New Coach Intro: Mike Hebe – CrossFit Endurance

My name is Mike Hebe. I am a 44 year old self-confessed bicycle junkie. I love bikes. I love racing bikes. I love challenging myself on two wheels; triathlon, mountain bikes, cyclocross or road it does not matter. In my life I have owned more bikes than years that I have lived on this beautiful earth.

Birthdate:

September 4th 1967.

Category:
Elite / Masters 40+

How long you’ve been racing / riding:
I started racing Triathlons in 1987 & have been racing ever since.

Why you like to ride and race:
I love being outside. I love the feeling of being on a bike. You can see and enjoy so much more of your surroundings. I have always been competitive. From Little League baseball at age eight to IM World Championships last year. If it is worth putting effort into, it is worth doing your absolute best.

Where you grew up:
Wellsville & East Berlin, PA I live in New Cumberland presently.

List of your bikes:
Giant XTC 29er mountain bike, Cannondale cyclocross bike, Cannondale CAAD 8 & CAAD 9 road bikes. “The China bike” time trial bike. Smorgasboard mountainbike (this was Chris Daily’s bike company). I need a townie to finish the fleet.

List of your worst crashes:
Wiped out in a rain slicked training sprint a few years ago, at 35mph. Went off the road and hit a rut while still doing 30ish. I landed about 30 feet later on my head. Yes, helmets work.

Training routines:
I am pretty  structured, and use a coach. I have six seasons of historical training data graphed out to show how training impacted my racing. That way I get the most out of my training. I used to race a great deal, probably 40-50 times a year. That is how you get fast.

Nutritional beliefs:
Eat healthy, organic if possible. Tons of fruits and veggies, meat is a good thing. After my diabetes diagnosis I gave up my beloved Chocolate milk and Nutella.

Descriptions of best ride(s) ever:
Hard to say. I have had a lot of good rides, with good friends. Ironman Cozumel may have been my best race.

Worst ride ever:
No such thing. Any time outside enjoying yourself is a good thing. Getting hit by a car was a bummer, but I survived.

If you were a bike, what would you be?
Steel framed Schwinn lunch bike. Plain, not fancy, plugs along and helps people get things done. A bike where someone looks back years later and says that was a nice, fun bike. I really enjoyed my time with that bike.

Favorite place to ride:
I am rediscovering the off-road possibilities. Swatara State Park is small, but super fun. I love riding my CX bikes. The back roads of Northern York County are great for training. I am looking forward to discovering new roads all the time.

Favorite races:
Most any race that is a challenge, where the course is interesting and the people at the event are nice. Any cyclocross race fits that bill for me. Kona was pretty cool because I learned so much about myself. To have Kara there while I completed a dream that started 20+ years ago was amazing. I am looking forward to adding to my favorite races this year.

Worst races / finishes:
Four corner crits are boring, but I appreciate the promoters who put the event on. After promoting for years, I can appreciate the amount of effort involved. Worst race ever was in ’92. At Superweek I cracked on stage thirteen, of eighteen, and lasted four miles before I dropped out. That was when I developed an immense respect for stage racers.

2008 Results  

4/6       VisitPA.com Relay                             1^st        Elite

4/20     US 40K TT                                         6^th        pro 1,2

4/20     Hibernia STXC                                   2^nd       Elite

4/27     Greenbrier AMBC                              3^rd        40+ Expert

5/3       Cat Classic                                            1^st        35+ Expert

5/10     French Creek Marathon                    1^st        Elite

5/17     Rocktober Marathon                          3^rd        Elite

5/31     D & Q Summer Sizzler                       6^th        Elite

6/7       Tour De Tykes STXC                           1^st        Elite

6/8       Tour De Tykes XC                               8^th        Elite

6/22     Guy’s XC                                                12^th      Elite

7/4       Marysville TT                                       7^th        Elite

7/5       Marysville Enduro                              2^nd       Elite

7/6       Marysville Stage race                          9^th        Elite

7/13     Fair Hill XC                                        12^th      Elite

7/19     Mt Snow Nat Champs XC                 4^th        40-44

7/20     Mt Snow Nat Champs Super D      1^st        40-44

8/9       God’s Country Marathon                  2^nd       Elite

8/16     Iron Hill Enduro                                  2^nd       Elite

9/1       24 hrs of 7 Springs                              1^st        Elite

9/13     Bear Creek CX                                    1^st        Masters

9/20     Bear Creek STXC                               4^th        Elite

9/21     Bear Creek XC                                    7^th        Elite

9/27     Phelps School CX                               1^st        Masters

10/4     Hagerstown CX                                  7th       Elite

10/11   IC Lite                                                   1^st        Masters

