15 March 2006

It's hump day!!

This may ramble a bit, I have a few things on my mind today.

Let's start with the swim. This morning was swimming. Sidebar: I have got to get up just a couple of minutes earlier. I HATE rushing around trying to get out the door. Okay, swimming was good. My tri in 2 weeks is a 500 m swim so I've decided that's will be the base amount of my laps. I did 500m warm up in 14:37 - slow working on form. Then I did 150m in 4:28 (I had a small crisis and could not complete my planned 500m). Next I did 100m at a brisk pace in 2:37 - I could have gone faster but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold up. Finally, I got to do another 500m in 14:16. Then I did 50m side stroke; 50m backstroke; and 50m breast stroke. Totals: 1400m in 46 minutes. I'll take it. I was having some issues with my goggles. I guess goggles can wear out because they were leaking and fogging and really annoying me today. Maybe time to switch them out. Oh yeah, please note the entire swim was done with flip turns - wooohoooo!!!

Something I discovered while swimming today, I am afraid of water. Not scared where I won't get in the water. I love to be in the water, playing, goofing around, etc. I'm afraid of being below the surface. This actually came up when I got my diver certification but I had forgotten about it. It all came back to me today during the flip turns. As soon as my head is completely submerged I start to freak. When swimming, with the back of my head out of the water, I can miss a breath and not have a problem just catch it next time. Once my head is totally underwater I feel like I'm out of air. Now logically I know this is not true, but logically I know I can't breath underwater either. I'm not sure what to do about this. I guess I'll just keep doing my flip turns and hope it gets better. I was dragging my turns out today trying to keep myself from panicking - didn't work great. Everytime I came to the wall I could feel my heart rate increase just knowing there was a flipturn coming. Oh god, another issue to deal with :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, Keryn over at Chickfit did a great post yesterday on baby steps. It really got me to thinking. I used this concept awhile back and it really worked well for me; I think it's time to resurrect it. Keryn wants to complete a 1/2 Ironman next year (so do I) and has broken it down into smaller manageable steps. I love this idea and think I may steal it. I need to stop looking at the big picture and start focusing on the here and now. My mantra used to be "One workout at a time; one meal at a time" I'm taking it up again.

My big goals are:
- Complete Honu 70.3 in 2007
- Lose 20 lbs.

For the weight lose goal I need to focus one meal at a time. Make the best decision I can at every meal.

For the Honu I need to:
*get a couple more sprints under my belt.
*Get more comfortable in the water.
*Get a better bike and get better at riding it

I used to use the tactic of delayed gratification also. For example, if I really wanted to stay in bed I would bargain with myself, "Get up and go today and then tomorrow you can sleep in" then of course tomorrow I would do the same thing. It works for food too, "if you eat a huge salad you can have desert tonight" but I would have no desert at home so it would have to wait till the next day :)

So, yeah, baby steps all the way thru 70.3....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the subject of life in general, it seems that things are finally starting to smooth out. I do believe it will all work out okay. Deep down I really knew that but I just did not see how it would be possible. Now I see possibilities and a way out of this mess so I'm feeling much better. Now that leads to the question: Am I feeling better and working out better because my life appears to be straightening out or is my life straightening out because I'm feeling better and working out better???? Points to ponder.......

2 comments:

Backofpack said...

Way to end with a tough question! Kind of like the eternal "the chicken or the egg" question. I do those little promises to myself all the time. If I run to the next intersection, I can head back home...then I get there and think, oh, go to the next one... and the next...works like a charm!

Bolder said...

sounds like a plan.

Another week down

 Well the first week back from spring break wasn't bad at all. I was looking forward to the weekend though, so I'm very glad it'...