All things point to maybe...

If you, like the rest of the free world, are very concerned about how the redeployed members of CrossFit Leatherneck are training for the 2011 Affiliate Cup then you are in luck. Most of those who would be able to compete in Regionals are redeployed now (a few are in a jet over the US as I write this). Now the real fun begins. We have got to put up or shut up.

So, I put this together, and will invite all those I have contact info for to contribute.
The blog is http://cflnktrainsforthegames.blogspot.com

Enjoy, and keep training hard and smart.

Half Marathon 13 Mar 11

All!

There's a half marathon on Bastion this month. I'll be there! Who else wants to run? Shoot me an email and we can head over together and represent Team Leatherneck Endurance.

christophe.netley@afg.usmc.mil

FINDING THE FITTEST (ON LNK)

Open to all personnel on Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion

Two afternoons and four total events to test your physical fitness as measured by your ability to complete short challenges with various obstacles and exercises.

What is the Fitness Throwdown?

• It is a Challenge. Just like an organized 5K run (plus a Strongman Competition, but really it’s like neither).

• This is a competition to see who is the fittest Male and Female aboard Camps Leatherneck and Bastion according to commonly held fitness standards of variety, functionality and intensity.

• Within those standards you can measure everything from times, weights, numbers of rounds or laps, you name it, within a workout. This is a measure used to know your relative fitness to those around you training under the same methods. It is also relatively accepted that people will fight tooth and nail for points, so making fitness into a competition makes people perform better than when alone. So win or lose, we all benefit.

How do I enter?

• Email CFLNK.THROWDOWN@gmail.com to register as an athlete or help run the event as a volunteer.

• There will be an entrance fee of $10 this gets you a commemorative t-shirt. Additionally, the extra t-shirts will be sold at the event for $10 each. (THIS IS NOT A FUNDRAISER. Funds from sales will go to repay the bulk t-shirt purchase only.)

What are the actual challenges?

The 2011 Fitness Throwdown will consist of (4) functional fitness events.

• The workouts will be challenging, yet achievable by all willing to try. Proper coaching will be provided by judges to ensure safety and a standard to measure the relative intensity of participants.

• Each will encompass all aspects fundamental of functional fitness as per a common model which includes Variety, Functionality, Intensity.

• The workouts will be posted the day prior to the challenge on the CrossFit Leatherneck website www.crossfitleatherneck.com
Two events will be conducted each of the two days in a timeframe of 2-3 hours.

• Each event will be to complete a workout of some difficulty and complexity but limited in skill for max participation by those unfamiliar with skill work (no handstand walks, no Olympic weightlifting, no back flips, etc required).

• After the first day is complete, the top 50% of participants will move on to compete on the day two. This facilitates the speed and intensity of day two.

• The workouts for the day two will be announced at the end of day one in after the top 50% is announced. Success is rewarded by moving on to day 2.

• The second day’s workouts will be a bit more challenging but yet attainable by those who are of high fitness levels. After the third workout is complete, the top 50% from event 3 will move on to the final workout. The final event determines our top Male and Female competitors.

What if I cannot do the workout?

• All aspects of functional exercise, rounds, weights, speed, etc, can be scaled to the ability of the athlete.

• During this challenge if you choose to scale you may still participate but your relative placement will be below athletes who compete at full scale, despite your speed of finish.

Spectators, volunteers and athletes interested in a challenge are encouraged to attend.

Presented by CrossFit Leatherneck

Please do not post dates or times of the event to comments (OPSEC). If you have questions about the schedule please email CFLNK.THROWDOWN@gmail.com

Rest and Nutrition

Much is said about rest and nutrition. In the interest of keeping it brief I won't try to re-invent the wheel. Still, a few points for all.

1. If you need to take time off, take time off. Leave the ego at the door and know when it's time to act smart, not act hard.

2. Look into the basic biological processes of nutrition, especially evolutionary diets such as Primal and Paleo eating. The caveman got us here, farms and agriculture were the beginning of many of western mankind's modern problems. Taking a look at what is really in processed foods and industrially raised meat will reveal very good reasons to eat like our evolutionary ancestors.

3. You may also want to research the hormonal effects of eating poorly on insulin and glucogon, which are the human hormones which regulate the storage and release of energy in the body. Knowing how to balance our homonal levels, in ways such as those suggested by the Zone Diet of Barry Sears fame, will help you maintain energy levels, burn fat and recuperate faster from high intensity workouts.

