Form

Yesterday I finally was able to get my husband to videotape both my running and my swimming. Feeling a little on the ridiculous side while at the pool, I got over it and did my planned 200 yards of swimming. Prior to that I got my long run out of the way and also got Todd to videotape my running stride.

My goodness! What a wake up call it all was. Not so much the swimming, but my running. It did not look pretty. And here I thought I ran pretty good.

After struggling to get the videos out of the camera and into a decent sized file, I shot them over to coach. The running one first and the swimming second.

The critique came in that order... While I must admit it was not pretty, and a blow to the ego, after mulling over it for a couple of minutes I decided that was exactly what I had asked for. I asked coach to look at my mechanics and provide me with some feedback as to how I can improve to become more efficient.

I am now armed with new running knowledge and a set of swimming drills that are "just for me". Focusing on the things that I need to improve upon will make me a better athlete; a more efficient one. I must admit, letting go of the old "comfortable" way of doing things is not easy. This new technique will require me to focus, be more present during the workouts and make sure that I give 100% if not more at each single one of them.

I had a rough week in terms of self esteem. I did a lot of thinking, I felt myself sinking in a hole; and instead of letting myself go down, down, down; I asked for help. I tend to internalize everything; keep to myself. Know what I mean? I knew this time around that I needed to be proactive and reach out. And you know what? It helped. Voicing my fears and concerns actually helped me overcome them and put them behind. Will they never happen again? Heck no! I am sure they will return. But I will be armed with all the tools that I know helped me this time around.

This morning I went to hot yoga and that practice actually helped re-inforce the things I came to terms with during the week. I was able to focus on myself and myself only and with each breath I became more aware of the things I hold dear in my heart. It was fabulous.

I am ready to start this new week and focus on improving myself; both athletically and spiritually. I have some focus words that I will write down and put in my mirror next to my inspiration board. Just as a gentle reminder of the good things, both the ones to come and the ones that are already here.