The Woman in the Arena

When I first started writing, I decided to call my blog The Woman in the Arena because I loved how Brene Brown, with some inspiration from Teddy Roosevelt, described an arena as this space that is created when we decide to challenge ourselves in a new way. But, here’s the thing. We are never alone when we decide to take on a new challenge, even in a sport like powerlifting that on the surface appears to involve the one person on the bench, in the squat rack, or in front of the deadlift bar. Recently, the way that my program is designed just has me feeling incredibly grateful for the people in my arena.   Last Friday, my bench workout for the night included three singles down to a board–one rep, three times. In this circumstance, as in most, that one rep requires at least four people in my corner: someone to help me rack the weight, someone to spot me, someone to hold the board, and at least one person yelling (read: encouraging) at me. It might take me just a few seconds to mo...