i've done some growing this week. i've really been challenging myself to become a swimmer. by that i mean i want to be able to beat michael phelps and his seventy-nine inch wingspan. although it's leading to frustration and swallowing gallons of pool water...i'm sticking to it and determined! i've actually been to the pool three times this week. THREE! oh, and i'll be going tomorrow morning for my swim lessons with the local triathlon club. who am i becoming? (a speedy swimmer is the correct answer there)
tomorrow is going to be a good day. i'm going to get a nice brick workout in before 10:00 or so and then have my first ever (thanks to my wife) one hour sports massage. honestly...i think that might hurt worse than my workouts. we'll see...
oh...and i have a confession. here's the real reason i want to get comfortable in water:
a couple saturday's ago i did something i sorta thought i'd never do. i got into a pool...and swam laps. i know to most people this is not a big deal, but to me it's pretty much awesomeness. i have a minor fear of water. mainly larger bodies of water where it's too deep to stand. this came about because i finally became a member of a local triathlon club. the cost only being twenty bucks a year was pretty much the selling point.
besides just sounding cool because i'm now a member of a "tri club" the twenty bucks gets me discounts to local shops, opportunities to group run with other members (and group bike rides), and even swim lessons from a swimming coach. yes, i am taking swim lessons. a few minutes in to being in the pool last weekend i literally thought, "man...i feel like a fish out of water here." then i thought, "wait a second...i mean, i feel like a human who doesn't like water in water?" (it was a lot funnier in my head...like a lot of things i am sure)
the good news: i actually really enjoyed swimming (and learning how) and my coach told me i'll have no problem getting it down as long as i focus on my breathing. it's true...i panic a little when it comes to learning how to breath properly while swimming. so, at this point in time i'm a guppie in the water but i'm waiting patiently for the day i'll be a shark in the water.
why? because some day i'm going to be an Ironman. for real. that's a life goal of mine. "it's on my bucket list" as some might say.
must have 3 of the following statements checked to become a triathlete: X i am a runner X i am a cyclist i am a swimmer
the plan: become a swimmer and complete a sprint triathlon in july!
this post is a little late. sixteen days to be exact, i guess.
do y'all remember my goal last year being to run 1,000 miles in 2011? well...i achieved it and the crowds went wild...no, really...they did (don't worry...those empty seats filled up quick)!
emily's family and a couple friends threw a nice celebration ceremony for my achievement. i was even offered a gold medal, a gold shoe, and even a finisher's certificate to prove that i officially ran 1,000 miles in a year (oh, yeah...and flowers).
i was even inspired to give a speech and was sure to thank my mom and God.
to top off all of the loot i received for achieving my goal...i got a one hour sports massage to a local shop. my appointment is scheduled for this saturday (after a brick workout of course)!
who knows that death cab for cutie song, 'the new year'? (see the video below if you haven't) i have tried to make it a tradition to play that song every new year's eve for the past several years. why? because i feel like making "next year" a new year is all up to us. if i simply say "2012 is gonna rock and great things will happen," but i don't actually go and do anything...ummm nothing will happen. it seems like common sense, but then again...so does not walking in the middle of the parking lot at walmart yet people still do it.
so, this year, the year 2012 (pronounced twenty-twelve btw) why don't we all do the things in life that we want to do and stop making excuses. i'm not making any resolutions for 2012. in my opinion, resolutions have a negative connotation. maybe it's because for so many years i was making "new year's resolutions" that failed? it doesn't really matter. fortunately, i don't have the power to go back in time and change anything that's happened. yes, i meant to say fortunately. although i'm pretty sure i would go back in time and NOT break my pinky playing basketball that one day (thanks Carp...terrible shot...no hard feelings)!
goals are much better than resolutions. it's not that resolutions cannot be achieved and don't offer us the feeling of success, but i just think goals are smarter (why do you think they created S.M.A.R.T. goals). goals take motivation, determination, ambition, drive, will-power, and self-confidence (to name a few), and i feel like making a resolution just takes words. sure i could say, "my resolution is to be the best dancer in 2012" (done), and if i just say it but don't take the steps to do it...it's meaningless. doesn't it seem like people don't take new year's resolutions serious anyway? i mean...you see it every year: workout equipment and gym memberships are advertised EVERYWHERE and what happens by late january and february? well, if you're in the market for a good deal and a barely used treadmill just go to craig's list and find out for yourself. it takes making obtainable goals first. 'baby steps' for all you 'what about bob' fans out there. check this link out if you want to run a 5k in a month (trust me, it works!) it happens in the green industry, too. people say, "i'm totally going green in 2012!" for about two weeks they go green and realize it costs more and then don't bother finding ways to make it more affordable/manageable (here's an easy way to get started).
i'm not intentionally trying to slam resolutions. and maybe the words goal and resolution are synonymous with each other and i'm just typing circles here. either way...i think goals just sit better with me. i feel like i commit more to a goal and am more laid back when it comes to a resolution. honestly, if you make new year's resolutions every year and love doing it...by all means, keep doing it! good luck at keeping them, too! if you're more like me and have made plenty of resolutions but let them fizzle out by february...try making some goals. start small and work your way up to changing the world. seriously.
good luck and i wish you a happy, goal-crushing 2012!
