The Hands of Time

Keep Moving

Watch the Throne

Let’s get straight to it…the pre WOD dump… some get it, other don’t. It is the unsung, unspoken warm up for who knows how many competitors. Just check out the line coming out the door before workouts start, hell, even before opening ceremonies. The clammy-ness starts in your hands, and works it’s way to where the sun don’t shine. Even if your body has a routine about waking up and duecing away, the uncomfortableness that is paranormal activity creeps up on even that of the most hardened competitors. It just happens… what to do about it? Accept it? Fight it? Pack a couple of pairs of drawers?

I’ve learned to deal with it. It only happens on competition days anyway. I have to plan ahead the night before with what I eat, and make sure I don’t introduce anything new in my system. You don’t wanna know what happens when you put fire sauce in that Mexican food place that they don’t have back home. Results are spicy!

There are a couple of tricks I have picked up along the way.

- Force yourself to fire one off in the morning.

- Upon arrival, if you have to go again, try to be the first one to the stalls.

- Keep a pack of wet wipes. (This is more of a luxury than anything)

- Try to find an alternate throne, even if it is an outside port-a-potty, if you are the first one, it won’t le stink… too bad.

- In a port-a-potty, it may prove difficult to adjust yourself when you have on compression pants. Take caution.

- Keep calm and wipe thoroughly.

- Keep your routine the same, nothing new.

- Make sure the toilet flushes, and there IS toilet paper.

Follow these, or take some into consideration and hopefully it’ll ease those certain pre-WOD nerves.

Watch the Throne,

Nick Quintela

As this weekend comes to a close, I can hold my head up… above the water I almost drowned in. This weekend was the inaugural Godai Elements Competition held in New Braunfels Texas, a competition combining earth, wind, fire, water, and void. What sparked my interest in competing in this event was that there was a swim involved. After signing up, fully committed to swimming, (I hate water) I knew I had definitely backed myself up against a wall, and was going to need to fight my way out. By trying to become more comfortable in uncomfortable situations, I figured that with a legit chance of drowning/dying, it was a good start. Swimming may come easy to some… not for me. After practicing on the weekends for a month, I finally felt pretty good about swimming, or atleast good enough to make it the measly 200m we had to swim for the first event. Now, 200m is not a long swim for anyone that knows how to swim and is not terrified of the water, but starring down the buoy 100m out in a man made lake was one of the most terrifying sights to me.  3,2,1, GO!… As we started the run, temperature about 38 degrees, I felt strong. Making the turn for the second mile, my hands, and face starting to go numb, I tripped, fell, and ate total shit… haha! I got up, took a step, and lost my shoe in thick mud. After digging it out, I gathered my wits, shoved my shoe back on, and kept running. Finishing the 2.5 miles, full of blood and mud, I stripped off my shoes, and jumped in that cold ass lake. I immediately started panicking… bad. Once my feet couldn’t feel the bottom of the lake, all wits, clarity, and technique went out the window. I lost it for a good while mentally, although I had actually warmed up in the water, my mind was telling me to call for help. I even looked for the lifeguard to see where she was and calculated how long it would take to find my floating body if I drowned. Several moments of clarity later, I had to tell myself to calm my breating, and keep moving. The water felt as if it was getting thicker, I felt like I was swimming with a weight vest wrapped around my feet while someone had bound my hands behind my back. Needless to say, it was the worst feeling I had ever felt. As the swarm of people passed me, it was if I was going backwards and under. Was it ever going to end? Finally… the 100m buoy! I had made it half way. It felt like an eternity, and my legs had left me. “Ok, you made it this far”… “you chose this!”… “sack up”… were some of the million thoughts running through my head. As I got closer, I could hear people yelling, yelling “GO!”, “C’mon!” as my head was in and out of water, I could only catch bits and pieces… and finally… I felt the soft mud squish underneath me. I ran out, crossed the finish line, and took the biggest most amazing breath I could. It felt like an eternity. It was one of the worst situations I had ever put myself in. As I paced around and dried off, the shakes came. I don’t know if I was shaking because it was so cold outside, or the adrenaline had kicked in because I had a good chance of dying. I’d like to think it was the adrenaline, but I’m not too sure. Keep swimming Nick. 

