Hi y’all!
As promised, here is my latest week in review to bring my reviews up to date. Last week was an epic week for me! I went so far out of my comfort zone and had the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. I went to the USATF Masters Outdoor National Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the Atlanta Track Club‘s Master team where I tried new things and met great people.
Monday (July 10th): Well Body Basics ART
I know I say this every week but Donna at Well Body Basics is magic! I always feel better and know what home care I need to do after my appointments. It had been 2 weeks since I saw her and boy did I notice. Even though she shows me the exercises and/or stretches I need to do at home, I’m pretty slack about it at times. Hmmm, maybe I’ll do a series on if I did it all like I’m supposed to do it… Donna put me back together and gave me one simple thing to do (put my legs up on the wall in various different positions). Which actually came in handy over the weekend too.
Tuesday (July 11th): Rest Day
I was feeling sore and tired from the lack of sleep last week plus pushing through my workout that I knew I needed a break. Plus, I needed to pack and get ready for my epic adventure. Armed with my packing spreadsheet, I had a lot to get done.
Not only that I had to take everything out of my kitchen and bathroom cabinets before I left for pest control. Let me tell y’all, I have a LOT of kitchen stuff. I probably haven’t mentioned it before but I LOVE to cook (and eat too but that is a whole other thing). I decided to look at it as a positive because I contemplating reorganization of it all anyway. But y’all…sooo many things! I should share some of my recipes and fueling tip and tricks. Let me know if you would be interested.
Wednesday (July 12th): Road Trip & 11K+ Steps
We hit the road at 6:55 AM on the bus to head to Baton Rouge. It was a long ride but well worth it. We stopped a couple of times. After the lunch stop, I put on my headphones and an audio book. The next thing I knew, we were pulling into the hotel parking lot. I felt like I had gone through a time warp! I still managed to move enough to hit my 11K step goal for the day.
Thursday (July 13th): Cheering & 11K+ Steps.
Cheering is hard work! With no events until Friday, I spent the day walking around checking out the different events going on. More importantly, I cheered on my teammates in their events. Let me tell you boy was it HOT and HUMID!!! I was glad to have an extra day to acclimate.
Friday (July 14th): USATF Masters Events ~ Javelin & 400M Dash
I made my track and field debut with two events: 400M dash and javelin.
I was super nervous before the 400M dash. It’s funny; I’d never touched let alone thrown a full-size javelin and I wasn’t really nervous. Now the 400M, that was me feeling like I was going to barf until the gun went off. I think since I knew what to expect, I was anticipating it. I had a target time and knew it was going to be me against the track. Well, needless to say, I made my time and set a new PR by 12 seconds. As for javelin, I need some work but set baby goals and made those too. All in all, it was fun!
Saturday (July 15th): USATF Masters Events ~ Discus
Discus was another first for me. While we practiced some, I wasn’t sure I really knew what I was doing. I was right…haha. It takes coordination and technique. Luckily, in the spirit of the meet, the women with more experience than me gave me a quick clinic (and follow ups after each throw).
We got hit with a rain delay halfway through our competition throws. We waited for several hours but finally finished throwing that evening. Even though I didn’t throw very far I still had fun!
Sunday (July 16th): USATF Masters Events ~ 200M Dash, Shot Put, 4X100M Relay, & 4X400M Relay
Sunday turned out to be my longest day with the most events. The 200M dash was one of those races where I just told myself to go have fun. I knew it may hurt for 60 Seconds or so. 50ish seconds later I cross the finish. And the best part is I had fun!
With all the adrenaline course through me, I went straight to shot put. I missed the warm-ups due to the event schedule, but I didn’t care. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I was ready to put the shot. I knew the technique for this one after the Grand Prix event from earlier this summer. It turns out that I should run a 200M sprint before I do shot put. I had great throws for me and really enjoyed myself.
Once shot put was over, it was relay time. We had about an hour give or take before we lined-up to sprint some more. First up was the 4x100M relay. I had a dream team of Regina Richardson, Amy Begley, and Sonja Friend-Uhl. It was one of those moments where I had to force myself to remember that you are participating and not just watching. When it came time for me to run my leg, I like to believe I almost looked like I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t the fastest but I gave it my all. My team won the gold in our age group too!
The last event of the meet was the 4X400M. With a team of Lacey Phillips, Amy Begley, and Sonja Friend-Uhl, we took the gold too. 
I ran in the second position and once again made myself sprint for a quarter of a mile. I then got to cheer while catching my breath for the rest of my team to finish. The relays were definitely two of the coolest moments of the meet. Each day had its own moment of greatness.
The Meet in a few words…
The spirit of Masters Track and Field was one of those things that will stay with me. It was more than the place you finished, but it was the effort you gave either for yourself, your team, or other competitors. I’m excited for the next one. It is one of those times when stepping miles out of my comfort zone allowed me to expand the zone. Above is just a snippet of the weekend. I will give y’all a more in-depth look into the meet in the very near future.
I’m telling you to let the lure of bling firmly take you out of your comfort zone #onestepatatime,
TJ
P.S. Read about how Atlanta Track Club dominated the meet here!
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TJ Tells It | COPYRIGHT © 2019 · TJ Hadley
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