My first weightlifting competition

I did it! I competed at the Bay State Games in Olympic weightlifting. My first competition and I can tell you -- not my last. I had this on my bucket list of things to do in this lifetime and think this may have just been the start.

Let me tell you how awesome my coaches are. I wasn't sure how this would play out, being my first experience and all. Billy and Danielle ordered me around telling me exactly what I needed to do and where I needed to be. He was right by my side the whole time and if he wasn't there, Danielle was there.

Most people were up and moving around - practicing lifts waaaay before Billy even had me start stretching. He timed my warm up with my official lifts. I hit my opener, had about 3 minutes to rest and then approached the platform. In between I would either sit on a chair and rest, or practice a snatch or jerk with an empty bar, to stay warm.

I can't even express what it was like walking onto that platform for the first time. It was both nerve wracking and relieving. Like, I've been working for this since January! Time to do something with it! 6 days a week of training. LET'S DO THIS!!

So I did.... I went 3 for 3 on the snatch: 50, 53, 56 and 2 for 3 on the clean and jerk: 63, -67, 70. I broke the New England Master's records as well. I'm proudest of the last clean and jerk. Having missed the 67 I figured I'd just have to repeat it. Billy instead pushed me to 70 and had me practice aggressive jerks with the bar. I ended up doing a power clean and making the jerk look easy (video included). I'm excited to see progress and continue to work on the weaknesses.
  
Oh and I set out to make it to the 75kg weight class and dropped a little too much, weighing in at 72.4kg. People, that is 159 pounds. I haven't weighed that little since I was doing just yoga. More on that in another post...

What works for me - more on the Olympic lifting journey

I think finding the right CrossFit gym is like finding the right therapist, church, or mate. They are not created equal. Also, over time, one place may not meet your needs anymore. Sometimes it takes experimentation to find a new home.

I think it is important to go into these things having an idea of what you want. For me, it's a coach that pays attention on some level and has a genuine interest in my performance. Not an egotistical investment, but a desire to help me steadily improve and meet my goals. I put in the work, God knows.

The same goes for an Olympic lifting program. Injuries happen, but training doesn't need to stop entirely. There can be flexibility and accommodations. I've tried two different coaches now and appreciate aspects of both. The "aloof, intimidating, only interact on occasion with vague corrections" approach certainly leaves me to figure things out for myself, with very little on the spot pressure. That said, my form never got better. I used to always hear, "You're strong, you just need to work on your form." My response was always, "but when?" So that coach wasn't interested in helping me improve my form, I'm pretty sure. Just interested in...well, I'm not sure what he's interested in, but it definitely wasn't me. I get it. He's trained Pan American champions, Olympians, youth National champions, etc. He's been around the world training and learning from the best in the world and I'm a 40 something nobody. That said, as a master lifter (41) my training program was the same as the 20 something and 30 something year olds. My body got tired and started rebelling.The only modification was to lessen the load, not the movements or volume.

My current coach(es) started out very hands on and in my face. Admittedly I got really frustrated - to the point of tears. I was angry mostly that I had put in so much work and my form still sucked so bad. I had signed up with the Olympic lifting Master - so I thought. Many of the cues I heard from these coaches were the same as the other, but with far more description and instruction about what it means and how I was doing it wrong. That is how I learn.

Over the last month or so, my form has steadily improved. I can feel when I do things right and when I do things wrong. I have lots of work to do still. My programming was dialed back and I haven't approached the weights I had been lifting - but I'm sure I will surpass them in the future. My shoulder is still fussy. My knees feel better though, as does my back. I get the sense that these guys really do give a shit about my form and how much I lift. There is more pressure of course. They watch every movement I do and correct on the spot. Regardless, I feel like I have coaches who are looking out for me and my progress.

That said, I am grateful for both experiences. The volume, intimidation, struggle and all the time spent trying to up my game - Soviet style. Plus, I made a great friend - a 48kg bad ass lifter. In the meantime, I've found a great group of people to lift with on a regular basis at 849 CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting  If you're in the market for something new - the Olympic lifting is top notch and the CrossFit programming is spot on.

Manifesting change

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. I spent my first couple of nights away from my toddler. He didn't handle it all that well. It took a while to recover.  It took me a while to recover as well.

I spent those nights away to surprise my buddies in Chicago and to help them move stuff. They've since journeyed across the country to their new home in California - all intact except for 3 fish.

Their adventure has me longing for change. I realize every time I want change, I get miserable. I get miserable because I realize there is no easy change. Nothing comes quickly - not these days, at least. The more I want change and the more I realize it doesn't come quickly, the more stuck I feel and that, folks, makes me sad. Sometimes I look for the quick fixes, the quick solutions. I'm here to tell you (or myself) that big changes take time.

They also take having a general goal or idea of what you want - which is another thing I/we lack. We (I am now including my wife in this discussion as I am not a one man show on life changes) know that if something amazing came up that we would jump on it. That said, I do really believe that we manifest amazing things in our life. So without knowing what exactly it is that we want to manifest, how will it show up? Does that make sense?

The general things are that we/I want to be able to provide for my family; keep a roof over our head and food in our bellies. I want Walker to feel and know love and never know deprivation. I want us to laugh and enjoy life; be in good health; and to continue to thrive as a family. We currently have all of this.

Next, I want a community, a small town or neighborhood (where you can walk to town), a comfortable home with a great kitchen where we can invite people over and have parties - a simpler life without so much "stuff". I don't want to have to guess about people. I want people to be straight forward and say what is on their minds. I want to have good friends who we know we can count on for anything - a village in fact. I want a good school for Walker, a safe space for him to continue growing into the man he will one day become... I want a place to settle, where I can say, "YES this is OUR place! I want to be here for a long while to watch my baby grow. I want to grow roots here and make this HIS place." The place he says he is from... Oh, and a good job with a very short commute for me.  

The first step is to know what you want. Just putting it out there....