Bound Newsletter 11.23.2025
At CrossFit Bound, we believe training is about far more than hitting a PR, surviving a metcon, or dragging yourself off the floor after the final rep. Every time we step into the gym—especially on the days when the workout is tough, the weights feel heavy, or the clock seems to move too slowly—we’re given an opportunity to practice something bigger: gratitude.
It’s easy to be thankful when life is smooth. But gratitude built under a barbell, on the Echo bike, or somewhere between round 4 and 5… that’s the kind that sticks with you.
Gratitude for Our Bodies
A tough workout reminds us of what our bodies can do—not what they can’t.
You may feel the burn in your legs or the fire in your lungs, but that discomfort is proof of something important:
You’re alive. You’re capable. You’re improving.
Every squat, every pull-up, every push past the point of wanting to stop is a reminder that your body is stronger than you think. Not everyone gets to experience that. We honor our bodies by challenging them, respecting them, and being grateful for their ability to adapt and grow.
Gratitude for Our Abilities
CrossFit training constantly shows us that ability is not a fixed trait—it's something we build brick by brick, rep by rep.
The first time you pick up a barbell.
The first time you RX a workout.
The first time you hit a skill you once thought was impossible.
These moments aren’t accidents. They’re earned.
And each one is a reason to be thankful for the persistence, discipline, and self-belief that training teaches us.
When a workout feels tough, remember: you asked for this challenge. You pursued a lifestyle where effort is celebrated, where quitting isn’t an option, and where growth is a daily pursuit. That’s a gift in itself.
Gratitude for Our Community
Maybe the most powerful part of training at CrossFit Bound: you never do it alone.
Hard workouts hit different when you share them with people who:
cheer for you,
push with you,
finish beside you,
and celebrate the small wins with the same excitement as the big ones.
When you hear barbells dropping around you, when a partner tells you to “pick it up,” when a coach gives you that nod meaning “you’ve got more in you”—that’s community. That’s connection. That’s support.
And it’s something to be grateful for every single day.
Thankful for the Opportunity
There will be challenging days, busy days, and days you don’t feel like training. But gratitude helps us shift perspective:
Instead of “I have to do this workout,”
we get to say, “I get to do this.”
I get to move.
I get to grow.
I get to test myself.
I get to become better than I was yesterday.
That simple mindset shift turns struggle into opportunity… and a hard workout into a celebration of what we’re capable of.
Final Thought
This week, as we reflect on gratitude, remember that some of the best lessons in thankfulness come from the hardest moments under the barbell.
Be grateful for your body.
Be grateful for your abilities.
Be grateful for your community.
And most of all—be grateful for the chance to become stronger, inside and out.
See you in the gym, Bound fam. Let’s train with gratitude.
Bragging Board
Congratulations to Miguel and April on their engagement!
OG member Brittany Karneol running a 5k with her family.
Let’s Welcome New Members
Hope Haugh
Upcoming Anniversaries & Brithdays
Anniversaries
5-years
Fatih Sen - Nov 28
10-years
Rob Morgan - Nov 26
Birthdays
Peter Wiggin - Nov 23
Nicole Corey - Nov 27
Upcoming Schedule & Events
December 5th - Friday Bound “Lift for a Gift” / Xmas Party
With the holidays requiring so much time and sometimes stress from parties, gatherings, etc. We are going to have a donation to Toys for Tots, workout, and food/party on Friday December 6th at CFB. Bring a Toy to donate, we’ll have a special holiday workout, then enjoy some time and food between 4-7pm.
Wear your favorite Xmas sweater or Grinch Costume and bring a children’s gift.
more details coming soon
Amicolola Falls Marathon - December 6, 2025
Full and Half Marathon route in the famous Amicalola Falls State Park which boasts miles of trails, catering to various fitness levels and preferences. The park's trails meander through lush forests, alongside bubbling creeks, and offer stunning views of the 729-foot Amicalola Falls—the tallest cascading waterfall in Georgia .
Jess and some others are already signed up
The Conquer ‘The Toughest Backyard Ultra’
$150 to sign up, and at the start of the race runners will be given a $100 bill to carry the entire race. The remaining $50 goes to the park fees, volunteers and insurance. If the runner desires to stop or times out of the race, they will place the $100 bill into a glass case for the overall winner to claim at the end. Two years into the planning to discover the toughest location to pull off a backyard ultra and we found it at the famous AT approach trail in the Amicalola Falls State Park. The loop starts at the top of the falls with the rugged East Ridge trail leading down to the bottom parking area to pick up the lower Mountain Laurel trail and then up the AT Approach trails with 605 steps back to the top of the falls.
