Times, they are a'changin...

Juno Fitness is my baby. For the past five months I have neglected my child. And Juno has suffered for it. I won't go into the ugly details, but trust me, it's ugly. 

i need attention!!!
cute monkey, gym.
same thing...

I really got stuck, and relied upon all the trainers at Juno to cover me (and they did admirably!!!) while I sank into a depressed malaise.


Let me tell you what happened, lo my 2 readers by this point, all the Juno trainers gave notice within 4 days. Holy Shit. First Willow (she gave me 6 months, because she's...Willow), I boo-hooed mightily because I love her dearly and she has been with Juno since the doors opened. Then the avalanche: Julie, Jennifer...at this point I was all "No way, all I need is Carey to give me notice..." and voila, she totally did, 2 days later. Every one of them said it had nothing to do with me (I am super paranoid, I always think I'm doing something wrong) and although I believe them, I also know that I haven't been there for any of them. 

When Carey gave me notice, I was all: "Fuck this shit, time to get it together."

john is a sweetie, love him

So here's the deal, I am going to miss these women terribly. But, now I'm back in the saddle. Ready to take it all on again. All inspired sayings for: I need to get off my ass and get working.

(BTW, John Wild Buckley is still kicking it live at Juno...)

This is the new NEW breakdown:
Starting the first week in June:
Mondays and Wednesdays, I will be teaching 6am bootcamp
Starting the first week of July:
Monday and Wednesdays, I will be teaching 7pm nitey-nite bootcamp (y'all missed me, right?)

Starting the first week in July:
Tuesdays and Thursdays our new trainer, Matthew, will be teaching 6 and 7am bootcamp.

You guys are in for a good time with Matthew. I've been trying to find a way to get him into Juno for about 6 months. Here is his abbreviated Bio:

Matthew Beals, NSCA-CPT/USAW-Level 1
Although Matt’s first love was for software, his life abruptly jumped the tracks as a youth when he decided to supplement his diet of computer hacking with classes in Kung Fu. Discovering a love for movement and training, he went on to graduate from Pomona College with a degree in Modern

Matthew! prolly looking at a heavy weight.

Dance (minor in Computer Science), and perform in Buenos Aires, New York, and Los Angeles. To deepen his knowledge of human movement and physicality, he pursued graduate-level studies in Acupuncture and later in Modern Dance. Through the years he has uses weightlifting and strength training both for corrective purposes and to increase his performance.
As a personal trainer he uses a technique-first approach rooted in knowledge of anatomy and alignment. He believes that full-bodied strength training, taught as a discipline of awareness and movement, is the keystone of true fitness.

Actually, that's not abbreviated at all. He's the real deal, and we are proud to have him. He is also available for personal training.

So...for now...Juno will be me, John, and Matthew.
Remember: 
So much fitness, it will make you cry.

the back and getting back.

In October of last year I made Master of Sport in biathlon. Everyone who knows me, and the five who read this blog (prolly more like three now, I've been so negligent in my writing) know how hard I worked for years to achieve this goal. And.I.Fucking.did.it. And you best believe I am proud.
Over the next months, I took a bit of time off and then semi competed in November. I was burnt out. I needed a break.
Oh, be careful what you wish for.
OH BE VERRRRYYYY CAREFUL.

oh..bitch, you are SO not training...

My back is hinky at best. I have genetic problems, all the women in my family have scoliosis. I am no exception. I have SI problems...and blah de blah and on and on and on. Kettlebells have consistently strengthened and improved my back issues. But I don't know when to stop. A day in December and I was training. I felt my back just ache during the GPP portion, deadlifts...good mornings. I continued training for a few days, ignoring the ache. And then the pain became insane, I was rolling out and basically screamed because suddenly the back of my right leg was just in agony. Ask me if I stopped training. Nope. My husband was furious. My coach was glare-y.

this shit feels weird.

awwww...poor juliet, she suffers.

