The best outdoorsy car I could have bought

I recently bought a new car.  Well, it’s a used car but it’s new to me. I traded in my F150 and got a small Honda fit. That’s right it’s a Honda Fit. Many people might find this out of character for me, but it’s perfect for my outdoors-y lifestyle,  and I’ll tell you why.

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.

4 Things I Learned the Hard Way (so you don’t have to)

 

So last spring/summer I went on the trip of a lifetime (most of you probably already know this, but I am hoping that I am getting some new readers at some point). I spent 5 months backpacking the Appalachian Trail.  I lost some weight, climbed some mountains, made some friends and learned a lot about myself. Since I’ve been back, people have asked me what exactly I learned on the trail, and how it’s changed my life.  While I still feel like the same person, there are a few things that have really stuck with me, and (I think) can be applied to many people’s goals in health and fitness.

Less is more.

Since I’ve been home from the Appalachian  Trail, I’ve been busy.

I got home on a Thursday and went back to school full time on the following Monday.  I did my last drill and was honorably discharged from the National Guard.  My wife and I are expecting our first child in March, and I’m back to working at the gym part time.  Needless to say, my training schedule was not exactly at the top of my priority list.

Learn and play new sports.

When I first got into this fitness game, the world was changing.

At that time, the world was separated into two camps for recreational athletes one being bodybuilders or “bros,” those athletes who hit chest/tri’s on Monday, and back and bi’s on Tuesday.  The other camp was composed of sport specific athletes: marathoners who only ran until there knees shattered, recreational baseball players who drank beer and ran hard to first, cyclists who spent more time weighing their bike parts then riding… you get the idea.  Either you were into fitness for the sport, or for aesthetics, not both. 

Appalachian Trail Extra Credit.

When I was planning my trip on the AT, I scoured the internet for information, resources, and advice.  The information out there was spotty and mostly based on how the AT made them feel.  Those of you who know me well, know that this is not really my style.  I wanted to know about the physical challenges, preparation, etc., but was left somewhat lacking.  Part of that is why I decided to start this blog.  Recently, I received my first real question from a future AT thruhiker! 

Home gyms. What’s the deal?

Now that I’m done talking about how I’m basically the greatest hiker ever (for now), I would like to talk about a trend that is growing all over the CrossFit community.  A lot of people are leaving the traditional gym and creating “garage gyms” or “home gyms.”  Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take a lot to get started: a barbell, some plates and a piece of plywood, and you’re good to go.

The Hidden Costs of Chasing your dream

This isn’t some big “Oh look at how amazing I am, I hiked for so long, and it was so hard.”  This post is about something more amazing that happened.  While on the trail, I realized that I was slightly unlike my fellow hikers.  Sure, I was a white guy in my 20’s with a beard (the most common description of an AT hiker), but I was really the only married guy under 40.  I hiked for 5 months because I wanted to, and because my wife was on board.

The Appalachian trail: by the numbers.

My Appalachian Trail Thru Hike undoubtedly changed my life and my outlook on life. Settling back into life at home, I have struggled with finding the right words to describe how, and why, this trip affected my life (I know, it’s surprising to me too…. I rarely have trouble finding words).  So in an attempt to quantify what could be called the unquantifiable, here’s some of the concrete facts about my trip, starting with distances:

Give yourself a break already.

Well, well, well… here we are. A week in the CrossFit Open (THE OPENSSS) and once again the Crossfit world is going crazy. I love the open.  It’s a chance for people to pull together, grow as a community, pay $10 to judge each other, and shoot the breeze after the scores get posted.

 

However, we all know there are some problems with the open: cheating, sandbagging, and let’s be honest, it’s kind of a logistical nightmare.  But that’s someone else’s problem.  This post is about something  that is incredibly important for the Open, is often overlooked during this time  (or for a the REST of the year in reality). I’ll give you a hint as to what I’m talking about: