Appalachian Open

This weekend was all about me getting away and relaxing as much as it was about my meet.  I had been so overwhelmed with taking care of so many dogs that by the time I was done running around taking care of all of them I was completely over it. I went through a tank of gas in 2 days!  So from the end of June to the 10th of July I was slammed with taking care of dogs while families went out of town for the holiday weekend.

But that's besides the point.  I have been on a high since my meet and I couldn't be more excited.  Granted the meet didn't turn out exactly how I would have liked it to, but it was amazing regardless of that minor fact.  I enjoyed, competing with my teammates (Heavy Metal Barbell), staying and watching my coach compete and just being able to spend time with fellow teammates and really feel like apart of the team for the day.  It's hard for me to feel apart of a team when I'm so far away.  

And of course I had some fun along the way on the trip also.  Treating myself to a couple of outings.

Drum Circle
So Asheville is known for its hippie vibe.  And you can definitely see that by some of the things around you.  Events that take place, how people dress, all the farm-to-table restaurants (which I'm not complaining about those at all).
When I finally reached Asheville after the long 4 hour drive Friday I took a nap, barely, and wanted to get out on the town.  I had asked for recommendations from friends, and got plenty of ideas for things to do and places to eat.  My friend had mentioned a drum circle that happens every Friday night at one of the parks in the middle of downtown.  Another suggestion was the salt caves but the drum circle just really caught my attention.I had bought a new dress that is white and floral, has a deep v and a nice open back.  I'm a sucker for open back clothing.  I even took the time and worked through the frustration and curls my hair.  And if you know me, dressing up in a nice dress that can be summer casual and curling my hair is kind of a big deal.  I just wanted to feel pretty and attractive in a place where no one knew who I was.
So I decided to head downtown to the drum circle.  It's just a bunch of locals who get together on a Friday night and play their drums and people come out and dance.  Even people with tambourines show up.  It was very cool to watch and see how people just jump in with their different drums.  People even came up with a cart full of drums.  I was honestly shocked by this.  The audience and the drummers filled up within an hour of being there.
Being there and out doing something was amazing.  It relaxed me, although I did feel a little out of place being out of town even though no one else knows that I'm from out of town.  I hung out for about an hour and a half and then headed back to the hotel.  I wish I could have stayed longer but I needed to get as much rest as I could before the meet Saturday.

Appalachian Open

Snatch
Warming up for snatches felt great!  I was moving fast, catching them easy just like the previous week.  I was confident in them.  I was starting toward the middle of the pack because there were only about 6 or 7 of us going "heavy."  I don't really call what I lift as heavy, not yet anyway.  Warming up was fun and I was relaxed.  Talking to the girls on the team.  It was a little nerve racking for me though seeing Sean run back and forth taking care of 3 athletes that day and checking to see how far out we were from taking our place on the platform to lift.  What I think made it worse for me is when I could hear them call the weights that needed to be loaded on the bar and I hadn't taken my warm-up snatch yet that was right under that weight and it would soon be my turn.
It was announced that I was in the hole and then next up.  56kg/123# was on the bar
Attempt 1...
I wasn't paying attention to much and almost forgot to put my singlet all the way one.  I was ready to go and just having fun.  When walking out to get chalk we had to walk passed the platform, which later got changed.
I hadn't bothered to take a look at the people in front of me when I stepped on the platform before touching the bar.  Normally I get use to my surrounding in front of me before I lift.  I bent down to grab the bar and looked up to spots.   As soon as I looked to spot the caught sight of the center referee and it completely through me off and my nerves got the best of me.  The bar went up easy but I had too much power and it fell behind me.  No lift 1
Attempt 2... No worries, I could get it on the next attempt.  This is weight that I can snatch for a double, so no big deal.  It was my nerves, the first lift was over so no big deal it was out of the way so I should be fine.  Time for attempt 2.
I pushed the bar forward a bit because it just felt too close to the back of the platform.  I typically lift toward the front.  After pushing the bar forward I bent down the grab the bar,  left hand then right (even though I'm a right handed person).  The center judge didn't bother me.  I caught the bar and then my arms decided they wanted to half way give out and there went the elbow bend.  I straightened my arms back out and stood it up but I knew ultimately that it was a No lift.  
No lift 2.

