I was all gung-ho thinking I would get 3 days of swimming in this week. I thought after training for my job on Friday I would have the energy to drive back to Jersey after spending the day in NYC. Yeah.... by the end of the day this plan was not going to happen. My training happened in a room where constant air conditioning air was blowing on me from both sides so I had a perpetual chill running down my body even with a sweater dress on. The guy next to me had a horrible cold and was constantly sneezing. I couldn't get out of the garage when I got back via train.... I was so mentally shot and exhausted the security guard had to come and help me out.

It's important to rest sometimes and not push yourself. Respecting what is good for you that day is important. This fall I'm retreating a lot. I'm not going out. I need time to get work done internally, in my home and to mentally and physically rest. Today my lungs are starting to burn and I'm exhausted. I now can complete 10 x 50 fly on a minute with flippers on. Something tells me to rest today and not push it. So I'm staying home.

So as I'm training getting ready to compete in a meet again I'm thinking of the swimmers I'm coaching all the time. As I'm coaching myself which isn't the best case scenario however I'm testing out the drills I'll use to help them in practice. Ideas come to mind and it helps me formulate and put together what I'm going to do on deck later in the week. I coach improv style mostly. Sometimes I think I'll do something specific and based on the day and who shows up in the lane it could be totally different.

I also coach from a Yogic view. Do your best. However your best that day might be doing 3 laps. That's o.k. You did 3. You showed up. That was your best. But we need to be responsible with the truth of what our best is. Is that really your best? Are we lying to ourselves? Are we capable of more? Today for me resting is my best. Giving my body the chance to recover and fight off what I feel is a sickness coming on, is the best move. And that's o.k. It's o.k. not to be going at 110% at all times. Balance is key.

So what I find so sad in swimming is I run into a ton of former age groupers who never want to look at the water again because they were burnt out on the sport. Unfortunately, they haven't learned that there is the midway path and swimming in masters doesn't have to be a 110% effort at all times. We swim for fitness. We swim for fun and with friends. We don't swim to burn ourselves out.

Personally I have found if I don't compete a little bit I have no motivation to swim at all. I need a meet because it forces me to say in shape. Meets are painful if you are not conditioned so I have a requirement that will keep me in shape. Still I have a long way to go and the weight is not dropping. So myfitnesspal starts next week.