Theo loves to eat, nap and chase squirrels. Theodore, unlike Alvin is afraid of nothing. I can vacuum up to his feet and he just stands there staring at me. If Alvin hears me opening the closet door to get the vacuum he goes into hiding.
Al is afraid of everything. He is typically seen cowering with his tail tucked between his hind legs. More times than not if you pick him up, he cries. For no reason at all.
Well, one thing that Al has mastered and Theo has not is getting up on our bed. Al can spring from the floor onto the bed like a cat. Theo on the other hand has tried and tried to no avail. Time after time his attempts have taken him from face first with the mattress to landing him back on the floor.
Theodore has officially given up on trying to get on the bed. After being bounced off the mattress time and time again, my puppy who fears nothing has given up...well kind of...it didn't take too long for Theo to figure out if he wants to get on the bed, that he can let out a little yelp, at all hours of the day or night, and mommy will pick him up and put him on the bed.
So which way is the right way to get on the bed? Is there a right way? Is there only one way? Does it always have to be the same way? Did Theo give up on getting on the bed?
Or did he just find a new way to get there...when his first option didn't work?
All too often we find ourselves faced with a situation that we don't think we can find the solution.
Which brings me to this weeks thoughts on Open WOD 15.3.
5 hours earlier I was in CF061 with Nick and landed my first muscle up. I have already posted the video on Facebook for all to see...and Dave Castro drops the unthinkable. Muscle ups as an opener in order to stay in the RX division.
Our home was completely silent...except for Gage he never stops speaking...I can honestly say, I was speechless. My husband, knowing he can read me like a book...is silent as well. We NEVER spoke about it. NEVER.
Immediately I had to make a decision. Like I had a mili-nano-second (I totally just made up that word...but what I'm trying to get across here is the smallest amount of time EVER EVER EVER!!) to decide if I was going to be positive or negative. I could have gone either direction.
I could have started my thoughts with I.CAN'T.NEVER.BUT
I chose to start my thoughts with this very mantra, "I can do a muscle up."
And so it became my journey, goal, destination, dream, my only thought process....from 8:07 pm on Thursday evening until I entered my score on the Leaderboard Monday at 6:00 pm.
94 hours...quite possibly the toughest mental hours I've ever dealt with as an athlete.
Every night when I lay down my head to sleep, I say my prayers. I pray for my husband and my kids and my family and my friends. I always thank God for the day and usually towards the end, I'll throw in a little something like, "say Hi to daddy and oh by the way, thanks for helping me with...blah blah blah!" This night in particular, I thanked him for my muscle up and drifted off to sleep...
When I woke up Friday morning my eyes were bloodshot and I was completely exhausted...have you ever done muscle ups for like 6 hours straight? I did, while I was sleeping. The muscle ups have started their journey of consuming me.
I spoke very little on Friday as I had to work overtime to keep my thoughts in line with my can do attitude. Approximately every second and a half I had to remind myself that I could do a muscle up. There was this constant tugging in my head, my heart and my stomach. I would flip flop back and forth and over and over and over have to remind myself that I can do a muscle up. I thought the time would never get there for me to go to the gym and get this over with.
On top of the muscle up dilemma I was faced with yet another dilemma. That day I also had to talk about myself to the Elkhart Truth reporters. I can brag about my husband, and my kids and each and every athlete at the gym...but ask me questions about myself and I retreat to this cozy place inside myself. Talk about a rough day.
My goal for today was 1 muscle up. Just 1. I could stay in RX and move onto the next workout. I did 1 yesterday. I could do 1 today.
I warmed up exactly like I did the day before...I even wore the same shoes...just in case that's how I got my muscle up. If the news weren't coming that day, I would have even been in the same clothes...just sayin'!
Now, because I had done 6 hours of muscle up practice in my sleep and another 11 hours of muscle up practice in my mind I got up on the rings, swung back and forth and for the first time EVER in my own gym, landed a muscle up.
I can never portray to you how I felt at that moment. EVERYONE in the gym cheered and clapped. My confidence soared. "I can do a muscle up", I said to myself again.
As I was briefing the workout I had this overwhelming need to get it done. This doesn't happen to me very often, but my heart was pounding and my voice was shaking for the entire brief. I knew my time was now. I felt completely and utterly selfish when I switched the heats and put myself first. I felt completely and utterly selfish when I took the wood rings from Joe. I'm not that type of person and I don't like to be. But something inside of me was saying, "now!" So, I listened.
3,2,1 GO!!
I don't remember right now if I got one right away, or if it took a couple of minutes, or even if it took 5 minutes, all I remember is that I was suddenly on top of the rings and everyone was screaming and yelling and cheering...I did it. I had my 1. I told myself, "Carole, from here on out are bonus reps, no pressure just do what you can." With reckless abandon, great coaching, and a few kisses to my Alzheimer's bracelet I tweaked out 5 more reps for a score of 6.
To say I was on top of the world was an understatement. I did a muscle up. I did 6 muscle ups. IMMEDIATELY I wanted 7 and publicly proclaimed it right then and there. New focus, new goal. I set my time and date - Monday at 4:30 I will re-do the WOD and I will get 7 muscle ups and make it through the first round.
 |
| Just finished 7th rep - on to wall balls! |
Just like Friday, I landed one right away in warm-up. Jim said, that's enough save them. When it was time for 3,2,1 GO!! My body just knew what to do...after all, I had done this in my head for 2 and 1/2 days...it was just coming to life...it played out like I visioned over and over and over.
I even made it to the second round and got 1 more muscle up with a tired body. My score went from 6 reps to 158 reps. Elated.
I'm going to take you back, before I take you forward. When Dave Castro announced muscle ups as an opener to stay RX and I had that mili-nano-second to make a decision....
That happens every day to each and every one of us. How many times in a given day are you forced to choose?
You see all of those if you believe it you can achieve
it...positive thoughts = positive results...if you think you can, you
can...type images and posts and tweets and this and that!!
And inevitably sometimes you let the seeds
of doubt creepin...but what if, in that mili-nano-second....you let yourself believe that you could?
What if,
you tried and failed and had to find a new way to get there, like Theo?
Never stop believing, all things are possible.
To end my story, this morning I was driving home from the gym (it's Thursday) and I heard this verse from Matthew 17:20:
And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Thank you God for my muscle up.
PS: Tell my daddy I said Hi.
PS: Tell my daddy I said Hi.
 |
| Double Unders!! |
Very well written. It is cool to read what was going on in your head and what you saw from your perspective. I look forward to your Thursday posts. 😘
ReplyDelete