Coach’s Corner – Keep Moving Forward

Coach’s Corner – Keep Moving Forward

One of our favorite terms when I was training for the 2008 Olympics was “Rocky Up”. It was a phrase coined by our coach, multi time World and Olympic medalist, Erin Hartwell. Over the years it’s been used to mean a multitude of different things from getting locked away in Siberia and lifting tree logs, to talking with a really bad slur and running around in a grey sweatsuit trying to catch a chicken. While I could go on and on about the silly antics and infield “boxing” matches that phrase nearly started, there’s one particular aspect I want to highlight: keep moving forward!

I’ve attached a vide above from one of the seemingly 20 Rocky movies where Rocky gives his son a speech about how hard life is and no matter how many times you get knocked down, so long as you keep getting up and pushing forward, you’ll eventually get where you’re going. This was Rocky’s best (and possibly only) tactic for fighting that proved very successful for him. And while none of you should be stepping into the ring anytime soon, there is a part of this message that applies to us all right now.

What I mean is that right now, in the off season, it’s easier than ever to fall a little behind on stuff.  This could be anything from training log feedback, to packing your bag in advance for the next day, or even having to skip a gym or track session because you have too much to get done that day or you’re feeling under the weather. And I know, probably better than anyone, that once you fall out of your “perfect” routine of training groove, getting back into the swing of things seems harder than ever! A perfect example for me is that I skipped the Coach’s Corner in last week’s email because I was behind from the Thanksgiving Holiday! And when this week rolled around, I had still been procrastinating and that is why this week’s email wasn’t waiting in your inbox before breakfast this week.

So what’s my point? My point is that even when you miss a step, or a training session, and you feel “knocked down”, remember that they only way you can recover from being thrown off your routine, is to get back up and keep moving forward. Life happens and things can’t always go perfectly. But instead of sitting around waiting for the opportune moment to get back on track, make the moment happen now. It happens to all of us from time to time, but as long as you keep moving forward, even if it’s at sloth pace, you’ll be heading in the right direction.

-Coach Andy