“PR’s are Sacred.”

Since I left the box tonight from Femme training with Smita, I have been theorizing on why I just didn’t have it together. Maybe doing Grace on Monday at RX wrecked me (30 clean and jerks at 95 pounds). Maybe it’s because I had a cooking fail on Sunday which resulted in not preparing my lunch for the week. I ate off my normal diet and I am wondering if the substitutions didn’t give my body enough energy and nutrients to get me through my grueling trainings.  Maybe I just need some extra rest days. Maybe mentally my head wasn’t in it. Maybe getting a 135 clean last Friday was a fluke and I am crazy to think I can replicate it again. Maybe turning another year older in a few days is messing with me. Maybe it’s a million other things that I have yet to stress myself out trying to assess.

Does it really matter why? I suppose on the one hand it is to avoid getting into a bad pattern. Or I can just shake it off and remember that not every time I work out will I feel like a rock star. AND THAT’S OK!

I have been hitting a lot of PR’s lately across the board and it has me pumped. It’s hard to go from having that to the opposite where I feel like my body is just on strike. I realized tonight that I am getting greedy with PR’s and not being fair to myself. I am reminded time and time again a coach that PR’s are sacred. Both him and Smita tell me after I do my PR happy dance to shut it down. I typically just smile politely while secretly plotting my next PR.

Tonight though I realized the value of what they have been saying.  Not every workout is going to trump the last one I did or result in hitting a new personal best.  Being at max capacity sucks a lot of energy out of a person and we are entitled to take a step back at times after we experience that. It’s all part of a process. You need lows to get you to the highs and appreciate them. (and to keep perspective on how we define “low”. Chances are our lows may be disappointing to us but in the grand scheme of things are pretty bad ass).

So while I write this I realize I may have just had the most obvious epiphany. I am sure most of you already knew that PR’s are sacred. For me, I needed the reminder so I can continue to train smart.  We all should train smart and not be so hard on ourselves.  Enjoy your great achievements and patiently work for your next.