Crazy Weather
For those of you not on my Facebook site, a lot transpired over the last week. We got dumped on with snow, then an ice storm came directly behind it and knocked out the power to virtually the whole city and county for many days. Needless to say I was bored to tears in a quiet, freezing 52 degree house with my roommate and I eating nothing but cinnamon rolls I had made the day before the outage as everything else was out or spoiled.
Despite being trapped in apartment with nothing to do for four days (besides one time the truck could get out the complex for an hour), it forced my body and mind to rest, and made for a great meet, best I have ever had.
Moral of story… it’s all mental focus folks! If you win your mental game you win the physical game. Now that this lesson is learned, I get the luxury of no internet/tv/phone/facebook or any other convenient ammenity after work for three days leading into each meet. A simple “brain reset” and body power up to create good meet experience- and hopefully results! It’s been a great year so far all-round. I am pleased with watching everything come together!
Facebook posts:
· Jenny Brogdon
Meet on YouTube. good start to build from, yes realize there are technical issues but the Mental clarity and just having fun was worth the last 4 days of house-bound cold excitement. 
enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz5FTwdWRkA
Been one crazy day. No power no computer no phone, got stuck for 2 hrs in driveway w/6 people trying to get me out, used my Palo stick to beat & scrape off 2′ snow, freezing/dark in house & no way of getting out for another day. Diana’s truck got us out enough for food & chargers.
LikeUnlike · · Share · January 19 at 7:48pm via mobile
2012
Hi all!
Realize I haven’t written for a while. Time goes by fast when you are busy! A note to my fellow blog followers- if you click on the right hand side and put in your email address then you don’t have to keep checking my blog to see new posts- they’ll come automagically to your inbox!
Now finished with housekeeping, wanted to do a quick recap of 2011 and assertion of 2012. I changed professions. This is Radical- from global mapping software to manager of a fitness facility & personal trainer/instructor. I loved working with Esri and am now using all the skills learned there to be my best here at Ignite Fitness. I am truly grateful and thankful for all my fellow former employees and wish both them and the company upmost best in their personal/work endeavors!
With personal: I’ve been out of the loop with a lot of people this year, and will probably continue for another 6-8 months. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers though I haven’t talked to you much and love you all! You guys are a special part of my life, and sadly, Facebook has become my main network as time isn’t as plentiful as it once was. Will reconnect shortly! Also, turned the big 3-0 this year. FINALLY! Loving loving the 30’s. Am certain 40’s will be just as great. There is no aversion to age here! Have a good roommate, and enjoying reality shows (like the Amazing Race and The Sing Off) and ESPN to wind down in the evenings.
With spiritual: I have my other “family” which is Grace Community in Auburn. The 45 min drive every week is worth it, they took me under their wing the first time I visited last year, and am fully loved and accepted there, nothing could make me happier than celebrating Jesus with a loving community! Realize there are Many many other places out there just like this one, Grace just happened to call my name. Learning that the number ONE, number one, lesson is to love. If you see and speak to someone in the eyes of love, regardless how annoying or mean or sweet they are, you are fulfilling the Lords instruction. This includes a healthy love of yourself also- God loves you, why don’t you also love you in a balanced way. I used to be way too harsh on myself, was the best self-bully and antagonist. Don’t beat up the one God treasures.
With high jump: didn’t clear 6’0 last year though had several attempts. No excuses- it’s all in the head. Thankfully I have an incredible team and personal breakthrough that these last 5 months have been like none I’ve ever experienced before. Looking forward to this year, whatever it brings and whatever the outcome, I know I’ve put my very best on the table and LOVED the experience. Goal is 6’4, hips are up to that height on run-ups. Breakthroughs first happen on the inside and exude on the outside. First indoor meet is in a couple weeks so will see what the outside holds, cause the inside is shining! 
Will try to be better at keeping you all updated , thank you for your support and interest in this endeavor, takes a TEAM to reach the top! GO DUCKS, GO EUGENE, and GO 2012!
Love each of you and Happy New Year
Jenny
All-Time Book List
As an avid reader, I thought to help you with your Kindle Christmas wish list for a top 10 books to read this upcoming year. Excluding the Bible as that is just a given that you have it somewhere in the house, and also my collection of scientific reads such as the Clinical Sports Nutrition textbook as those would bore the majority of you!
