Washington: Strongman Sunday

Before I sit down and write about my awesome road trip to the Northwest, I figured I would begin with a blog about the sunday strongman competition at RAB Fitness, the competitive reason I traveled over 4000 miles in one weekend.  By 9am on sunday morning, over 50 strongmen and women had weighed in, rehydrated, refueled, and now gathered at the front of the gym waiting for the rules meeting.  Competitors in grey, judges in red, Mike Kromer explained how the day was going to go, where the events were going to take place, and the standards for each event.  The mass of strong people then proceeded to the adjacent room to get individual measurements for the first event, the tire squat.

I spent much of the morning debating whether to use wraps or knee sleeves for the squat. For me, a 256lb squat is a bit out of my range, but I also did not want my legs to cave like a new born deer on the first event of the day.  My debate ended when HW competitor Kristy Scott pulled out a pair of SBD knee sleeves, and told me to try them.  I came close to not giving them back.  Although I knew 256lbs would have been a 50lb PR, I did not back down or scratch the event....miracles do happen.  Ok, maybe not on this day, as I took a zero for the event.  I must have missed the portion of the rules that said you have to stand up with the bar in order for the rep to count.  On to the deadlift medley!

Starting a competition with a big fat zero is not optimal, but I was pretty confident going into event #2, the deadlift medley.  Four bars (a 283 axle bar, a 365 trap bar, a 411 bar with tires, and a 500 frame) were lined up across the gym floor.  The only pull I had little experience with was the frame, but I knew it would be doable.  I was the first middle weight to attempt the event.  The axle went up fairly easy, the trap bar was a bit of a slow pull off the floor, and I hitched the crap out of the tires.  With plenty of time left on the clock, I still managed to rush my set up on the frame, didn't tighten my straps well, and just before lock out lost my grip on the right side of the frame.  With 15 seconds remaining, I reset my stance but had nothing left to even budge the frame.  But I did set the pace by completing 3 out of the 4 lifts, which would only be surpassed by one competitor.

The third event made me a bit nervous, a max clean and press on the log.  I train with a 10" log, and let me tell you, the 2" difference from a competition log is HUGE.  I knew the 130lb starting weight would make it overhead, so there would be no zero score for this event.  As the LW women finished the event, the log was loaded to a starting weight of 140lbs.  Hold the damn phone.  140lbs??  It is one of those mid-comp, mess with your mind kind of changes, but none the less, I was able to get the bar overhead.  Only one competitor completed the lift at 150lbs.

For the next event, a medley, there were three implements staggered at different lengths, all to be loaded onto a small platform and a long 410lb sled drag to the finish.  I knew there would be quicker competitors, the words "Ashley" and "quick" are not synonymous, so I decided to find a good pace and stick with it.  With the constant encouragement of my judge, Grant Higa, I never stopped moving and completed just over twenty feet on the sled portion...good enough for a first place finish.

My first place finish allowed me to go last in the final event, the atlast stones.  There were five stones ranging from 140lbs to 230lbs, all to be loaded to a 51" platform.  At this point, I knew that the only stone that could pose a problem would be the final 230lber, and I just hoped my adrenaline would fuel me enough to eclipse the 51 inches.  I moved through the first four stones in twenty-one seconds but fell short of the platform three times on the final stone.  With Mike Kromer in my ear telling me I needed to move faster, I was able to win the event by two seconds.

As I stood in the freezing weather in a sports bra and tight shorts, removing spider tack from my hands, I realized that regardless of my zero score on the squat, I was pretty happy with my overall performance.  And as my coach, Jill Mills said via text, "nice comeback".  In the final standings, I remained in third place.  The points I lost on the first event were too much to overcome...and for what its worth, one single squat would have landed me in a tie for first.  But I can not look back at what could have happened, only move forward and squat my ass off until my next competition...a return to my first competition ever, Texas Strongest Man/Woman!

Thank you RAB Fitness, Mike and Lisa Kromer, and Roger and Ally Baker for an amazing weekend of lifting!!!

New Adventures

I am one of the lucky ones.  I escaped addiction.  In March of 2012, I hung up my frosty beer mug for good. In doing so, I closed the book on a 25+ year journey of covering up all the emotions, losses, and painful aspects of life; and in turn, built a brand new path toward the unknown.

The unknown has had its share of pain, a tremendous amount of learning, and some speed bumps that could drop the transmission out of a small car.  But I have taken every step and, at times, hung on for dear life.  With the help of a wonderful support crew, my windy and bumpy path has been lighted with purpose and evolved into a much more manageable road.  Every day is a new adventure and I truly look forward to waking up, watching the sun rise, and tackling every thing that comes my way.

I have also found a passion, the same one that began to fade just prior to the 2009 CrossFit Games.  My passion was renewed in October of 2012 when I met a trainer that has lived the positive and negative of life and sports...and embraced it all.  It is a lifestyle that I once could not begin to comprehend.  It began with the "simple" goal of lifting heavy, and by March of 2013, turned toward becoming the best lifter and strongwoman I could possibly be.  Yes, it can be considered a hobby, but to me, it is much more.  Lifting has become a part of my life that has provided purpose, goals, job opportunities, and numerous friendships.

During the summer of 2013, I went way out of my comfort zone by traveling to California to compete in a strongwoman contest.  Although I was disappointed with my performance, I came away with a bigger understanding of myself than I could ever imagine.  I also met people that shared my passion.  One of those friendships has led me to a competition in south central Washington.  My roomate in California was such a warm, caring, and all around wonderful person, that I did not hesitate to book my flight to the north in the dead of winter.  And I am not a fan of freezing temperatures.  The competition itself includes events that are heavy, and for the most part, completely out of my wheel house.  So why am I going?  To reconnect with a family of strongwomen that have positively impacted my life, and to meet the rest of the women that make up this one of a kind group.  Don't get me wrong, I am not traveling that far to lose.  But in the midst of competition, there is something greater to embrace.  If by chance I do get my ass handed to me, then I know I will be returning home with new life experiences and a larger strongman/woman family.  And I am sure new event techniques to work on and strategies to contemplate.

With that being said, I have about four loads of laundry to finish and a bag to pack.  I plan to post a competition recap when I return...provided my warm weather ass doesn't freeze to death. :D