It's two months later. I have had to go to multiple doctors, take medicines I fear and despise, get an MRI, learn that when an MRI report says you have a "large" herniation poking your sciatic nerve, they ain't kidding, cry in pain, get a Epidural cortisone shot. Basically my life shut the fuck down.
(Oh, and my personal favorite, organizing the OKC California Open, and being on prednisone the day of the competition, basically I was INSANE)
I couldn't work, more importantly (to me) I couldn't train. My beacon of sanity. The thing that prevents me from going postal. I lived in a perpetual space of self pity. And oh my god, I can't thank the trainers at juno enough, I owe each and every one of them a plate o'pancakes. And jeebus, where would I be without my students. Love you guys, and NATHAN I miss the fuck out of you.
I say lived in self pity because I am hoping to get beyond this fucking place. Even though the back doctor said "yeah, well...you can't spinal load (aka jerk/snatch heavy) for 3-6 months..." my response was "3-6 weeks you mean." nah, he meant 3-6 months. Ok, ok, enough already. Fuck, I bore the shit out of myself.

So now what? I got off the meds. I come out of my shell. I swim (oh my god, water is all WET) to lengthen, I do (gulp) pilates to even out my muscle imbalances. I do wee 8k snatch sets. For the next 3-6 months. What a fucking haul. But I truly truly need to work and write and start working out on some level. Or go even more batshit.
Enough, enough. Here's to kicking myself in the ass (with a little help from my friends).

-juliet

Why We Do This

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

On July 14, 2011 this email arrived at Juno: 

Hello!

As you can see I am very near by. I am looking for a trainer to work with who will get in my face, not take my bullshit, and push me to do what I know is best for my middle age, middle class, white lesbian, 250 pound body.  So please tell me the truth, is that you?  There's aches and pains and 60 hours a week of work and I have two labradors and a damn elliptical in my garage that I clean every month or so and my heart rate only goes up when I'm in the hot tub every morning. I drive by you all the time and wonder if we were working together would I walk the 8 blocks or drive? My life has become a series of mental negotiations to avoid exercise.

So, are you for fit folks wanting to be fitter or can you take on a struggling ex-athelete trying to figure out how to get some amount of control back in her life?

the before

I feel like I'm writing a personal ad but I'm a little desperate.

Best,

Marj

Juliet asked me to make the follow-up call and Marj began training at Juno in early August of 2011.  

From day one Marj knew she had some demons to face and some work to do BUT she never actually complained. Not once. I have rarely seen such drive and dedication.  Marj was ready.  

Soon Marj's partner Tracy started training too and they inspired each other in a team effort.  They initiated major changes in their nutrition and educated themselves about what foods work the best for them individually.   They began working out between training sessions on their own and together.  Their dogs didn't know what hit 'em!

Of course there were setbacks. There were the aches and pains that accompany a leap into exercise.  There were times when we had to construct workout work-arounds to keep the momentum going despite old injury flare-ups and the body shifts that come with such full commitment to lifestyle change.  

They developed mental toughness and self-compassion.  They learned about physical self-care, respecting their limits and how to keep going when the going gets...hard.  They learned perspective. 

And: They took everyone with them.  They became vocal about their commitment to health and fitness.  Marj participated in a cardio challenge fundraiser and began posting her workouts online.  People noticed.  Juno noticed.  

Their hard work paid off: They are in amazing shape.  Their in-session training intensity is high-level.  Over 14 months Marj has lost 60lbs and Tracy has lost 40lbs.  And they want to take this further.  THEY ARE NOT DONE!

They took themselves on a walking tour of Tuscany last week and I got this email from Marj: 

The trip is fantastic! We are hikers! I've always wanted to be hikers. People talk to us like we are hikers. Yesterday we hiked 5 miles straight up and down a hill (twice because we took a wrong turn) and it was totally doable. We thank you with every step.

