Member Success and Fitness Challenge Winner, Casey Markee!

Casey just completed the SoCal Tough Mudder! If you're interested in seeing what he had to endure, check out the course here:http://toughmudder.com/events/socal/


How long have you been doing CrossFit?
- I started Crossfit on September 1st, 2008. So almost 3 yrs.

Was there a moment, or maybe a WOD (or its aftermath), when you realized you understood what CrossFit was about?
- Probably the first time I did Fran which was in January, 2009. I knew this was NOT for the faint of heart and that I had a ton of work to do, but that there wasn't anything there on a WOD basis that I couldn't physically not complete on a daily basis.

How has CrossFit impacted your life outside the box?
- I play a lot of softball and outside sports, Crossfit has made me a MUCH better performer than I was previously.

Do you monitor your diet? If so, when did you begin to look at nutrition as part of your training? Could you describe a typical training meal and a typical cheat meal?
- I'll admit that I did not embrace the nutritional side of Crossfit until 2011. It wasn't until last February that I really gave a 100% commitment to a Paleo/low-carb eating lifestyle. Since I've done so, I've seen huge gains in my daily work output and Crossfit benchmark performance. An average meal for me now is lots of meat, vegetables, no bread, and the occasional diet soda and beer. When I cheat, which isn't a lot lately, I do it with the occasional piece of pizza or an actual sandwich with bread.

Do your non-CrossFitting friends and relatives get what you do?
- They support it but don't embrace it. They take one look at my hands (which are routinely scarred or heavily calloused) and think what I do is crazy! Nevertheless, they see the results and know that, at least in my case, it's working pretty well.

Do you ever get discouraged or burned out? How do you overcome that?
- I definitely used to when stepping on the scale, or when I had a particularly bad WOD experience. But especially in 2011, I've learned to be a little more "patient" and accept the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be. I also tell myself that tomorrow is another day and especially when we were doing the CROSSFIT GAMES WODs earlier in the year, I just redid several WODs if I wasn't happy with my first attempt, so that always help.

Good or bad, involving you or someone else, can you tell us about your most memorable CrossFit experience?
- Honestly, pull-ups have ALWAYS been tough for me so probably my most memorable experience was very recently in May when I retested with Andrea on my Max Pull-ups. I'd been working hard on that specific skill to increase my total max pull-ups number in one minute. I went from 23 to 36 in a minute, and of that 36 I was able to bang-out 25 in a row unbroken, and when you weigh 240+ pounds, that's a lot of pull-ups .

Who in the CrossFit community inspires you and why?
- The sense of community is actually what is most inspiring to me. Only crossfitters GET crossfitters. It's not the end result of the WOD or who finished first or even who scaled and didn't scale. It's all about the journey to lifelong fitness and how you get there. I've met some GREAT friends in Crossfit (including our trainers) and I wouldn't trade them for the world. There's something special about people who you sweat, bleed, (and in some cases) cry with, on a daily basis.

Which pr—for a WOD or lift—are you most proud of and why?
- Without a doubt it would be my VERY recent Fran as RX'd time of 7:36. That may not be "world-class" by any measure but it was a huge improvement over the 11:00+ time I had at the start of 2011 - it also allowed me to accomplish my goal in 2011 of a sub-8min Fran (much earlier than I had thought possible). It also followed a very disappointing time on the same WOD a week earlier. I knew I could do better though and did it again the following week. Of course it took noticeable prodding from Jeff, Deb and Andrea to actually get me to do it again. But it was appreciated just the same.

What are your favorite and least favorite benchmark WOD, lift, and movement (if different from the lift)?
- My favorite WODs are Grace and Randy since I tend to do well on Clean & Jerks and Snatches. My least favorite WODs involve anything having to do with Front Squats or Sumo Dead Lifts, those are noticeable"goats" I need to substantially work on. And running...I HATE running, but I'm learning to live with it on a semi-regular basis.

Which skill, technique, or movement was the most difficult for you to master? Which one, if any, are you still trying to accomplish? How do you mentally prepare for a WOD when you know what it is well in advance? How about when you see it on the whiteboard minutes prior to the start?
- I can honestly say I haven't mastered ANY of the movements yet. Dan E is always very quick to point that out to me in no uncertain terms . Nevertheless, I find that I mentally have to gear up the most for Thrusters since they involve front squats and I tend to still suffer from depth and flexibility issues. I tend to mentally substitute another movement (any other movement) for "front squats" when I see them on the whiteboard. That helps.

Can you describe your short-term and long-term CrossFit goals?
- My short-term goal is to continue to eat (more or less) Paleo-healthy throughout the Summer and continue to hit a minimum of 4 Crossfit WODs a week. My long-term goals include getting a sub 6:00 Fran, a 500 lb deadlift, and actually doing 20 pull-ups on the straight bar. I'd also like to eventually get an invitation to work out with the Alphas, but I'm realistic that this may take awhile.

What do you think about CrossFit's evolution as a fitness program? What would you like to see for the CrossFit community over the next few years? What wouldn't you like to see?
- Crossfit's future expansion prospects are limitless. I actually expect the Crossfit Games to eventually be televised live nationally in the near future. I'd also like to see some kind of local roll-out of Crossfit Kids programs in the Ramona school district before my own children graduate. What I WOULDN'T like to see is the avocation of people taking up Crossfit JUST because it's cool or the newest fitness craze. It's definitely not for everyone and that's fine.

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Great Job on the Fitness Challenge, keep up the good work!

Casey, you are the Man!
Seeing how you have been able to transform your body over the last 6 months is nothing short of Awesome. YOU inspire ME to push harder and dig deeper. Keep that warrior spirit. See ya in a couple weeks. Al

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