As this weekend comes to a close, I can hold my head up… above the water I almost drowned in. This weekend was the inaugural Godai Elements Competition held in New Braunfels Texas, a competition combining earth, wind, fire, water, and void.

What sparked my interest in competing in this event was that there was a swim involved. After signing up, fully committed to swimming, (I hate water) I knew I had definitely backed myself up against a wall, and was going to need to fight my way out. By trying to become more comfortable in uncomfortable situations, I figured that with a legit chance of drowning/dying, it was a good start.

Swimming may come easy to some… not for me. After practicing on the weekends for a month, I finally felt pretty good about swimming, or atleast good enough to make it the measly 200m we had to swim for the first event. Now, 200m is not a long swim for anyone that knows how to swim and is not terrified of the water, but starring down the buoy 100m out in a man made lake was one of the most terrifying sights to me. 

3,2,1, GO!… As we started the run, temperature about 38 degrees, I felt strong. Making the turn for the second mile, my hands, and face starting to go numb, I tripped, fell, and ate total shit… haha! I got up, took a step, and lost my shoe in thick mud. After digging it out, I gathered my wits, shoved my shoe back on, and kept running. Finishing the 2.5 miles, full of blood and mud, I stripped off my shoes, and jumped in that cold ass lake. I immediately started panicking… bad. Once my feet couldn’t feel the bottom of the lake, all wits, clarity, and technique went out the window. I lost it for a good while mentally, although I had actually warmed up in the water, my mind was telling me to call for help. I even looked for the lifeguard to see where she was and calculated how long it would take to find my floating body if I drowned.

Several moments of clarity later, I had to tell myself to calm my breating, and keep moving. The water felt as if it was getting thicker, I felt like I was swimming with a weight vest wrapped around my feet while someone had bound my hands behind my back. Needless to say, it was the worst feeling I had ever felt. As the swarm of people passed me, it was if I was going backwards and under. Was it ever going to end?

Finally… the 100m buoy! I had made it half way. It felt like an eternity, and my legs had left me. “Ok, you made it this far”… “you chose this!”… “sack up”… were some of the million thoughts running through my head. As I got closer, I could hear people yelling, yelling “GO!”, “C’mon!” as my head was in and out of water, I could only catch bits and pieces… and finally… I felt the soft mud squish underneath me. I ran out, crossed the finish line, and took the biggest most amazing breath I could. It felt like an eternity. It was one of the worst situations I had ever put myself in.

As I paced around and dried off, the shakes came. I don’t know if I was shaking because it was so cold outside, or the adrenaline had kicked in because I had a good chance of dying. I’d like to think it was the adrenaline, but I’m not too sure.

Keep swimming

Nick. 

Appetite for Destruction The insatiable appetite to compete burns deep. That same hunger ignites that appetite for destruction, destruction of mind, body, and self. The destruction of mind keeps us humble; to destroy the body brings us back stronger, and to destroy ourselves is the first step in re-creating ourselves. Destroy yourself. Deliberately putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, out of your element, only helps aid in the destruction and salvation of ones self. While other shy away from the thought, others run towards it. By finding out what you are not comfortable with can only help you progress as a human. By destroying our weaknesses, they become out strengths. We are the result of evolutionary success… FUCKING ACT LIKE IT! The feeling of going fast and hard, wild and out of control in a human feeling. The feeling of not knowing whether you are going to make it to the next rep is something we live for. Next time you question yourself about doing something, just do it. No safety net, just go, pounce on it, and rip that motherfucker to shreds. Destroy yourself Nick

Appetite for Destruction

The insatiable appetite to compete burns deep. That same hunger ignites that appetite for destruction, destruction of mind, body, and self. The destruction of mind keeps us humble; to destroy the body brings us back stronger, and to destroy ourselves is the first step in re-creating ourselves. Destroy yourself.