We, at Juno could not be more proud of, impressed with and inspired by the two of you. (Juliet admitted she actually shed tears over how far you have come, and Juliet is...well...badass).  This is why we do what we do.  THANK YOU. 

the after

-Carey

Oh look, Juliet is talking (whining) about kettlebells...AGAIN

45.5, hot in my reading glasses, yo 

I lift kettlebells because I love LOVE lifting them. The technical aspect keeps me from ever getting bored (like having a child, it's never boring and often frustrating), the fact that I am actually a decent lifter at the age of 46 (I know! I only look 45.5)  feeds my vanity and helps my self esteem.

I am getting ready to compete in Chicago at the WKC worlds. I registered in June (being the super organized lady I am) thinking I had sooo much time to train. How the fuck did it get to be four weeks away? I feel like I've procrastinated, but I know I haven't. I just don't feel like I'm getting any better.

i perish...

My training protocol is brutal right now. I'm almost into stage 4, when I start to taper so I don't explode into little pieces when I compete. Stage 3 is the hardest stage, I am under the bells either at a brutal pace, numbers or weight. I often can't/won't finish sets*, actually I am shocked when I can. My body constantly feels beat up and I am exhausted. I do my last viciously hard set, why...TOMORROW. I cringe just thinking about it.

tether? i'll show you tether...

*Note-often when I can't finish sets it's because my mind tells me "nofuckingway...NOFUCKINGWAY" and I put the bell down. This is a different type of failure than the physical donsies. This is the mental quitsies, and is much more insidious.

Here is a conversation I had with my glorious (read-big meanie) coach after I put the bell down early in a set:
me-"I'm at the end of my tether!!!"
jwb-"no, you're not."
me-(almost in tears) "But...I just...am..."
jwb-"you're not."

who doesn't love sexy anime cheerleaders?

And he's right. I am not at the end of my tether (the husband has informed me that rope would be the correct noun in this saying, but fuck him) I am at the end of stage 3, about to start my competition season at a much higher level than last year. So on a positive rah-rah note, with very little eye rolling, I am better, WAY better. I am ready for the next two competitions. I have trained hard, I have competed many times in the last 2 years and have done well. I look forward to being on the platform and doing my best, I always do in competition, it's where I thrive. I can snuff out the mental quitsies when I compete, all that hard work and frustration finally pays off.

UPDATE-it's the next day, I did the way hard set today. I didn't do the numbers in the time I wanted, but I held onto the bell.

Guest blog by Julie. We love Julie already!

I think I got a booty call(ing)

 “That was a barf inducing set.”  These were the words that came out of my mouth mid-workout on Monday, August 13th at Juno’s nighty night boot camp. Or what is often referred to as “booty camp.” Don’t worry, continue on with grabbing that kettlebell, I didn’t lose my lunch on it.

My name is Julie, and I just moved from Chicago to Berkeley just over 3 months ago. I am a sugar-loving, I-would-do-anything-for-some-chocolate-pescatarian- vegan-marathon runner. I have been marathon and ultra-marathon training for the past 5 years, and jumped right into trail running and racing within weeks of arriving in the bay area. I haven’t always been competitive and I did think at one point not too long ago that running a marathon was fucking crazy and stupid. Why would anyone want to run longer than I even like to drive?

So what! What does Juno have to do with this? Though active, I am pretty hard on myself.  I have always hated the scale and the full-length mirror.  I am not one to run around screaming, “I am so fat!” But, I am one self-conscious mother. As the years pass, I have realized one pair of Spanks just ain’t cutting it, that my abdominal region is a magnet for every single thing I eat, and that I can knock someone out with my arm flab trying to hail a cab. My jeans are still my worst judge on how fit I am. Right now my jeans are awfully critical.

Within my first week here, I was craving a new challenge and a new community of like-minded people who are outgoing, kind, and like to kick ass. Running was great, but something was missing. I did some research and first tried the Daily Method, which is hard as hell, but I didn’t sweat, so I didn’t like it. I knew I wanted some direction—I wanted someone to tell me what to do, hold me accountable, and to yell at me. I Googled and Yelped gyms in the Berkeley area, seeking out a boot(y) camp-style workout. I read the reviews and checked out the website and knew I had to try Juno. My first class was on June 27^th with Juliet, and dayyyum my body hurt for days after! I was immediately addicted. The class was not only challenging, but my booty classmates, Juliet, and Willow were all so kind, supportive, and non-judgmental on how much I could not lift. Juliet and Willow were great about paying attention to every person’s form, and made sure that no one was slacking. I have never been to a class like this before, and it was so encouraging to know that anyone of any ability was welcome to join. After my first class, I immediately signed up for the 6 a.m. July boot(y)camp class. What was I thinking.

