether it’s through pushing me to do things I’ve never done before in the gym, giving me feedback that improves my overall sense of being, or just being great/crazy people to hang around, thanks for adding some substance to my life.
• Ryon and Andy.  The two of you push me to new heights all the time.  Ryon, I hate that you started beating me at WODs, but I’m glad you’re around to add a dose of reality (well-researched, at that) to an otherwise hyper world.  Andy, I practically threw my empty bucket at you, and for that I’m sorry.  But before that… you’ve always pushed me to do better than I thought I could in more than just CrossFit, you’re a great coach and a much better person; thanks for that.
• Sridhar.  Without you I would not be in my 9-5 job.  There’s no way.  You provide sanity and insight into what seems like a black box.  Here’s to a successful 2009 with TSPM, and here’s to success in the future.
• Stephen.  A lot of people can probably say this about you, and they all probably mean it; you’re like the brother I never had.  I’m glad you’re back in USA, I’m proud of not only your accomplishments in the Army over the last almost 4 years, but also your constant work to define your own path.  I hope your path brings you to Austin for longer than just a vacation.
• Aaron.  Jesus this post is getting long.  I need to get my ass back to 6:15 classes, because I miss Torchy’s.  It’s been awesome watching you progress over the last year, and I couldn’t have picked a better person to visit San Diego and get a Level 1 cert with.  You’re hands-down one of the most honest, genuine people I know, and you’re an asset to have on any team.
• Mandy. Didn’t think you were gonna make it up here, did you?    You’ve always been there for me, even though you’ve been dealt a shitty hand of late.  I can see the stronger, better, faster Mandy beginning to emerge.  I want to be there when she does, and I want to do what I can to help you get there.

Thanks to those on this list for being in my life, let’s make 2010 better.  For those not on this list, every interaction has affected me in some way; the bulk of them improve me in ways most people don’t know.

Looking back 2009, rocked.  2010 will too.  We just need to find ways to keep our buckets full!

I’ve also decided to stop twittering my food log.  I know, you’re stoked.  Sorry about that… that was dumb.  I have no idea where it’s going just yet, so I’ll just do it on here for now.

Daily log

7AM CrossFit @ RunTex: 10 swings @ 60lb (35+25db), 1 burpee; …; 10 swings, 10 burpees. 10:58. burpees are slow for me.

breakfast: 3 egg omelette with chicken, bruschetta, and pesto. mixed berries. black coffee. 9 fish pills.

What was the award?  More on that later.

It’s funny… I have to admit that I felt a little “left out” when I wasn’t one of the people recognized during Client Recognition month at CrossFit.  But then I realized that I don’t really deserve a workout named after me, at least yet.  The people we’re recognizing have truly accomplished great things at our gym, over and beyond simply feeling, performing, and looking better.  They’ve transformed their lives in some way.  I’m still working on that, and I don’t need a workout named after me to know that.

That said, it feels damn good when someone notices what you do… which parlays right into the award.

My award was the “Superfly Rookie of the Year” award of the cycling instructors at Pure Austin.  It means a lot, because it shows that people really do appreciate the work I put into my classes… programming workouts and making them work with music is not easy.  Sometimes I question why I do this… between Pure, 24, IBM, and now CrossFit Central, I have like 4 jobs and it gets a little overwhelming.  But knowing that I’m providing a support structure that enables a transformation in my clients, just like I had (and continue to have) a support structure around mine, is rewarding.

Despite the fact that us CrossFitters tend to dismiss “Globo Gyms” as useless, Pure Austin really has a ton to offer even the most hardcore CrossFitter.  They’re constantly innovating (thanks for the Oly platforms!) and they’re always in a quest to make their members happy and successful.

Recognition is great… and it doesn’t have to be a cool award.  It can be as simple as some kind words from a complete stranger.  Have you recognized someone’s effort lately (in the gym, at work, at home… anywhere really)?  If not, do it!  Everyone needs some karma points.

I’m looking forward to some exciting stuff in the near future with Pure Austin and with CrossFit Central… more on that in another post.

I ran the same course last year in 1:45ish.

