One month....
Today marks one month till the time I leave for my service as a missionary to the people of Tempe, Arizona.
My mind has been running wild, with a roller coaster of impressions and emotions I'm sure will soon follow.
I've been thinking back to this last year. What has occurred since last July, the people I've met, and the experiences I have had.
This last week was the 2012 CrossFit Games, and it seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in my apartment up at BYU-I watching the 2011 CrossFit Games. As a CrossFitter, I find it pretty safe to assume that most if not all CrossFitter's feel more motivated and inspired at the end of witnessing the Games. The feelings and impressions I experienced I feel are worth sharing.
 I remember at the end of last years competition, I realized I wanted to at least make it to the Regional level of competition whether that be with a team or as an individual. I felt motivated and driven to obtain my goal. Gratefully I can say I accomplished that goal....
One year later, my love for the sport is just as strong if not stronger. However, the impressions and feelings I have experienced are... different.
You see, if I was in a position to look forward to competing next year, I would probably feel even more motivated to take my competition experience in CrossFit to the next level by competing in the Games. However, I'm not in that position. In fact, I can't even look forward to competing for two years. Some would feel discouraged, and perhaps assume that any future of competing would be long lost. Yet, that's not what I felt...
Rich Froning and Annie Thorisdottir are the first back to back CrossFit Games champions. First of all, congratulations to these two amazing athletes. I have never had the privilege to meet Annie and witness how she compete's and trains first hand, but I have met Rich, and I have seen how he trains.
What most impresses me about this individual is that EVERY rep and EVERY movement looks the same as when he starts and when he ends. He is perhaps the most consistent CrossFit athlete. His placing in the Games only reinforces that statement.
A lot of CrossFitter's like to either go "balls to the wall" at the start of a WOD and end up suffering later in the workout. Or they decide to "pace" way to much that the find that more energy needs to be exerted at the end of the WOD in order to finish in a decent time. Any great athlete knows that consistency is what makes the difference between good and great.
A few months ago I had the privilege to meet Rich at my home affiliate, CrossFit Hardcore, as he got a photo shoot and an interview. Before he started his workout, I assumed I would see an all- out, "balls to the wall" effort put in. But much to my surprise, it almost seemed as though Rich was going slow! I recall, watching bewildered at the fact that he wasn't going, what it seemed, all- out. But as I watched I saw him done way faster  than I had expected. I then realized that he wasn't moving slowly, he was moving smoothly. As a result, yes, he worked hard, and he went all- out. But he wasn't so jittery and all over the map with his pacing that he was just wasting energy and totally spent.
This is something you will always find as Rich's strongest trait. Rich wasn't totally dominating the leader board until a little later in the competition. And his 3 first place finishes only came later on in the weekend. He was so consistent with his placing, that he found himself almost 100 points ahead of Matt Chan who came in second- place, by the end of the competition...
So what does this have to do with me leaving in just a month? Well to answer that question I have one word, consistency. Until now I was totally freaked out and stressed trying to figure out how I'm going to keep up my conditioning, strength, and speed while in an austere environment. But after this weekend, from witnessing the Games and other experiences I realized that it really doesn't matter. Yes, I want to compete in the Games. Yes I want to continue to grow and improve so that I can compete at a high level. But more than all of that I want to be as fit as I can be for as long as I can.
Watching Rich I realized that he isn't the strongest, he isn't the fastest, he isn't even the most conditioned. But he is without doubt the hardest worker. 
"But wait! Rich is over training!"
"He's going to get injured!"
"He can't keep up this level of performance for to long."
Everyone had their doubts. And all of the comments that Rich isn't a smart athlete is a load of bull.
Rich listens to his body. But more than that he knows when to push his body and how far to push it. And I would dare say that he will be constantly improving for years to come.
And he is CONSISTENT with how he trains. As a result, he is the champ.
On my mission, I'll be honest, I have no idea how I'm going to train. I have no Idea what I'm going to train with. But all I know is that I WILL train. And that training will be CrossFit. What ever state of fitness I will be in two- years from now, I know I will be better than I am now because CrossFit works and I'm striving to be consistent...




On a side note, congrats CrossFit Atlanta, Talayna Fortunato, Chase Daniels, and all other Dirty South athletes! Way to represent!