Let’s just say I think I made it to two classes. A 5 a.m. wake-up call did not suit me, clearly. In addition to waking up at the asscrack of dawn (I give mad props to those who can do this), I was also still competitively running and often found myself in days of pain after a race that I was not physically able to even look at a kettlebell.  I spent most of July doing some athletic soul searching. I was suddenly bored with running and dreaded my daily run workouts. I would walk in the door from work and want to spat on my trail shoes (I actually might have spat on them, now that I think about it). I pretty much became sedentary and refused to run, using any excuse I could to get out of my mileage. I realized that I lost my big picture goal, or, perhaps I reached it. I placed third in my marathon age group just over a month ago, and I completed 35 mile ultra-marathon last October in Chicago. It was my ultimate goal, and now I realized I needed something new. It was an emotional realization for me. At first I felt like a quitter. Who quits the one activity they have loved for the past 5 years? Running and competitiveness defined who I was for so long. I realize, though, that my love doesn’t have to completely go away, but it is time to refocus; it is time to try a new poison and a new barf and sweat-inducing love that brings out my inner-competitiveness.

I attended the OKC East Bay Kettlebell competition on Saturday, August 11th at Juno. This was the first kettlebell competition I had been to. I dabbled in Cross Fit back in Chicago, which is where I played with my first kettlebell. That weight with a handle is not as easy to throw around as it may look! I watched strong and dedicated athletes do what they love, and was lucky to experience just a little bit of what this community is all about: Awesomeness. Each and every athlete clearly connected their mental and physical strength, and gave the competition all they had.  I was so inspired by the sport and the dedication it clearly takes. I only knew one person competing and I found myself so proud of every person in the room. I left knowing I wanted to set a new goal.

So…here it is.

The measurements and the meat: 39 inch bust, 31 inch waist, 39 inch hips

Height: 5’8’’

Current weight: 156 pounds

My goals (in a nutshell):

·       Most importantly, I want to engage my mind and body in a new, challenging way.

·       I would love to be able to wave my arms and not say hello twice with my flab and ditch the belly fat.

·       I would like to break 150 pounds—I would be happy with 149.

·       It would be pretty cool to have at least a semi-decent looking snatch (with a kettlebell, you perv).

So, how in the hell am I going to get there?

The sweaty stuff:

·       For two months, August 13 - October 13, I have committed myself to attend boot(y) camp classes two times a week at Juno.  (I will of course attend after my two month goal, but I need to have an end date in site for my flab loss and muscle gaining goals.)

·       In addition, I am incorporating at least 45-60 minutes of cardio, 3 days a week. This could be running, the elliptical, cycling, whatever my little heart and big ass desire.

·       And, last but not least, I will lift weights on one additional day during the week.

The diet:

·       I am a vegan who eats fish, but I eat out A LOT! It’s probably a good thing Berkeley is not known for its overabundance of drive-through food joints. I often eat salads, veggie burgers, or tofu scrambles, but not knowing EXACTLY what the hell is in my food is vexing and clearly adding to my big-ass (literally) problem. That being said, I am committing to only eating out for dinner 2 times a week and lunch 2 times a week for two months.

·       Dark chocolate is the second love of my life, so I am committing to giving up any candy and chocolate for 2 months.

·       Alcohol: Anyone that knows me well knows I love me a good Belgian Ale or porter. Though I am not a daily consumer, I have committed myself to not drink any alcohol for the first month.

**Disclaimer**Labor Day, however, will be the only exception to these rules, as my best friend is visiting from Chicago, and he is shipping me my favorite brew from my favorite pub.

