Open Water Swimming...

Today I woke at 5am to take on a 2.5km (4 mile) open water swim (ocean). This is the first open water race/swim for the series and season. It has been about 8 months since I last did that distance. Today was a little hard, but managed to get through it. I have just looked at my official time 58 mins 55 sec 2:21/100m. I wish the time had been better, but as its been a while since I have done that time I am ok. The first swim like this allows me to sort through where I have to make some changes to my training program and where I want my time for the next swim. Now I also need to take into consideration the weather when we are out on the water. Its started off reasonably nice, not to rough, but as the clouds and breeze started coming in, the swell picked up a little, it always makes for a little harder swim.

I find putting challenges in front of myself whether they are big ones or little ones, it gives me the drive to try to reach them and takes me out of my comfort zone of trying to control everything. Many people who know me know that I am a control freak. So by taking up challenges whether I am have made them for myself, or someone has put to me, I am always happy to see how I go, and learn from them as well, whether they go well or not.

So when is my next swim challenge, well it will be on the 11th January 2015 with doing the Point to Point swim which will be approximately 5 km (8miles), also I have been given a challenge from my physiotherapist to start running by feel, so no Garmin watch to keep track of my pace or distance, which for me is very uncomfortable to do, as I like to analyse my runs, but as the challenge has been put before me I shall take it and over the next couple of weeks have one run a week where I don't use my Garmin. It will be interesting to see how I go.

Its interesting that I keep coming back to this quote, it states everything positive and lifts my spirits when I dump on myself for feeling like I should have done better and in some cases I probably should have, but in the end, as long as I am doing something and staying healthy and being a role model for my kids and others that is all that really matters and that I am as healthy as I can be.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

Here is another question, If you couldn't fail at anything, would you be as wise as you are now? I believe we use our failures or short falls to help us gain experiences and wisdom to go further in our lives, if we didn't have these experiences and everything was "perfect" I don't think there would be anything that would stand out to ourselves or anyone else.

May we step into another new week and reach for experiences that will teach us something new, or bring us to a new understanding.

Hayley xx