This year, 2:00.

What. The. Fuck.

Let’s recap the list of FAIL for this race:

• I started on a paleo challenge a week before the race.
• I did not eat breakfast race morning. I always eat breakfast race morning.
• I left my gel in the car.
• The start line had NO FOOD, and the bathrooms were ill-equipped, at best.

Lovely.

So I get to mile 4 and finally find a bathroom that has what I needed.  Great.  Back on the course.  I’m starving.  My body is starting to tell me that bad things are going down, and I know I need to figure something out.  I can taste salt in my mouth, and around mile 7,  I start getting that oxygen-deprived feeling in my ear like I get at the end of Fran.  Not cool.  There was not enough Cytomax and water and banana people to get me through this one.  And the Cytomax and water was giving me side stitches, which made running even more fun.

I needed real food, which I never got for the whole race, and I paid for it.

There are many lessons here… certainly some around preparedness and the need to establish a “race ritual” and follow it.  But I think the biggest lesson here is there’s a fine line that you need to draw between a strict paleo diet and the ability to fuel during a race.

I can’t very well pull out some deli meat, 9 almonds, and some berries at mile 7 for a snack.  So I can’t let myself get so far to the real food side of the world that a gel would hurt.  But I do need to find a more paleo-friendly gel, because my next 13.1 is going to not suck like this one did.

Thoughts?  Grok didn’t have a D-tag stuck to his shoe and he wasn’t timing himself in the hopes to run the 13.1 miles out to the river and back faster than he ever did before.  Eric did, and was.  And failed.

Everyone has a bad race or two.  This is my first, and I want to never have one again.

I’m going to write the end of this post first, and then I’m going to come back up here and write my original post.

Ok, original post time.  There are so many things I want to say, so I think I’m going to limit this to one topic and make more posts (I swear) over the coming weeks.

About 6 weeks ago, I was supposed to start training for the Rock n’ Roll San Antonio 1/2 Marathon.  I only needed 6 weeks because, well, I CrossFit, and I know I can run 13.1 miles.  It was just a matter of how long it would take to do so, and whether I wanted to PR that race.  Then… life kicked in.  One bachelor party in Vegas.  One trip directly from Vegas to Uruguay.  ACL.  Swine flu (serisouly, I got fucking swine flu).  Recovering from swine flu brought me to 3 weeks out from the race.  Then I had a confluence of shitty scheduling on my part (see end of post).  Fast forward to 2 weeks out.  I decided that with 2 weeks left, it was time to start training.

• I went out on a Tuesday morning and did the CFE WOD.  10k, 85% effort for the first 5k, 95% effort for the second 5k.  47:something.  Not bad.
• Continued my regular CrossFit regimen.  3-on, 1-off.  Strength and metcon mixup (which I going to organize soon).
• I went out and ran a 10-mile race last Sunday.  1:17:something.  7:41 pace.  That puts me spot on for a 4-minute PR for the Rock n’ Roll.

3 weeks of training, folks.  3 weeks.  Why? Because I CrossFit.  Because I focus on strength and muscular endurance, 13.1 miles at a pretty decent clip isn’t so hard.  It just takes a while.  Combine this with some proper CrossFit Endurance protocol, and I know I’ll see huge PR’s in my future.  Maybe I can get that 25mph bike pace that I need to start placing in Duathlons.

Which brings me to my next point… CrossFit Central Endurance.

Tomorrow (and I know no one has read this in weeks, so I’m going to assume that no one will show up because of my blog, but if you do, holler!) we’re hosting a free community workout at the Austin High track.  We’ll show you some run efficiency skills and drills… breaking running into the “first principles” that Christopher McDougall so eloquently describes when he talks about his book.  Then we’re going to put you through a light CFE WOD, some 100s, hopefully using your newfound skills.

Here’s the kicker… are you ready for the kicker?

We’re going to continue these free track workouts.  Wednesday mornings (6am) and Thursday nights (6pm) in December, over at the O’Henry track.  I’m coaching the Thursday nights and one Wednesday morning… December 3, 10, and 16.  Show up.  Improve your running.  Add some quality to your miles, not trash miles.  No. more. garbage. miles.