Deliberately putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, out of your element, only helps aid in the destruction and salvation of ones self. While other shy away from the thought, others run towards it. By finding out what you are not comfortable with can only help you progress as a human. By destroying our weaknesses, they become out strengths.

We are the result of evolutionary success… FUCKING ACT LIKE IT! The feeling of going fast and hard, wild and out of control in a human feeling. The feeling of not knowing whether you are going to make it to the next rep is something we live for. Next time you question yourself about doing something, just do it. No safety net, just go, pounce on it, and rip that motherfucker to shreds.

Destroy yourself

Nick

Heart I am your heart. Treat me as you will. You work for me and I will work for you. I will not stop on you until our time has come. The more you push me, the better I am for you. Don’t worry, I can handle more than you think. Treat me wrong and you will suffer the consequences.  I am your heart. At different times in your life, I may be throbbing, I may be hurting, I may feel ripped out, beat down, and empty. Not to worry, it’s not me telling you these things. When you are lost though, please listen to me, I will not steer you wrong. I’ve led people to do great things, you are one of these people.   While all of us contain a heart, few of us have it. “It”, that which pushes you to do one more pull up when you can feel the skin separate in your hands. To hold on that much longer. To finish even when everyone else is done. To do things no one else is willing to do. To keep pushing. I am your heart -Nick

Heart

I am your heart. Treat me as you will. You work for me and I will work for you. I will not stop on you until our time has come. The more you push me, the better I am for you. Don’t worry, I can handle more than you think. Treat me wrong and you will suffer the consequences. 

I am your heart. At different times in your life, I may be throbbing, I may be hurting, I may feel ripped out, beat down, and empty. Not to worry, it’s not me telling you these things. When you are lost though, please listen to me, I will not steer you wrong. I’ve led people to do great things, you are one of these people.  

While all of us contain a heart, few of us have it. “It”, that which pushes you to do one more pull up when you can feel the skin separate in your hands. To hold on that much longer. To finish even when everyone else is done. To do things no one else is willing to do. To keep pushing.

I am your heart

-Nick

(picture from SICFIT) The “F” word… Failure…if anyone has ever competed in anything in their lives, that little word is always creeping up. It’s that little gnat, buzzing around you, bothering you, waiting for you to smash it. It’s that gut feeling, when you think it is all over, but you sack up, swallow your pride and keep moving. It’s trying to complete 300 cals on the Airdyne, not even notching half in five minutes, you’ve realized you failed, but you don’t stop, you finish. Mentally is demoralizing, but to quit would suffer much deeper consequences. Failure is all around us, it’s in our everyday lives, and where some people shy away from the fear of failure, seldom few greet it with open arms. Failure turns good competitors into great competitors, and great competitors into champions. It’s ok to fail. There are few things that are on my mind most everyday, failure, is one of them. And while some may think this is a negative thought, I embrace it. Failure does not define who you are. What defines you, is how you react to the situation. What defines you is what you do to not let it happen again.  With the South Central Regionals of the Crossfit Games coming up, that little word creeps up a little more. Questions drown my mind, and yet, only one answer comes to mind… I. Will. Not. Lose.  I have nothing to prove to anyone, I cannot control what anyone does, the only thing I can control, is myself. There will be no self preservation, there will be no second guessing, all there will be is “go”. There will be no failure come June 17th.  In a fight, it’s the guy that’s willing to die, that’s gonna win. - Any Given Sunday -Nick 

(picture from SICFIT)

The “F” word…

Failure…if anyone has ever competed in anything in their lives, that little word is always creeping up. It’s that little gnat, buzzing around you, bothering you, waiting for you to smash it. It’s that gut feeling, when you think it is all over, but you sack up, swallow your pride and keep moving. It’s trying to complete 300 cals on the Airdyne, not even notching half in five minutes, you’ve realized you failed, but you don’t stop, you finish. Mentally is demoralizing, but to quit would suffer much deeper consequences.

