Bound Newsletter 4.23.2023
CrossFit Bound Members covered a lot of miles this past weekend. We had 11 members run in the Helenback series and Sydney Bova ran in the Nashville 1/2 marathon.
“Real difficulties can be overcome. It’s only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable….” - Theodore Vale
I love doing physical challenges with unknown outcomes. This past weekend we had several members step into a world they know nothing about. They did CrossFit as their soul training to prepare for a 3+ hour event. Yes, they did some running workouts over the past 6-8 weeks, but I guarantee you can probably count on one (maybe two hands) the number of workouts dedicated to running that lasted over 35 minutes. Running for hours can be challenging, but running in the mountains, with elevation changes, terrain, the elements, animals, un-marked trails, unknown distances between aid stations, lack of specific training for these events, can have a mental toll on anyone. Enough to cause anxiety, panic, and failure. This speaks volumes to what we do in the gym, and speaks to the person’s character who’s willing to put themselves out there to fail but finds a way to succeed.
Before the race started, Amber Buettner and Jenny Busbee signed up for the 5k Helenback along with Kelsey Freshour. At the last minute, 20-30 minutes before the race, they joined the rest of the crew for the half marathon. So we had Jennifer and Jeff Valenti, Amber and Jonathan, Miles and Jenny, Jen Wells and Piper (fittest dog on the course), Logan Hawkins, and Jess and Myself running the 13.1 miles (which ended up being 14 miles) through the North Georgia Mountains.
There’s too much detail about the different stages of the race, the elevation gains, technical running, and creek crossings we had to go through, but in the end, we had two top finishers:
- Kelsey Freshour finished 2nd in the 5k with a time of 49:24 (Kelsey also ran off track for close to a mile and finished only 1 min and 30 seconds behind the first place finisher)
- Jennifer Valenti finished 3rd overall in the half marathon with a time of 2:35 and 1st in the master’s division!
Personally, I’m happy with my performance considering where I’m at in life and with my current fitness level. But, when I sat down and reflected over the outcomes of each individual and hearing their stories about their individual race experience. Each story had it’s own obstacle or moment of adversity they had to be overcome. Fatigue, cramping, pain, exhaustion, dehydration, blisters, falling, scars, bruises, getting lost, and wanting to quit was something each person faced at one point.
Just like Theodore said, “Real difficulties can be overcome….” This race was real, the difficulties were real, the experience was real and it’s something we can take with us for the rest of our lives. Our members kicked ass and I hope they have a little more confidence in themselves and I hope the members that come to our gym on a daily basis, realize that what we do in the gym prepares us for whatever we want to do outside the gym.
Since these two did such a fantastic job this weekend - here is Amber and Jonathans Testimonial
Bragging Board:
Sydney Bova - Nashville 1/2 marathon in a time of 1 hour and 45 minutes!!!!
Kelsey Freshour - Helenback 5k in a time of 49.24
Jennifer Valenti - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 2:35.16
Jessica Phillips - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 3:11.07 *she did get lost for 1 mile :(
Amber Buettner - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 4:34.00
Jen Wells - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 4:34.06
Jenni Busbee - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 4:43.51
Brandon Phillips - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 2:34.51
Logan Hawkins - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 3:04.54
Jeff Valenit - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 3:06.44
Miles Pettit - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 3:12.05
Jonathan Payton - Helenback 1/2 marathon in a time of 3:20.11
Upcoming Schedule/Events:
Summer Shred starts next Monday:
This will be a 6-week challenge just like the last one but with minor changes. Our goal is still to help motivate everyone to achieve their best results … with some competition, of course!
We will be using Macrostax again to provide custom nutrition plans for all of you.
This time along with the weekly challenges, you can accumulate points by completing daily actions. They range from something as simple as opening the app and logging a meal or workout to hitting all your Macro targets and logging body measurements each week.
Here are some quick facts you need to know:
Start date: May 1, 2023
Length: 6 weeks
Price: $100.00
Winners: Top 3 at the end of the Challenge
Prizes: TBA
You do not have to be a member to join our challenge if you are interested drop us a DM or shoot us an email at info@birddogperformancenutrition.com to join now!
Kelli McGrail Memorial Workout this Saturday
We will be doing a workout in memory of Kelli McGrail this upcoming Saturday the 29th. Please feel free to invite a friend of anyone she knows to come participate. The workout is:
1998m Row Buy-in (or 1.25 miles Echo Bike)
4 Rounds
30 Wall Balls 20/14
23 Box Jumps 24/20
8 Power cleans 135/95
34' Single Arm OH Walking Lunges 50/35
8 Shoulder to Overhead 135/95
34' Singel Arm OH Walking Lunges 50/35
1998 - The year Kelli was born
4 - The month she was born in
30 - the day she was born
23 - her age "
34 - her softball number
Bring a Friend Week is May 1st through the 6th
Hero Month Starts May 1st: Week 1 Workouts
Burson | C. Bedigian | Del | Carse | Emily | Glen
Affiliation Dues are $50 and you can use your WheelPay app to pay those anytime in May.
Hero Shirts are ordered and will be here shortly!!!
CrossFit Podcast: Mental Health
Bill Anthes, from Between the Ears, joins Mike Giardina (CF-L4) on the CrossFit Health Podcast to discuss mental health — or mental fitness — by using CrossFit and the tools that are accessible in our CrossFit affiliates. Anthes, who has been a lifelong athlete, focuses his time on Between the Ears, an organization that provides mental health services that promote “physical longevity, vitality, and mental agility through a movement-practice focused on the individual’s goals.”
Listen as Giardina and Anthes discuss how Anthes got to where he is now, the services he provides, and how CrossFit affiliates can benefit athletes — not only on a physical level but also on a mental and emotional level.
Workouts of the Week:
It’s testing week this week. With the past eight weeks focused on strength training, we will see where we are. Please keep track of these weights because we will use these numbers to get even stronger following Hero Month!
Monday: Close Grip Bench Press 1RM | Chipper of Burpee + KBS + Pullups
Tuesday: Power Clean 1RM | Multiple AMRAPS of Power Clean + Push Ups + Box Jump
Wednesday: Back Squat 1RM | Lower Body Focus AMRAP with step ups + lunges + situps
Thursday: Weighted Pullup | EMOM with running + Rope climbs and Rowing + TTB
Friday: Thruster 1RM | Jackie *tester of the week
Saturday: Kelli McGrail Memorial Workout*
Testing week is always challenging, and I’m a big fan of leaving some ‘in the tank’. If you are new or a novice to training, you want to reach that RPE of 9 or Keep perfect technique while lifting as much as possible. For those that are advanced and confident in their testing lifts, you can go for the RPE of 10 to find out just how strong you are. Let’s be safe but not shy away from pushing ourselves this week.
BPs List:
Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully
I have been waiting for Kelly to come out with a new book or material for a long time. This book has some applicable tests for us to try in the gym (one of them being a sit-to-stand from standing position without using your hands to touch the ground) with others focused on breathing, meditation, sleep, etc. If you are interested in reading this one as well you can find it on Amazon using the link below.
Built To Move
