The Role of CrossFit In My Training

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Many times I've been asked what the physical effects of CrossFit training have been on my triathlon and running (ultra-running) performance. I think it's about time I talk a little about the incredible increases in my performance that I've realized over the past 16 months since becoming a dedicated CrossFitter.

First let me start off by explaining how I found CF. A friend of mine from beginnertriathlete.com was doing these intense workouts that I was noticing in his blog from day to day. He seemed to think they were fun and challenging. At the time I was a mediocre athlete at best. I worked out, I trained, I raced, but I never really had a specific drive or focus. I was able to say "I do triathlons" and "I've done an Ironman" but not with any real pride. Sure it was great that I finished an Ironman, but did I really try my best? Well at the time I thought so, but as I discovered more about my athletic abilities, I realized, NO, I did NOT try my hardest. I still had a long way to go.

As I followed Steve on his CrossFit workout journey I started to become intrigued by the intensity and wondered if maybe I could attempt a workout like that. I asked him to send me a sample of what he was doing. So, on September 9, 2007, Steve Berlin sent me "The Post-Cert Chipper"...and it's been all uphill from there. I took that workout, cut all the reps in half, and went to the gym to try it out. Seven minutes is all it took, but I was DESTROYED. I lay there on the gym floor panting, sweat pouring from every square inch of my body. I was completely spent. But from that moment on, I was hooked on CrossFit.

Every day I'd look at the CrossFit website, find another workout that sounded interesting, and I'd go to the gym to try it out. For the first month or so, I scaled the workouts to a point that I could handle, just so I could at least get the feeling of what I was supposed to do. I watched videos for hours on end, trying to learn all the new moves. I had a history in bodybuilding, so I knew about some of the lifts...deadlifts, bench presses, pullups, pushups, etc. But some of these new CrossFit-specific moves (sumo deadlift high-pull, thruster, etc.) took some learning to get used to. Of course, then there were the Olympic lifts that I had mostly NO idea how to execute. I watched instructional videos over and over to get the feeling right. Then I'd head to the gym to try them out. It took a while to get the form correct, but when I got it correct, I knew it. I fell in love in Olympic lifting moves. The first time I executed a perfect squat clean, I nearly laughed myself silly...I felt great!

Fast forward about three months. I was pretty proficient in most of the CrossFit moves. By this time I'd already brought my FRAN down from 6:45 to 5:04 and was feeling pretty strong, lean, and fast. My bodyfat had been slashed from 14% to about 10% and was still falling. I was addicted to whey protein powder and lean healthy eating. My training was skyrocketing, my attitude was perpetually positive, and I actually started to feel almost arrogant about the shape I was in. People at the gym would ask me "what is that insanity you just did?" and "how the hell are you not falling over dead after that?". Bodybuilders just stood and watched, when it was usually THEY who would be the ones being watched. Here was a little 150-pound dude deadlifting 225 pounds...not once, or twice, or even 10 times, but 55 times over the course of a workout!!

I've started making my own workouts. Super-intense 20-minute mashups, short burts, run-based workouts, etc. I'm studying to be a personal trainer and will use interval training with my clients who want to achieve a high level of leanness, strength, endurance, power, and speed...all at the same time...CrossFit shows it CAN be done. Tabatas anyone?

Now...how does all this relate to triathlon and running? In December 2006, I attempted my first 50-mile run at Sunmart. That race took 11 hours and 36 minutes. I was next to last in age group, and only 5 people finished after me in the entire race. I was destroyed. I couldn't move my right leg. My hip flexors were so fatigued that, going home that night, I had to physically lift my leg into the car with my arms. I thought I'd never do it again. Enter CrossFit...in December 2007, I reattempted the 50-mile distance. 8 hours, 18 minutes. An improvement of 3 hours and 18 minutes!! 3rd in age group. 29th overall. And not only that, I was walking around, feeling fine for hours on end after the race. I even jogged a bit to cool down after I sat around and rehydrated a bit.

