Patience, Young Grasshopper!
Checkin’ IN!!!
Swimming Thoughts I don’t want to forget and be able to circle back and remind myself.
That time you swim at 9:30 – 10:30 PM at night b/c your valley’s sky is filled with smoke from wild fires. To feel like things click, but 3/4’s of the way through, you feel like you are swimming in a pool of thick and creamy mashed potatoes. kicked my tail feathers into humility. My swim fitness just sucks after a few weeks of respiratory distress.
The curious thing tho is my overall 100 yd avg was still 1:44 per 100 yards. compared to 3 years ago at 2:08-2:14 it’s not a HUGE deal, just I know the challenge, work, and discipline that lays ahead. I know what is under the covers, I have been less than ‘disciplined’ of late. it’s a ‘me’ thing, so I get it.
I think I am converting away from caring about my watch. I think Coach Robbie just sealed the deal on my thinking. I am chasing the wrong thing. I know where I am at and where I desire to be/go. It’s just time to get to work, again. I will say, I am about to pass 100,000 yards of swimming from Jan 1 this year. For me, that is a significant volume increase, and that speaks measures to me when I look at things from the ‘larger’ context lens. Yup, message received. Now that I put it out here, I am getting the message to ‘me’. Thanks for indulging in my self-talk/type process. back to work Shane. Cheers.
So another big shot out to the Crushing Iron folks. The folks at the head of the movement are Mike Tarolly and Robbie Bruce. They are both great for me and I am grateful I discovered their movement. To be honest, they are just two dudes. But these are two dudes, I would probably befriend in any social circle and just get along with, and that is pretty darn cool. Also grateful to the members. Sometimes when life gets a bit ‘loose’ it boils over into the group, and it’s good to have honest folks there to keep things ‘real’ and anchored. It’s a great group to be reminded and remember what is truly important.
My swim is my weakest of things but is becoming a strength. I am not where I want to be yet. For example, last night was a solid swim, but I did feel that I wanted to post something honestly about how I felt heavy. Well, on the way to the swim, I was almost t-boned at an intersection – there are some intense fires around our valley and I am hoping it was an honest miss. I was just on heightened alert. Liz has been after me to be better at things and letting things that don’t matter go. Well, I am nowhere near perfect but, I am trying. Essentially my first 600 yards of my swim was ramped up by that energy. I recognized that, took a break at the end of the pool, re-focused. Grateful to be alive. Like many others, trying to be a good adult isn’t always the ‘funnest’ (Dennis likes to say this) nor the easiest. I feel that I have matured in a lot of ways and am trying to continue to be better. To be smarter. To be kinder. To be more tolerant and accept others. To be more mindful. To be present. To act on impressions.
I guess we are ready for baby #3. I think our family is a bit on overload of readiness. Dennis’ and Juniper’s energy have changed a bit and are heightened. Liz and I are doing the best we can. I notice the impact of running and swimming on things. I haven’t gotten out to ride much, compared tot he last few years, and I am coming to believe that is ok within reason. I miss my bike, but I miss my family a bit more. The adjustment to not traveling as much is also a new stress/challenge and a major blessing. It allows me to be home, but I still need to re-tool and be better with Dennis and Juniper and especially Liz. See, these are things all flowing through my mind as I swim. Again, I know I am not perfect and that swim was rough.
I was actively thinking about my swim form. My breathing – exhaling underwater and not over-turning my head. I was focused on my arms and trying to engage my lat’s and not my shoulders. I was trying to bend my wrists loosely to catch the water as an anchor at the beginning of my stroke then push it all the way back and not allow my arms to drift under me in the water. I’m reminded that there are so many reasons why I enjoy playing triathlon. It allows me to be mindful of me, my family, my relationships and focus on incremental improvements. Ya, its the little things. Here’s to being true, and getting better.
“Obey the principles without being bound by them.”
~~Bruce Lee
Activities – Strava Logs (Shane’s Strava link)
The swim that prompted this internal talk. In the end, it’s just one swim, but it sparked a lot.
UPDATE
Because it is highly relevant. The following night I went for a swim.
So I swam 2000 yards in 39:04.84 and my overall watch time was 45:21.04. The previous night for a similar was 1hour 7 minutes something. I tracked my laps religiously and rested between each lap set. I posted this to Facebook:
time to wind down. sometimes in the pool at the SARC things come together and just click. well, tonight I had that night. it wasn’t epic, it was just the result of work. at about 1200 yds in I just felt like I could go and go and go. I wasn’t tired. i wasn’t worrying about anything but, catch, pull, stay square and exhale under water. i started my watch and stopped it after swimming my distance. and low and behold, looking at data, it’s the same as stopping and catching 100 yd sets. but here’s the thing. My resting was miniscule compared to normal, and I am fighting a chronic respiratory problem for awhile now. so take that pool. i’m coming back for more…maybe i can do this swim thing even better. then went an hit the indoor bike for 40 minutes of HIIT high rpm work at 104 rpm avg over the 40 min session. it felt good. I think I am just not torn down….I’ve had a lot of downer sessions the last 45 days, and this was a nice reminder that all the time and duration and consistency pays off. It was a nice reminder tonight. ?
“Luck is the last dying wish for those that want to believe that winning can happen by accident.
Sweat, on the other hand, is for those that know it’s a choice.
So decide now — destiny waits for no man.
When your time comes, and a thousand different voices are trying to you say, “you’re not ready for it”.
Listen instead to that lone voice.
The one that says, “you ARE ready.”
“You ARE prepared.”
It’s all up to you now.
So rise and shine.”
This is relevant b/c sometimes when you hear advice you need to hear it SMACKS you in the face. Among the noise and disruptions, it got to me. I took action on it. And I will try to make this routine. It was tough to break a habit of always hitting the lap whatever on the watch. It’s like running or cycling and looking at it to really prove or measure so measurement point without context. That was the big thing. The context owner was my own internal governor. I’m not sure if I will get an IM Full 140.6 in next year. Budget, baby, time commitments, and family dynamics, but I think I am ready. Liz and I are trying to make it a reality. But, this is my lifestyle, and in some regards, I don’t need the ‘badge of honor’ but I do ? So maybe it will not be an IM branded event, but I will do the distance even tho that run is RIDICULOUS. Heck, I’m even thinking about gearing up for the Bear 100 Ultra run if I can do the IM FULL. St George again for sure though – 70.3 – I really love this distance. I have an undisclosed target, which if things line up, I really think I will surprise myself.
Relevant Pics
Thought I’d personalize a meme I liked. Back to work troll.
my new Roka drag shorts. finally grabbed a picture in ’em.
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