I have been active all my life.  I was an accomplished wrestler in grade school and high school.  Then I turned to running mid- to long-distances after college.  I have run in approximately 50 competitive races, with about a dozen of 10 miles or more (3 half marathons).  I turned to long-distance biking about 15 years ago and have competed in a few Gran Fondo races, the longest being a 75-mile climb from Vancouver to Whistler.  Recently, I have completed a few sprint triathlons, which has been a nice challenge.

But as I was approaching 60, I felt like I needed to shake things up and shock my body into being more fit.  I have never really done high-intensity training, nor extensive weightlifting, but thought that the CrossFit path would be a good change to my exercise regime. The sign on Glebe Road advertising the free Saturday WOD caught my attention, and I showed up for a session.

Before joining BCF a little more than a year ago, I did not know a burpee from a box jump from a double under.  Now that I do, it doesn’t mean I have to like them, but I am getting better at each.  My technique in weight training is also better and each month I feel my endurance and mobility are improving.  I am also going beyond just trying to complete the WODs and challenging myself to reach PRs and attempt Rx level routines.

My motivation comes from the encouragement of the coaches, as well as the enthusiasm shown by my fellow BCF members. I have some challenging goals for 2023, including completing a new weight training PR each month, attempting at least one Rx WOD every other month, and finding the technique to string together 30 double-unders uninterrupted.

It’s always nice when our athletes make their fitness functional. Faith used CrossFit to help train for her marathon. Not only did she PR her marathon time by 39 minutes, she also maintained consistency in coming to CrossFit. Here’s what she had to say about the experience:

When I ran my first marathon in April of 2022, I just wanted to finish. I ended up running a 4:14 in Nashville, and though I had completed my goal of finishing, I was completely humbled by the experience. I hit the notorious “wall” at mile 20, decided to walk a quarter mile (worst mistake), and then really had to dig deep to get myself to run at all in the final few miles. After the race, I felt fueled by the breakdown. I knew I wanted to come back stronger and faster, and truly “race” the distance instead of just trying to make it to the finish line. BCF was a huge part in making that happen! 

Unlike my first marathon, I embraced CrossFit as part of my training as opposed to shying away from it. In fact, I even competed in my first competition, the Scaled Comp at CrossFit Route 7, throughout my training cycle! Continuing to train at BCF helped me build strength, speed, but also the community I needed to stay engaged and motivated. I’d constantly be asked how my training was going by coaches and my other BCF pals, and many of them offered to run with me throughout my training. Huge shoutout to Paul F. for running with me after work in D.C. and for Swoo for waking up for those early Saturday runs. In helping me training, Swoo even accomplished a neat feat of his own – running the longest distance he’s ever ran at 8 miles! It’s amazing to have a community that really wants to help you succeed in the gym and beyond.

I felt stronger and faster in every sense during my second marathon this past October in Atlantic City, racing it in 3:36. THANK YOU to everyone at BCF who supported me along the way. It truly means a lot! 

How did you find out about Ballston CrossFit and what about it convinced you to join?

I wish I could say I had the self-awareness to realize I needed to make a change in my life but like most dumb men in their 30’s I needed my wife to tell me to get my act together before I did anything.

Before BCF, I went to one CrossFit class in Tennessee with my sister-in-law where I was murdered by their programming. Never CrossFitted before. Didn’t scale. Went Rx. Sent it. Died. I was so dead the coach walked over and gave me HIS recovery drink. Needless to say, I wasn’t LOOKING to try CF again. 

Despite my not-so-great intro to CF, my wife had started at BCF and loved it. She told me this gym was different and she was getting a lot out of it. I was in a pretty big slump mentally and physically, but after some strongly worded suggestions I finally put my excuses aside and tried it. This is where I was introduced to one of my favorite things in the world: scaling.

I saw that BCF was actually a lot different, and they really work with you to work as hard as you can as safely as you can. That was it for me, I was in.

When did you start at BCF and what were your goals going into it?

I took foundations at BCF in Nov 2020. 

My goals going in were to just get a little healthier but to be honestly I didn’t know what that meant to me when at the time. It was the thing I said every time I joined a new gym. I had done the ‘globo gyms’ before, the classic bro programs but never really saw serious results so I was curious to see how the class approach would work.

What has helped you achieve success at BCF?

The coaches.

I was a football player in high school and to me gymnastics was just something I watched every 4 years at the Olympics. If it weren’t for the coaches, I would have probably quit a long time ago.

I think every coach has given me some piece of advice that led to an instant “ahhh that’s how that’s supposed to work” moment while doing some kind of movement. You know, that lightbulb moment where all the pieces fall together and suddenly you can do something new. 

