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Info
- Experience
- Aug 2011 - Oct 2011Associate / The Founders Fund
- Jun 2011 - Aug 2011Summer Associate / O'Melveny & Myers LLP
- May 2010 - Aug 2010Law Clerk / United States Attorney's Office
- Jul 2008 - Dec 2009Enterprise Sales / Box.netI work with businesses regarding how Box.net can help solve their file management and collaboration needs. From replacing FTP or internal servers to replacing cumbersome Sharepoint instances, Box helps companies access and share data effectively.
Millions of people have chosen Box for its simplicity, security, and performance. I facilitate this choice at the corporate level.
Education-
2010 - 2012Stanford University Law SchoolJD expected 2012 in LAW
Activities: Stanford Law Review, Mock Trial Team, Federalist Society -
2009 - 2010Duke University School of LawJ.D. in Law
Activities: Moot Court Board, Federalist Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle -
2004 - 2008Stanford UniversityBA in Political Science
Activities: The Stanford Liberty, Stanford Club Basketball, Stanford Women's Basketball Practice Player
Additional Information-
Interests:CrossFit, Gold prospecting on my mining claim, freedom, Internet Technology, Rock Climbing, Guns, Basketball, Financial Trading, The Paleolithic Diet, Sailing, and LOST.
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Status
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Tweets
- @21stAmendment I want to serve "Brew Free or Die" at my wedding in April. But BevMo won't ship it to Tucson, AZ. Any ideas?!Feb 21, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @CFPaloAlto 1st 90 seconds went great. The rest of them were less great. But forward progress!
- Helen and a good, nascent bruise - Yesterday’s metcon at CFPA was “Helen”—3 rounds for time of: 400m run 21... http://t.co/FUtYYs4a
- fermi solved http://t.co/UedBVW40Jan 07, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @sierracyborg @cfpaloalto "Kelly" today?!Jan 06, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Diet! Exercise! - Naturally, diet and exercise-related goals feature prominently on my list of resolutions... http://t.co/yB0B2qQX
- @chipotletruck1 can you come to Tucson, AZ in April for a wedding? It's not a real wedding without a Chipotle burritomobile...Dec 29, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- be honest. http://t.co/OMOew8KvDec 19, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Paper and pencil computer science exams are hard. I need instant compiler feedback!
- tonight = 1st trip to @CFPaloAlto in 2 weeks. sweet!Dec 09, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- 31 Miles Later... - I made it through my first ultramarathon! Yesterday, along with my running partner Tim... http://t.co/2jU7csXg
- YES, CONGRATS! Not that I'm surprised :) RT @madelinerovira Feels good to be back on top of the podium in Federal Way!
- honor and privilege to run w/ @timdymmel today. huge thanks to @iultramom for strategy/encouragement. congrats to all @CFPaloAlto runners!Dec 03, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @TheLazyCaveman right back at you mr 1:14!! time to go eat some grass fed beef for #recovery ?
- Congrats @PTXofficial! Awesome stuff.Nov 29, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- T - 2.5 weeks - On Sunday I went and ran the 10k loop (top blue polygon) at Huddart Park in Woodside. Most... http://t.co/4RdBJqM6
- T - 2.5 weeks - On Sunday I went and ran the 10k loop at Huddart Park in Woodside. Most of that trail was... http://t.co/eJSmIi2C
- @ModKat yeah sometimes we just want to add more litter or remove the liner tho, both of which are scoop agnostic. Just a suggestion :)
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Posts
- Helen and a good, nascent bruise
Yesterday’s metcon at CFPA was “Helen”—3 rounds for time of:
- 400m run
- 21 Kettlebell swings @ 24kg
- 12 pull-ups
I don’t remember what my previous PR was. I have to look it up. But I don’t think it was better than 9:17, which is what I got yesterday. So that’s cool. I made it to the final pull-ups by 8:44, and should have run faster. So next time I’ll get sub 9 minutes.
Today’s WOD was a little rougher. The KB snatches we did for the strength skill were fine, though I still have a long way to go on my form there. The metcon was a 12 min AMRAP:
- 18 box jumps @ 20”
- 15 “rollovers”
- 12 pull-ups
All was fine until my right groin flared up a little on the box jumps. Then, about halfway through, I slipped on the up-kip of a final pull-up, and wound up falling a couple of feet from the bar to the ground, landing hip first. Smooth.
Luckily it’ll just leave a good bruise and nothing worse. Accidents happen, but this was really my fault; I didn’t keep a crisp focus on each rep. Instead, I took that last pull up for granted, based on momentum, and I paid for it. The same thing happened the other night; I missed making an even round on last Wednesday’s AMRAP by one rep, because I failed on the second-to-last heave clean pull with about 0:20 left. Why? Because I looked past it instead of focusing on it. Learning. Focus. I hereby declare “focus” to be my first theme of 2012, for CF and beyond.
- Diet! Exercise!
Naturally, diet and exercise-related goals feature prominently on my list of resolutions for 2012.
