M-W-F

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I'm presented with my greatest challenge and temptation. Those are my swim days. Those are the days I walk out to the parking lot, around the back of the cafeteria, and smell the aroma of food frying (soaking up grease) and start to taste it in my mind's palate. Other days, when I'm going to ride my bike and/or run, I'm not quite so tempted. But swim day? Well, those are easy targets for me to postpone. Or rather, "postpone", since I probably would make extremely little effort to make up those swims. Still, I walk on. I get in the car. I go to the stupid pool, and I try to pretend that I'm not about to drown.

In last month's GO Magazine, my friend and teammate G-man wrote an article about getting in your head and figuring out why you do what you do, why you are performing a workout, and why the basic human response to complain or make excuses can be the biggest damage. It's a good article, and goes a long way to explain why he's so messed in the head. And I mean that in the nicest possible way: Chris is an animal when it comes to training, and doesn't seem to experience the same fatigue and pain reactions that humans do. Perhaps he's really from another planet. Back to the point, it shores up the words underneath the title of my blog. Have you noticed them? It's a thought that occurred to me a while back, and have experienced more times than I can count. It has haunted me, limited me, propelled me, and energized me. There is no greater opponent in life than your own self doubt.

I have to brag on Mendy for a bit: She struggles with self doubt a lot, yet her courage to keep going inspires me. Sometimes she pretends not to listen to advice on how to improve, but she hears it and later I find out that she has tried it and either likes it or thinks the advice giver (usually me) is stupid. Well, maybe not that extreme, but she will decide if the technique or change is for her or not. Keep it up, Mendy, and don't let "it" catch you. You're doing great!

So, why do I keep walking to my car? Why don't I just turn around and go have a big plate of fries and a slider, then sit in the sun and doze off? I go to the pool to get better at swimming and more fit. I want to be better at triathlon, but it also helps me when I'm cycling and running. And when I'm doing those, I pass by people waddling out of the hamburger joint...again. I'm glad I'm not living that life, and can provide a healthy and active example for Grace for her life. I'm glad I will live long enough to enjoy lots more life with her and Mendy (as long as I stay away from the business end of bridges). And hopefully, to at least one person, I can be an example. When they ask, "Hey, long lunch, huh? Where'd you go?" I can reply, "I went and swam intervals for over a mile" or "I had to get some bike time in, so I blasted out a quick 24 miles" or "I needed to run, so I knocked out a quick 5 miler." And maybe one person will look at themselves, and make a change in their life, and enjoy extra days that they won't have by going to the burger joint.

But I wouldn't wish today's workout on ANYONE! LOL
200yd wu
50yd x 6 on 1:00
100yd x 4 on 2:05
200yd x 2 on 4:30
100yd x 4 on 2:05
50yd x 6 on 1:00
200yd cd

2200yds
49 minutes (total time in pool)
3.7 gallons of pool water swallowed

Have a good weekend!