Friday, May 24, 2013

Transitions

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. ~C. S. Lewis
I love to feel stable, secure, and in a routine. This past year of training has been awesome and helped me keep my shit together between teaching and grading essays and training and getting stronger. Jesse helped me with my performance nutrition; Katie sent programming along with helping me with my mental game; and Kris, Becca and my teammates helping me with my movements. Yup, it has been a pretty kick ass year. Training to be a regional competitor in Crossfit is no small task and can feel overwhelming at times, especially during weeks where PRs seem far away. One thing I learned was to allow myself to be sad when results didn’t go my way BUT shake it off quickly knowing that next week was going to be better. Learning to deal with the ups and downs of training allowed me to grow as a person and an athlete, be able to compete on our amazing team, and have a blast while doing it all.
Ever since regionals last year I have proclaimed to the world that I would compete one more year and then I wanted to start trying for a family, change priorities, spend more time with my husband and a little less time in the gym, see LA, and experience other things with my extra time not spent at school or grading papers. Well, that time has come. Regionals is over, another school year is drawing to a close, and....it’s time to transition..... and... it's weird.
Historically, this gal REALLY hates change. I'd rather stay in my little comfort egg. Luckily, I have grown a lot these past few years and learned how to embrace the unknown. I think back to the skills that I used to feel were impossible like muscle ups, rope climbs, hand walking, and even trying to balance all of my extra training with my job. I think back to how nervous I was for my very first competition. While I still get nervous for competitions (who doesn’t?!), somehow in the midst of it all, I have turned into a fierce competitor who can stay calm and focused and truly believe in myself in the heat of battle. Who knew this emotional, crazy, anxious girl could stay so composed out there on the competition floor? I sure didn’t when I started this journey.
Just in the past few days I found that once I let go of the pressures of competing, new passions instantly rose to the surface. For example, I want to finally get my Crossfit certification, so I can figure out how I can bring Crossfit to high schools. Teenagers need to learn how to be healthy, of course. However, most importantly, the lessons Crossfit teaches about perseverance and integrity are invaluable and I want to be a part of it.
I believe now more than ever that Jared and I can accomplish anything we set our minds to in the future. A family. A school. A company. Anything. The future isn’t as scary as it used to be because I plan to attack it head on, as the fierce competitor that I have grown to become.