Some of the other items list are smudged-out from the publicness of the Internet, dealing as they do with more personal or professional goals.
But at least the health stuff—mind those teeth, eat clean, train hard, Mobility WOD every single day, e.g.—is all fair game. And I trust the CFPA community will keep me accountable.
The first couple of days back to CrossFit in the new year have been good. I can feel the holiday break; 5 rounds of “run 400m, row 500m” on Monday took me well over 19 minutes (I did it in the low 18’s a few months ago). But it feels good to be cleaning the gunk out.
Looks like tonight’s WOD is a nice deadlift/clean/front squat/jerk 20-minute AMRAP. Then it’ll be time for some steak and veggies, Mobility WOD, and then plenty of good pre-bedtime reading :)
My right calf still has some issues from the long run. It feels fine until I stand on tip toes. Light jump-rope work is OK. Doesn’t quite feel ready to hit double unders or sprinting yet. Should be just a few more days.
On Sunday I went to Stanford’s gym and get some rowing in. Did 3 x 500m in 1:46, 1:43, and 1:39.9. Not too much trouble there. My right foot arch was a little sore after. Clearly the lesson is “don’t ever run 31 miles randomly, or weird stuff will ache for a few weeks after” :)
Yesterday it was back to CFPA for the 7pm WOD. It was great to see everyone again. 2 weeks off (1 week pre-race, 1 week post-) is too much.
I deadlifted light—to 245lbs.—and it felt good. I’m eyeing a 350lb PR by end of the year.
The MetCon was:- row 500m
- 50 air squats
- 40 games push ups
- 30 KB swings @ 24kg
- 20 pull ups
- 10 toes to bar
Did 8:53. Fine time for me, going a bit less than full-throttle.
But there’s plenty of opportunity to shave a minute off that time. Mainly with toes-to-bars, which I suck at. I started t2b’s at probably 7:50. But I’m lousy at kipping toes-to-bars while fresh, let alone at the end of a little chipper like this one. So those went inexcusably slowly. t2b and k2e’s are at the top of my “shit-to-fix” list for 2012…
I’ll proceed cautiously until I’m sure I won’t hurt my calf. But all in all it feels great to be back at it :)- 31 Miles Later...
I made it through my first ultramarathon!
Yesterday, along with my running partner Tim DymmeI, I finished all 30.68 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail Run Woodside 50k. It took us 7 hours and 34 minutes. That’s near the back of the pack, but hey—not bad for a couple of guys who had never run even half that distance before. Here’s us at the finish line:
It was predictably amazing. I’m predictably elated. I’m also predictably beat up. And sort of unpredictably beat up…
Here are a few thoughts about the race.
Pre-Race
I was nervous all last week. I had only gone trail running twice before this race (kind of silly, I know). My training consisted of my normal CrossFit workouts plus some supplemental running workouts from CrossFit Endurance. Technically, by most standards, I was probably “unprepared.” And I knew it.
Still, there’s nothing worse than doubting yourself. I shouldn’t have. But that particular mistake is pretty easy to correct when you have friends that call you out on it and demand that you get it together. Tim, his wife Kristen (a serious and experienced ultrarunner herself), and my friend Kevin (who finished far ahead of us in the 50k!) all helped me with this. I was able to shed any insecurity by the start. When I started running, I knew we would finish. By then, there was no doubt.
I spent several hours researching gear and food. That proved helpful. Having the right stuff to wear and eat/drink doesn’t make the running easy, of course. But while it’s not sufficient, it sure is necessary.
Race Details - Mental
I went into this race expecting a mental struggle. I knew that it would be hard, and that if anything, I was underprepared. I expected to have to fight through it, first physically, and then, more importantly, mentally. I had heard stories of ultrarunners battling their inner demons and such, so I expected the hardest part to be psychological.
Fortunately (I think) that turned out not to be the case.
Mentally, the race just wasn’t as hard as I was expecting. At all. Here’s what I was thinking at various stages:
- Start - 6 miles: ”Ok. Here we go. Long day ahead. Slow and steady. We are having a good time.”
- 6 - 11 miles: ”Wow, ultramarathons are long. We’re not quite 1/3 done? OK. I’ve never run any father than this before. Should be interesting.”
- 11-20 miles: ”My body is telling me to stop running now. We’re almost halfway. OK, now we’re halfway. LOL. There’s no real choice here. I mean, we sort of have to run back home. Right?”
- 21-26 miles: ”Haha. This hurts. We’re tired. BUT HOLY SHIT I’M GOING TO FINISH AN ULTRAMARATHON!”
- 26 miles - finish: ”We’re going to finish. We’re going to finish! And I’m not going to have to go to the hospital. YES.”