Failure is all around us, it’s in our everyday lives, and where some people shy away from the fear of failure, seldom few greet it with open arms. Failure turns good competitors into great competitors, and great competitors into champions. It’s ok to fail.

There are few things that are on my mind most everyday, failure, is one of them. And while some may think this is a negative thought, I embrace it. Failure does not define who you are. What defines you, is how you react to the situation. What defines you is what you do to not let it happen again. 

With the South Central Regionals of the Crossfit Games coming up, that little word creeps up a little more. Questions drown my mind, and yet, only one answer comes to mind… I. Will. Not. Lose. 

I have nothing to prove to anyone, I cannot control what anyone does, the only thing I can control, is myself. There will be no self preservation, there will be no second guessing, all there will be is “go”. There will be no failure come June 17th. 

In a fight, it’s the guy that’s willing to die, that’s gonna win. - Any Given Sunday

-Nick 

Where there is unity, there is always victory - Publilius Syrus This may be a little late, but the feeling is still there. Recently, for the first workout of the 2011 Crossfit Open, the Crossfit affiliates of El Paso got together and competed. Not only against each other, but against everyone else in the Crossfit world.  It’s hard to argue that, with greatness on the line, competing against great athletes pushes you harder. Any time you have a chance to go up against the best in you region, why wouldn’t you? Just as iron sharpens iron, the same is with Crossfitters.  Although our Crossfit community is relatively small in El Paso compared to that of bigger cities, it is safe to say that we are a strong bunch. With multiple individuals in the top 25 in the region, and 2 teams in the top ten, El Paso and Crossfit ain’t going anywhere. Big ups to all the affiliates. Way to represent. On to the next one. Crush it, Nick

Where there is unity, there is always victory - Publilius Syrus

This may be a little late, but the feeling is still there. Recently, for the first workout of the 2011 Crossfit Open, the Crossfit affiliates of El Paso got together and competed. Not only against each other, but against everyone else in the Crossfit world. 

It’s hard to argue that, with greatness on the line, competing against great athletes pushes you harder. Any time you have a chance to go up against the best in you region, why wouldn’t you? Just as iron sharpens iron, the same is with Crossfitters. 

Although our Crossfit community is relatively small in El Paso compared to that of bigger cities, it is safe to say that we are a strong bunch. With multiple individuals in the top 25 in the region, and 2 teams in the top ten, El Paso and Crossfit ain’t going anywhere. Big ups to all the affiliates. Way to represent. On to the next one.

Crush it,

Nick

Cause every once in a while, we have to show the jackals, who we are. You watch those nature documentaries on the cable? You see the one about lions? You got this lion. He’s the king of the jungle, huge mane out to here. He’s laying under a tree, in the middle of Africa. He’s so big, it’s so hot. He doesn’t want to move. Now the little lions come, they start messing with him. Biting his tail, biting his ears. He doesn’t do anything. The lioness, she starts messing with him. Coming over, making trouble. Still nothing. Now the other animals, they notice this. They start to move in. The jackals; hyenas. They’re barking at him, laughing at him. They nip his toes, and eat the food that’s in his domain. They do this, then they get closer and closer, bolder and bolder. Till one day, that lion gets up and tears the shit out of everybody. Runs like the wind, eats everything in his path. Cause every once in a while, the lion has to show the jackals, who he is - Poolhall Junkies Heart of a lion,  Nick

Cause every once in a while, we have to show the jackals, who we are.

You watch those nature documentaries on the cable? You see the one about lions? You got this lion. He’s the king of the jungle, huge mane out to here. He’s laying under a tree, in the middle of Africa. He’s so big, it’s so hot. He doesn’t want to move. Now the little lions come, they start messing with him. Biting his tail, biting his ears. He doesn’t do anything. The lioness, she starts messing with him. Coming over, making trouble. Still nothing. Now the other animals, they notice this. They start to move in. The jackals; hyenas. They’re barking at him, laughing at him. They nip his toes, and eat the food that’s in his domain. They do this, then they get closer and closer, bolder and bolder. Till one day, that lion gets up and tears the shit out of everybody. Runs like the wind, eats everything in his path. Cause every once in a while, the lion has to show the jackals, who he is - Poolhall Junkies

