#mhcmvp

Roller derby Champs are over. We came out in the top 8, winning our first game against the Philly Roller Girls and losing by less than 40 to the B.A.Y. Area All-Stars. Our team is so full of talent which makes you fight that much harder to get a roster spot and feel defeated that much more when you don't. Coming into to the weekend, I wasn't expecting to play both games but I was fortunate to have done so. I received only one penalty the entire weekend, an unavoidable low block that was redeemed with 10 seconds left in the jam and me receiving all 5 points by twisting my hips and coming in hot. What a rush.

The regular season is over, both a relief and a bit of a bummer. Two or more practices a week from February through October practicing things I know and trying to get better at things all the while helping your teammates get better. In two weeks, Team Colorado goes to Florida with the possibility of playing up to 7 full-length games (one hour each) in 3 days. And then, regular season resumes in January. So, what am I doing between now and then?

My plan is to go to CrossFit three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (afternoons for the days I can't talk myself out of bed at 6am). Wednesdays I'll attend scrimmages and probably one or two league practices. In this time, I'd like to start increasing my weight now that I seem to have most of the form down and building as much muscle as possible. Already I've seen a change in my body from minimal CrossFit and maximum roller derby practices. I was also able to feel on the track the time and energy I've put into building muscle, albeit minimal so far.

If you haven't checked out a CrossFit gym or are scared of it because of the stereotypes but are interested in putting on muscle, I urge you to do a little research and check one out. And if you live in the Denver area, check out crossfitdeco.com to have all your stereotypes blown out the window and be encouraged all the way.

The past few weeks I've been struggling with my schedule. The project I'm on for work (I'm a software developer) is demanding much more of my time as a project deadline is closing in. 3 weeks until a demo has to be complete, working nights and weekends, and all I can think is "What would my life be like if working out and playing roller derby was my job?" Let me be clear, I absolutely love my job. I'm a tech nerd and love learning new things, especially when it comes to programming. But sometimes staring at a screen all day everyday just gets tiring. I'm also not really good at taking breaks when I should.

My other downfall is that I love to sleep. And being active makes you need more sleep. And, right now is THE best sleeping weather. Crack a window at night, get me under a thick comforter: all of my willpower to do anything is completely gone. Then comes along my 6am alarm blaring in my ear to make sure I get to the 6:30am CrossFit class. The sun is just rising and my body is still recovering from a late roller derby practice. I can always, always find an excuse to stay in bed. "That extra hour of sleep will do me good!" my groggy mind thinks. And then only half fall back asleep only to wake up grumpy to my second alarm making a terrible sound reminding me that I don't have as much will power as I thought.

Remembering your ultimate goals in the midst of feeling weak, tired and rundown is really hard. And yet while it takes time to see the results of all the hard work you put in (which is sometimes years), there is still instant gratification once you've finished a good workout. Sure, you may not be able to move your legs or arms, or anything, but it's a feeling that you can't replace except with doing it again. And again. And again.

Turns out that training is a bit strenuous on your body. The Monday following my insanely week-long packed schedule of miscellaneous training, I went to a CrossFit class. It felt great, though I was still reluctant to put on the suggested weight to ensure proper technique, and Playoffs were in the back of my mind. To cause any injury now all for trying to be as big as Hulk Hogan would be really frustrating. Probably embarrassing as well.

Meanwhile, the real world decided to represent in a big way, which resulted in my missing both a Tuesday MHC practice and Wednesday scrimmage against our town rivals, RMRG. I love roller derby, a lot. As much as I get my butt kicked, I really dislike missing practices. Luckily, there was another MHC practice scheduled for Thursday and a game scheduled Saturday night against the Bridgetown Menace dudes. Thursday I went to practice, warmed up with some sprints, followed by footwork drills including hockey stops and power slides. Then we started on wall drills and immediately the back of my right shoulder began to hurt. It wasn't a sore feeling or an over-stretched feeling; it felt tight, to the point that I couldn't lift my arm even to shoulder height. I was already feeling grumpy from not having been active the two days prior (I might have an addiction?), and to have pain made it even worse. I found a HotPocket someone had left in the freezer since I couldn't find (see) any ice. It helped some, so I decided to try another wall drill. My shoulder was not having it and I had to watch the rest of the night. I went home, took some Ibuprofen, iced and stretched it out.

The next morning it felt almost completely better, which was strange and more obnoxious. I had planned to attend a CrossFit class that afternoon, but decided against it so as not to risk not being able to play against Bridgetown the next evening. So I skipped class. I went for a brief run Saturday morning followed by some one-legged squats because...why not? My legs were fine and at this point I had to do something. My mood felt much better and I felt excited to skate that evening. While my shoulder did feel a little tender, I was able to skate really well and was even voted MVP Jammer by the dudes. I felt really honored.

Monday rolled around and I had against planned to attend a CrossFit class. But, this being the week of WFTDA Playoffs in Sacramento, I decided against it and just to do some light leg exercises since we had a team MHC practice the next day, scrimmage on Wednesday and our first Playoff game on Friday. In the moment I wanted to push myself, but I again had to prioritize and be able to see the long-run impact and important in my choice. And I'm glad I did. We won our first two games at Playoffs, allowing us to play the game for first and second place and guaranteeing a spot at Champs with the 11 other top roller derby teams in the world. And while we lost to the 50+ game winning streak team Gotham, we gave them a fight like they haven't had in a while and showed the potential of our team in just a short amount of time training and adjustments. Oh, and we got a silver medal. YES!

I arrived back in Colorado today with a little bit of soreness and a whole lot of excitement to prepare myself for Champs. I was reminded by the importance of being able to listen to your body when it needs a rest and how sometimes, it's better that way. If you're constantly tearing your body down, at some point it will break unless you give it some rest. I'm glad I did. Now I'm ready to tear it down for the next 7 weeks before Champs.

Week Schedule: Mon. 08.25 - CrossFit [Day 3] @ 4:30pm Tue.  08.26 - n/a Wed. 08.27 - n/a Thur. 08.28 - MHC @ 6:30pm (skating only) Fri.    08.29 - n/a Sat.   08.30 - MHC vs Bridgetown @ 7pm Sun.  08.31 - Bike ride