I had been reading about Navy SEAL “Hell Week” to psych up for this race. That’s the 132-hour period of near-continuous physical activity that SEAL candidates have to endure, in near-freezing cold conditions, with minimal sleep, etc. (My favorite account of Hell Week comes from Marcus Luttrel’s book “Lone Survivor,” which is an account of the ill-fated operation that claimed the lives of many SEALS, including Lt. Michael Murphy (for whom the CrossFit WOD “Murph” is named after)).
Sometimes wonder if I could have become a SEAL. Perhaps not, because those guys are crazy (and I mean that in the best way). So when I encounter something “difficult” in CrossFit, I often think of what SEALs must go through, and I try to suck it up. It makes it easier, since what I’m doing, while maybe challenging for me, pales in comparison. So it was with this run. I thought about Hell Week, and elite ultrarunners who run 50 or 100 miles—and fast!—and that helped. But I didn’t have to deal with the kinds of psychological hurdles that those athletes do.
For now, I’m going to consider myself fortunate in that regard. It was fun to run and feel proud, not scared, of what we were doing. Still, I can’t help but feel some desire to experience that psychological challenge. I get a large dose of it when I do “Fran” or “Row 2k for time” or another intense CrossFit WOD. I’m just suggesting that it might be cool to experience—and learn how to deal with—a comparable sort of psychological panic over an extended course or event.
Race Details - Physical
Physically, I was challenged plenty. Turns out, running 30 miles is hard!
Tim and I both felt the pain at about the same time, around mile 12 or 13. At first, a few parts of my body started “talking.” My right foot arch acted up a bit. Then my right calf joined in. Pretty soon, everything was singing. About halfway through, a sort of general fatigue had set in in my legs (and I think Tim’s too) that slowly intensified as time went on.
Looking back, it’s safe to say that every step in the last 15 miles of the race gave me pain in my legs that, if I experienced on a training run or “normal” run, I would stop immediately.
That probably sounds too alarming. I don’t mean it like that. I simply mean that, if I’m out running for “fun” or for “training,” I want things not to hurt. If they hurt, I interpret that as a bad sign and I stop. Like everyone else, I prefer comfort to pain. But here, we had to finish. And the pain here wasn’t race-ending “I just broke my leg and am seriously injured” pain. Rather, it was some new kind of pain—ligaments, tendons, etc. just crying out, asking for relief. The big muscles were getting tired, to be sure, but much more limiting was the sense that all the connective stuff was quitting first.
So the 2nd half of the run was basically an exercise in pain management. But again, given the goal—get to the finish line in less than 8 hours—it wasn’t too difficult to just accept it and keep moving. There were even a few jokes of “I think now is when we can acknowledge how crazy this was” around Mile 22 or so…
We walked most of the hills and when we needed to. We ran most of the flats and the downhills. We could run reasonably well until the very end, when I was seizing up a bit (I came to fear fumbling a Gu packet since bending down to retrieve it hurt much more than simply running forward!) and Tim got some sharper pains in his knee. The run was getting to us, but what was great was this expectation that we were still going to defeat it. “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
So yeah, of course it was hard. I think that’s the point. If running really far were as easy as running 2 miles, more people would do it.
I suppose it was not as painful as I thought it might be in a “repetitive sharp pain indicating serious injury” way. Tim’s may have a different view on that, since unfortunately his knee flared up.
But it was certainly more painful than I expected—or maybe I just couldn’t really know what to expect—in a “your lower body really wants to stop running and, in an effort to persuade you to effect that change promptly, is sending your brain dozens of angry messages with each passing stride” sort of way.
Post-Race
I felt good at the finish. My hip and hamstrings tightened up during the car ride home, which wasn’t cool. Once at home, I could barely walk. Catherine helped me take off my shoes, gaiters, and socks. I ate, eased into a cool bath, and pretty much fell into bed.
Today’s been a bit better. I could probably squat now, though I don’t particularly want to. There is definitely some DOMS, which I prefer to weird toe/arch/achilles/knee pain. I’ve been keeping off my feet, massaging the legs, eating a lot. As if I needed an excuse to lounge all day…
It’s hard to compare to CrossFit-induced soreness. Maybe it’s safe to say that where I’m at right now is roughly equal to the most sore I’ve ever been after CrossFit. Maybe this is slightly worse, since everything (groin, butt, feet, etc.) feels taxed together.
My hope is that with diligent ice therapy, massage, food, sleep, and more mobility starting tomorrow, things will be back to normal within a week or so. I have no idea how long this stuff takes. But I’m pleased overall and am not expecting any serious lingering issues.
Thank-Yous
I know I didn’t just win an Oscar or anything. Lots of people run long distances, and most who do do it far better than I. Certainly no one’s going to accuse me of running too fast out there.
That said, I’m proud of this accomplishment. It’s been on the calendar for months. I saw Tim’s goal and made it my goal too. We put in work, and we achieved it.
So however humble an accomplishment it may be, it means a lot to me. It’s a highlight of 2011 for sure. And, since many people helped make it happen, I would like to thank them.
