Finally, a good one!!!!

Last tuesday I finally caved in and decided it was about time to go see a sports chiropractor/ART professional. My left knee had been bothering me for a while and I wanted to make sure I did not get injured. Let me tell you; good thing I went. My doc discovered I am mostly "driven" by my quads and hammies; and the poor muscles are all beat up. Knots and bumps everywhere; as a result of working them extra hard without giving them the proper care they deserve. Needless to say, after a couple of very painful sessions (with some bruising involved) I am on the mend and have made one or two new best friends in the process... The foam roller and the stick. The stick has come to work with me since wednesday and has allowed me to self inflict torture three to four times a day. My relationship with the foam roller is mostly left for nighttime, once I am in my PJ's and ready to go to bed. Oh, what fun times we have had! 

My training this week has been spot on. Not only did I manage to get all my planned hours in, but I also was able to let go of trying to be perfect at every.single.workout. If you ask Coach, she will tell you that is my biggest obstacle. Wanting to be perfect all the time. And I truly believe that my success this week was due to the fact that I started each training session with a blank mind. Yes, I had stuff on my mind but I did not predispose myself to anything but the best I could give at the time. And you know what? It worked!

I will admit, when she put 3200 yards on my schedule and I saw what the sets looked like, I was scared. They looked horrible, HARD, almost impossible (ok a little extra drama, please go along :) ). But I got to the pool, got ready, took a big breath and let it all go. I had read the descriptions so many times; that during the mainset I did not even have to stop to re-read them. I tackled one set at a time and I got through it; without having to take any extra rest in between (something that happens often in my world). And you know what? I proved to myself that it's all in my head. I did not get super good within a week. I don't even think I got faster. But you know what changed? My mindset. I did not worry about the next day, or even the next set; I just focused on the task at hand. One stroke at a time, one day at a time.

On saturday, my long brick got rained in. On tap 3 hours on the trainer with a 30 min run off the bike. I popped in  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (favorite show ever), got my nutrition together and "off" I went. Not going to lie, it hurt; especially the last 30 minutes. I wanted off. The thought of running for 30 minutes after getting off the bike was daunting. When the 3 hours were over, I readied myself to run outside in the rain. I was bracing myself for the worst and then I started running. My legs responded beautifully, I felt light, fluid. The rain was oddly welcomed. And I felt whole. And I remembered. It's moments like this that make me love this sport. It is discovering yourself over and over again. And it never ceases to amaze me...