10/12   Iron Cross                                           20^th      Elite                        

10/18   Granogue UCI C1                               24^th      Elite

10/19   Wissahickon UCI C2                        28^th      Elite

10/25   Whirly Bird                                         2^nd       Masters

11/22   Lancaster CX                                      2^nd       Masters

11/23   Spring Mt                                             1^st        Masters

11/29   PA States CX                                        1^st        Masters

PA State CX Overall                          1st       Masters

MASS STXC series                             1^st        Elite

MASS Endurance                               2nd      Elite

MASS XC                                               5th       Elite

2009 Race Results

 4/2       Michaux Time Trial                                        1st

4/26     Off-Road Duathlon National Champs       4^th Overall     1^st 40+

4/30     Michaux Time Trial                                        1^st

5/10     CAT Classic Mountain Bike Race                 1^st Expert

5/23     Gretna Triathlon                                             5^th Overall       1^st 40+

5/31     XTerra Big Canyon                                        1^st Overall        1^st 40+

6/7       Pinchot Triathlon                                            2^nd Overall       1^st 40+

6/14     XTerra Richmond Atlantic Champs           8^th Overall       2^nd 40+

6/21     Harrisburg Tri                                                 2^nd Overall       1^st 40+

6/28     XTerra RB Winter                                          2^nd Overall       1^st 40+

7/12     XTerra Rocky Gap                                         2^nd Overall       1^st 40+

7/19     Catfish Triathlon                                            3^rd Overall       1^st 40+

8/2       XTerra Appalachia                                         1^st Overall        1^st 40+

8/25     Michaux TT                                                    1^st Overall

8/30     RiverStock Tri                                                 2^nd Overall       1^st 40+

9/19     Nittany Cyclocross                                        4^th Elite masters

9/20     Charm City Cyclocross                                  7^th Elite Masters

9/27     WhirlyBird Cyclocross                                   5^th Elite

10/11   IC Lite Cyclocross                                          2^nd Elite

10/17   Chilli Challenge Triathlon                          4^th Overall       2^nd 40+

10/31   DACC 5K                                                          1^st Overall

2010 Results

3/6       Geisinger Humdinger trail run                        2nd overall

4/3       PAValleys.com MTB Relay                          1^st Overall

4/17      Robbins Run trail 10k                                    2nd overall

5/1       Rivertowns half-marathon                             4th overall

5/15     75 miles of Montour                                      6th overall

5/22       Danville Sprint Tri                                        1st overall

6/5         Warrior Sprint Tri                                         3rd overall

7/11       Harriburg Sprint Tri                                      2nd overall

7/18     Anthracite Olympic tri                                  1st overall

8/21     LARA Sprint tri                                             1st overall

8/29     Riverstock Olympic Tri                                1st overall

9/25     Chesapeakeman Iron Aqua Velo                2nd overall

11/28   Ironman Cozumel                                          6th 40-44

Rivertowns series                                            1st overall

USAT Triathlon All-American

2011 Results   

4/30 Danville Sprint Tri                                  1^st overall

6/5   Pinchot Tri                                              1^st overall

7/10 Catfish Tri                                              1^st overall

8/21 Clarks Valley 40k                                   1^st overall

8/27 PA State Tri                                            1^st overall

10/8 Ironman World Championship               67/250 40-44 9:54

12/3 Key West Sprint Tri                               1^st overall

USAT Triathlon All-American

Accomplishments

20+ years of racing experience in Road, triathlon, MTB, Cyclocross

Approximately 600-700 events entered, 66 race and series wins, and counting

2008 USA Cycling MTB Super D National Champion 40+

2009 USAT Off-Road Duathlon National Champion 40+

2009 USAT Off-Road Triathlon All-American

2009 USAT Road Triathlon All-American

2009 USAT XTerra Triathlon Mid-Atlantic series leader 40+

2009 USAT XTerra Triathlon National Series points 2^nd place 40+

2005-2009 Executive Director Mid-Atlantic cyclocross series (10 race International series)

2006-2009 Executive Director PA Cycling Association Cyclocross

2004-2008 Race Director Lower Allen Classic, Carlisle Classic UCI C2 Cyclocross events

USA Cycling certified coach

CrossFit 717: A Look Back

A Look Back On My First Year With CrossFit717

Recently I’ve been getting asked ” what are you on?” while people point to
my arms. It comes from co-workers, parents of my students, family members, and even strangers.   After the initial shock of this question wears off,  I answer with “usually a rower, maybe some rings.” This leads to more questions and a mini tutorial of what CrossFit717 has taught me in the last year.