- Tim. Running with you was a privilege and honor. You picked this race. You said you could do it. You said I could do it. You put faith in your CrossFit training, yourself, and me. I had a great time out there, and I’m not sure I would have had I been running alone. Certainly it would have been much less great.
- KJ. I remember when I first told you I was doing it. You said “But you can’t run that far!” Then you promptly signed up, along with your brother. And then you went and ran it in 5 hours. You make the ridiculous typical. You don’t slow down, and that’s easy to look up to. Also, your talking X’s and O’s with me really helped. And that smile and high-five around mile 13 (your mile 17-18?) energized me. Thanks for being my friend. Now come do CrossFit.
- Kristen. Your calm faith in Tim and I really meant a lot, since I know that you know what you’re talking about! I listened to your advice, and consequently had a smooth time out there. (All I had to do was run!) And what a great surprise to see you at Aid Station 3 (perfect timing!), offering encouragement. That was awesome!
- Catherine. You were excited and supportive the whole time. You help me take off my shoes/socks and bring me protein shakes when I’m stupid and do athletic things that render me unable to walk. Enough said.
- Mom and Dad. You believed I could do it, simply because I was attempting it. That’s entirely characteristic. I’m so lucky to be able to expect that from you!
- CrossFit Palo Alto community. All your tweets and fb messages have been really uplifting. It’s humbling when such an amazing group of people finds reason to issue congratulations. And thinking about the CFPA runners tackling the 10/17/35km races while we were elsewhere on the trail definitely helped.
- Inov-8. You make awesome stuff. My RocLite 295s held up great. In all my wisdom, I bought them the day before the race and hadn’t broken them in at all. My first 50k running in them was great ;)
There are a lot of Woodside 50k race report blog posts written by relatively experienced ultrarunners who finish this thing in between 4 and 5 hours. Those were fun for me to read, but I wish there were more from genuine beginners like myself—people who were looking to finish, not PR, and for whom finishing an ultra might be a genuine reach.I hope this post helps a new trail runner—possibly a CrossFitter looking to jump into long-distance running?—who’s thinking about doing the Woodside 50k or a comparable race. If you want to do it, you should do it, because you can probably do it! I’ve been searching for the right trail running shoe to help me tackle the Woodside 50k next weekend. These Inov-8’s are trial-ordered from Zappos (I don’t feel bad about liberally using their return policy. As with REI, I’m quite sure it makes me buy and keep more stuff over the long run).
I think I’ll go with the Roclite 295’s (black, right). They’re less minimalist than I’d usually go for, but I figure a little extra shoe may well come in handy over the course of 31 miles. I found a pair at ZombieRunner that fit (Inov-8s are tricky because they use UK sizing… and Zappos is very hit-or-miss). ZR also has a Black Friday 20% off sale (code: BLACKFRIDAY) that’s still active.
Or maybe I’ll try the Altra Lone Peaks from NaturalRunningStore.com. Patton, who runs NRS, provides the best customer service I’ve ever seen. Seriously - after seeing NRS’s customer service in action, I vowed to always buy a shoe from them instead of anyone else, local or online, if they carry it! I’m just sad that I won’t be getting the Bare Grip 200’s (green, center) from NRS… they look absolutely awesome, but I fear it’s a bit too little shoe for my first Ultra…
- T - 2.5 weeks
On Sunday I went and ran the 10k loop (top blue polygon) at Huddart Park in Woodside. Most of that trail was part of the 50k that we’ve got coming up on December 3. It was good to get a feel for the terrain, and the part I ran was a really beautiful forest.
I wanted to run the 17k loop (entire blue route, clockwise), but I wanted to make it out of the park before sunset even more. Maybe I’ll go do the 17 later this week. I’ve been wondering whether I should try the 35km course at some point before the big event. My friend KJ, who is running the 50k, did a 20+ mile trail run last weekend. It may be good to know what that feels like going into Dec. 3.
Overall I’m feeling pretty good. Maybe a bit more sore than usual (yesterday’s WOD involved 4 rounds of 10 powercleans at 155#, among other things).
I’m heading to the track in a few minutes for a 400m time trial. I’m hoping for 65 seconds, which is my PR on a track (I did 1:15 last week at CFPA, but that’s not a straight course and requires a turnaround at 200m). Then its 8 x 200m, resting 90 seconds in between.
- 50k here I come
The last few days have gone pretty well. I ran 10.9 miles on Sunday (from my house in Menlo Park past Sand Hill and the 280, to Whisky Road, and back). Didn’t have much trouble with it. I was predictably sore… hip flexors, calves, and left IT band… but I could squat just fine immediately after the run, and wasn’t very immobilized the next day. I didn’t time the run exactly, but it was between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
The best part was that I felt like I could have gone and done the same run again with just a short break to roll out and get some calories in. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. But there was nothing really painful in my suspension, which is my limiting factor. This run went way better than my 9 mile leg at Ragnar (apparently sleep matters!).