Last but not least, why in the hell have I decided to blog about this and think you care? 

I want to be held accountable. Now if you don’t see me at boot(y)camp you can judge me, and if you see me slacking in class you have free reign to yell at me. 

The "magic" weight, I strip myself down.

 Let's start by saying, I love LOVE to eat. There are three reasons I ever started working out:

i'm sooo taping this on my mirror because I  heart affirmations, gag.

1. Vanity
2. To be able to eat
3. Stress

And yes, that is in order. I get that health yada yada should be on there, but that did not come until years later.

Currently I weigh 140lb (on a good day) and stand at 5'10" (this doesn't change, even I'm not THAT old) and I realize this is not big, but it is not my magic weight, I have a belly and muffin top and the infamous back fat. I eat...oh do I eat...probably 3000 calories a day. OK, I train four days a week for hours at a time lifting huge weights over my head. I don't eat poorly, I eat a lot of protein and vegetables and ice cream and sometimes cookies and sour dough baguettes and cakes and donuts and diet coke like a fiend. OK, I eat whatever the fuck I want and a lot of it.
Oh, what's my magic weight? 135 lb this is the weight when all of my dreams will come true. My son will be a drug-free teen (so far, this is true, but he's only been a teenager for 3 months), my business will make buckets of money the profit-y kind, I will be happy and happy and happy!
Why am I bringing this up? Because I compete in a weight class sport at 65k (143lb at the highest) and I want to drop to a lower weight class, 60k (132lb at the highest) and 59k (129lb at the highest). The problem is, I love to eat and I get cranky (the husband is uber scared) when I don't get to eat what I want. I know that competitive athletes cut weight all the time and I have had to do it and it SUCKS.
So...I want to weigh less than my magic weight and keep my strength. This is a tall order. Luckily I have four months to do it.
Why am I blogging about it? because it makes me frigging accountable.
So here's the deal so far:

6/2/12 ARGH!!! I hate doing this.

1. I will post pictures of me in a frigging bikini every other week. This is scary for any lady of a certain age.
2. I will give a basic account of what I am eating. I know! Yawn, but I swear it'll be fun!
3. I will keep all my (two) readers up to date on how the fuck I'm keeping my strength.

So...without further ado, the bikini pictures. BTW these were taken in Puerto Vallarta. On a real vacation where I ate a ton.

Looking forward to being cranky pants...
Juliet

The elusive snatch...a snapshot

I too like to snatch shirtless...

The lift that frustrates most kettlebell athletes is the snatch. I spend a lot of time thinking about my snatch and how to improve it. I dream about snatching. I ponder snatching while driving to Juno. I get nervous before every snatch training. I have been working on this lift consistently for almost 2 years, and it never EVER seems to get easier, some days I find my rhythm, most days I don't.
The snatch is broken down into what seems like a bajillion components, and here they are, as I  understand them, both in technical language AND what goes through my head at each part...

1. Technical speak: the swing:  the swing starts the pendulum movement of the bell, moving from your backswing (behind you) to the top of the swing, where the bell is weightless. Your hips MUST follow through, using them to move the bell without interrupting the pendulum.  My head: fuck me, the bell keeps hitting me in my ass. My stupid hamstrings are too tight to move out of the way, maybe I should do some yoga to stretch them. I hate yoga.
2. Technical speak: the acceleration pull/transverse rotation of the hips: right at the top of the swing, the bell is weightless. Right at this point you twist your hips a wee bit and...pull the bell, this is starts the throw of the bell upwards and helps it remain weightless until the top, basically pitching the bell upwards. Your upper body is slightly leaning back, this keeps the bell closer to your body, preventing it from pulling you forward. Note: this is not way up high, it is a low pull, right at hip level. My head: huh? what did you just say? like this??? ok, how about like...this? what the fuck, I don't get this shit at all. Stupid kettlebells. I quit.
3. Technical speak: insertion of your hand through the handle: this is catching the bell. You don't want to catch it at the top, because you don't want to wrench your shoulder. You insert your hand through the handle about a foot in front of you (the bell magically having turned around your hand rather than flipping over it) this makes the landing of the bell on your forearm soft, and prevents the shoulder wrench. You then ride the bell to the top, slowing momentum up to your lockout. My head: that was way to high, even I could feel that. Why can I do it with my right hand and not my left?

