Since The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, a lot has happened to me
as an athlete. I think I am still in a bit of shock at how
much I accomplished in my first year as a CrossFit athlete, but at
the same time so completely humbled by the experience, the other
athletes and how much I still had to work on. Now with The
2012 Reebok CrossFit Games just a few days away, I have to be
confident that the training put in since September will leave me
where I need to be with whatever insanity The Games will throw at
us.
People always ask us as athletes, "What have you done
differently to prepare for this year?" The answer for me
isn't much different than most in that I have focused on getting
stronger and technically better. The one thing that does
separate me from a lot of the pack though is that I have had the
opportunity to work with not only one of the best coaches in
CrossFit, but also an outstanding person, CJ Martin of
Invictus.
CJ and I met at The Games last year. He is one of those
guys that, upon first impression, you just know is an upstanding
man. A few years back he was a practicing lawyer and gave it
all up, with the support of his amazing family/friends, to pursue
his dreams of owning a gym and changing people's lives. Now,
3 years later, he is doing just that. Invictus is an
incredibly successful gym with an amazing staff, happy members and
flooding with a positive vibe. I consider it an absolute
privilege to be an honorary member of this environment.
Here is a bit of a recap of my time with CJ this last year.
Down Time
I took a couple months "off" of programmed training after the 2011
Games to give my body and mind some necessary rest. As an
athlete for life, that time doesn't turn into sitting on the couch
and eating ice cream (however that does sound sort of nice and it
may have happened once or twice during that time off).
Instead I did what I love to do, when I felt like doing it, rather
than because it was on my program for the day. I mountain
biked, ran, attended some classes at my gym, waterskied, camped,
hung out with my dogs and Marcus...just lived. Those months
went fast, but taking that time off left me hungry to start gettin'
after it again.
From Solo Mission to Training with a Coach
In mid September I embarked on my 2012 training journey with the
guidance of CJ as my new coach. I had some initial skepticism
of how the remote coaching would play out as a high-level athlete,
but that quickly subsided as I realized how nice it was to open up
my email and just do what was on the program. Last year I did
most of my programming on my own. Don't get my wrong, as a
coach I love to program, but it's different when it's for
yourself.
I had doubt as to whether I was touching on the things I needed
to be, if I was missing anything, if I should be spending more time
on this or that. CJ has done his homework. He
knows how to program athletes to be stronger, fitter and more
skilled. He uses his resources to figure out what he may not
know. If he doesn't have the answer, he's not afraid to ask
other experts in the field what approach should be taken with
regards to modifications, movement issues, mental blocks,
etc. Throughout the year CJ generously hosted a few "athlete
camps" where he invited the best of the best to help us all
out. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with
Coach Burgener (the O-lifting god), Carl Paoli (the gymnastics
guru), Heidi Fearon (the healer) and Kelley Starrett (the mobility
master). All of these people have sacrificed their own time
and energy for the mere fact that they are passionate about what
they do - helping athletes to become better.
My Programming
Without getting too in depth with the in's and out's of how it all
went down this year, my programming has focused on getting stronger
an improving skills. I guess that's what we all are doing,
but as I mentioned before about being humbled by the other
athletes...I feel as though I am playing a bit of a game of
catch-up, as I am still very green to the sport and the components
within the sport. This year I have definitely improved my
skill set and although there is always room for improvement, I am
more confident going into 2012 as a CrossFit athlete than I was in
2011. That's all I can ask for.
The Games
What does this year's Reebok CrossFit Games hold for me? I
have no idea! But as I write this on my flight down to LA,
the only thing I do know is that without the guidance,
encouragement, sincerity and all around great coaching from CJ, I
wouldn't be where I am. Throughout the last 10 months of
training I cannot thank CJ enough for his time and dedication to
programming, communication and making sure as his athletes, we are
happy. There are a lot of great coaches out there, but what
sets CJ above the rest in my opinion is his genuine care for his
athletes as people. We aren't just a number that he's trying to get
stronger...he actually listens to us, workswithus and is interested
in our life outside of CrossFit. CJ is a true coach!
The work has been put in…now it's time to just go have
fun!
