Abnegation of Glen

Moving Day.

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 21:49:22 -0400

I’ve been doing the Tumblr thing for a couple months, but it hasn’t 100% satisfied me in what I hoped to do with it (mostly under the hood). After carefully considering, I’ve decided to migrate this blog over to Wordpress.com.

You can now find me at abnegationofglen.com. I hope to see all of you there, but understand that I will probably lose quite a few of you in the move. See ya!

Weigh-in Wednesday and Day 9 of 40 of my own personal Paleo Challenege: I’m down 11.6 pounds!...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:00:07 -0400

Weigh-in Wednesday and Day 9 of 40 of my own personal Paleo Challenege: I’m down 11.6 pounds! It was fun to watch every day this week, I’d weigh in and for some magical reason, a few more pounds would be gone. Which means a total of 37.4 pounds lost total.

Additionally, I asked one of the coaches if she would measure me so I could see what I looked like after the Paleo Challenege, and this is what we found:

I am overall down a total of 8” on the 4 different measurements we do, all in just a month and 5 days!

I’m excited to see where I’ll be at the end of my 40 days.

Asparagus, mushrooms and broccoli sautéed in bacon fat with a...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:07:33 -0400

Asparagus, mushrooms and broccoli sautéed in bacon fat with a little rosemary; rosemary garlic burgers. Lunch’d.

Third day doing Intermediate. Did box jumps onto an 8”...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:07:56 -0400

Third day doing Intermediate. Did box jumps onto an 8” box, then scaled down to a plate because I don’t have double unders. 95# then shed to 75# for deadlifts. 15:03.

Also, yesterday I was getting measurements done, so I forgot to post my WOD:
5 rounds
5 Hang Power Clean
25 squats
1 shuttle sprint for probably 100m total
14:03

Did an intermediate WOD today. Boom. 14:09.

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:20:44 -0400

Did an intermediate WOD today. Boom. 14:09.

I have the coolest girlfriend ever.

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:19:08 -0400

I have the coolest girlfriend ever.

Trying to to cut fruit out of my diet, but I ran out of almonds...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:59:28 -0400

Trying to to cut fruit out of my diet, but I ran out of almonds and I’m dragging pretty hard. Apple’d.

Even binging a little on vacation, I’m down 2 pounds from...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:34:00 -0400

Even binging a little on vacation, I’m down 2 pounds from last weigh-in. Down a total of 25 pounds. Feeling pretty great about it. Excited to see how the the Paleo Challenge I started yesterday impacts it.

Tried to do Intermediate, but gassed early, so switched to...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:31:10 -0400

Tried to do Intermediate, but gassed early, so switched to Beginner. 13:33.

Should have probably attempted the Intermediate WOD, but did...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:30:08 -0400

Should have probably attempted the Intermediate WOD, but did 9:01 on beginner.

Vacation? Great Time for a WOD.

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:20:45 -0400

Vacation, but I WODed out with the CrossFit San Leandro crew; a smaller box located on a sweet main street in what used to be a spot which sold wood pellet stoves. Where they used to sell fire, now they forge athletes in it.

I know a coach, Marcus, who used to be my personal trainer when I worked out at Globo Gym. Marcus and I went to the same high school (I graduated year before he started), he would tell you he was fat in high school; you wouldn’t know that now, because he’s pure firebreather status. He’s a cool dude, encouraging and really a stickler for form in fitness. I could totally see him making the Games one year, then I can say I knew him when. Phone died or I would have taken a photo.

WOD wall balls 30 sec x 3 for time: 14-15-12.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Deadlifts 135#
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Knees to chest sitting on a box instead of knees to bar: 10:33.

Look familiar? It’s pretty much the same WOD as Tuesday. Ha.

Got some time to focus on form though. Was great. Great way to spend your vacation.

Worst inverted burpees ever performed by a human, but I did this...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:50:35 -0400

Worst inverted burpees ever performed by a human, but I did this WOD yesterday at 20:44. 135# deadlift.

Just in time for my vacation reading. Little nervous as he seems...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:37:35 -0400

Just in time for my vacation reading. Little nervous as he seems to use a lot of Papyrus.

Weigh-in Wednesday: Tuesday Edition. Going on vacation tomorrow,...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:36:12 -0400

Weigh-in Wednesday: Tuesday Edition. Going on vacation tomorrow, so I’m weighing in today. 345. Which means I’m down a total of 24 lbs.

Lunch!

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:42:05 -0400

Lunch!

3 rounds of Nancy. Friggin running. So much for starting slowly...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:12:43 -0400

3 rounds of Nancy. Friggin running. So much for starting slowly back into the week.

The Long Con.

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 05:13:21 -0400

Dear Internet,

There was a New England theologian who from a young age started writing what became a long list of commitments — resolutions — of how he should live his life in light of the fact that he’d believed God existed and loved him. They’re beautiful and they remind me what is most fundamental in life. I often forget them. Worse, I often forget how beautiful God is, and how fundamental his grace and forgiveness is.

The resolution that sticks with me the most is, “Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.”

This isn’t the same thing. But it’s not entirely dissimilar.

“C’mon, man,” I said. “You should just do it.”

I’m terrible at selling people things. I really am. I try and do this thing where I make things super objective, give them all their options, and hope they weigh them carefully. In other words, I make things confusing. I worked in sales for a little while and was awful. I’m as winsome as a man selling pagers to high school students. But it seemed spirits of the great of all snake-oil slicksters, televangelistic hucksters and used car hustlers had come upon me.

He looked back at me with a smile. Well, many would think it was just a smile, but I knew better. I’d seen it before. It was as if we’d suddenly been transported from where we stood to a cliffside, and I was telling him to trust me, that’d I’d jumped in before and it was safe. And he smiled. Because he wanted to. But, you know — it’s scary.

“You should call the coaches. You’re in way better shape than I was when I started. You’ll do fine. And you’ll love it.”

He made jokes. Evaded the topic directly.

Then what was said next surprised the both of us. Especially me, because I said it:

“When I started, I just knew I needed to; I tolerated it. Now, honestly, I’ve never liked physical activity before, but I kind of really have started to love it.”

Ever see a kid cry after falling on their head? Sometimes they cry because it really hurts. But sometimes they cry because the adults react and they get freaked out. My friend looks at me surprised, and about ten seconds later, so was I. What did I say?

It occured to me that this was the greatest sales pitch I’d ever pitched, the greatest hustle I’d ever hustled. And it was on myself. I was the con man and the mark. And I’d been had. Swindled. Hoodwinked. I’d finally bought in. This was more than just something I was doing to get healthy, it was something I enjoyed, something I knew I needed.

CrossFit freaks me out. I’m nervous and antsy every time. Doubly so when any running is written on that whiteboard. But I love it. And I sort of feel like I need it.

Astonished,

Me.

PS. Dear Future Glen: Please remember this. Yours, You.

PB&J “Ice Cream”.

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 01:53:04 -0400

PB&J “Ice Cream”.

Did push press today with a 50# sand bag. A woman called my...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:16:47 -0400

Did push press today with a 50# sand bag. A woman called my group out, because someone considered just doing 25#. Then she called me crazy for trying 50. I retorted, I can’t run, I have to do something right.

Also, I usually can’t remember what shoulder press and push press is, so I found this sweet video tonight. Enjoy.

Thanks, no thanks.

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:56:32 -0400

Thanks, no thanks.