I owe A LOT to this gym (we call them boxes!). I’m 29 and in the best shape of my life.
As a display of gratitude and to offer encouragement to new comers, I asked if I could write a post. The following is a reflection on the last year of me getting acquainted with CrossFit while working out at CrossFit 717.

Leading Up To The Start

I used to consider my college swimming days the pinnacle of my physical fitness. While on the team, I was obligated to attend 17 hours of practice each week. Each practice had a pre-planned work out and team mates to motivate me.
Although my weight was low and I was lean, swimming lacked a functional fitness model. I could swim BUT I would still get tired playing other things (soft ball for example) or get short of breath walking up stairs. Practices did little to prepare my body for daily activities.

Aside from feeling out of shape, 2011 was far removed from those college days. My life was lacking a quality  fitness routine and teammates who pushed me. I was kidding myself when I thought I could simply train and get the results I wanted without these key elements. I failed to do anything I could be proud of on my own. I constantly sought something new.

To make things worse, that April I woke up to the fact that I had a marathon coming in 4 months that I neglected training for the previous 8. This epiphany happened on Easter Sunday as I laid on the couch feeling lethargic and bloated.

A friend’s cousin-who is a CrossFit coach himself- turned me on to the idea of CrossFit with one question “What’s the point of bench pressing 300 lbs if you can’t run 5 miles?”   That afternoon I did a google search, found CrossFit 717, and inquired the next day.

My Freshman year of college 2002

My First WOD

My first WOD gave me the sensation that I wanted to puke. As I sat gasping for air afterwards, I knew I wanted more of that forgotten but familiar feeling of pushing myself to the point of feeling sick.  Pursuing that feeling had many fortunate side effects.

Two Weeks In

Each workout was pretty painful. I had resolved mentally to sign up for classes and go regardless of how I felt. It was no longer a choice. I had to get it in gear for the big race ahead.  At the three week point I caught myself automatically going to bed at 9PM. This early bed time is a continuous goal I NEVER have the discipline for. Suddenly it started happening on its own. Without thinking, I’d stop what I was doing and just crash in to 9 hours of deep sleep.  Because of improved sleep, the recovery period following a work out decreased and pain from WODs slowly downgraded to soreness. My hunger for more grew.

July

Summer rolled around and I continued attending classes about 3 nights a week. I began to feel invincible on my long runs. I believe the AMRAP and RFT format of the work outs raised (and continues to raise) my pain threshold.  Instead of pushing through long runs with the mindset of getting it over with,  I began stretching, warming up, and attacking  them.  It’s an amazing feeling and accomplishment to run 8, 12, 16, or 20 miles and feel like the run is being channeled through your body instead of just pushing through it. Running was becoming more enjoyable in general. Possibly, it was the most enjoyable it has ever been during my 16 years of distance running.

Me running a half marathon in July of 2011. No nutrition plan. I had the mentality “I’m working out so I can eat what ever I want.”

October

A better sleep routine and improved performance on my runs led to nutrition changes.  My body was operating on the mode of improving recovery and reducing pain from the WODs as much as possible. Important but often ignored things-such as getting enough water and reducing empty calories- slowly manifested in my daily routine. These changes were not conscious. I didn’t plan them or think them through. They just happened and continue to happen.

January

Several months later, when I entered the Better Body Challenge, I’d have a diet close to what was recommended to me by our box’s coaches and our freelance paleo expert Erin V. The nutritional guidelines seemed to remove dead weight I didn’t know I was carrying. I no longer had the 3 PM crash I had growing up. I also recognized what hunger was and I stopped confusing it with craving something. Food became fuel for my body and my body didn’t ask for anything more than that. I was feeling like an animal. I like feeling like an animal!

Fitness aside, eating leafy greens and lean protein forced me to learn how to cook. Now, I prefer to eat in rather than out. I’ve even gone as far as turning down happy hours with co workers.