Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Defined. Not Defeated.

It's been an amazing month so far in the gym. I can't wait to see where tomorrow brings me and my clients.  There have been lots of moments of growth, empowerment, ever-growing confidence, sweat, swearing, and smiles.  Every single day I'm reminded why this job is important. I get to meet these amazing people that continue to inspire me as they reach for their goals. Getting to be part of that is a privilege that I never take for granted. It's easy to get up and work the early hours when the end of the day feels this good.

In my own training life, gains can be hard to come by. I'm getting to the point where my technique tweaks are the means to gains. Strength is coming up along side, but it's a bit of a slower process than the first year. Or at least, it feels like that some days. This weekend, I was very excited to set a new record on my Clean and Jerk. At first, I eked it out with a tiny gain. I was able to set it at 137.5 lbs. I figured I had a little gas left in the tank and went up one more time to 140. After 2 failed attempts, I nailed it.  It wasn't super pretty, but it wasn't terribly nasty either. I jumped up, did a celebratory swing from the rings (conveniently anchored to the ceiling of the gym).

140 is my max Jerk from the rack right now, and it was a new Clean record for me. It was an encouraging win that I certainly needed. Thanks to the biology of being a woman, I 'should' have been weaker this week. Even Trainer Girl needs a 'win' some days - and this wasn't a one-off. This was the product of putting in the work. How can I tell?

Because I've kept getting them.  At least lately. They've been little PRs (personal records) here and there, in pieces of the full Clean and Jerk and Snatch lifts. Beyond encouraged, I remain driven and reminded that Open and Nationals aren't out of my realm. I just have to stick to it. I'm still a big fish in a little pond, but no matter the size, I'll just keep on keepin' on.

On the other side of things -




This is what the home front looks like lately. When we're in, it's 'down time'.  My Sailor works 36 hour shifts a couple times a week, and demands for coaching are growing. It's really helped me appreciate rest days, weekends and down time. The furkids have kept us on our toes but we always manage to come up on top. Clydas saved us some surgery by self-excising a tumor on his foot, and Odin has been on a late night great adventure himself, but despite time (and, obviously couch space) being at a premium, we always manage to figure things out and squeeze in some quality time while we're all still awake. All in all, we spend a lot of time figuring out the 'living' side while we await his last deployment.

Progress photos are due in just a couple days, and I was lucky enough to get some time to catch up on some much needed housework before we have company this weekend.

The greatest personal lesson of late is that progress is slow - sometimes immeasurably so. But trust that it's a process and keep your eyes on the prize - whether that's qualifying for Nationals, answering the Foster Care question, or  getting to shore duty or something else all together - and it's more than possible to get there. All it takes is Faith, Trust, Hard Work, a good Plan, and, (of course) Pixie Dust.

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