I told Sean I was almost tempted to go up in weight.  I knew it was a weight I could hit so I wasn't too worried about missing my 2 lifts, only the fact that I needed to hit my last on in order to get a total for the meet. Honestly, that hadn't even crossed my mind. I thought Sean was walking over to change my weight so I went and laid down for in the warm up area trying to relax cause I thought I would have some time between my second and third lift.  I sure he thought, "What the hell is she doing?"  Needless to say, I was just following myself and only had 2 minutes.
Attempt 3... This was my last shot to hit this weight.   And my last shot to get a total.  A little nerve racking and frustrating because it shouldn't have happened this way.  No pressure...
Finally!  The 56kg went up like how it should have the first time with easy, quick movement, easy catch.  I made it look like a walk in the park.  Finally a lift that would count toward my total.
I had gone in with the goal of hitting either 61kg (a competition PR) or a 63 or 64kg lift (a life and comp PR).
Snatch: 56kg

C&J
Warming up for C&J was going great as well.  I was moving fast with these too and catching them well.  I had been having trouble with them three weeks prior.  I was again getting anxious when my weight was being announced higher than what I was warming up with.  I was scared I wasn't going to be ready when it came time for me to take my first lift.  But that was about to be the least of my worries.
While warming up I finally got to 60kg.  Now while I warm up and am only hitting weights only for 1 attempt I don't use collars.  These plates and bars were new and slippery.  I went to clean 60kg, not problem.  I started to stand up with the weight and the plates on the right side started to slip toward the end of the bar.  I thought well if I tilt it back the other way the should slide back toward the inside of the bar....o better not do that or the plates will slip off the other side.   So I just let them go and as soon as they fell off I just tried to control the bar as I knew the left side would be doing the same from the uneven weight distribution.  As soon as the plates fell, there went the left side.  I hung onto the bar, probably a stupid decision.  Once the bar plates had slipped off the bar and to the floor and I was hanging onto the bar as it tumbled in the other direction everyone was looked at me.
I was irritated and that point and took out my collars threw them on the bar and went for the lift again.  Next was 63kg.

Attempt 1...
I was ready for this especially after what had happened in the warm-up area.  Plus I was more relaxed after snatches.
65kg was on the bar. A weight I knew I could hit at 95% of my max.  I chalked up my hands (I'm a self-proclaimed chalk whore) and walked onto the platform and pushed the bar forward with my shin.  It was too far back for me.  I bent down to grab the bar, left hand then right.  Set up so my chest was up and I was looking beyond the center referee.  If I looked at him, I'd lose my focus.  I started my pull and tried to hit as close to my hips as I could.  Kept my torso tight and caught the bar quick, stood it up easy.  I always pause a for bit in between by clean and my jerk.  I caught my breathe, focused and hit my jerk.  Moving fast and sinking under the bar.  It was a good lift.
Attempt 2...
Sean asked if I wanted 67 or 68 next...ummm 68!  I had hit it the week prior for a single so I felt like I could hit it here and after how the first lift went, I had confidence.  The pull came easy with this one as well,  standing up was  a little harder though.  I almost got stuck in the middle and honestly struggled there for a little bit but told myself that like hell I wasn't standing up without that bar on my chest (more of clavicle/collar bone than chest).  I stood it up and had to take a little longer before the jerk because I almost blacked out for a second.  I sometimes forget to breath when I struggle to stand up out of a heavy front squat.  I think I saw black for about a second and almost felt myself wobble.  I caught my breathe, focused and hit my jerk just like I had before, nice and solid.  Good lift
Attempt 3...
I have to try not to think about the weight that's on the bar when it comes to 70kg because it's always been a mental thing for me.  I chalked up my chest for this one because it started to slip on the 68 attempt.  This would be a big lift for me.  Finally breaking that mental barrier and a new personal and competition PR.  I have been trying for 70k for months!  Always close but never making it.  Again I walked onto the platform and pushed the bar forward, this time with my hands.  Every time I had pushed it forward previously the bar would end up crooked and my OCD kicks in with that haha.  The pull went easy and so was the catch.  I was still moving fast and I couldn't believe it.  I actually stood this one up easier than I did my previous attempt.  Yes, it was such a relief to finally stand up with something I had struggled to stand up with for so long.  I was smiling on the inside even though my face nowhere close to showed that.  When I went to start the lift I was so zoned out and focused on hitting it.  Time to catch my breathe and refocus for the jerk.  I honestly feel like I stand between the two too long, but who cares as long as I hit the damn lift.  I went of the jerk and somehow in the middle of it al caught it wrong.
Because of that after the catch I stood up out of it quick crossing my back (left) food behind my right and wobbled overhead while walking forward.  But I wasn't letting that bar go. It wobbled I walked but I held on to it. The center referee gave me the down signal and from there it felt like it took about a minute for them to give a Lift or No Lift verdict.  It was a good lift!

