Committed!

Ever since Commitment Crew was introduced at Arbor CrossFit, I've used it to motivate myself to attend classes. Before Commitment Crew, I would balk at going to sessions where the movements weren't my favorites. I'd avoid wall balls and sometimes burpees and the always awful air bike. Sometimes, I'd just not feel up to whatever it happened to be and I'd slack.

But Commitment Crew lights a fire under my tail. The goal of getting 20 classes in per month drives me to create and stick to a schedule so that I can fulfill that number along with any other obligations that I have that month, whether that's travel or other plans or even training for a Spartan Race (or running one). I like having a concrete number goal to reach for and plan for. And I like the recognition that I get when I am successful. My name goes on the board and on social media, along with all the others who completed that month.

Last year, I managed to do 12 months in a row. Even with my backpacking trips over the summer months, I schemed and planned and made it. This year, I figured  wouldn't be able to make July, because of the solo hike through the Frank Church. It was going to take up a large amount of my month, so I didn't feel like it was likely that I'd be able to get it done.

But that didn't stop me from working on the first six months of the year - in which I got on the crew each month. So I looked at my calendar and figured out what I'd need to do in order to get 20 classes done by the 18th of July.

With no other commitments, that would be easy, because I could double up classes on Saturdays and Sundays by going to both the house WOD and the Open Hour. But I wouldn't be able to make class on the 5th because I had to work and Arbor was on a holiday schedule (classes at 8, 9 and 10 only). And I needed to get a backpacking trip under my belt before the big solo, so I was planning to be out of town the 6th, 7th and 8th.

That required a bit of a radical schedule. On Mondays and Thursdays (except holidays), I could also do 2 classes, because an Endurance class was offered in the 6 am slot. I planned to go every day I was in town, basically, with two classes Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. No rest days. I consulted with my husband about this crazy plan and, to my surprise, he approved of it. He figured it was good prep for backpacking - in part, I think, because I get up for the 5 am class on weekdays, which fits well with a backpacking schedule.

Our backpacking trip got cut short due to illness and severe weather, so I ended up being able to do 2 classes on Monday the 8th. That allowed me to have 2 whole rest days in my crazy schedule of classes between the 8th and the 18th.

I made it work. I got the classes done, and prepared myself for the rigor that backpacking through the Frank Church is going to require. Getting up early and working hard. After all, hiking 20 miles in a day is just 10 hours of hiking at 2 miles per hour - an easy pace for me. With 14 hours of daylight, I have plenty of time to get it done.

And I might even make Commitment Crew for the year again on top of my 150 miles through the Frank Church.