Tomorrow! It's finally here! The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. It's going to be an EPIC event! Athletes started arriving early yesterday, with last night being the athlete dinner. Graham Holmberg, Rob Orlando, Mikko Salo, Dan Bailey, all the heavy hitters are there. And how can we forget about the women! Kristan Clever, Lisa Shiu, Katie Hogan, and of course, Ms. Jaime Gold!
Speaking of Kristan, the big buzz around the dinner was that the 2010 Games Champion had 2 Bud Light bottles with dinner. The amount of Facebook chatter went off the charts when the picture surfaced. Numerous people (clients and non) sent me messages asking about alcohol and training. It was an uproar.
Calm down, people. It's 2 beers. First of all, in the grand scheme of things, 2 beers (especially for an elite athlete such as Ms. Clever) is not going to kill you. And secondly, and probably more importantly, I highly doubt that last years champ has left any room for question as to if she knows what she is doing. I have no idea as to how Kristan's training and nutrition coordinate with each other. Many of the top level athletes swear to nothing that isn't Paleo. On the same hand, you can find probably just as many that eat whatever they want, just with a more observant eye to the moderation (more of a "Zone" friendly plan). And every now and then, you will find that athlete (cough, cough, Dan Bailey), that can be caught having a cookie (or 2) the week before the games.
I am not a person that is saying it is good to put alcohol into the training regime. However, relax. Watch the Games this weekend while sitting back and cracking open a beer. It will not be the end of you. I won't be drinking during the games, but not because I think it will add .00005 seconds to my "Fran" time.
