Hello Silk City Fit,

I hope this blog post finds you well!  I wanted to write this and give you some updates on how things are going for me over here.  First, it is extremely hot.  With the average day ranging from 110-120 degrees, the heat is unrelenting.  Work has been steady with extremely long days and fitting sleep and the gym somewhere in-between.  The office I work in has great people and we all get along, which makes life that much easier when you’re confined to a small building all day.

I’ve been following our programming and have been tracking all of your times and workouts when I can via updates from Sara, Steve, and Sarah!  It is so important that you input your times into SugarWOD.  CrossFit focuses on tasks that are Measurable, Observable, and Repeatable.  What measurable means is with each workout (task) that we give you there is an objective; time completed, reps/rounds achieved, distance walked or carried.  Observable refers to the data points we receive after a workout (Fran Time = 6:28, One Rep Max Deadlift=300lbs).  That data can be plotted on a map to show us our current level of fitness.  Repeatable is the ability to retest the same workout after a period of training i.e. (8 week strength and conditioning program) with the intent to see faster times, heavier loads and/or increased reps.  If we see an increase in any of those we are able to identify that as progress. It is vital that we evaluate the effectiveness of our programming and we do that through testing you all in workouts!  Without data, we can’t fully determine how beneficial our programming has been for you.

They have a great CrossFit Gym here on base with some really talented athletes with whom I am grateful for the opportunity to train.  There are certain days where I am exhausted from work and have not slept, and the last thing I want to do is go to the gym.  We all have those days, where after a long day at work or school it is easier to change clothes end up on the couch the rest of the night than go to the gym.

Training isn’t easy and there are times we ask ourselves, “Why the hell did I even show up today?” The answer is simple, because in this never ending pursuit of fitness it requires the hard work and dedication to become better.  It takes sacrifice, sweat, tears, and many attempts (at an often frustrating movement) to improve.  However, it is in that moment when we lay in a pool of sweat on the ground writhing around in a mixture of discomfort and euphoria that we know this journey is worth it.

Overall, this deployment has me feeling homesick.  I miss working out with you, and cheering you all on.  I miss seeing you all hit PRs and I especially miss the community that we have at Silk City Fit.  However, I know that you are in phenomenal hands with our owners and I cannot wait to return and see all the progress you all have made.  We have an exciting journey ahead of us all and us as owners are here to provide the tools to get you where you need to be.  You just need to show up and put forth the effort.

From the Middle East with Love,

Coach Cory