Being Inspired...

This week has been one of finding some positive head space for my swimming. I have danced around the idea of not re attempting the Rottnest Swim for 2017. I thought I had made my mind up until late this week. I know a lovely lady in America who this week circumnavigated Bermuda 36.5 miles in 21 hours (58.74 kilometers), and I hear she is going to be swimming the Hudson 8 Bridges starting in a weeks time. So I kicked myself up the bum and said, well its time to get my shit together and stop shutting down and start ramping up. I also got a message on Facebook from the Rotto Channel facebook page for the date for next years event. 27th February 2017. I have also had the bonus and thank goodness the constant pep talk from my training partner over the last few weeks. So I am privileged to have people in my life who try to keep me on track.

So yesterday when I went swimming, it was the first time I didn't have fixed in my mind not to swim, but the opposite, it was get in and swim. It was a 1500m swim, nothing big, but more than I have done over the past few weeks since being back in the water. I felt almost like a new person getting into the water yesterday. I am looking forward to my swim tomorrow morning and an endurance swim on Wednesday morning. I can now look forward to getting into pool and turn the arms over and watch the black line pass me by.

Today while I was out for my first walk in over 2 years I saw some local guys out on their bikes and again I have tossed around the idea of selling my second road bike and giving up on my cycling all together, seeing them smiling as they rode past me, has made me feel that I need to stop being so negative about everything that I used to do and love, and find time to fall in love with it again.

The courage it took my friend to swim around Bermuda and to swim again the Hudson  Bridges is enough to show me that I can stop kicking myself and pick myself up and get back in the water, get out for walks and back on the bike.

Have an awesome week everyone and look to someone who inspires you to kick yourself in the butt to get back on the path to your goals and dreams.

Hayley xx

Swimming for the love...

Lately I have had issues with getting back into swimming properly. I have had surgery which put me out of the water for 6 weeks, I have had a minor car accident that put me out of the water for a week. I have mornings where I really haven't been bothered to swim at all. So why am I feeling so 'Blah' about swimming now, when I couldn't get enough of it last year leading up to the Rottnest Channel Swim?

I have gotten a year older, I have been busy, I have made changes in my life. I have found a new love for reading and enjoying quiet in my life. I guess I worked so hard at swimming last year that I gave everything else up, or didn't even look at anything else that would interest me. I have also found that I have a hate for 25 meter pools. My local pool is 25 meters and as much as its a great pool and really close to home, I hate going there. Its a 20 minute drive to other pools of larger size. I swim on Wednesday mornings at Belmont Oasis and love it. I got in on Wednesday for a session and as it was freezing cold outside and dark when we arrived at 6:15 in the morning, I managed to get my head into gear and get a 2km swim done which consisted of 1500m straight up and then 5 x 100m sets. I haven't done a 1500m swim in ages and it was nice to get a good rhythm going and as much as I was probably 4 minutes slower over all for the distance compared to just before the Rotto swim, I was happy with he mornings session.

I am going to be re-attempting the Rotto swim in February 2017. I guess now knowing what to expect and deal with I am not so pushed to be pushing my body so early, and instead doing a very slow build up to the Summer swim season and also getting back to the love of swimming, and not as much as the feeling of having to swim. As someone has told me more than once..."its ok, you are human!" I am human and I am going to have days where I don't want to do something, and you know what, that is ok.

As it is a long weekend here this weekend, I am working, though start my long weekend on Monday when everyone is starting to wind their long weekends up. I decided this week that I was not going to be swimming Saturday as I usually would, or Sunday, but swim at a different pool on Monday, and for the love and fun of swimming, more than the have to.

If its raining, run outside and dance in the rain and have fun.

Have a great weekend

Hayley xx