I’ve been doing CrossFit Endurance running workouts. They are going well. Today is 3 x 1200, which I’ll attack later tonight. I’m a bit worried that I won’t have the volume preparation I need for 50k, but I’ve got to trust the program and just take care of myself. I’m going to start running on the actual Woodside trail every weekend to get a sense of the terrain.
If I had to guess now, the first 10 miles of the 50k won’t be much of a problem. The second 10 will be physically tough. Tendons/ligaments that have never been worked so repetitively will cry out. The last leg will probably be first an foremost a mental challenge. I have no idea what to expect, except to expect that it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My plan is to not let Tim leave my sight, make relentless forward progress, and finish by the 8 hour time cap.
Everything else is going well in the gym. There’s this new guy Shane, who is a beast. Never done CrossFit before and he’s already killing WODs. He rowed a 6:52 2k without ever having rowed before (I pulled a 6:55 PR right next to him. I’d guess my pre-CrossFit 2k time would probably have been 8:30). So it’s fun to compete with someone like that. It makes me go harder, even if he usually wins.
For now, I’m just dialing in the diet, doing more Mobility WOD, and getting psyched about the run… less than weeks away!
- It's hard to keep updating...
when one WODs, as I do, with CrossFitters who run blogs so amazing that one couldn’t even hope to compete with them. See, e.g., Fitbomb, NomNom Paleo, Dymmel. There’s little incentive to stay active because I know that these folks are e-representing CFPA far better than I can.
But still, I should probably update this site a little more.
Happily, my hiatus from blogging hasn’t meant a break in working out. I’m back home at CrossFit Palo Alto after my summer gig in Newport Beach. And now that school has started and I’m not commuting to S.F. everyday for work anymore, I’m getting some more routine in my schedule (trying to make 4 or 5 of the 7pm classes per week).
I’ve been sidelined a couple times over the past few weeks with some minor injuries. I did a 24 hour relay race a few weeks ago, and I missed a few days in the gym afterwards because my right IT band flared up (after running just 17 miles… I need to start training in earnest for my 50k in early December!). And then the other day I jumped on my bike and sprinted to campus for class, only to have my right knee flare up later (I think this was just runner’s knee, brought on b/c I was *really* cranking on the pedals and going fast without having stretched first). So I need to not be an idiot.
Overall I’m feeling good, but not great. I could use some more MobilityWOD and yoga. I need to hit the CFE program, and soon. My diet is pretty clean right now—probably 90-95% paleo—but I could be eating more, and more regularly. I’m handling the metcons fine but am getting smashed by strength stuff (DT, for instance, took 15 minutes at 135# today). I’m better than I was 9 months ago, but not where I should be 9 months in.
I think a lot of this is mental. I’m a little scared of the 50k. I know it’s going to be a mental battle, and instead of preparing for that, I’m shying away. I’ve also been thinking about other stuff that’s going on right now… choosing a career, possibly starting a company, law school debt, preliminary wedding planning, taking care of our new kittens, etc. I’m also taking a computer programing class, which is fun but also pretty damn hard (and given my PoliSci/law background, I’m not used to classes being hard). CrossFit has always helped mitigate stress, and it continues to… I get to just show up, work hard, and get in the zone. And it’s not even that I’m stressed, really; I’m taking care of business, having fun, and feeling pretty good overall. I’m just recognizing that there is room for improvement, and I should probably try to achieve more mental clarity generally. It’s easy to forget that these systems need focused attention.
So let’s see if airing all of this semi-publicly helps get things going. I bet that with some mental reorganization, I can be about twice as productive as I am right now and still manage to feel less busy. I bet I can conquer this 50k. I bet I can dial in my diet and close out the year with the kind of strength gains that I want to see. I bet I can still compete for a spot at the 2012 Regionals. I bet I can feel even better than I feel now, which would be marvelous seeing as how I’m blessed and am feeling pretty good as it is. Here’s to a nice end to 2011.
A classic CrossFit scene. Joey Warren (at left) was killing the last WOD, but he got hung up on the 100 OH squats at the end. This “bad” finish (by his own standards, as he explains here) took him out of the running for a top 3 spot and thus he just barely missed qualifying for the Games. I suspect Joey knew this immediately post-WOD, which is when this photo was taken. I also suspect Niel Maddox (at right, who earned the last NorCal spot at the Games) knew this too when he came over to chat. I couldn’t hear what was said, but I have little doubt it was badass words of support shared between two badass athletes. Strength, even in disappointment. Looks like someone else caught this same scene too.
I’m pulling for Joey to qualify for the Games next year. I’m glad he’s blogging his thoughts on the competition and training. Definitely a source of inspiration in my quest to get better and try to make regionals myself.Shoulder feels 80-90% better. There is some vulnerability, but not much.
I’ve gone through 4 or 5 OH lifting WODs with no pain at all. To be sure, I’m scaling as needed (50 turkish get-ups and 1-arm OH squats with a 2pood KB? Not yet…)
My brain seems to be having a hard time trusting the joint, though. While it feels like I can crank out thrusters or kip hard on toes-to-bar, the recent experience of having the shoulder hurt again is causing me to hold back a little. I’m fine with that for now.
