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October 19, 2007
The Check-List
Do you ever sometimes feel like life is just one big check-list? Like you have all these things to do and you cross them off the list each day but then you wake up the next morning and there are more things on your check-list. You go about your day, each day of each month of each year, just trying to cross things off the list. Some days the list is pretty easy to pare down and you rock it. And then some days the list won't go away. More things are added before you can even start crossing the first things off and you feel defeated before the day has begun. Such is life.
But it's when I start to feel like this that I know it's time for an attitude adjustment my friends!! Because life shouldn't be a check-list! No, no - life should be enjoyed and savored - even the mundane things of life like laundry and calling the plumber and fixing the bed. And as hokie and trite as it sounds - and as long as it's taken me to learn - life truly is about the journey. That's easy for me to see in training and racing. The day in and day out of training, what that does to us and how it affects our life DAILY is why we race. Of course we race for the actual day too - for the personal glory of achieving a goal that we've worked very hard to achieve - but that's such a small part of it when compared to the months and months of workouts, the thousands of laps in the pool, the thousands of miles on the bike and the hundreds of miles out running on the roads.
Nonetheless, I'm a list maker and that's how my mind works. I'm not really a free spirit - take each day as it comes kind of girl. THAT doesn't come naturally to me. But I have to remind myself every once in a while that there is a lot to be learned from having that sort of attitude in life. It's not all about checking things off the list now is it? Nope. That's at least not what my life is about. As Steven Curtis Chapman says in his old-style Christian tune "More to this Life" - there's more to this life than living and dying; more than just trying to make it through the day (or crossing things off the list :)...
So anyway - wow - I just went a little crazy there! I'm half tempted to press the delete button and start over on this blog entry but I'll leave it for the purpose of being able to come back and re-read it when I get back to my list-making-crossing-off ways... :)
As for this morning's training - I really did enjoy it. I had a 3500 yd swim workout that involved 100s with lots of rest that were to be swum very hard. I like doing these because I like seeing how fast I can swim (not very)! Today's workout netted me a new record of 5 100s under 1:12 which for me is like hitting the jackpot. I didn't get a new 100 PR though because none were under 1:09/1:10 (1:11 was apparentely the magic number for the day). I did set what I believe to be a new 100 kick PR though with a 1:22. I don't really do too many hard 100 kicks so it may be a soft PR but I'll take it. Still - this is a good reminder for me. As frustrated as I get with swimming sometimes I have to remind myself that I have come a long way. About 18 months ago, I couldn't SWIM a 1:22 flat-out, as hard as I could go; let alone now kick a 1:22 with no use of arms! :) It may take me a really long time, but I may just get there afterall.
After the pool, a weight room session - my last for this season. Weights end 3 weeks prior to A-races in this training plan and as of tomorrow Clearwater is a scant 3 weeks away! Excited beyond belief...
Now back to that list...er...enjoying the journey... :) Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted by beth at October 19, 2007 12:33 PM
Comments
Beth,
I just wanted to say that I really identified with this post.
I'm also a list-maker, and I don't know how I'd survive without one. My list begins on a piece of paper, and I cross things off and add things as they happen. When the paper fills up, I begin a new paper. I get rid of the old paper when everything on that paper has been crossed off. It's an unending cycle, really.
But, you're right, life is about much more than crossing things off the list. Remembering to enjoy much of that list is so important (But I don't think I'll ever find extreme joy in doing laundry, though.) :)
Nice super-long training ride today, by the way!
Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at October 20, 2007 11:22 PM