Here are a few views on the subject:
Robb Wolf
Paleo Diet
The Zone Diet
The Primal Blue Print
CrossFit Journal

Endurance WODs:
We're in a month of WOD cycles that are 3 on 1 off, so we shouldn't need extra Endurance WODs. Here's the scheduling:
ENDURANCE/ Day 1
MIXED MOD METCON/ Day 2
STRENGTH/ Day 3
If you need more, check out CrossFit Endurance.com, but only if you are giving 100% on your CrossFit Leatherneck WODs during this cycle!

Shoes: So what do YOU wear?

Here's what a recent US DoD Survey says about 'proper footwear'; there is none.

If you search for 'CrossFit Endurance, what shoes do you wear' on Google, you get a multitude of answers.

The Huffington post has even gotten into the fray, with a podiatrist (who surely has no vested interest in shoes and insoles) giving his opinion on 'the barefoot running fad'.

We run as if our lives depend on it, becuase for some of us, someday it may.

Do not feel you must go out and buy a pair of Nike Free or Vibram Five Fingers. Although I've done both and loved them equally for different types of WODs. But the bottom line is that it doesn't matter what you wear, it matters how you run. Nature didn't lash-up styrofoam, rubber, springs or air packets to our heels to prevent injury. Chances are no amount of heel padding will prevent injury. Listen to the advice of Albert Einstein, who is among the many people much wiser than I. Don't be crazy, continuously running with a heel strike and wondering why you're beat down with injuries and fatigue. If something doesn't work, why do it over and over again?

That's not to say you shouldn't run. You should learn how to run.

As someone with a love/hate relationship with running, I have had many ups and downs. It took me many injuries and many years to find the source of all the pain. You may benefit too. Take some simple advice and learn to run properly--or don't.

Just know it has absolutely nothing to do with what you wear on your feet.

Week #2:
We'll begin an entire month of Endurance focus on 1 January with a muscular endurance fest "Bull", to remember fallen Hero Capt Brandon 'Bull' Barrett from 1/6, lost to us 5 May 2010.
Rest in peace.

Wondering whether or not to freeze?

I know I am still wondering. But here's the deal, our very first chance to race this year starts with the year itself.

At 0000 on 1 January there's a 5k run starting, the New Year's Eve Midnight 5k fun run. 3-2-1 go and shiver!

Now, 'fun run' is a misnomer to me, becuase I don't see very much fun about skipping sleep in this environment (especially sans booze and better half) and I am an entirely weather deconditioned Pennsylvanian who is no longer a fan of even mildly low temperatures.

So, the question is... who is going to go out and run this 5k?

Week two Endurance WODs to be posted soon.
This next 30 day CF LNK cycle will be very endurance based. Posts here will probably focus on education on POSE running and the CFE methods rather than extra work.

Train smarter and harder.

First Week, and some FAQs...

Bastion Airfield, an M1A1 Abrams Tank, the King of the roads has arrived to Afghanistan around 25 Nov, 2010.

Don’t assume you need to do a lot of sport specific training… we have plenty of elite level athletes who CrossFit more then they train for sport. Your number one goal should be to CrossFit 4-6 times per week… 2nd goal is to have the ability to do 2-3 sport specific workouts per week. Choose 1 of the wods to do for the day(run or row, not both). Choose wisely.
TERMINOLOGY
Time Trial = As fast as you can go/race. An all out effort for the distance. There should be nothing entertaining or fun about it… Until it is over of course, and if you are PRing it!
RPE: Rate Perceived Exertion… It is on a scale of 1 – 20. See the posted link.
INTERVALS– You should be trying to hold the fastest pace possible.
% of what? Use the indicated % of your best time for the prescribed distance or time. If you do not have a time or distance for what is prescribed go set one that will be used in future wods. Keep track of times/distances/paces with dates in a log book so you can refer back to them.
FOULS –when do I do them?

The fouls occur at the end of the entire workout. Not during!

WEEK ONE:

WOD #1
3+ hours after your CF LNK WOD, Run 8 x 200m repeats rest 2x your 200m time (30 second 200M = 1 minute rest). Distance is approximately from the platform to the T-walls towards LSA 6. Or, run half the 400m course around the fields, stop and finish for your next 200m.
-or-
3+ hours after your CF LNK WOD, Row 8 X 500m repeats rest 2x your last 500m time. Set damper to something you don't normally use (1 if you prefer 10, 10 if you prefer 1, etc).

WOD #2
During a CF LNK Rest day, run for 20 minutes all out, covering as much distance as possible in that time.
-or-
During a CF LNK Rest day, ROW for 10 minutes all out, covering as much distance as possible in that time.