Strength #5: My Training Partner

I have been struggling all week about what to write about in my blog... I have about five different ideas whirling around in my mind but I can't quite put enough words together to write about them yet or I have a specific time in mind that I want to write them and it isn't right now. So anyways last night after working out, this idea totally struck me as exactly what I wanted to write about! One of my biggest strengths, not only in CrossFit but life, is my training partner Jen.

Jen and I are in totally opposite places in our lives. I am a 23 year old graduate school student with limited responsibilities. My parents still help me pay for things (which I am forever grateful for) because with my crazy school/clinical schedule I am not able to find much work besides babysitting. She is 38 years old, married, has two kids, a full-time job, and about 1,000 different responsibilities. From the outside looking in our close friendship makes no sense and I often think people at the gym and life just stare at us and ponder this. But our differences really don't matter and haven't stopped us from becoming great friends.

If it wasn't through CrossFit, I'm not sure we would have never met. I remember one of my first times going to the competitors class at CrossFit St. Louis and she was the first one to talk to me and make me feel like I was part of the group. Being one of the oldest in the competitors group, Jen is like a mom to most of us and we frequently refer to her lovingly as "mom." She is always looking out for all of us and makes sure that we are doing alright.

Jen and I weren't initially as close as we are now, but we originally started to lift together because all of our weight lifting numbers are extremely close. It is so nice and convenient to only have to pull half of the weights out that we need. FYI: Jen may be 15 years older than me but she is still a bada** and can lift the same amount of weight that I can if not more! Do NOT ever let age stop you!

Always proud of her and her
accomplishments. Continuing
to show she is a beast!

Working out and lifting together for the past 6-7 months has really created a bond between the two of us. Every workout we do together, we push each other to do our best. We hold each other accountable  in every workout and tell each other that we can do something even when we may think we can't. We scream for each other's PR's, we talk each other through lifts, point out what we need to work on, but most importantly we pick each other up when we have a bad day. One thing I have learned with CrossFit is that you are not going to hit a PR every time and sometimes that is hard to keep in mind. Jen is always there to pick me up when I have a bad day and that means the world to me. Prime example was last night, what led me to this post.

Anyone that knows me and my CrossFit history knows that I struggle with deadlifts. Physically I have a hard time maintaining proper form and mentally I have an even harder time wrapping my head around them. I could go into a lot of detail here, but that is for another post, another day. Anyways, last night we were supposed to do 2 at 95% of our one repetition max. Last night I could only do one at 90% and my form was awful. My frustration around these lead me to have a mini melt down. Nothing crazy dramatic but I definitely had tears in my eyes because of this. Jen made me look at her and told me to move on, it wasn't  big deal and after all we had a 30 minute death march workout ahead of us.

She knows me and knew I needed a swift kick in the butt to help me move on and to face the workout we had ahead of us. After the workout and when I was home she texted me and told me how great I did in the workout and to move on from my deadlift frustrations and that I will get them next time. She always tells me great job when I have a good day or I overcome something but will tell me on that bad days that it is alright. The whole weekend I was at ShredFest she was telling me how proud she was of me for competing and giving it my all. Just having her remind me of these things helps me keep competitive exercise it in perspective.

That about sums it up 

Jen and I have become friends outside of the gym too though. Again, how do two people in totally different places in their lives get along so well?  I don't really have an explanation but it works. And while we may talk about CrossFit and things related to they gym, that is less than 50% of our conversations. I can talk to her anything and it doesn't matter what it is, she will listen and give advice when needed. She has become one of my best friends and is like a second mother to me (which in writing this down it makes sense because that is how my real mother is too, a best friend).

Claire and I

Our friendship was formed because of CrossFit, but it has grown for different reasons. I am so thankful that I have Jen to lean on when I have a bad day but also tell about my good days as well, whether it be at the gym or in life. Being away from home is hard on me because I love my family sooo much, but having someone here in St. Louis that I can hang out with makes it easier. She has let me be a part of her family in a sense and her daughter, Claire, has become like a little sister to me. Just the other night we were chilling in a hotel hot tub watching her daughter swim in a freezing cold pool and I was thinking about these things. After last night though I knew I wanted to write about her as one of my strengths!

I am so grateful for the fact that Jen and I can lift the same amount of weight. This lead to me having an awesome training partner to push me everyday in the gym, but also gave me a great friend.  It is crazy how this world works sometimes and this is one of those things I am thankful for. Surrounding yourself with people who care about you is what life is all about.