Yesterday’s wod was: 150 double unders, 100 kb swings at 53#, 50 burpees. 15:43 rx’d. I strung 50 DUs together to start. Would like to string together 100.
Today’s first wod was 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 thrusters and sumo deadlift high pulls at 75#. 11:44 rx’d. Kenneth Leverich did this in 7:30. It will take me awhile to get there, but I will.
I’m having a great time at OCCF, and running around in Orange County generally. I do miss my friends at CrossFit Palo Alto though. Hard to believe that my summer here is already half over.
Looking forward to surfing tomorrow and a 5k beach run Sunday.
Catherine visited me for the 4th of July. We did some nice trail running around Newport Bay
- "An injured athlete is still an athlete"
Bad news: I jacked my shoulder up a week ago playing basketball. Again. Oops.
Good news: I will treat this as an opportunity, not a setback. My plan of attack:
- Prioritize. Stop playing basketball. It’s not as fun as CrossFit. My competitive hoops days are over. Not so with CrossFit. Basketball —> injuries. CFit? Not yet.
- Do no more harm. No OH lifts for awhile. Rest. Ice. Scale/modify WODs.
- See Orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday. Get MRI to figure out what’s going on. I don’t think I need surgery (sure as hell don’t want it) but it’s time to find out for sure. SLAP? RC tear? Let’s see what the picture says.
- Get better. Today I got some ART and laser therapy done. The doc was phenomenal. Pain relief was fairly immediate. Not placebo. My range of motion and strength diagnostics suggest that any original supraspinitus tear from last year has likely healed, but that the current issue is a resulting imbalance that’s causing the subscapularis to flare up. As I mentioned, a few minutes of ART and laser work helped my internal rotation and joint vulnerability a lot. Doc was optimistic that rest and more ART/laser stuff will work and surgery won’t be needed.
- Get stronger elsewhere. No matter what, I won’t be heavy jerking for at least a month. Probably all summer. Fine. I still can’t L-sit for :30, and that’s holding me back from Level 2 status at CrossFit Palo Alto. I still can’t do pistols. I still can’t get 100 straight double unders. I still can’t beat my college mile time. Etc. etc. etc. Time to change all that.
Other plans include daily stretching, yoga, MobilityWOD, sleeping a ton, and eating like it’s my 2nd job.
This episode helps me realize just how much being healthy rocks, and how easy it is to take for granted. But instead of feeling sorry for myself, I’ll get things in order. CrossFitting and being active generally are some of my biggest passions, and I’m lucky enough to still get to do both at the moment, this temporary
setbackopportunity notwithstanding. - OC Living
I joined Orange Coast Crossfit for my summer stay in Newport Beach, and so far, I’m really liking the new box.
It’s always a little intimidating to show up at a CrossFit gym when you don’t know anyone there. I was a little timid when I joined CFPA back in January, and I was probably a little timid when I first showed up at OCCF. But this time, armed with a little bit of self-confidence with what I’ve learned over the last couple of months, it seemed easier. Diving in, that is (the WODs never get easier…you just get better at them… hopefully).
Justin and Matt are cool. They combine a motivating intensity with an unmistakable SoCal spirit. And the new gymmates are a good bunch: some elite, some just getting started, some older, most younger. Take Wednesday’s WOD, for example:
- 21 ring dips, 30 box jumps, 10 strict pull ups
- 15 ring dips, 30 box jumps, 10 strict pull ups)
- 9 ring dips, 30 box jumps, 10 strict pull ups).
There was at least 1 new CrossFitter for whom that was his first WOD ever. Even with resistance bands, that’s a doozy, but he fought through it. There was also Kenneth Leverich, who is one of the best CrossFitters in the country and does ridiculous stuff like this. (Kenneth got around 3:30ish, whereas I clocked in at over 9 minutes). So again, it’s all relative, and it’s all good. But damn, I want to get stronger and compete with the Kenneths of the world.
I’m missing the CFPA community for sure, but it’s easy to keep tabs on what’s going on from everyone’s twitter and fb feeds. I haven’t seen much of that here… but I don’t think that any gym, or at least many gyms, do social media like we do up in PA.
Working at the law firm has been great so far… I even got a standing desk so I can avoid sitting down for 9 hours a day. The only problem—and I guess this is a good problem to have—is that the firm takes us summer associates out to breakfast/coffee, lunch, and afternoon “snack,” every single day. Sometimes there are dinner events, too.
That poses a challenge for clean, paleo eating. Sure, sometimes it’s easy, like when we go to True Food (a trendy hyperlocal organic meat-and-veggies type of joint). But Starbucks/PF Changs/Cheescake Factory are trickier (green tea + Kind bar, beef and chicken only, bowl of strawberries and cream, respectively). And since I care not only about what types of food I eat, but also its quality (grass-fed? where did it come from? added sugar?), it’s not a perfect situation. Eating out just isn’t great. And there will be a lot of eating out this summer.
