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The Arnold Sports Festival
I mentioned in my last post that I was competing in the Arnold Weightlifting Championships being held this weekend in Colombus, Ohio at the Arnold Sports Festival To say that this is going to be quite the experience is an understatement. I hadn’t even heard about this event a year ago and now I am jumping in full force to check it out. The festival itself brings in close to 20,000 athletes, with weightlifting being just one of over 40 events. Athletes, spectators, and companies will be coming from all over the world to take part in the weekend.
Wait… one… second… WHY am I competing there?!?! Cait that just started lifting a year ago. Cait that has only done small local meets. Because I want to damnit! And because I can!
Conquering The Voice
That small negative voice that I have been working on getting rid of over the past few years has been creeping in every so often recently. Without even realizing it I will catch myself trying to find reasons why I shouldn’t be going. “Im not good enough” “There are so many other amazing lifters going” “Im a baby in this sport” “Im not ready for this”
I constantly tell athletes I work with, that the mental game is the hardest part of competing. I’ve done a lot of work myself on visualizations during training and leading up to competitions. I continue to work on what I call my “mental game” as I figure out what does and doesn’t work for me, but it is so easy to let old habits jump back in when you are anxious about something.
Today for the first time, I am feeling really excited about this weekend. What it comes down to- it is just another meet. I have been training hard over the past few months on my technique and working on getting stronger. I need to have confidence in what I have put into this. My coaches, family, and fellow athletes are going to be there supporting me and I am just going to have a good time. I of course will still face those pre-competition jitters, but now I have owned the fact that I belong there just as much as anyone else does. I’m going to go out there and give everything I have in that moment.
After my last meet with my amazingly supportive teammates from Gardiner Athletics
Strong Women Inspire Me
Part of what brought my excitement on was realizing all of the amazing athletes I am going to get to meet, watch lift, and lift with. There will be some incredible lifters there from all backgrounds. It is so incredible to be a part of that. Athletes like Elisabeth Akinwale and Katie Hogan have been incredible inspirations for me as I watched their own endeavors the past two years. The amount of dedication and determination they put into their sport is just phenomenal!
I’m also really looking forward to reconnecting with some of the lifters that I have met at meets and training camps over the past year. As I continue to get immersed in the world of weightlifting I begin to realize what a truly small community it is.
Goals
Someone asked me today what my goals were for the weekend (meaning numbers). I honestly for the first time couldn’t tell them. So my coach would be happy to hear me say that my goals are:
Have fun
Go 6 for 6
No regrets
Strong in Mind and Body
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