Tired

After staying up into the early hours of the morning watching transformers (which was incredible), I am starting to realize how tired I am! All of these push ups, sit ups, cardio units, trainings, and teaching is starting to wear on me. I have a lot of little nagging injuries that are getting very annoying. I am looking forward to taking this weekend to rest up and go crazy for phase 4!

4th of July

So tommorrow people that we know are coming from new york and we are all going to the beach for the forth of july. so it should be a lot of fun. my grandpa has a beach house down there but we are going to be staying in a hotel with a pool. so it should still be fun

so excited!!

my bff and her family are flying in tomorrow night!  they moved away almost four years ago and i've only seen her once since then.  i know by tomorrow, i'll be bursting at the seams with anticipation.... yes, there will be tears, but the good kind!!! lol just thinking about it makes my eyes water and i can't stop smiling!!  i'll be at the studio tues/wed next week for just a couple of hours but won't be sticking around for training...

see most of you tonight and those i don't see, have a great holiday weekend and stay safe!

btw - special training on the 9th!  numbers!!!!

Running Uphill

Today was a good day. I was so busy at work that time flew by quickly, despite having to engage in a difficult conversation with someone I manage. I got a lot done, and the conversation went as well as could be expected. By 4pm, I was very ready for a jog and decided to run the 3.7 mile loop that Brandy likes to take us on. It's quite the challenge to run that far alone, even with the upbeat music on my iPod.

I wasn't necessarily tired, my breathing was good, and my legs didn't hurt, but there were a few times I had to refocus my energy so I didn't stop and walk. Whenever the thought popped in my head how much easier it would be to stop and walk, I slowed my pace a little, took three deep breaths, shook out my arms, and then focused on trying to time my feet to the rhythm of the song I was listening to at the moment; I found this method highly effective.

The most difficult part was making myself jog up that hill. Honestly, when DTD jogs as a team, I find most of my motivation to keep jogging during the difficult times from my fellow testers. Doing it alone forced me to figure out a way to keep moving up that hill without all of you there, but I thought of you guys the whole way. :0)

Before DTD, I honestly had never jogged more than 3 miles at a time. Being able to jog nearly 4 miles is a big step, and I plan to keep climbing until I can go 5 miles without walking.

In a way, this experience can be a metaphor for my journey through this test...I feel like there have been many hills I've had to climb so far, and sometimes I have stopped to walk, but now I feel as though I have the focus and drive to continue running uphill.

Hope everyone had a good training tonight!

4th Monday of the month

Just a shout out to my team - this is the fourth Monday of the month so I have my board meeting at 7 and will not be at training. Sarah will be there and I'll be by as you finish up to get her and bow out with you guys! ~ Jessica

Kicking Combo

It's kind of funny how last night I wrote a journal about how much I love weapons, but tonight, her I am writing a journal about how I'm frustrated with a kicking combo in my open form. Before I got sick, I had been working on fine tuning the combo, and the last week or so I've noticed how much my kicking has suffered...along with everything else after two weeks of feeling run down.

Okay, that's enough complaining, and now it's time to think of a way to approach this problem. More reps and asking for feedback from people like BSBN John who notices every single little detail of any kick. It's that simple. Or at least it seems like it should be.

Aside from the kicking combo, I'm feeling confident about the test tomorrow morning. I plan to get to the studio at 8am to run through a few things. I'm sure I'll see a few of you there. :o)

Made it this far ... :)

So tomorrow's phase 3 testing... Today the demo team did their performance at Impact Gymnastics. I don't think I have ever been more proud of that team... They went in with a great attitude and smiles on their faces & gave it their all. They aren't just talented kids, they're good people. It's hard to find that some days and I'm so glad to be a part of it all.

Tomorrow's phase 3 testing ... Good luck everyone! ;)