In addition to that, they have created a great environment where you feel comfortable failing, which is HUGE for anyone learning new skills. As you can imagine, I was a little intimidated when Brock told me that I had to get my 6’ 7 250lb body up to the bar for 12 pull ups in one of my first metcons AND THAT WAS JUST PART OF THE WORKOUT. Brock correctly had me scale because I am a big guy but I felt comfortable enough to think I could try and fail. That’s huge. You can only succeed if you are willing to fail. With that mentality, this big tree has fallen HARD but managed to handstand walk and get bar muscle ups- two things I would never have imagined possible.

What advice can you give to others that are new to CrossFit?

LISTEN and stay humble. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve done this, how much you can lift or fast you can run, there is always something else to learn. The pride of learning (and in some cases, relearning) a skill is addicting and the only way to get to that next goal is if you are open to help.

Example: I have learned and lost toes-to-bar so many times I can’t even attempt to count them. I currently don’t have them. But that doesn’t mean I don’t stop and listen when a coach or just someone else in the class gives me a tip on improving my form.

Besides working out, what other lifestyle changes did you make outside of the gym to achieve your goals?

Did you know sleep is … like … important? Neither did I. Also, if you just make your food and don’t order it its like waaaaaaaaay better for you. Did you know water isn’t just something fish swim in? Man, color me surprised when I learned that drinking water regularly made you feel BETTER. Oh, I also learned this cool word ‘Mobility’ from Cam and let me tell you, that is super important for anyone. In short, I changed everything ha

But in all seriousness, as I started seeing progress in the gym and in my body, I started getting addicted to feeling good. By that I mean feeling healthy. So, I chase that. I still cut loose but my weeks see more discipline, and I am working towards something important- a long term healthy me.

Q: How did you find out about Ballston CrossFit and what about it convinced you to join?

Beth: I joined because Simson was so into it and because we became social with someone else who did CrossFit. I took the Sunday yoga class for about  a year before that, so I was BCF-adjacent, kind of watching it warily. But other people convinced me that even I – middle-aged and overweight with bad knees and no flexibility – could handle it.

Simson: I posted on Facebook that I had broken three ribs and been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Many friends warned me about taking the bisphosphonate drugs that my endocrinologist wanted me to take. My doctor suggested running, but I found it boring. One of my former students saw the post and suggested that I try BCF—my student knew Tucker and said he had a good operation. So basically, I started going to BCF because I was tired of breaking my ribs.

Q:When did you start at BCF and what were your goals going into it?

Beth: I took the Foundations class twice in the summer of 2019, and even before that I trained with Coach Brandon twice a week for 10 weeks just to get to the point where I could even do Foundations. I had no idea what my goals were, except somehow to be fitter and maybe do something about my knees.

Simson: I took Foundations twice in August and September 2017. I was still having issues, so I took a month of personal training in October 2017. Fortunately I didn’t need to take Foundations for a third time. My first regular class was October 14, 2017.

Q: What has helped you achieve success at BCF?

Beth: Fear. Most days I still come in terrified about the WOD, afraid I’m going to make a fool of myself – or fail completely, be last, or injure myself somehow. But I just keep coming, modifying the heck out of a workout if I have to. The immense pride and exhilaration I feel when I do better than last time, or get Fx on a METCON, or just transcend my own physical and age-related limitations keep me coming back (so does the competition with Simson).

Simson: Fear of breaking more bones.

Q: What advice can you give to others that are new to CrossFit?

Beth: Don’t quit! Believe in yourself and your abilities. Most of the time you can achieve more than you think you can. Also, ask the coaches how they can help you stay focused, competitive and safe. They are amazing resources.

Simson: Number 1 rule: Don’t get hurt. Number 2 rule: Form matters more than weight.

Q: Besides working out, what other lifestyle changes did you make outside of the gym to achieve your goals?

Beth: I lost about 15 lbs. in 2021, and I’m still working on that. I try to get 8 hours of sleep every night. Right now, I’m trying to understand macros, particularly how to get more protein without a lot of fat and without whey protein and chicken breasts, because I’m not a fan of either.

Simson: I lost 10 lbs in 2021 and I’m trying to lose more. I try to get 6 hours of sleep every night.

Q: What has been your favorite thing about Ballston CrossFit?

Beth: Do I have to narrow it to one thing? The workouts are never boring. I am constantly challenged without feeling shamed. And I feel so proud of the people around me becoming fitter and stronger, particularly when they join right out of Foundations.

Simson: The coaching is superlative. I’ve dropped in on perhaps six other CrossFit gyms, and BCF is the best. I also find that the people are amazingly friendly.