"I am either at the gym, work or asleep. Social life and T.V. are pretty much nonexistent right now."
Photo courtesy of Kim Bohlken
In between competing at the 2014 South Central Regional and going to Carson, California, for the CrossFit Games, Richard Bohlken married his girlfriend of six years, Kim.
The couple wed on June 28, less than a month before Bohlken heads to California for his first-ever Games. On the morning of the wedding, Bohlken made sure he got a two-hour training session in.
The two CrossFit together at Maxout CrossFit in Lubbock, Texas. Joined by their dog, on a normal weekend they make two trips to the gym a day.
While it seems Bohlken has found himself a bride of understanding, he joked that “she cannot, and will not, listen to any coaching I provide at the gym.”
By night, Bohlken is a paramedic, so he fits sleep, eating and training into daytime hours.
“I am either at the gym, work or asleep,” he said. “Social life and T.V. are pretty much nonexistent right now. Days I work, my gym session is approximately three hours long. Days off from work I have multiple three-hour sessions.”
While he admitted the wedding added a bit of extra stress to his daily routine, June was the best option. Kim confirmed CrossFit competition dictated the wedding date.
“Since last year’s regional, Richard's goal has been to make the Games for 2014,” she said. “After getting engaged at Christmas, my first question was, ‘What are the dates for regionals and the Games?’ … A hundred percent of the wedding plans (were) considering Richard’s schedule and what was going on with CrossFit.”
The wedding was scheduled with the assumption Bohlken was headed to the Games. After placing 18th in the Open, many athletes might have doubted the goal. But he had a plan.
“I knew my training until the Open hadn’t been very vigorous, just once a day. I was finishing up paramedic school and preparing for my National Registry,” he said. “The goal was always to make regionals, re-focus my training and then see what I could do at regionals.”
At the regional in San Antonio, Texas, Bohlken placed across the spectrum, placing as high as fifth in two events and as low as 20th in two events. When he came in 20th for the second time in Event 4, he knew he had to push harder in the final three events.
“I made a rookie mistake in Event 4,” he explained. “I had a plan going into the event and I abandoned it based on what other people around me were doing. I did my first set of strict handstand push-ups unbroken and it destroyed me for the rest of the workout. … I just flat out didn’t execute and it almost cost me.”
As a former professional baseball player, Bohlken understands the mental game. Going into Event 7, he needed every ounce of mental strength he had left to hang on to his tenuous third-place position.
“I knew I had to execute my plan in this workout to ensure myself a trip to Carson. I was pacing constantly in the upper levels of the Freeman Coliseum, going over my plan, making sure I could stick to it,” he recounted. “I knew I had to go unbroken on my overhead squats and as we have seen in the past, overhead movements have been a weakness for me.”
He took a deep breath and gave himself a little pep talk
“I knew people were going to come off the pull-up bar quickly,” he said. “I remained focused and went at my pace and finished with a better time than I did in practice. It wasn’t pretty though.”
After an unpredictable regional, Bohlken is headed to the Games sans expectations. He’s been fine-tuning his movements to make them as efficient as possible. What’s more, he’s been following the CrossFit New England competitors’ blog by Ben Bergeron, whose programming is ideal for Games-level athletes.
“I have increased my swimming, running and biking training,” Bohlken added. “I have gotten help from South Central Regional athletes, and training partners Kristin Tucker (swimming) and Joe Gueisner (strength). I have also found that the grind of training solo in the gym is very important for your mental preparation and pushing yourself.”
As he prepares for the Games, he’s been blown away by the support from not only his local CrossFit community but also the Lubbock community at large. A significant number of people turned out for a fundraiser to help with Bohlken’s expenses.
“I didn’t realize going to the Games could have an impact on the entire city,” he said.
His hard work is no longer just personal but a way to thank CrossFitters and non-CrossFitters alike. In Carson, he’ll have support from afar, but a small contingent of people are traveling to California with him—his new wife, father, stepmother and sister, as well as a few friends from his gym.