I’ve been doing the best I can and bringing my own snacks to work (almonds, coconut oil, Applegate sliced meats, etc.). But, professionally speaking, I can’t entirely opt-out of this stuff and retake total control of my daytime food intake (and, socially, we’re having a great time, so I wouldn’t want to not go). So I’ll find a good balance, keep looking for the smartest choices on the menus, and really raid my fridge full of kale, chard, and hardboiled eggs after hours. In fact, it’s now time for me to throw my sous vide ribs on the grill. Grilling at midnight on a Saturday… gotta love Orange County living!
I wanted to repost Web’s video response, as it clarified and largely solved what seemed like an unnecessarily adversarial debate, at least for me. Hopefully some of you will find it helpful, too:
On authentically branding the SICFIT image. There are two aspects of any business, its business model and its brand. To understand my approach to growing the SICFIT brand, you would have to first understand the CrossFit community and its transcendence into the lucrative sporting industry.
From the beginning, I realized that there is a polite schism in the CrossFit community between aspiring Games athletes and those who pursue CrossFit, solely for complete health and ability. Each need the other. Early on, I felt pressured to change my perception of SICFIT to appeal to the entire community in a way that would have detracted from our mission to support the competitive and increasingly professional CrossFit sport. If you view early videos that were moderated or produced, you will sense a different feel. That impression was out of fear of seeming exclusive.
Over time, I decided that I would focus on the athletes, their preparation, and the fans of the sport. It is an approach that I felt would make SICFIT for everyone, even if it wasn’t about everyone. Beyond this early shift, I also stopped defining the brand, for inclusivity’s sake. What I found was that it resonated with so many people - inside and outside of the CrossFit community . It meant something distinct yet accurate to many people.
But I will always continue to honor the origin of the brand while also honoring those who represent it today. Projects like this make us equally as proud. For those that do not know, SICFIT was born back in 2005 (ex: comment #184), in a garage gym in Austin, Texas called CrossFit Central. Central is known for two things, having nearly 1,000 clients and producing some of the best CrossFit Games athletes in the history of the sport: Jeremy Thiel, Carey Kepler, Crystal McReynolds, Lindsey Smith, Lance Cantu, our top affiliate team, and and more individual competitors.
They inspire me. We inspire each other. And the notion of all of this is simple and clear. SICFIT is when we achieve a certain level of proficiency; it is when we grow comfortable in sacrifice. When we are able to fight through pain and adversity like professionals, you’d hear one word around the gym. SICFIT. There are competitors in all of us. As long as you’re willing to activate the compete.
Either people understand it or they don’t. And I want everyone to see SICFIT in themselves. But it has to be their own competitive experience and their accomplishments. Until then, many will say, “What is SICFIT? And many of us will continue to smile and answer, “Those who know, are.”
Web and I have exchanged a few e-mails, and he is clearly a stand-up guy. I am convinced that SICFIT is not about excluding a large segment of the CrossFit community. Rather, it’s about getting after it with pride and dedication (the SICFIT mentality), and, ultimately, turning CrossFit into a bona fide sport that commands respect as such. Happy to support that. Everyone’s entitled to their own interpretations, of course. But candid conversations and addressing things head-on helps overcome miscommunications. I can only speak for myself, but I’m glad to say that I think that’s what happened here.
- Competitors Only
I love SICFIT. It’s one of my favorite brands and favorite websites. They make cool stuff, motivate who knows how many thousands of crossfitters worldwide, and just generally make noise. And noise is good.
But Web posted something today that really rubbed me the wrong way. He wrote:
Branding is important. One lesson that I learned, this spring, is that SICFIT’s photographed models will always be competitors. Whether male or female, they will be capable of competing in the sport that the SICFIT brand represents.
Now, they’re trying to build a brand, and no doubt make some money. Maybe the “competitors only” rule furthers that. But as a consumer, that’s not what I want the brand to represent, so here’s my reply:
…I can’t help but feel a bit odd about the “competitors only” rule. If by competitors you mean crossfitters who show up, work hard, and get results (either competing against themselves or perhaps others in their box), great.
But if by “competitors” you mean only athletes advanced enough to be seriously competitive on a wider scale — e.g. only folks with sub 5min Frans who can or have made regionals — then I think that’s a mistake. I’ll continue supporting the brand because (I think) I see where you’re coming from, and it’s a good angle. But in my view that decision also suggests that SICFIT is more about looks than mental fire, results than process (to the extent those can be separated). I had always interpreted your brand’s message to be about hustle, pride, and heart, not solely about where you stack up after having exhibited those traits. I know many “regular” athletes who represent your brand with pride, style, and grace. They honor SICFIT with their hustle, and, frankly, you need folks like them more than they need you. So it seems weird to have a categorical rule against their modeling your gear. Much better was the openness of the Instagram Games Bound photo submission promo. Just my $0.02, fwiw.I just do not accept that only a handful of people at CFPA, for instance — maybe only 1, if we take the “competitors only” language super seriously — are good enough to model SICFIT gear (I know Web’s not saying this directly, but my argument is that exactly that is being implicitly and unintentionally communicated). Because I see dozens of people who have all the requisite heart, athleticism, and beauty every time I work out there.