Simple: Each runner will have 1 hour to complete the 4.1-mile loop (1,065ft of elevation) every hour until only one person remains.
Helen Holiday Half & 10K Race - December 13, 2025
discount code ‘Helen10’. *thank you Jen Wells!
The Art of Pacing CrossFit Workouts (and When to Throw It Out the Window)
By Stephane Rochet, CF-L4
Let’s talk about pacing in CrossFit workouts. Not the fancy competitive strategies that Games athletes use, but the real, everyday decisions you face when you walk into your box and see the whiteboard.
Here’s the thing: pacing matters, but we might be overthinking it.
The Basic Framework
When it comes to pacing your workouts, think about duration first. It’s really that simple.
For workouts lasting over 15 minutes — such as Cindy or longer AMRAPs — start at a steady pace you can maintain. Maybe even ramp it up in the second half if you still have gas left in the tank. The goal is consistency, not heroics, in the first round.
For workouts under 15 minutes, treat it like running a hard mile or a mile and a half. You’re going to be huffing and puffing pretty early, but you’re not maxing out where you have to stop. It’s that sweet spot of uncomfortable but sustainable.
For anything under 5 minutes? 3, 2, 1 … go! Let it rip and see what happens.
The Lost Art of Crashing and Burning
Here’s my pet peeve with all the pacing talk: we’ve lost something valuable from the early days of CrossFit.
Back in 2008 and 2009, nobody really knew about pacing. You’d show up, look at the workout, and just go for it. Sometimes you’d hang on. Sometimes you wouldn’t. And you know what? That was OK. More than OK; it was valuable.
There’s something to be learned from occasionally screwing the pacing plan and just seeing what you’ve got. Maybe you hang on. Maybe you crash. Either way, you discover something about yourself that no perfectly executed pacing strategy will teach you.
When Pacing Becomes an Excuse
Be honest with yourself: is your pacing strategy actually about optimizing performance, or is it code for, “I’m trying to make this easier”?
Are you looking for a way to get through the workout without being pushed to the limit? Because pacing can become a way to avoid pain and discomfort.
Think about a workout like Angie: 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats. Sure, you could carefully plan your rep schemes to avoid failure. Stop at sets of 5, take strategic breaks, never push too hard. You’ll get a decent score.
But every once in a while, try that big set of pull-ups. See what happens. Push until the wheels fall off.
The 400-Meter Story
Here’s a training method that embodies this philosophy perfectly: football players running five 400-meter sprints with one simple instruction — run the first one all out. Everything you’ve got. Hard as you can.
Then hang on for the rest of them.
No punishment for slowing down. No time standards to hit. Just one all-out effort, followed by insufficient recovery, leading to progressively uglier attempts. The last one is terrible, but the lessons learned are invaluable.
That’s the experience you miss when you always pace perfectly. When you have a plan every day, execute it, feel good about it, and go home satisfied, you’re missing some of the spice of CrossFit.
The Real Strategy
If I had one message about pacing, it’s this: don’t let it become a crutch.
Most of the time, yes, stop just short of failure. Break up those high-rep sets strategically. Start with a pace you can maintain.
But every once in a while, embrace the pain. Get into a workout and see how far you can push. You’ll probably discover you’re capable of more than you thought.
Remember, we don’t get many chances to retest the same workout repeatedly, as competitive athletes do. Similar workouts will arise and provide you with data points, but each training session is an opportunity not just to execute a plan, but to explore your limits.
The Bottom Line
Yes, understand basic pacing principles. Longer workouts need steadier starts. Shorter workouts tolerate more aggressive pacing. But don’t let the strategy rob you of the raw, uncomfortable experience that makes CrossFit what it is.
Sometimes the best pacing strategy is to have no strategy at all, just honest effort and the willingness to find out what happens when you really push.
Next time you see a workout on the board, maybe forget about the perfect pacing plan. Jump in, see what you’ve got, and remember why you started doing this in the first place. Because lying on the floor after a workout that absolutely destroyed you is not a failure of pacing. That’s where the real growth happens.