See ya at the track!

–e

Now for the blur… quick recap since I last posted on my blog (sad, I know.  I shouldn’t have to do this)

• I participated in the LiveStrong Challenge 5k and 45-mile bike ride, raising over $300 for the LiveStrong Foundation. HUGE thanks to my supporters for donating to a great cause!
• I rode a Team Time Trial for the first time on November 2.  The Tour de Grune 27.3 miles is pretty tough — hilly, chip seal, some crosswinds.  Fun ride, but we didn’t keep the 22 mph pace I wanted.  Next year.  Moving on…
• I ran the Run for the Water 10-miler on November 8.  First distance longer than 10k since February, and it went well considering that I haven’t run.
• All kinds of cool shit is happening with CrossFit Central Endurance, Pure Austin, The Label Says Paleo… it just keeps coming.
• I’m a Nuun Ambassador.  Hell yes, Nuun!
• I’m starting to see the power of tribes and the communities that can be formed.  Mind boggling.

• Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
• Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.
• Five or six days per week mix these ele- ments in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.
• Regularly learn and play new sports.

This year, I’m going to try something I haven’t done before… racing bikes.  You say, “but Eric, don’t you do triathlons and duathlons and stuff?”  To that, I say, yeah, but it’s not really racing bikes.  You can’t draft, there’s no paceline or peloton, it’s you and your bike, an individual effort.  I want to try racing a road bike with other people around.  It looks fun (until someone crashes).

So on November 1, I’m going to do a Team Time Trial at the Tour de Gruene, with my buddy Rich (who has no blog… so I can’t link anything to him.  we’re working on that).  Lance rode this last year, and I think he’s coming back this year, so it’ll be awesome to see that.  I just hope we can maintain about 22mph average for the 27 mile distance… we’ll see!

I’ve been traveling a  bit lately for work, vacations, Level 1 certifications… and whenever I travel, I always visit a local CrossFit affiliate.  I usually just shoot an email off to someone who coaches there, and then I just show up.  Here’s the summation of my experience:

• Every time I go, the coaches and athletes are super nice.
• The movements are exactly the same, the standards vary a little, but it’s remarkably consistent.
• Warm up and cool down are always different, and that’s ok.  This stuff isn’t boilerplate.

And just to back it up, I’ve been to a bunch of affiliates (in no particular order):

• CrossFit Central (Austin, TX) — my home affiliate.
• CrossFit Santa Cruz
• CrossFit Invictus (San Diego, CA)
• CrossFit Whistler (Whistler, BC, Canada)
• CrossFit Las Vegas
• CrossFit Park City
• CrossFit San Francisco

It makes sense that the experience is always good and the workouts are always tough.  I read Seth Godin’s Tribes a while back, and CrossFit is actually mentioned in there as an example of a tribe.  We work out together, and that’s just the beginning.  We eat and drink (too much) together, we travel together; the community is so much more than working out and getting your ass kicked.

It truly is open source fitness.

Signing out from Salt Lake City (where I visited CF Park City three times this week — thanks to Chris and Eric for the awesome classes!)…

• Paleo pancakes, courtesy of the Performance Menu
• Scrambled eggs
• Bacon!
• Lemon tarts, also courtesy of the Performance Menu (see earlier post)

All in all, the paleo pancakes pretty much rocked.  We messed around with various toppings: dark chocolate chips in the pancakes (awesome), raspberry topping (awesome), heavy whipped cream topping (awesome again)… all three combined, amazing.  Ryon did an awesome job with the eggs and bacon; I screwed up the flipping of the first couple pancakes, and handed that job over to Ryon, who then rocked it.

I did my first intermittent fast from 5pm Saturday through 1pm Sunday… about 20 hours.  I even ran 5k Sunday morning, while still fasting!  I can say that my performance didn’t degrade at all, I just need to remember to drink a lot more water.  I think I’m going to start a weekly IF protocol, just not sure which day — in true CrossFit style, I’m going to keep it interesting and just fast whichever day seems most appropriate.

Today’s WOD: run 5k. 22:02, PR.