And now for bringing the bell back down:

1. Technical speak: coming out of the lockout to drop/deload the bell. This is done by leaning back a bit and at the same time "unlocking your arm" by moving it forward at the shoulder. While moving your arm you are also internally rotating the arm and body. You allow gravity to move the bell, you are not throwing it, you don't want to waste any energy hurling the bell down. At the same time, maneuver the bell around your hand (not flipping it) by a slight turn, again pitching and catching the bell. At the last minute, you move your torso forward again, move your hips out of the bells way and...voila, you start again. This is a very precise sequence to avoid pulling on your arm or wrecking your grip.  My head: the damn thing yanked my arm AND hit me in the ass again. How many more times do I have to do this? I should just put it down. Oh god, my grip is going. I'm really tired. Did I mention I quit?

I fully realize that this is just a smidge of the bajillion components. I haven't even touched on using bigger muscles in the back instead of the eleventy-thousand muscles of the shoulder or relaxing at certain points. This is a snapshot, after all.

S-N-A-T-C-H!!!

My client Nathan pointed out: "You know, maybe you should be a bit more positive about kettlebells, you do want people to come and learn them. Stop scaring them." to which my eyes rolled. But I suppose he's kind of right so here's the rah rah section:
This last week of training my snatch has been really good, especially with my right arm.
But I'm not holding my breath.
Stupid fickle snatch.

-juliet

Sure! Why not? I'll compete...

I tripped on something much smaller

In September, I fell running (I know, I know) and really hurt my left shoulder. All jokes about my clumsiness aside, it was a fucking drag. I had been training my ASS off getting ready for my first WKC(World Kettlebell Club) competition in October and the IKFF (International Kettlbell Fitness Federation) nationals a month later, which was to be my first comp with the 20k bell. This injury put quite a dent into my training, I had to take two weeks off, which in the world of getting ready to try to make a personal best, (and secretly hoping  maybe just MAYBE making master of sport in November....) is a huge setback.

I did really well in both events, hitting CMS (Candidate for Master of Sport) with the 16k in biathlon for the WKC, and CMS with the 20k for the IKFF. I was happy with my numbers. My technique took a nosedive on my left side, because of the pain/impingement in my shoulder. Here is the last minute of my snatch set in Detroit, you can really see how much my technique suffers, it is really ugly...makes me squirm to be honest.

After a much needed three week rest from training (and huge amounts of sugar and white carbs...delish) I started back up. And, I couldn't really snatch. My shoulder had become seriously impinged, I wish I could tell you I went and had tons of healing body work and crystals rubbed all over it, but I didn't. I am really good at not paying attention to my aches and pains; I tend towards the "whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger..." school of thought. *A caveat, SO not like that with my clients, somehow I am the magical exception to all rules, oh...and this includes a lot of weighing myself, naked, weeping, with a donut in my hand.

Anyhoo, my training was sucking, hard. So on a whim, and with much whining to my awesome coach, I decided to try long cycle. There was a competition in LA at the end of the month, I was going anyways to coach a few of my students. Why not?

I had 3 weeks to train. I hadn't trained long cycle in way over a year. How hard could it be?

God, am I an idiot.

I trained like crazy, I did workout after workout after workout. I did all the assist work (for example, swing cleans to improve my grip and tempo). I worked my ass off. Ok, I'll be honest, I really hoped that I would hit Master of Sport with the 20k bell. I did a 10 minute test set 2 weeks before the competition; I hit 37/40. Master of Sport numbers seemed undoable (112 total reps). Hell, even CMS numbers (90) seemed ridiculous.