All genre’s included and in no particular order, the must-haves are:
Talent Is Never Enough- John C Maxwell (motivational)
Never Give Up- Joyce Meyer (inspirational)
A Wrinkle In Time- Madeline L’Engle (children’s fantasy)
Experiencing Father’s Embrace- Jack Frost (uncategorized)
Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success- John Wooden (legendary basketball coach)
Focus: What’s in your vision- Art Sepulveda (life transformation)
The Light of Eidon- Karen Hancock (Christian fiction)
Zero Regrets- Apolo Ono (extraordinary athlete)
Where The Sidewalk Ends- Shel Silverstein (Children’s poems)
The Shack- William Young (hometown La Grande novel)
Book club, anyone? Happy Reading!
Press On
It has been an interesting journey these last four years. Many ups, and a Lot of downs. Sometimes I wondered if the hills (aka CLIFFS) ever had a bottom.
Thankfully I have an amazing team to help the psychology of the journey, each with their special gifts/talents used beautifully. These last few months have truly been extraordinary. And, have to say it folks, IT’S ALL IN THE HEAD. No joke. You become what you believe.
Regardless of where you are in life, PRESS ON, making every day, every moment, new. See situations in new light, people in new light, circumstances in new light- daily. I used to find myself constantly dwelling on and recreating the same images/scenes in my head of something that’s gone wrong or didn’t do correctly. Especially in those things I am passionate about- in this case my event. These images catch emotion, and when doing something incorrect, it’s usually Not the good kind of emotion! Then what would happen- the next practice or meet would come around and I get what I’d been dwelling on! Living in the past can be a circular path of destruction.
I am learning to learn and move on, learn and move on…. as it’s written (and is my motto for the year) forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to receive the prize for which God has called me forward! There’s some meat in that saying because TODAY MATTERS. Learn from yesterday then focus on right now, today; thereby almost unconsciously shaping Tomorrow.
It’s said weeping may last through the night but joy comes in the morning. It is morning and I am living in this joy; it is freedom! Everything is soaring in training. My goal is to consistently learn from mistakes (as they will happen) and become better the next time because of them. Every experience is an opportunity for growth. Thank you for sharing this pursuit with me!
Blessings,
Jenny
Salute to the Veterans
Thank you to all who have served or are serving our country. Your actions are honorable, admirable, and commendable. Every day you put your life on the line to save ours, so that we may live in a country of plenty and safety. Because of you and those before you, we are the United States of America. Bottom of my heart gratitude and sincere appreciation.
Because of my coach, we work with or are in close relations to many war victim soldiers- lost limbs, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury), and the like. Soldiers are such an awesome group to work with because of their dedication, work ethic, determination, and drive. Their stories touch our hearts, and their loss- either physical or mental- is a gain in so many other areas of their and other’s lives. It is an honor to work with the Invictus Foundation, individual veterans, and other military posts in athletics. Thank you for serving our country!
One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
God bless!
Food Prep
Fall is hard on a spring sport athlete. Well ok indoor starts in three months but mostly is a spring/summer sport. The weather is changing (here meaning to 45 degrees and Rain), and though I like tromping through the fall leaves, getting used to the morning fog and afternoon drizzles, it’s plain hard redundant training for months on end. We are trying to get my strength up as high as possible, without injury, speed and flexibility as intense as possible, and fit in rehab. maybe it’s just my goal-driven wiring but I like to say hey I jumped x high today or there is a meet in two weeks, etc. Not so much in the fall. Working mostly on mental training and smoothing approach right now, goal obtaining starts four months from now.
With this increased work load my body is tired. And that’s good!!! Love the feeling of sore muscles, exhausted mind and body, literally crawling up the stairs and legs twitching, means I’ve been working hard. So to counter this and be at 100% every day, six days a week, I really am honing in on my nutrition. Not that haven’t before, am a pretty much diehard at eating, but whatever you put in your body is what it operates on, and I want my fuel to be clean, organic, top of line nutrition at every meal (which, in my case, is six times a day). Anything less is not 100%. It does make a difference for recovery.
A way to get this done is Sunday afternoon Food Prep. This is a good skill for anyone, because if you can slice the veggies and meat and pre-cook anything for that week, then meals only take the 20 min us Americans have to make a fabulous and healthy dinner. Had I only known about this 10 years ago… This week’s prep includes homemade kombucha, dried kale chips, purchased some chia seeds for morning oatmeal (oatmeal and egg omelette almost every breakfast, yum!), and bone broth- lots of good stuff in bone broth soup! This one was chicken. May do beef next week- variety. Another delicious thing in my food pantry is organic food bars (think actually that’s the name for them) and protein bars. Lots of protein. We don’t eat enough of it in our society today.
So there you go- food prep to the extreme! Come and eat- dinnertime! 
