Gordon Jamieson: Shooting for the Stars

Gordon Jamieson: Shooting for the Stars 
Written by Jaimie Bougie

How do you picture yourself celebrating your 60th birthday? For Sea of Green member Gordon Jamieson, turning 60 meant it was time to create some new goals in life. These were not your typical “watch television less” or “eat more vegetables with each meal” types of goals. Gordon wanted life-changing, shoot for the stars goals.

This year Gordon is planning on dominating 60+ Masters division at the 2015 CrossFit Games.

“My goal for the 2015 season is to place in the top 5 in both the Open and the Masters Qualifier for my age division,” says Gordon. “But the big goal this year is to win the 2015 CrossFit Games in the 60+ age category.”

Deciding that he needed a real stretch goal in his life, Gordon channeled the memory of his younger brother and decided to dedicate himself to making the first year of his 60s his best training year yet.

“I am dedicating this journey to my younger brother, Don, who passed away at the young age of 36,” says Gordon. “I am so grateful that I wake up every day, have my health and that I actually have the capability to take on this goal.”

Knowing that there is no better time than the present, Gordon immediately jumped into action on formulating a game plan for success.

“I talked to C.J. Martin last March and he said, ‘We have a year to train. We can do it.’”, recalls Gordon.

Over the past year, Gordon set up a training schedule that he hopes will push him towards success in this 2015 season. He trains in semi-private sessions three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), takes rowing lessons twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and trains in the competition class on Saturdays.

“Gordon has been laser focused since he decided over a year ago that he was going to compete in the 60+ division at the CrossFit Games,” says Coach Melissa, who coaches Gordon in her semi-privates three times a week. “Gordon is very dedicated to the process; he arrives early, puts in 100% effort – always with a smile – and stays after when he can to do more mobilizing.”

After spending an average of three hours in the gym at a time on any of those given days, Gordon always looks forward to his rest days on Sundays and he knows the importance of body work and maintenance.

“It takes a physical therapist, a massage therapist (Tara Parson) and an acupuncturist (Ryan Lee) to keep me going,” laughs Gordon. “You need more maintenance when you are older!”

Outside of the gym, Gordon also ensures that he focuses on the nutrition side of recovery, while also aiming for at least eight hours of sleep every night.

“I stick to a mostly paleo diet with some cheating – but a lot less on the cheating on the side lately,” laughs Gordon. “My goal has been to increase muscle mass, which is tough for older athletes. It’s a lot of eating!”

Gordon knows that his mental game will also be a huge part of his success this Open season. To prep himself, Gordon performed a number of the workouts from past Games, Open, and Masters Qualifiers to measure himself against the top athletes from previous years.

“I have been in the top 5 or top 10 on many of them. This gives me the confidence that I can do it,” says Gordon.

This past December, Gordon took another shot at Open 14.5 workout, which consist of 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 thrusters (at 65#) and barbell facing burpees. During the 2014 Open season, Gordon’s time was 19:43, placing him 136th in the 60+ division.

His new score?

“I did it in 14:25 – shaved off 5 minutes and 18 seconds! That time would have put me in 14th place in the 60+ category. I could not keep a smile off my face after doing it and I kept just bursting out laughing sporadically throughout the day!” remembers Gordon.

Gordon also knows that goal setting is one of the key pillars to mental toughness, a necessity since the competition to make it to the CrossFit Games gets steeper and steeper each year.

“My goals are listed on a sheet of paper that I have on my wall at work and my bathroom mirror at home,” says Gordon. “I read them every day.”

In addition to confidence and goal setting, Gordon also practices visualization. What does he visualize?

“I visualize myself beating Scott Olson, who has won the 60+ category for the past three years in a row.”

Through all of the dedication and sacrifice, Gordon knows that if he continues to work hard and accomplish his goals, he’ll be in a great position for qualifying for the Games this July.

“I have a phrase that I say to myself and sometimes out loud before a heavy lift or a workout,” says Gordon.

So what’s that phrase?

“I got this.”

When I asked Gordon if there was anything else he wanted to tell the Sea of Green, he simply replied, “See you at the Games!”