Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Sweetness of Defying Age



I'm a big believer in postulates. (A postulate is essentially a future prediction, a decision put into space and acted upon as if it were a known future reality.) As a matter of fact, the older I get, the more I am absolutely incontrovertibly convinced that what you think IS what you get.

In other words, one really needs to learn to control one's thoughts, else they will insidiously ruin your life.

How many people think, "I did well for my age." Phooey! I never am satisfied that I can only achieve something great for a 44 year old woman. As a matter of fact, I am set on the idea of proving the opposite--that I can compete with anyone.

Case in point. If I look at the stats from just about any race I've entered, the fastest runners come in across the age categories. Many runners older than me continue to beat me, and I beat many who are younger.

So what is this post all about?

Yesterday, part of the WOD was to run a 5k. My previous best time on this route was 25:10. Even though I ran two 10Ks this past weekend, I was determined to and knew I would PR. And indeed, that was the case.

Not only did I break my previous one mile sprint time of 7:23--taking it down to 6:58:62, I also wiped 1 minute and 6 seconds off my old PR (on this course)time of 25:10--taking it down to 24:04.

Coolness.

And the greatest thing is, I have no intentions of stopping there.

I have many postulates in my life. For one, I plan to continue to get very strong and fast.

Another one I have is that I will sustain no major injuries as a result of CrossFit or being an athlete. So far, unlike some of my peers, that has also come to fruition.

The mind is our most powerful weapon.

What thoughts are filling your mind today?

Monday, June 8, 2009

How Sweet it is to be a part of a TEAM


Sunday's Mud Run was fantastic.

Here I was lucky enough to have been invited to be amongst some of the most bad-ass women currently at TCFA--Donna, Kellie, Corlyn and Rose.

These ladies are always at or near the top of the heap at 6am. Sunday put us to an excellent test.

We opted for a slow and steady pace out of the gate, and we kept that up the entire race. We pushed when we needed to (especially up the hills), and we rested when the going got rough.

Some women were faster than others. Some were slower. It didn't matter.

What mattered is that we stayed together as a team and finished as one too.

Running in boots and utility pants is a great challenge, as when wet, they add about 8 additional pounds of weight.

We took on the challenge and flew, landing ourselves a first place medal for our efforts.

Very well done, Team Red 6 Militia! It was great racing with you!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Hell Yeah, I'm Proud of Myself!!!

I raced twice this weekend at Camp Pendleton's World Famous Mud Run.

Sunday was a team run, which was a blast. It felt excellent to earn a medal for our efforts.

But I have to say, my biggest source of pride was from my performance on Saturday's run.

I placed 8th in my age group of 40-44 at 1:01:23, but here's the coolest part of all.

Only 25 women TOTAL in the whole race that day (singles) beat me. That's it.

I beat all women in the 25-29 category except 8.
I beat all women in the 30-34 category except 3.
I beat all women in the 35-39 category except 2 and I tied a third.
I beat all but 7 women in my 40-44 category.
I beat all but 2 women in the 45-49 category.
I beat all but 2 women in the 50-54 category.

Honestly, this race is my proudest moment in competition to date. I worked my ass off! I pushed myself as hard as I could go, but kept a pace I knew I could sustain.

If I had it all to do over again, I'd pack myself into the front of the starting line, as looking back, I am convinced that's what kept me from getting a medal. That is a hard lesson to learn. It was my own damned fault that I waited around wondering where everyone went rather than getting my ass to the starting line.

I should've been more aggressive once I got there to make sure I was at the front.
That's okay. It sure as hell won't happen again.

But I'll tell you what, out of 3075 runners, I came in 224. And only 25 women beat me.

That is FREAKING stellar!!!!!!

There is no greater sense of accomplishment in my book that what I get from Team CrossFit Academy and my training.

Damn, I love winning!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Cool Factor of 8

Hey! I just PR'ed on Clean and Jerk. I can now do 95lbs!!!

I really almost cannot believe it.

The first time I walked into an O-lift class, I felt so overwhelmed, awe struck, intimidated....

Seeing Katie lift weights amazed me. (It still does!)

It seemed like I'd NEVER learn the difference between a Clean or a Jerk or a Snatch, much less actually be able to DO one.

Well, I now can.

They're not perfect. No, they're far from it.

But I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, I getting there.

Building Muscle and Character

The other day I was putting on my shirt, and I noticed an "egg" where my biceps used to be.

Holy freaking cow! I've got an actual bulging bicep! Pretty freaking exciting when you consider I had virtually no upper body strength a year ago.

It was cool today to be able to do 5 deadhang pullups while newbie men could barely do one. It reminded me of being new and wondering if you'll ever "get there".

Amazing.

On another note, I'm really digging coaching. It is incredibly challenging to help people (especially women) overcome their lack of belief in themselves and what they are capable of and turn them into fierce warriors. It is quite a process that requires a great deal of patience, genuine caring, follow through and some serious toughness.

It is really pushing me forward as an individual.

People have so many reasons why they (or someone else, usually their doctor) have convinced them that they "can't". It is my job to disagree with these assessments and help them realize what they've been told is WRONG!

But I'll tell you what, watching the light come on when someone regains mobility in legs that hadn't run in years or watching someone do their first pushup from the toes or kipping pullup is quite an amazing reward.

Sometimes it's hard not to get frustrated when you're faced over and over again with the same considerations from folks--mainly that they're too old, overweight, fragile, weak, have this or that "bad" bone or muscle, et. al.

It sure is a character builder.

I only hope I can honor my clients with coaching that inspires them as I have been inspired. If my end of the first 6-week assessments are an indicator, I may be doing a thing or two right.

I think as long as I remember that that is what I am there for, I think I'll be fine.

It's hard to be a hard ass sometimes. However, it's a hell of a lot better to have a client be momentarily mad at me than it is to continue to allow them to be weak by not pushing them further than they think they can go.

And this is the tightrope I am learning to walk....