Month: July 2016

Resilience & Community

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Unbroken Workout Challenge

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This was a challenge developed from a discussion with a very good friend of mine, someone I have been CrossFitting with since 2006.  We were looking for a goal to try and reach by a month out.  Not competing anymore coupled with the amount of time we have been CrossFitting, we were looking for something to spark our drive.

Pull ups are very underrated by most people and I feel it is an essential skill especially for someone that trains.  You can walk into a any gym in the world and you would have a hard time finding someone that can do 20 strict pull ups, let alone 25.  Same can be said with push ups. There is something very humbling about not being good at doing something as simple as push ups, yet they are a very perishable skill. These two components alone are the where I expect people to have to reevaluate themselves.

The standards are as follows, however, I don’t want someone who can’t meet these yet to shy away from this challenge.  This is more of an internal workout than external. The goal here is to go hard and learn something about yourself. To face something challenging and test yourself. Be unconquerable.  Continue reading →

Be Prepared

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While at work, I heard a call come in of a 2 month old baby not breathing on the 8th floor of a hotel. I was two blocks away. I had just gone through a refresher course in CPR/AED training a week prior.  I was there in seconds.

I parked and ran into the lobby. I saw the elevators were high in the building near the top floors, so the only option was to find and sprint the stairs. I could not sit there and wait while a baby, that I could help, was not breathing. I was in a wool uniform with a vest, gear, and boots and I had been sitting down for a while. None of this matters at a time like this.  What matters is I flew up the stairs as fast as I could to put myself in a position to save a baby’s life.  While I was running up the stairs I had a very familiar feeling, like I had been there before.  I had been training for this moment for years thanks to my CrossFit training.  It was very clear to me why I had been doing what I had all this time. I was not only able to sprint up the stairs quickly, but I was able to stay calm and recover my breath quickly once I reached the destination.  This allowed me to be in position to save a life with poise.

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For Dad

/ Scott McGee / 8 Comments

This is a letter I gave to my father while he was battling cancer while my wife was pregnant with our first son, my dads first grandchild. The year was 2012.

Dad,

Today I am going to start writing documents like this one to give to my son (your grandson) some day when he is of age.  I am going to save copies in the computer and print out hard copies for a book of some sort.  I really like reading the stuff you and mom  put in my baby book, so I want to pass those special type of moments on.  I figured I would write you first and include it in our book. 

There are a lot of things I want to share with you but sometimes have a hard time articulating them.  I am hoping this helps and you have the strength to read this stuff at your leisure.  I know what you are going through is painful, frustrating, and scary and it will get worse before it gets better.  One of my goals is to help you maintain a strong spirit and ferociously powerful will!  Your flesh is going through hell but you don’t have to sacrifice your spirit.  You are not merely your body.  The will is stronger.  I love you, we all love you.  So keep fighting with your head up.


I want to share a Father’s Prayer with you by General Douglas MacArthur.  With our pregnancy and the growth of our son this prayer has been very important to me.  I have read it many many times wishing it to come true for Amanda and I. 

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Movement Is a Gift

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I have been blessed with the health and ability to complete several physical tasks. This includes things like running, competing in CrossFit, playing sports, carrying my kit, lifting my kids off the floor, etc. This ability comes and goes with certain injuries. When it happens we focus on what we can no longer do and when we have it we complain that things like running and burpees suck.  There was a time when my hamstring was blown out and I couldn’t do something as simple as walk quickly across the street and jump up a curb because traffic was coming.  I lost the ability to play frisbee at the beach (if I wanted to do that). I wasn’t only thinking about fitness, I was thinking about my wellness and quality of life.

 

While being injured can be physically and emotionally painful, that is something you have control over.  That is the time you make a decision. Part of the pain is the loss of a gift you had and you want it back. Choosing to accept your current predicament and focus on the gifts you still CAN do is the path to strength and appreciation.  Getting injured is good. It’s an opportunity to slow down, regroup, appreciate what you do have, and to come back better than you were before.  It’s also a lesson that movement is a gift. Health is wealth.  Don’t pollute that gift with complaints.

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