So I didn't blog yesterday. I committed to one every day, however, in my head it's fully justified, and equally would have served little purpose. I spent the day at the British Championships, coaching, but not lifting. Coaching is my prime focus, and it went well, however, this blog is specifically for training and nutrition, so the details will be shared elsewhere. In short, yesterday was a rest day, at least in terms of exercise, That made two in a row!
Today, 30th January, I lifted. I still had another athlete to coach this morning, and then on to focus on my own lifting. I made weight, weighing in at 87.6kg (for the 89kg category) and then ate - a ham and cheese toastie for the record, as I won't do food in detail for these two days.
Warming up I felt the fastest, and strongest I have in quite some time. The toothache was minimal, and the timing was spot on. Snatches up first - for those not fully familiar, you get 3 lifts with your highest lift counting towards your total. I opened at 90kg, which was deliberately light, so as to secure a total and fight for the win. It was a comfortable lift, and I opted for 95kg next, to earn a shot at a big final lift in the 98-101kg range. Unfortunately, there were several technical delays, meaning I spent some 12 minutes between lifts. I over-pulled my attempt at 95kg, and lost it backwards. This was a technical miss, but I knew speed and strength were both there. I stayed at 95kg, having briefly contemplated going up to 97kg, and......... did exactly the same again!
Not time to worry and overthink, I had the clean and jerks to warm up for! Warm-up felt great again, and I stuck with my planned opening lift of 120kg. Making this comfortably gave me lots of confidence. It also gave me the win, which meant the pressure was off for the next two lifts. I opted for 125kg next, which is always a litmus test for me. It shows if I have the legs that day for a big lift. I'll make it 90% of the time, but if it's slow and laborious, it means I have max 1-3 more kg in me. Today it flew! With nothing to lose, I asked for the bar to be loaded to 131kg - an attempt for a lifetime best. The clean was a bit of a fight, but I still felt good in the pause. Driving up into the jerk, I knew I had it. It felt light, and I felt strong! I made the jerk, albeit with a step to the side, or three, to secure a respectable total, and the British Championship for the Men's 35-39 89kg category.
A great day, and a great experience! This blog will return much more to normal training and food-related content over the coming week, but for now, there's a belly full of pizza, and a bath waiting!
