Hike Your Own Hike.

Recently, I opened Instagram to see the picture above. To see it looming , warning me about my upcoming 10 year High School Reunion. What. The. Heck, where did the time go?

 

Build your bucket: the importance of a proper foundation

I’m a story teller. Plain and simple. I think it comes from 2 places.  First, as a child my grandparents always told me “tall tales.”  Second, my father (who was an Air Force navigator instructor) always explained things in really long winded convoluted metaphors.  In the spirit of me becoming a dad myself, here is a long winded metaphor to describe a seemly easy topic.

You don’t choose your passions.

Since returning from the Appalachian Trail I have been asked the same 2 questions over and over again.  “Did you see any bears?” and probably most frequently, “Why did you do that in the first place?”

First off, yes I saw bears, about 6 in total, mostly in New Jersey.

Secondly, to answer the question of why is to ask a much deeper question. A question that has been asked lots of times, by both curious toddlers and Freshman philosophy students, and that sometimes, there is just no answer to.

“Why?”

I’m on a journey. So are you (whether you know it or not).

On March 19th, 2015, I started  walking at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and began heading north to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. I hike pretty much every single day.  I’ve been hiking through rain, shine, sleet and, on one occasion, snow (not unlike your friendly neighborhood postman). When the weather is nice, I put on my nice dry (although somewhat smelly) hiking clothes, and smile as I hike. There’s not much better.  However, when it rains I put on my wet clothes, carry my wet tent, and sometimes scowl and my unfortunate luck.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “What does this have to do with me?  I already know you’re hiking every day.”  Here’s the thing thing that you might not realize though, my dear reader: You too are on a journey. For some of you, it might be a lifelong journey of fitness, for others, it’s recovering from an injury, training for an event, going back to school, or furthering your career.  If you really think about what your goals are, I think you will realize that everyone is on their own personal quest.  While my journey might be a little more obvious (and seemingly outlandish), I hope that you can use some of the lessons I am learning out here to accomplish YOUR goals.

Interview with an athlete: Advice from an old friend.

I know it’s hard to imagine a life before me, but as some of you may know, my CrossFit career actually started back in 2008 in sunny California.  Back then, I was lucky enough to be one of the first few members of CrossFit Solano, a box that has grown to over 170 members today.  While a member, I became lifelong friends with two of the owners, Lauren (LOJO) and DJ Joseph.  In 2010, I left California to come home to Texas,  since then, Crossfit Solano, LOJO and DJ have been up to nothing but great things.

New Year’s resolutions…

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.- Mark Twain

 

I thought I would start this inspirational post with a inspirational quote.

Are we all inspired now?

Perfect.

Working to live or living to work?

So. I missed the blog post last week.

I know, I’m probably contributing to your abandonment and trust issues and whatnot.

But I have a good reason.

I was on vacation!

The Great Outdoors: Fun, Cheap and Good for You.

Outer Mountain Loop at Big bend NP in 2013

Well the seasons they are a changing. Its mid-November here in the great central Texas, which means we are moving from one season to another.  In Texas I truly believe there are only 2 seasons:  “Hot” and “Less Hot”.

Local Competions: The Good, The Bad and The Rhabdo.

Crossfit is all about community.  We are all one big happy family and everyone gets along and encourages each other and everyone should just do their best, right?  Most of the time, this is true. However once and while, something dark, dirty and disgusting rears its ugly head. Something so vile and dangerous that can destroy a gym or make it rise to the top.

Thats right internet, I’m taking about local competitions. More and more, everyday athletes are pushing themselves to the limit by attending local competitions.  For some, this is just a fun way to spend a weekend with friends.  But for others, these competitions can be soul crushing and life-altering.  Having been to one too many competitions myself, here are a couple questions you might want to ask if you are considering hopping on this crazy train.

Goal Big or Goal Home 2: Back with a Vengeance.

In part 1 we talked about some basic goal setting stuff.  So now here in Part 2. We are going to talk about defining our goals and how to set them. Doesn’t that sound fun?  I really like to use the SMART goal setting technique when setting goals. For those of you that haven’t had to sit though an awful explanation of this, let me offer you my own awful explanation.