Dragging myself to the pool this morning at an early hour was a challenge, but thankfully I had a friend to join in the misery with me. The laps I struggled with just a few short weeks ago came easier, despite the wicked way the pool's bottom dropped dramatically towards a very deep end, a very different sensation from our standard lap pool that's currently out of commission. As I moved through the stages of my workout, able to complete all of it this time, I was energized to see how far I've already come. My mindset has slowly changed back towards training mode and I'm really starting to get excited for my events this year.
At a conference this week one of our lectures was on emotions and while the lesson was intended to be tied to the changes in the economy, it instead focused on the idea of how our emotions affect us as individuals. It was a simple enough concept but it really drove home just how much control we each have over our own lives. It all boils down to choices. Choose to be happy, or just go through the motions. Choose to be accountable, or let it slide off your shoulders as somebody else's problem. Choose your attitude, your mindset, the way you react when provoked. Every choice impacts another, each one shaping your journey. At the end of the day, it's your life and your responsibility to yourself to make the most of it. At some point we must all come to terms with what we're experiencing and let that direct our path forward. It's easy to get bogged down in the heavy emotions that come with the occasional painful encounters of life, but for each event that we're able to conquer comes some sense of self and generally a lesson or two to reflect on for future reference.
Having the right mindset will be half the battle through my continued recovery, training, and competition. To maximize my fitness goals I will have to make the choice to focus on my progress on the road and in the pool rather than the negative pressure of worrying about how far I have to go even to catch up to the level of my training partner. As a tough competitor against myself, this will require its own level of effort as I'm torn between what I think I should be able to accomplish at this point and where I really am. Learning to accept the reality of my current abilities will enhance my learning experience, as well as motivate me to work harder and better appreciate my milestones. Being off my feet for an extended break has dampened my spirit but not the drive to continue racing, so while today's longest stretch of 8 laps is quite shy of the 20ish lap distance I'll have to do in my triathlon, it's already an improvement worthy of pride. As my late grandpa's favorite saying goes, "attitude is verything", which can't be emphasized enough!
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