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Chilling by the TV with family, Rocky playing in the background, stomach wonderfully filled with all sorts of great food, I am thinking of what I have done over the year and what is to come.  2010 was nothing short of epic for me.  My offical shift into a competitor in CrossFit, with a 2nd place finish at DC's Most Primal, and an 8th place finish at the CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Sectional, I really think I have found my new sport.  I am so excited with what 2011 has to offer.  No matter what happen along the way towards the CrossFit Games 2011, I know I'll be having a blast all along!

My Trans-America Bicycle ride was probably the biggest challenge I have ever been a part of and even though it ended with be getting pretty beat up, and only 1800 miles completed, it was such a life-changing experience.  I saw so many places, met a ton of great people, and pushed myself each and every day a good bit farther than I imagined being pushed.  It was fun, even though I did end up busting up my hand and neck in the crash in Colorado. 

My move to California would also be way up there in the biggest challenges I have faced, but my excitement for this new life, with my wonderful girlfriend Lindsey, and the promise of the lifestyle I have always dreamed of made it all seem so logical and simple.  When I sit back and look at where I am headed, I can do nothing but smile.  I know I am following my heart and my passion, and good things come when life is approached in that manner.  I can not wait for what's to come, and I am going to enjoy every second of it, good and bad!

So, a few days back I visited Albany CrossFit to get my physical and metal abilities majorly challenged along side CrossFit studs Austin Malleolo and James Hobart.  Along with head coach Jay, and fellow athlete Matt, we all prepared for this:

2 rounds for time of:
200 double unders
50 overhead squats 135#
50 pull ups
1 mile run

Oh.  Hell.  Yes!  This sort of thing is just fun.  I personally would have issues with this sort of workout being programmed in on any sort of a regular basis, but for competitors, for fun, to pay homage to our fallen hero's, yeah, let's all get after it!  This style of workout can do nothing but put a smile on my face, it's over the top and ridiculous.  It's so crazy that there really is nothing anyone can do but to just go hard and keep going until you finish.  And luckily for me, I was able to share the torture with a couple super-athletes.

We all got started and I was feeling very smooth, getting all 200 double unders unbroken in about 1:38.  The overhead squats felt more like 185#, but I was able to string together 3 sets of 10, then got the rest mixed in with 3 or more reps.  Austin and I got to the pull up bar around the same time, and he pulled a little away from me there and into the first run.  The run was tougher than I would have expected.  I guess I really have adapted to the warmer California weather.  It was in the upper 20's and I was never able to really get a comfortable breath going.  But with Austin not too far in front of me, I just kept pace.  The second round was just a test of everything in my body.  The double unders went fine enough, I actually got 100 unbroken right off the run.  The overhead squats were about as brutal a test as I have ever been faced with.  At around 20 I began to feel total muscle break-down in my hips and shoulders, and I was beginning to feel a bit nauseous.  But, we all just chipped away.  I ended up crossing back into the gym at 45:10 and was very happy with that time.  I put every ounce of energy into that workout, and I know that that was the best time I would get on that day, given my programming and travel schedule leading up to it.  It was fun!
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This workout is posted up on the CrossFit Main Site today, and you can check out our effort at Albany CrossFit on the video posted up there (yes, it does say I got 45:40, and yes they does link to my old site, but it's all good, I'm happy to be up there!). 

Tomorrow I head over to Northampton for a family gathering, and will be hoping for another group workout, we'll see!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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Albany, New York 12/23/2010
 
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Yesterday I got to visit my friends at Albany CrossFit and get a damn tough workout in at the same time.  It was great to see the head coach, Jay.  He's a welcoming, open and all around awesome dude.  On top of that, I was excited to meet and workout with CrossFit extraordinaires Austin Malleolo and James Hobart.  A whole group of us did one of the toughest workouts I think I ever done.  Out of respect for the process of CrossFit mainsite, I'll wait until next week to post details of the workout as it's going to be programmed there on Sunday.  All I'll say is that I had such a great time being able to workout with such high caliber athletes.  Similar to my visit to LaLanne Fitness a couple weeks ago, I got that extra push of "get after it" by being next to people who are most liekly going to be better than me at this.  So, while I can compare my numbers to others in video and reading and so on, it's a worlsd of difference being able to sweat it out right next to them!  I wish I could have this every day, but, I will take what I can get.

Later on, Lindsy and I met up with our good friends and went to the Siena basketball game for an evening of fun.  Then it was off to sleep.  Today, it was up and out to shop till we dropped.  Then, with whatever energy I had left, I met Kenny at Siena College for a workout.  He beat me on our warm up game of one on one... I wasn't completely sore, just annoyingly sore. What I mean by that is I was sore enough head to toe to notice no matter what, but not enough to stop me from doing anything.  But by the end of the day I felt like I had been beat up.

5 x 5 increasing weight box squats

3 rounds for time of:
15 hang power cleans 135#
15 push ups
15 knees to elbows

I got to 315# on the box squats, easy enough, just slow and weak.  The metcon went smooth enough through two rounds.  I went unbroken except for the bar slipping out of my hand on rep 10 of the second round.  It was the third round that hit me, an it hit hard.  I broke everything up and was gasping for air like crazy.  I was able to finish in 5:21 and am somewhat happy with that effort.  I had nothing left in my arms, so, I gave it everything I had left.

Now, I am back at Jen and Martins (check out Jen's Blog!) and ready to hang with lots of great friends, eat TONS of food, smile a lot and enjoy the warmth of the holidays!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage

 


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