Mixed feelings

First of all, I finally got some brave words and feelings out on a blog post on my other, more general “life” blog. The topic is very relevant to this blog, but honestly I have a wider audience over there and wanted to make sure it was shared. It would have been easier to post it here, but I chose to post it there because it was out of my comfort zone and something I wanted to find a way to share. I shivered when I hit the “publish” button on that one. Sometimes it’s so hard to be honest about things that are so personal, but I’m glad I did. My words there have already inspired a small handful of people who needed to hear that kind of simple and good story, so I have no reason to fear. I’ve begun to counteract my fears and worries of what people will think of me about certain things by focusing on what I can do to make my life better and positively influence the lives of those I have contact with. When my cup runneth over and I feel like I might be spilling, I just remind myself of that goal. And it always works – inevitably someone will tell me how I inspired them to make a healthier decision or try something new, and they thanked me for it. So I’ll continue to share the love.

In performance news, I crested the summit of the most recent mountain, and began my journey into the next valley. It hasn’t been a horrible set of workouts, but I haven’t been at my best. I’ve been neglecting to get to bed as early as I should and have had a little extra stress, and my body has been feeling it in lack of strength and stamina. But I went, I survived the workouts, and I tried. I didn’t PR on back squat, which I was really hoping to do on one of my favorite lifts. And generally the WOD’s have been especially challenging for me. But I’m going, I’m persevering, and I know I’m getting better. Sometimes we just have to push through our not so awesome times, knowing there will be a breakthrough eventually that will be worth it. I’ve been through this cycle a couple times before now; I’m learning to not let it get me down.

Sure enough, this week I got a couple nice PR’s, hitting a 100 lb clean & jerk, and 100 lb overhead squat for 2 reps. I always love hitting the triple digits on stuff, especially when it involves upper body strength. I’ve come a long way, and continue to enjoy this journey. What will be next?