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February Athletes of the Month – Kristen & Jace Files

We are excited to announce our February🖤Couple🖤Athlete of the Month!!

Jace and Kristen Files began their CrossFit journey with us over 5 years ago, and continue to make fitness a weekly priority. Life is never linear, and staying committed isn’t always easy, but it’s clear to see they both cherish the opportunity to workout together whenever they can. Jace and Kristen are a perfect example of what it takes and value the keys to success in CrossFit, and as a couple: hard work, dedication, willingness to learn, patience, humility, teamwork, support, and respect.

  • What is your biggest motivation?

Jace – My biggest motivation is to be healthy, have energy, and deal with daily stress.  For me, I feel my best when I get vigorous exercise first thing in the morning.  There is no substitute.

Kristen – I need to have a clear mind in order to function and achieve all the things I need to do in a week. Consistent exercise and a healthy diet get me there.

  • Your favorite quote or words to live by?

Jace – “It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.”

Kristen – “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”

We’re into James Clear right now

  • What are your current training goals/PRs?

Jace – Currently my main focus is on consistency and form.  When I prioritize the next PR I tend to compromise my form to attain it which I want to avoid.  At this point in my fitness journey, I value form and consistency over a new PR.

Kristen – My current goal (for the year actually) is consistency. I have an alphabet soup of autoimmune diagnoses and it is really easy for me to set back my health by overdoing it. I chose quite a while back to spend my time truly focusing on form and breathing rather than increasing weight. This is how I measure my success.

  • Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?

Jace – I feel so confident in my movements today and I am stronger than I have ever been.  It took me a while to get comfortable with the barbell and some of the other equipment.  My first day of Crossfit was filled with trepidation; I did not know what to expect.

Kristen – The first day of CrossFit, in Fundamentals with Anna, I was totally terrified. I always sat the sidelines during PE in school. I have never enjoyed working out and certainly never considered myself an athlete. I am also super uncoordinated. I am surprised at how far I have come. I have never stuck with and enjoyed a program for so long in my life!

  • What advice do you have for new athletes just starting out in CrossFit?

Jace – Take it slow.  Scale your movements until you are comfortable.  This is not a race nor is it a competition.  You have your whole life to attain your goals and going too fast in the beginning will actually slow you down in the long run.

Kristen – Crossfit absolutely is for everyone. Taylor it to suit your own needs. Compare yourself to yourself, not other athletes.

  • Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout?

Jace – We had been doing deadlift off and on for a few months when it was time to go for a new PR.  I beat my PR handily (and with great form!) and it felt so good.

Kristen – I feel proud every time I finish a WOD. Seriously. I got out of bed and did something I wasn’t really excited to do. I also feel proud of my deadlifts. For someone who doesn’t lift a lot of heavy this is one movement I actually feel decent at.

  • What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

Jace – We have 4 kids and I work full time as an electrical engineer at Dell so I do not have much free time…  I play indoor soccer and love real estate investing; we have 4 rental houses.  I also love watching movies and playing board games with my family.

Kristen – I LOVE all things nutrition! Right now, I am very interested in (and practicing) muscle testing, applied kinesiology and herbalism. The human body is an amazing thing. I also enjoy photography, cooking, schooling our kiddos, reading and sitting by the fire.

  • What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Round Rock?

Jace – I love the balance that the coaches bring between encouragement to do your best while not driving us to overdo it.  The sense of community at CFRR is awesome and I love all of the coaches and athletes.

Kristen – I love the community. I enjoy the coaches and my classmates. I also enjoy the variety of workouts. I am literally never bored.

I also want to say the accountability of CFRR has been very important to me over the past few years as well. We had a series of hardships with both my parents dying suddenly and unexpectedly and having to care for their estate and my brothers. Everyone at CFRR was super supportive and understanding. The box became a refuge instead of a drag and I was able to keep up my workout schedule consistently throughout the whole ordeal.

  • If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?

Jace – It won’t be an AMRAP!

Kristen – I have no idea what to name it but I know it should include some deadlifts, since that my favourite movement.

For time:

400m run buy in

21 – 15 – 9

Deadlift

Pullups

Weighted Russian Twist (with Wall Ball)

1 min plank buy out

  • How has your diet changed since starting CrossFit (if it has), and what foods do you rely on most?

Jace – I just eat what Kristen makes us

Kristen – Since I have been studying holistic nutrition for 10+ years I already had our diet mostly on point. However, going to CrossFit motivates me to really stick with great eating. It also helps that I can relate to people in the gym regarding food choices.