But I Don't Wanna...

Last night was a 3000m swim. We headed to the pool around 8pm so we didn't have to contend with the local swim team and the water aerobics class. When we arrived, we quickly got a lane which was a blessing in and of itself. We set up all of our swim gear and propped up the infamous scuba/swim board where our workouts are written.

The first 300m went by very quickly. We swam these at a planned L1 with no problem whatsoever...posted a good time, felt strong in the warm up and moved on to the drill sets...again no problem. Then, it happened! My brain began a slow rebellion and began to try to overtake my arms. Before I could react, my body and brain had waged a war against one another. Regardless of the message that my arms tried to communicate to my brain, it refused to cooperate. By the next set of drills, my mind was set and now had the functioning capacity of a 4-year-old who had just been told he/she had to take a nap. And the message my brain was sending to my arms was crystal clear...I was not going to take a nap!!!...LOL. I hit a wall in my mind that wouldn't allow me to be positive about the remaining 2300m. The remaining segments of the workout seemed to grow disproportionately second by second, minute by minute. What to do?!?

Thankfully, my swim partner kicked into action as she begun to see this battle unfold in the expression on my face. We abandoned the planned workout and spontaneously created one of our own. Last night for whatever reason, I just couldn't take the monotony of the planned workout, looking at the board and all that remained was just too much. Needless to say, in the end, we were able to successfully complete the 3000m workout in a timely fashion. I was very pleased to finish it despite feeling as if my mind and body were swimming in separate lanes!

I write this as a reminder to myself that sometimes, it's pushing through the mental roadblock that makes all the difference between being a triathlete and choosing just to be a spectator. I already recognize that there will be many days ahead when a swim, bike or run workout just doesn't seem manageable or even the least bit stimluating; however, if I can push through to the other side, change gears, rework it, I know that I can stay on track and be successful. :)

{Note to self: Remember this posting for battles yet to be encountered!}