Pulling weight
Wohoo! It feels so good and powerful and productive when going for it, and getting it, in the weight room! Happy to report, I did sets of cleans at my weight today (160lbs) and maxed benched at 150lbs. Cleans show explosive power, bench helps cleans. Of course do many other types of lifting during weights days, but those are the showcase. Being was at 95lbs last year in cleans and 90lbs bench, quite a difference in just one year, had to make an announcement. Now that am working full-time at a gym, when am not out at meetings and greetings, am teaching AbXtreme and Bootcamp- if I get to work out, so do the members! It is such a blast. Also spend 1/2 hr extra cardio a day as well, it is paying off.
Funny thing about the high jump. It’s a super-focused event, very powerful/dynamic, but the absolute critical key in the sport is effortlessness (is that a word?) and grace. Reality is, I’m just learning that last part this year. Tuning in and keeping in, with ease- not an outward appearance of “having fun”, but an inside calm through the explosive movements. I keep looking at coach after doing dozens of bar kick-offs asking, is that right? And going to the video. Same with weight lifting. Because letting go is… too easy, my usually over-working brain is not used to rest during explosive activity. Plus have to keep watch, it’s so simple to fall back into old patterns. Regardless of endeavor, ground breaking, then ground keeping, is challenging (yet exciting) adventures.
I think the biggest part of this is seeing such a crazy intricate puzzle finally fitting together. Each piece works together: team, workouts, nutrition, recovery, mental training, time management; if one is lost or weak, the puzzle doesn’t fit as optimally as it could.
With that, off to do rehab and mental training- the two most overlooked ventures in sports!
God bless
Kale Kraze
So I have decided while am honing in on my nutrition (yes, get to lose 8 lbs, lucky me), it’s time to break out the Kale. When I purchased it it looked like something a horse wouldn’t even eat. BUT… that makes me all the more determined, because if Kale really is one of the top nutritient-dense food on the planet, then by golly I’m going to find a way to eat it!!
So Facebooked my friends- an excellent learning tool, what does one do with this green leafy thing? Five friends wrote within 2 hrs telling the great ways to make kale tasty. Blend it, sautee it, crisp it, crockpot it… ok- tried it all, made a sample platter! Note to all the non-green eaters, Kale can actually taste good! Especially in the “chip” form. Poof, all gone, little bit of sea salt aftertaste, and you got in your greens. I am absolutely happy. Here’s a pic of the results. Now if high jumping was as easy as throwing greens in a pan or oven…
blended, sauteed, crisped
Transitions
Transitions come in many forms; graduation, moving, children, etc. For me it is an occupation transition. I started working at Esri eight years ago. Now moving forward toward Olympic pursuits I made a leap of faith to a completely different profession; general manager of a local fitness gym, Ignite Fitness. Will be personal training, teaching nutrition classes, marketing, and facility oversight. Plus a couple more workouts during the day- which will be helpful! I am hoping to be able to make a difference in people’s lives, not just physically, but mentally emotionally and spiritually. Life is so short! When it comes to the end of the day, we were made for relationships and community. I want to use my gifts to the best possible ability, and loving one another in the process.
What better way to do that than live your passion 24/7 with others.
Thank you Esri and partners/clients/friends, and thank you Ignite Fitness for the beautiful opportunity. God bless!
Focus
Have you ever felt in the groove, got your vision, plowing ahead, then little things suddenly ”pop up” and put you off course? Sometimes obvious; big seemingly show-stopping issues derail you, and others deviously slipping in and diverting attention away from the goal.
Through this journey, now starting year five, I’ve seen it all. Perhaps because of those experiences am now able to better catch the drifting if not at conception, then during awareness of their intrusion. With an athlete, it’s the little things “off the track” that matter. You could probably get away with one poor night of sleep, but stack two on top of each other and is recipe for poor performance. Or wearing running shoes just two days too long. I go through a pair of shoes a month; the explosive nature of this event flattens rubber like pancakes. I know in order to keep my feet healthy and training “hopping”, a box needs to be there when that “need new shoe” warning pops into my head. I know bedtime has to be a full 8 hrs of sleep every night, no cutting corners or will pay for it later.
Whether in business, life, or sports, preparation is key to keeping focused. It allows you to live in the moment at your fullest.
If I’m not prepared, or trail off to another path (which happens more often than would like), once recognized I no longer beat myself up over it but simply forgive, make note, then press on. Phil 3:13-14 is my motto this year, and truly believe this skill application is the reason have been improving so much over the last four months. Can’t wait for the high jump pits to emerge for yet another aspect (the FUN part!!) of training!
Eye is On The Prize! What’s your Focus?
