CrossFit NorCal Sectional

First of all let me say what a performance by the athletes. Our CrossFit Victrix athletes, Stacey, Faith, Darrin, Patrick, EJ, and the instigator of it all Justin were all amazing. The chipper on the final day was brutal. It went like this: 6 minutes to max rep Clean & Jerk. Then 25 burpees, 100 yard walking lunge, 5 rounds (15 DB overhead press 40lb/25lb and 100 yard farmer’s walk with DBs), 25 more burpees, 500 meter row, and finish with a 400+ meter run all for time. It wears me out just writing about it!

I discovered CrossFit about 3 months ago and bought into the logic and philosophy about fitness, training, and nutrition, but I was not quite sure about the CrossFit culture and community. That was until this weekend. There was love and passion for the sport everywhere. With around 400 athletes competing from too many different gyms to count, there was cheering and encouragement for all competitors. No one was above a “come on, you got it” for a passing athlete.

It was a long hard weekend for everyone involved from the event organizers to the dudes that had to clean the bathrooms every hour or so. I want to say here that the organizers did a great job in spite of many throw backs. The venue owners were very strict about certain things and kept threatening to shut the competition down. They probably had no idea what a CrossFit competition would bring, “Oh some people lifting weights, doing lunges, and running around the track?” The athletes were strong, fast, and brought their “A” game.

It was an incredible experience for me and I will do it again. I will drink the kool-aid and continue to train hard, eat clean, and get plenty of rest. Because next year I won’t be there as a volunteer, I will be there to compete (masters of course!). My only regret is that I was too busy as a judge that I didn’t have time to take pictures. I only took a quick video of VictriX’s trainer/coach Justin Arnest nailing the overhead squats. We had a good turnout for a smaller gym with 6 athletes and 4 volunteers (Duffy, Denise, Janelle, and me). Thanks to Faith and her parents for their hospitality. It was fun to hang out with you all away from the gym.

The motto for the CrossFit games “The unknown and the unknowable” fits life perfect. We never know what’s around the corner. Could you pull an unconscious body from a burning car, lift it on to your back or shoulders and carry the person to safety?? A CrossFitter could!

Through the Valley

“Think with me here…everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you’ll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what’s a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination – our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak. So, my contention is that you are right where you are supposed to be.” (from The Noticer, Andy Andrews)

When You Pray For Needs, Do You Really Need?

Have you ever really thought about the Lord's prayer or do you even pray it anymore? Can you find it in the Bible? Do you just rattle off you list of needs or wants. Hopefully there will be some praises and thanksgiving in there as well.

Jesus gave us the example in Matthew 6:9-13 for those of you who haven't found it yet (just kidding)...it took me a while to find it. I found it in my Lutheran hymnal that I got the day I was confirmed on May 18, 1969. It is printed in my church's bulletin every week and we all seem to do it from memory without skipping a beat. I was thinking about it the other day and wondering about when we pray "Give us this day our daily bread" was it physical food that Jesus was talking about or was it for spiritual bread to nourish our hearts and minds? God knows that when I open my cupboards at home there is no shortage of food...especially if I have just been to Costco.

When our brothers in Uganda, Kenya, or even Romania pray that prayer they are actually praying for their daily food. Many are using the cycling end of this ministry to try and help support their families and start business.

Please remember the many blessings we have with multiple bikes and more than we will ever need as we head into the cycling season and keep all our brothers in prayer for their daily bread.