Total Miles Run: 24
Total Miles Biked: 15
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 miles+yoga
Wednesday: Strength/core
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: Bike 15 miles, strength/core
Saturday: 4 miles easy+Swim
Sunday: 10 miles+Golf
This was the first official week of NYCM training with my coach. Overall it went really well. The intensity was not there, but it will be this week. Bring it. Oh and I’m 4 for 4 on 5:30am runs. Go me.
So let’s get to that word in red. Yeah the 4-letter S word. This was the year of learning to swim. I haven’t said much about it because honestly it’s not my favorite thing. But I’ve stuck with it, and slowly, it began to suck less. Well the other day, I was getting my swim on, and the trainer said “Nice stroke”.
Me: Looking around: “Me? Haha. I’m so not a swimmer.”
Trainer: “What do you mean not a swimmer? You’re swimming just fine. Are you training for a tri?”
Me: “Haha oh I could never tri. I’d be swimming all day.”
Trainer: You could do a tri anytime you want to. Your stroke is strong. It’s just a matter of training for one.”
That’s when I realized I’d been holding myself back by the self-defeating “not a swimmer” thoughts. How many of us do this? I hear people say “I could never run” all the time, yet I just caught myself saying it about swimming.
So I’m dropping the self-limiting act. I’m not a dog paddler anymore (although I’ll always be fond of that stroke.) This doesn’t quite roll off the tongue yet but I’m working on it: I am a swimmer.
Do you hold yourself back with self-limiting thoughts? How’d your week go?
I think a do that a lot, doubt myself too much.
All the time! Sadly. Trying a mantra: I can and I will! My legs can do it but my head holds me back.
Next year: You and me = Ironman Boulder!!!
🙂
A swimmer! And you could do a tri:) I’m finding I’m actually looking forward to swimming now. I’m still slow, but just like running, the more I do it the better it gets. If I’m sore everywhere from biking and running, swimming loosens me back up.
I’ve been taking a hard look at my self-limiting behaviors and working diligently to replace them for the past few years. It’s a work in progress 🙂
Good for you for getting in the pool! I really need to start that.
Love it – just like anyone who runs is a runner, anyone who swims is a swimmer. Now I can’t wait to see if you venture out with your racing!!!
Sign up for a tri!!!
Good for you…your work has paid off. And yes, I do tend to hold myself back in some areas. I think it’s a bit of a female thing, don’t you?
Congrats on your first week of NYC training! And it’s funny, I’ve never correlated the way people say, “I’m not really a runner” with the parts of my life where I downplay things I can do as well. I guess we all do it in some way.
Yes! I do this! I think I’m not a cyclist. But I spend an awful lot of time on my bike for not being a cyclist! I’m going to sign up for a 2 day cycling event (eek – i could never do that, i’m not a cyclist) in part to break the negative self talk
Oh yes I can definitely get in my own way but I’m working on it. Good for you on conquering the pool – I think a tri is in your future 🙂
YESSSSS I love this!! We tend to play ourselves down in many areas because we aren’t “perfect” or as good as we want to be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be. It’s also a matter of deciding whether we even want it!
I’m not a swimmer – but not because of self-limiting thoughts. I can swim. Adequately. I just don’t like to be blind when I exercise and my glasses don’t really perform at their best underwater.
That is cool about the swimming. I’m with Char, I don’t like to not be able to see when I exercise, I think I’d have to get prescription goggles to enjoy swimming more. I went through lifeguard as a kid (my mom made us all do that) but I don’t love to swim, I only do it when I can’t do other exercise due to some injury or limitation. The other problem for me is that when I swim I have no goals other than to get exercise, and that’s boring. I have no idea what I’m doing as far as technique and I don’t track my times. I’d have to get coaching for it to be fun.
yes you are! your trainer is right. Work is progress makes a strong stroke, yes?!