My missed attempts at snatch (unfortunately don't have the

one I made) and all my C&J attempts

I stuck around for the rest of the meant and watched Tayler and Sean (who coached me) lift that day.  The are both heavy lifters (the weight they move).  Watching both of them is amazing and I want to be like them when I grow up.  There was a lot of good energy in that place that day.  I hung out with the girls and talked to them.  It was good getting to know them and wish I had more time to.

But my next priority after the meet was over was to relax.  My mom had told me about a tubing company called Zen Tubing where you can pay $20 bucks and tub for a couple hours down the river.  How long it took to get down there river depended on the speed of the water which was mostly determined by the height.  The location I went to was suppose to take 2 hours.


Zen Tubing + White Duck Tacos
There were two locations to go to for Zen.  Depending on which location you went to, depended on how long it would take you to get down the river.  Because I wanted to relax I decided to go to the location that would take 2 hours to get down.  It was going to be a 15min drive from my hotel and when I first arrived my GPS took me to Bent Creek Park.  I panicked for a second and was able to call hime and find out they were only a little bit further down the Road

The best part, you only pay $20 bucks and tub for a couple hours down the river.  How long it took to get down there river depended on the speed of the water which was mostly determined by the height. It started to drizzle a slightly on my way to the drop in point but I wasn't worried.  It that's the worst that it was going to be I would be fine.  The water was in the 70s.  One of the workers asked me if I wanted a paddle and my first thought was yeah it would come in handy if I got stuck on some rocks on in a tree.  Little did I know that paddle was going to come in very handy!

About 20-30min in to my trip is started pouring down rain!  I did have my cell phone on my but I had bought a waterproof case to put it in while on the trip...you never know who I might need to call while out in the middle of the water haha.  My tub was starting to fill up with water, there was a middle seat to it not the tubs with the hole so my butt touches the water.  Next thing I knew I would be full of water and floating down the river.  Even though it wasn't that cold outside, between the rain and it being really muggy outside I was starting to get cold, or at least my hands were.  I don't do very well when my hands and feet get cold, but my feet were crossed underneath my in the pool of water I was sitting in in my tub.  But my hands weren't going to last very long as they started going numb about an hour into my trip.  And this ride was suppose to last 2.  And that's when my trusty paddle came in handle.  My ass paddle myself the rest of the way down the river.  Want to know how fast that went?
When I was put in at the drop in point I was the very last person to be dropped off and get into the water before they didn't take any more people for the day.  Well needless to say I passed about 4-5 groups of people riding down the river...that got in an hour ahead of me!  The first thing I did when I hit the finish point besides turn in my tube was grab my keys and high tail it to my car to get warm and toasty before heading back to the hotel.  I hit the nice warm shower after that.