Heart of a lion, 

Nick

If you become diverted from us by our behavior, you would never have been able to keep pace with us anyway. - Idries Shah Everyone thinks The Games starts tomorrow… truth be told, The Crossfit Games started months ago. Sadly, if you are one of those that thinks it starts tomorrow, you are too late. All the weaknesses, now strengths. All the comps are in the past. All the blisters, bruises, and aches are recovered. For some, the finals are already in their minds, but you can’t get there without making it through this first. The pace at which everything is going to happen these next six weeks is gonna be faster than any Fran time ever posted. Hopefully you can keep pace.  Try to keep up,  Nick

If you become diverted from us by our behavior, you would never have been able to keep pace with us anyway. - Idries Shah

Everyone thinks The Games starts tomorrow… truth be told, The Crossfit Games started months ago. Sadly, if you are one of those that thinks it starts tomorrow, you are too late. All the weaknesses, now strengths. All the comps are in the past. All the blisters, bruises, and aches are recovered.

For some, the finals are already in their minds, but you can’t get there without making it through this first. The pace at which everything is going to happen these next six weeks is gonna be faster than any Fran time ever posted. Hopefully you can keep pace. 

Try to keep up, 

Nick

When you’ve flown as far as you can, you’re halfway there. Powerful stuff if you translate it to Crossfit. Train, and train and train, and just when you think you’ve got it, you feel good about your training, you have more to do. And not just a little tune up work, it seems as though there are almost not enough days in a year to get all the training you need. I suppose that’s the difference between those that wish for it, and those that work for it.  Everyday, every moment spent at the Lab, is time put in becoming the best version of you that you can be. Just when you think that what you’ve done is enough, it’s not. The daunting task in front of you is presented to many, where others turn around and walk away, we decide to attack it, head on.  Never be satisfied, keep flying. Nick.

When you’ve flown as far as you can, you’re halfway there.

Powerful stuff if you translate it to Crossfit. Train, and train and train, and just when you think you’ve got it, you feel good about your training, you have more to do. And not just a little tune up work, it seems as though there are almost not enough days in a year to get all the training you need. I suppose that’s the difference between those that wish for it, and those that work for it. 

Everyday, every moment spent at the Lab, is time put in becoming the best version of you that you can be. Just when you think that what you’ve done is enough, it’s not. The daunting task in front of you is presented to many, where others turn around and walk away, we decide to attack it, head on. 

Never be satisfied, keep flying.

Nick.

There is no strong will or bad will, there is either trained or untrained. With competition hours away, one can’t help but think about the outcome. Thing is, you can only control your outcome and what you do. All the training, all the sacrifice, all the blood, sweat, and tears culminate into two days of work.  For some, it is their first competition, a precursor for many to come.To others, it is a stepping stone of what’s to come in the following weeks. Neither more important than the other, both laying out their set of skills, both testing themselves.  We all want to win, we all wanna rep, we all wanna break records… and we all will. The key to all this is “we”. Amongst all the animosity, all the feuds, and all the grudges, “We” are all coming together. “We” come to compete in something we love, something that lights fires in us, something that we all have a passion for. We are a community.  Nick

There is no strong will or bad will, there is either trained or untrained.

With competition hours away, one can’t help but think about the outcome. Thing is, you can only control your outcome and what you do. All the training, all the sacrifice, all the blood, sweat, and tears culminate into two days of work. 

For some, it is their first competition, a precursor for many to come.To others, it is a stepping stone of what’s to come in the following weeks. Neither more important than the other, both laying out their set of skills, both testing themselves. 

We all want to win, we all wanna rep, we all wanna break records… and we all will. The key to all this is “we”. Amongst all the animosity, all the feuds, and all the grudges, “We” are all coming together. “We” come to compete in something we love, something that lights fires in us, something that we all have a passion for. We are a community. 

Nick