If you’ve read my past articles about the FTF Challenge (and you should because they are fantastic), you will have read my mention of Josh Golden. Who is he, and why the mention? Well simply put, he is one of the top CrossFit athletes in the world and I had the unique opportunity to spend some time with him this past weekend, conduct a short interview, and watch him and some other top athletes destroy a ridiculously tough WOD.

These may seem like a bold statements, but when you realize that he has only been doing CrossFit for three short years, and made Regionals his first year (Last Year), all while still learning the ropes, you’ll understand why.

I’ve had a couple weeks to reflect on the 2013 FTF Affiliate Challenge. The past couple of weeks have been hectic. Valentines day, a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate, and a subsequent family wide bout of the stomach flu (still in effect as I write this), have put me a bit behind schedule.

As is usual with two young kids, we didn’t get much sleep the night before the competition. Between the barking dog next door (pet friendly hotel), the nervousness of the impending competition, and two tossing turning kids, lets just say it was a long night.

Today I made the trip that I have been planning for quite awhile. After last years Challenge I mentally made the decision to compete the following year. Of course at that time I had a lot less experience than I do now (Which doesn’t say much). I had yet to compete in my first “Open” and thought, “Man I could do that”.

Of course the Open “Opened” my eyes to how far I really had to go if I ever wanted to “really” compete.  Although I’d been doing WOD’s for some time, and had made great strides in weight loss, and overall fitness, I was nowhere prepared to compete on any level.

So for the next year I did everything in my power to improve, which included leaving my garage gym, visiting several Affiliates, and even taking a few OLY lifting courses. When you start from zero, you have a long way to go.