Another example. In 2007, I ran the Gasparilla marathon in Tampa (where I currently reside) and I ran a 3:39...I was ecstatic with that time since only a month before I ran a 4:20 at Disney. I felt great but I thought, I'll never qualify for Boston unless I can take another half hour off my best marathon time. At this point I felt this was impossible. I didn't feel like I could have run ANY faster than I had. I trained more that year, but I didn't feel any fitter. Again...enter CrossFit. I did the running workouts as well as the power workouts. I concentrated on making my legs stronger. As the 2008 Gasparilla marathon approached, I was wary of how I was progressing. I had the 2007 Sunmart 50-miler PR under my belt, and had run a 50K at the end of December in 4:17, easily winning the men's race. But those races were both run at paces of above 8:30 per mile! Was I ready to be able to run 26.2 miles at 7:15 pace or below? I was very nervous. Race day came and sure enough, I blew it away. I ran 6:55 pace for the first 19 miles of the race. My last 7 miles were no slower than 7:15. Overall pace wound up being around 7:07 per mile. It was my CrossFit training that allowed me to run through the pain and keep enduring until I reached my goal. I qualified for Boston and will run the marathon there in April 2009.

What about triathlon you ask?

April 2007....Ironman Arizona...on a scale of 1-10, I'd say IMAZ is around a 6 in difficulty. I trained for and finished that race in 12 hours and 24 minutes. That was before CrossFit...

June 2008...Ironman Coeur d'Alene...let me go ahead and give that one an 8 on the difficulty scale. Bigger hills on the bike, more of them, 59 degree water, and some large hills on the run as well. Better nutrition and solid CrossFit training in addition to my IM training brought my time down to 11:14!! And it felt easier than IMAZ! Sure the hills were difficult, but the race overall went smoother. Biggest difference...the run. At IMAZ, I ran a 4:34 marathon with MUCH walking along the way. At CdA, I ran a 3:38, NEVER walked, and only two people passed me on the run...both were girls (Heather Gollnick and the winner of the F25-29 AG).

November 2008...Ironman Florida...a 5 on the difficulty scale. I did almost ZERO training in the months between the two races...save for (you guessed it) CrossFit, and a few long distance runs and bikes. Only two 100-mile bike rides, and no runs greater than 16 miles. I hardly swam at all. My longest swim set was under 3000 yards. Most of my weekday workouts were an hour or less. CrossFit and some general speedwork were my only power workouts. How did I do at IMFL? 10:27. A 3 minute swim PR (1:12), a 33 minute bike PR (5:38), and again...an insane run...3:26, which is 12 minutes better than at CdA. I had stopped my long IM workouts, but kept up the CrossFit...which makes me believe that CF had everything to do with my increases in performance. And if you look back about a month before the race, you'll see that I went thru that 2-week long depression where I pretty much stopped training altogether, including CrossFit. Bit testament to CrossFit's ability to keep one fit during some downtime.

As of this writing I'm down to 150 pounds, 8.2% bodyfat, I have a 4:06 Fran and I'm planning on going for a sub-3 marathon time and a sub-8-hour 50-mile time soon. I'm signed up for and very excited about attempting the Umstead 100-mile trail run in April.

Of course, let me not forget to mention...NUTRITION WAS A HUGE PART OF THIS!!! Let's not forget that the correct meal/nutrition/supplementation plan is crucial to developing a physique and gaining performance. I ate a very clean diet which included lean meats, fat-free milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and MOST importantly, whey protein. It was a staple of my diet, I consumed it as much as four times per day, eating 4 additional whole-food meals as well.

Supplements allow the body to use nutrients efficiently, so I never neglected my multi-vitamin and always used a caffeine-based fat burner or energy pill. Fish Oil, another huge proponent of energy production in the body, was always taken in the morning and at night. I used L-Arginine, Beta-Alanine, and Branch Chain Amino Acids as well. These all help with energy/power production and increase muscle torque and endurance. Co-Q10 and Echinacea also help increase the body's capacity for oxygen consumption (VO2 max.).

SO...there you have it. CrossFit's role in my still-waxing athletic career. I'm still, after four years of competition, getting faster, and plan to continue my climb up the podium. Stay tuned, more to come soon!!