The day before the competition, me, John Wild Buckley, and good friend/student Kyrsten drove down to LA. I couldn't eat or drink for at least 10 hours before weighing in (sucks being in a weight based sport) and I was hella grumpy. Even so, the drive was a blast because the company was good.

We dropped Mr. Buckley off at Jason Dolby's abode and went to weigh in. Luckily we both made weight. Well, lucky I did, some people are in the middle of a weight class.

look! elle! really!

I was excited, because my online student Elle was meeting us at the hotel and competing too. HOWEVER, her flight was cancelled. Fucking Denver airport. This is the second time this has happened to her. John thinks Elle is my imaginary student.

We arrived ready to go on Saturday. I have to say, we had a great time! We saw some old friends and met some new. Luke put on an amazingly organized competition, all the flights went well. My student Kyrsten busted out 111 reps with the 12k bell with aplomb. John and Jason were not as happy (Jason had been sick, John just didn't have time to warm up) but I had a great time watching them do their awesome sets with the 32k (!!!) bells (no film, because my camera got broken by a wicked underhand throw of an 8k bell!)
Ok, on to me. I often forget that I do much better in competition than in training, this is a true testament to my vanity, I love attention. I managed to eke out 51 reps on my right, and 40 on my left, achieving CMS in Long Cycle! It wasn't my secret hope that I'd make MS, but pretty dang good for 3 weeks of training. You can see my set here. We had a good day, all in all.
We sped back to the bay area early the next day (someone, I'm not naming names, but whose initials are JWB needed to watch football) cheerfully listening to music and eating bad food at IHop.
After I got back, I did my usual: "obsessively watch my set and tear apart my technique" and here is what I came up with, from good to bad:
good-my breathing was spot on!
good-my backswing was straight on both sides
mediocre-not relaxed enough on the clean, leaking energy
mediocre-my lockout and fixation was not consistent, especially on the left
mediocre-pacing, started too fast, wore out
bad-lifting heels on the first dip, this is a major issue I have been working on, to some success
bad-legs not always straight in the rack, sigh, stupid hip flexors

and I wasn't even wearing a 10 gallon hat

bad-WTF is up with my legs??? they start out shoulder width apart, and the suddenly I'm riding the fat horse.
All and all, it was a good learning experience and I had a great time.
But, I'm back to training biathlon now. Oh snatch, how I missed you!!!!

-juliet

inspired by others.

Sometimes I think my purgatory will be kettlebell training. or maybe one of those circles of hell, like Sisyphus I will continuously ALMOST make my goal, only to fail and start again...forever. How many times in the middle of a set do I think "I can't do this, I have to put this heavy ass bell down." I seem to continuously disappoint myself. Part of this is the critic in my head whispering: "you are a total pussy, a fake athlete, why bother...." the other part is a side of me I try to never show, THE QUITTER. Actually, the critic and the quitter are evil twins.

Ok, all of that is true, but there is another  truth about my training. I am inspired by the athletes I train with and the students I coach.
Of course, there is John Wild Buckley, my coach. he works so hard, he has never failed to show both his strengths and his weaknesses in the most honest way possible. I have seen him succeed and fail. He always gets up again and works harder.
There is Sarah Lightfoot, my ever faithful road dog and training partner. I have seen her train through personal adversity. I envy her snatch technique, it's gorgeous. you can see us snatching together here 
there is Nazo, who just moved here and is training training training. She always starts her sets with: "Oh, it's sooo heavy, I don't think I can do it..." and then proceeds to kick ass, she never quits.
And my students!!!! Holy shit, they are the best. Elle in colorado trained through anemia ("I don't know why I'm so out of breath!") and is competing for the first time in LA this weekend.
Rebecca, who couldn't even press 10lb when she started in august, today she did her first 10 min jerk set with the 12k completing 61/62 reps. I am seeing great things for her.
My friend kyrsten, who will be competing in LA this weekend too...kicking ass.
I really don't know what I would do without my posse of workout buddies and students. They help me silence  the evil twins in my head. They help me push the boulder up and over the hill.
posted by Juliet