The Concrete Road Block

The Concrete Road Block

 The bar is loaded at the Indiana High School State Championships, iv missed 2 attempts at 115kg, a weight I get routinely. My coach asks how I am doing I nod and say good like a fool. iv been battling Tendonitis the past 2 months which has now moved to tendonesis (chronic tendonitis) so I tell my coach to bump it up to 120kg knowing I can get it, it is weight that iv gotten many times in the past. I walk up to the big blue and white chalk stand, like the one you see at the Olympics. I take my caked hands out of the stand and slowly walk to the platform. in my head I am discouraged knowing that I could have done better. leaning over I grip the bar tightly with a hookgrip, a loud beep goes off as I'm spacing off focusing on the loaded bar. I now have 10 seconds to complete my lift. Quickly all my muscles tighten as I pull the bar to mid thigh range and slam my hips against the bar and dropping under it quickly. iv caught it at rock bottom and begin to squat the weight up. half way up my knees begin having sharp pain, like 100 bees swarming and stinging at my knees. I'm now at the top position getting ready to dip and drive and explode all of my momentum up and under the bar. Locked out at the top position I know all I have to do is stand up with it and I can take 120 home with me. I do this and I slam the bar, happy that I got a total but upset because my goal was 127kg. I ended up with second place in the state meet, that one hit me harder than anything. I had worked my ass off for the last 6 months preparing to bring home the gold. now it is Monday 5/21/2013 and I now have to get my knees healed up for my upcoming football season. I'm currently resting my knees as much as possible, using the RICE method. This coming Tuesday I'm going to go get an MRI just to make sure nothing is torn or ruptured. I'm going to be taking it easy with OLY lifting for about 5-7 months and begin training. by mid September I hope to be back in full swing training 5 days a week. I have a goal to hit 95-100kg in the snatch and 130-136 in the clean and jerk to qualify me for nationals next winter. my PR total now is 207kg and I have to hit a total of 219kg to qualify and I feel like I will accomplish it. but for now its all upper body training so my knees will heal.
                                      
                                                                            Until next time, keep slamming bars and killing PR's,
                                                                                               Matt McCammon