My voice
Thursday, April 30th, 2009I was getting ready to hit the gym yesterday and realized that I had been ‘fearing’ it all morning. Yesterday was my first day to ‘ramp up’ on weights for my build phase - and I realized that I was heading for an intense workout. (A series of full body weight lifting followed by a 20 minute swim… brief, but… when you’re not a confident swimmer, it can be a little unnerving to jump in the pool and suck water with legs that feel like jello).
Luckily, I realized that I needed to change my mind about this "fear" and channel it into something good. When I am playing tennis and I get into a rut or a ‘misfire’ streak, I do what I do with my dogs ( another, very long story entirely): I take it back to the beginning - to the basics. I break it all down and take one step at a time. With that, I build myself up - I tell myself, "every time I swing this racket - even if I whiff this ball - I am stronger… I am better… " I put that to work for me. I started telling myself: every weight I lift makes me stronger… even more important, it puts a fire in my belly… it amps me up until I’m ready to explode. Every running stride I take makes me faster. Every time my foot turns the crank attached to those pedals, I am more intense. Every time my arm swings over my head for one more pull in the pool, I am faster. Every time I can relax and enjoy this journey, I am powerful and fast and strong.
By the end of my swim, I was physically spent. But, in my mind, I was ready to race. Just thinking about it fills me with motivation the will to work harder the next time.
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