i'm the tall guy in red in the back, just wanted to comment on the cert. i had a blast and learned plenty. i think every crossfitter should go out and get this cert. it was mentioned there how we stick to form for everything and then tell you to just go out and run. that is not right at all. i showed forty percent increase from day one to day two in running technique. brian and carl are great teachers. keep up the good work! steve and kelly thanks for everything. brandon

Steve L. - it's about time you learn how to run!

How's everything?

OMG! I am in a picture on CF! LOL! I just wanted to thank Kelly and Steve and Ocean City CF for hosting the Running Cert. And to thank Brian and Carl for sharing their knowledge with us. They did an EXCELLENT job! I never thought I'd say I had a good time running again. I had a 56% increase in one day of their teaching! Amazing! You know when you get it right, you don't feel like you are running, you feel like you are floating on air.
I also wanted to thank everyone else at the Cert., "Louie", Maggie...all you ladies who I can't remember your names! Sorry! You all rock! Couldn't have asked for a better bunch of people to spend the weekend with! Anyone who has the chance should definitely make a trip to OC CrossFit, they are awesome!

I'm still waiting for my boy Nick to show me some Pose! Guess I'll have to wait until we host a cert! bts

The cert was awesome. Brian and Carl presented some great information and Steve and Kelly were great hosts. I even managed to get some spot corrections on my DL form and pull a PR over the weekend. Good times.

Awesome Cert!! I learned so much. I used to HATE running (the few times I've run) and now I think there's hope. I improved my technique by 33% in one day! Brian & Carl are great instructors!

Just wanted to say, what a great group of people! I enjoyed meeting all of you.

Starting the 6 week training tomorrow, and will enter my FIRST 5K race the week after. I actually can't wait!

(front row, pink shirt)

Coast to Coast

Awesome Beach WOD Oceanside CrossFit!!

Dare I share POSE with someone of Mark's caliber. It would take years - guess he should've went to the cert with me. Now he's got to wait until we hold one at our gym. bts-nb

CrossFit Ocean City Rocks! Go Steve and Kelly!

Hey Brian...nice gun...

Best,

Jon

Hey Kelly & Steve,

Way to represent!

Awesome way to end the summer with good people and an excruciating WOD. Thanks for the good time Oceanside Crossfit!

Thank you Brian, Carl and everyone who came to the running and end. cert. It was a pleasure to be in your company.

The training was fantastic! Running is a skill that takes focus, practice, and persistence to master. It was great to receive coaching from Brian and Carl, learn the drills, apply them, and see INCREDIBLE improvement by every person! The information presented in the CF Endurance Programming lecture gave me one more tool to help our CrossFitters be successful.

This cert is a must!

Thank you Brian and Carl! I went from the "I hate to run" club to the "This is actually fun" club in 24 hrs! Unbelievable! I increased my running efficency by 63%. And guess what WOD Steve posted today (Mon) - a 5K! I actually looked forward to doing it. I didn't break any records but I ran the whole way (with one short water break) which is a first for me. AND I wasn't gasping for air at the end. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You guys are the best!

Steve and Kelley - thanks for hosting, great to see you guys!

Brian and Carl - as requested, here's some pros/cons:

Issue: Course material being sent out prior to Cert.
Discussion: Power points and CFJ Articles were sent well ahead of the cert to prepare students.
Recommendation: Just thought this was a good move. I like having reference stuff around after certs and I like to have a baseline of how things will run ahead of time. I wish LVL I would do this!

Issue: Homework.
Discussion: Instructors provided a 6 week homework packet to work on technique and running ability.
Recommendation: I think this is terrific too - you're only going to get good at skill work by continually working at it. I'm definitely going to take this on (as soon as I can walk again, my calves are still toast).

Issue: Testing.
Discussion: There is a final test due at the end of the Cert.
Recommendation: Again, thought this was a good move - even though we could work on it through the weekend, not just during a set "testing session" - I thought this was a good way to have some quality control.

However, I thought there were some issues with the test vs. the presented material. Specifically:

Endurance Certification Question 10
Programming Questions 3 & 5

EDQ 10. Can Stamina Training replace long slow distance training?

The term "Stamina Training" wasn't used (that I remember) in the entire presentation - so it was up to my interpretation what "Stamina Training" was.

PQ3. How many time trials should a triathlete do in their first week of training?

I think this is supposed to read "intervals" not "time trials", I'm going off page 14, slide 2 of the .ppt handout.

PQ4. How many CFE "Crossfit Endurance" workouts should a single sport athlete (competing in an event longer than 5k) complete in a week?

I selected "4-6" and Carl marked "2-3". If you look at pg 13 slide 3 though it says 4-6 sessions a week. Also, I'm not differentiating between a "Crossfit Endurance" WOD and time trials, LSD training, etc. When I read "Crossfit Endurance" session, I think that includes the programming we discussed on Day 2 where the athlete would do 3-4 CF Workouts and then sport specific training 2-3, but I thought those would all fall under the "Crossfit Endurance" umbrella.

Issue: Verbally citing "studies".
Discussion: During the presentation, Brian mentioned "studies have shown" on a few different occasions.
Recommendation: Either cite it specifically, link it in the handout, or don't mention it. Granted, this is just a huge pet peeve with me, but I'm hugely swayed by people that have their citations handy - and way turned off when they don't.

Issue: Myofascial Release and stretching.
Discussion: During the class we went over this.
Recommendation: Keep it up - it's something I neglect and I think a lot of other people do to. We do some Sampson Stretch, some Shoulder Dislocates, and that's about it. So great to get some info on some solid rehab techniques.

Issue: Timing of Cert.
Discussion: Cert was held in Ocean City the week after Bike Week and nowhere near Senior Week.
Recommendation: I brought down a trunk full of Zima for the weekend with no one to share it with. Seniors Rule!

Overall great cert.

This was an awesome cert! I started the weekend with the hope that I would just become a more efficient runner, not necessarily faster....after two days of phenomenal coaching, I am actually faster as proven by the 5k we did today! I took almost a minute off my time thanks to Brian and Carl! It was a great way to spend the weekend and we had the chance to meet some great people - thanks to Brian and Carl for the presentation and to Steve and Kelley for making it all possible. Just one more reason why I love CrossFit!!

Just want to thank Brian and Carl for a great weekend of learning. I also want to thank Steve and Kelly for hosting the running cert. If anyone is on the fence about attending this cert let me be the first to tell you it is an absolute must for any serious crossfitter or endurance athlete. The knowledge I gained from this cert was worth every penny. Thanks again for making it a great weekend.

Kudos to CF OC and Kelley and Steve and the whole crew -- I recognize several of you - looks like you had a great turn-out!

The running cert is something to put in your files. If anyone could teach an old dog new tricks it's Brian and Carl. I know they had their doubts but I hope I proved them wrong. I just wanted to thank you so much for really working with me. Twenty seven years of running heel toe is going to be hard to break but with great coaching it can be done. I just need to get out my heels and get some flats!! It was nice meeting so many new crossfitters. It's like hanging out with an extented family. Also, a big thanks to Steve and Kelley. You guys are the best and I'm proud to on your team!!