Now it was time to decide what to eat and stop into The Chocolate Fetish on the way back and grab some truffles for me and mom.  I had so many suggestion on places to go eat while in town it was crazy.  And I was in the mood for tacos.  But there was another place I was debating about called Salvage Station.  They have live music events and just looked like a cool place overall.  By the time I headed out for dinner it was nice and sunny out!  Figures it would be sunny after I went tubing.  I think I debated between Salvage Station and White Duck Tacos for a good 45min before I finally decided.  I wanted to go and be downtown in that atmosphere so that's where I headed, and snuck into a parking lot I didn't have to pay for parking (cause you have to pay anywhere you park downtown) and hoped I wasn't towed by the time I got back!

I walked the streets of downtown to White Duck and passed Pritchard Park again, where the Drum Circle was on was Friday night.  They had people break dancing out there this time.  When I got to White Duck I saw that there was a line, but thankfully White Duck isn't that big so the line wasn't that long.  You paid for each taco that you got and they had many different flavors...different chicken recipes, seafood tacos (crab/fish), and I think they even had a duck taco.  You could get Sangrias or different beers and the also had some sides.  I couldn't decide whether I wanted chips and queso or if I wanted watermelon with mint.  I eventually decided on the watermelon with mint, and got 2 tacos (thai peanut chicken and a buffalo chicken taco).  Both were very good.  Definitely somewhere I would go back to and try more tacos. Only thing I wish they would have had was outdoor seating.  I love sitting outside and eating this time of year.

As I walked back toward the chocolate shop I stopped to try and watch the break dancers.  There were so many people standing around watching them it was kind of hard to see them.  Short girl problems!  I didn't stay long because the chocolate shop wasn't going to stay open long and I was worried about my car so off to pick out some truffles I went.  I grabbed some that I knew only my mom would eat...dark chocolate.  And then I grabbed some I knew we would both like but for her covered in dark chocolate.  I'm glad that had the same things I would like in something she would like as well.  There were so many truffles to choose from and I wish they would have something that was cookies 'n cream flavored but they did have chocolate covered oreos, high heels made from chocolate and little boots made from chocolate as well. They have some you can sample each day.  Friday I had tried "Shot in the Dark,"  it had espresso in it.  I'm not a fan of anything coffee related at all but I tried it anyway.  Still not a fan and it's not exactly that great for me anyway.  When I went and got chocolates they had a basil pistachio truffle to sample. You could definitely taste the basil and I liked that taste but maybe no so much as a chocolate.  I was hesitant to eat this one as well because of the pistachio.  I have an aversion to those as well but for a good reason I think.   That's for a different blog post though.  After the chocolate shop I went back to the hotel room and tried to start packing up and make sure I had everything together to head to Charlotte overnight so I could sine my mom since I hadn't seen her since she had had her knee surgery.

My overnight trip to Charlotte was great.  My mom and I went and got ice cream on Sunday night at Dairy Queen since it was national ice cream day.  I ended up with a blizzard, not what I had planned on getting at all, and she got a fudge brownie with ice cream.  I helped her out with some chores on Monday and she helped me vacuum out my SUV and I left around 12ish to head back home and she had to go to her first outpatient PT session which she was completely nervous about.  I definitely will need another trip like this more during the year.

Until Next Time Next meet:
Sept 30th
Barbells & Brews in Charlotte

O and just a little update on my birthday trip next year.  Turns out United doesn't fly to the location in AZ I'm looking to go so looks like I'll be using my voucher for somewhere else and actually purchasing my ticket to AZ for my birthday trip.  Now back to the books on where to use my voucher to.  I have 5 more months too book a place to go with that ticket....