Feeling the PAIN

It was quite a battle to get myself to the pool today but mission accomplished. Coach put me and Weasel Boy in our own lane and we got to do pre-race prep rather than the crazy hard IM practice everyone else did (our two other racers didn't show today). Basically we swam our events at 90% effort with 6 lenghts of recovery in between each event. It looked like this for me - Weasel Boy is swimming the 200 breaststroke so he had to do a 200 as well:

400 warmup with no fins (they won't let you have any equipment when you warmup at the meet so I had to skip the fins today)

100 Free @ 90%: 1:30
150 EZ
100 Breast @ 90%: 1:47
150 EZ
100 IM @ 90%: 1:45
150 EZ
50 Free @ 90%: 0:40
150 EZ
50 Free @ 90%: 0:40 (it is SO hard to take just one second off this time!!)

Then we did 2x25 with starts from the blocks - I did Fly on the first and Free on the second. I'm as ready as I'm gonna be for this. It should be fun. OH, and Wheaton College apparently has Wi-Fi so I'm hoping I can provide event by event real time results for you all while we're sitting around enjoying the meet. Be sure to tune in on Saturday and Sunday to see how it's going....

After I swam the 100 Breast, I commented that I felt slow. Coach smiled and said, "You've just got to learn to tolerate the pain." You know, she's right. So much of my training is done in relative comfort...for the run and the bike too. I'm not afraid to push myself to pain, I just don't do it. "Most of the people, most of the time, choose comfort." I really think that this aversion to pain is one of the many things that hold me back on my journey to improve at the sport of triathlon. It's almost time for new year's resolutions but I'm moving up the time line. I want to embrace the pain...because it's so much sweeter when you come out ahead...it makes it all worth it. And thankfully you forget what it felt like during, but you'll always remember what it felt like afterward. Victory is sweet.

I think it was Wil who posted this quote awhile back and I put it on my cube wall to read every day. I think it applies to my quest for pain...

What we have is based upon moment to moment choices of what we do.
In each of these moments, we choose.

We either take a risk and move toward what we want,
or we play it safe and choose comfort.

Most of the people,
Most of the time,
Choose comfort.

In the end, people either have
excuses or experiences;
reasons or results;
buts or brilliance.

They either have what they wanted
or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not.

I'm chuckin' my list.

LET THEM EAT WAKE.