- Weekend Recovery
After the 5k Friday, it might have been prudent to take a day off, as I was pretty sore.
Instead, I did the 10am Saturday WOD at CFPA, followed by a few hours of pick-up hoops at Stanford, and then played IM Softball Saturday afternoon. Surprise surprise: today I was really sore.
I’ve gotten in a lot of lacrosse ball and baking roller massage, though, as well as some cold tub therapy. Looking forward to tomorrow’s 7am WOD. Mainly I want to hear about Tim’s new Lark personal sleeping system!
I was happy to see that, despite the soreness, my legs felt pretty springy during basketball. I’m now dunking easily taking off on either leg, and can grab and hang on the rim with 2 hands from a drop-step with either foot. Couldn’t have said that 6 months ago. It’s almost as if CrossFit… works… or something :)
- Law School 5k
Posted an 18:30-something along with my pal Colin, which was (technically) good enough for tying for 3rd place (or maybe 4th for me - he insisted it was a tie, but I think he’s just being humble and a photo finish might show him a step ahead…)
Anyways, I say “technically” because there were several people who were faster (or would have been faster), but didn’t officially place since they took wrong turns near the end. That wasn’t really their fault; the course wasn’t particularly well-marked and the map route was less than clear, so it was easy to get off track. Those guys ran well, and deserve the credit for it.
It was so cool to see this guy David run… he ran track in college and was either training for or slated to go to the Olympics… I’m not clear on the details. A few of us kept pretty close to him for the first mile or so, but then he just kept gaining. About halfway through I lost sight of him. I think he wound up posting a low 16s time (insane). He runs really efficiently (obviously), and it was pretty inspiring to watch.
Congrats to Corinne, who won the women’s side (and then humbly played it down afterwards). Awesome stuff.
More about my run: my goal going in was 18 minutes, so I missed that by a bit. Still, I’m proud of my effort (I haven’t run anything longer than 1 mile in at least a year). But I’m not pleased with my technique. Less than 1 mile in, I started to heel strike (bad). I just couldn’t keep good pose technique (forefoot striking) at that pace — I don’t yet have the capacity for that. And since I wanted to go as fast as possible, I just stomped my way through til the end. It will be fun to work on technique over longer distances. Because, you know, Tim and I have that 50k in December :)
All in all, a really fun run today. It was so great to see familiar SLS faces in a different, less familiar setting (running hard, sweating). These people are all so amazingly smart, and to see them switch gears and show their athleticism was really cool.
- better late than never
the day started off poorly… i slept thru 7am class (I have a Monday night hoops game every week at 9:30pm… after which I can never seem to get to sleep by midnight…)
But I wasn’t about to miss deadlifting day just because I’m lame. So I swung by the 7pm class. Tim didn’t give me too much trouble for showing up unannounced. Just the right amount…
I PR’d my DL by 10#… up to 315#, which I’m cool with. I think there may be some more in the tank. I just liked seeing 3 plates on each side of the bar for once!
Most of the other guys (rare, all-male class today) were new to me, but they were all predictably awesome and everyone was getting after it. I saw lots of barbells curving on heavy DLs. The energy was good.
Metcon was 10:00 AMRAP of
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 squats
My goal was anything over 10. I managed 11 rounds even. Push-ups became the hardest part. But it felt awesome. Why everyone isn’t addicted to CrossFit, I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell glad I am. It makes being alive way more fun.
Your right hand needs to teach your left hand how to jump rope.
so said Tim, when I couldn’t string together 50 double unders at the end of a workout the other day. lol.
Today I PR’d on front squats (210), and got 5:03 on SDHP Fran, which Katz explains well (and kicked ass at) here. SDHPs are quicker than thrusters. But my pull-ups were wack. I need to take care of my hands and get them healthy and grippy again.
Interesting note: I worked out alone around 1pm since I missed my 7am group (they did Games WOD 6 anyways). Tim was there, but in his office doing biz stuff. On the one hand it was cool because I got to play my own music (less Vanilla Ice, more Jay-Z. ZING!). On the other hand, working out alone kinda sucks, and I missed the energy of the group… makes me really thankful that I’m able to train alongside so many awesome people on a regular basis.
Tim and I also got in a good cf endurance wod yesterday. He is teaching me how to run (pose, not heel-striking), which is awesome. #50k #december
Finally, just tossed a frisbee around with KJ at wilbur field at school. I’m hoping he runs the 50k with us, and that he convinces me to try triathlons. But mainly I’m waiting for him and his lady Abra to join CFPA… that would be ridiculously awesome!
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