“Shoulds”, reality, and being true to yourself

Do you ever think about what you think you should do, vs. what you want to do?

We have a big holiday coming up in the US next week, the day when millions of people hit the roads and air to meet up with family and friends to celebrate a day of thanks. And then go shopping!

The day came up quickly for me this year, and I wasn’t really prepared to make any kind of trek. I did get invited to a friend’s house locally for dinner, and another friend invited me to go on a road trip and get out of town for a few days. Meanwhile, people have been asking me “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” and I’ve felt a little bit of pressure to “do something!”

So the idea of taking a road trip sounded right- this is what people do on this holiday, travel! But then I thought back to previous Thanksgiving holidays. Did the travel I have done in the past seem worth it when I got back?

One year, I sat in 10+ hours of traffic each way to visit family for a couple of days. No chance that was worth it!

Then I thought about years where I stayed put. I got a lot done. I cleaned. I slept a ton. I went on hikes, and I got some quality time to myself. I really enjoyed the couple of days to catch up on things and relax at the same time.

The struggle is, almost everyone I know is traveling, “doing something”. But I’m happier staying put.

So I’m following what I know I want to be doing, and what is best for me.

I had a meeting with another swim coach yesterday, and one of the topics that came up was triathletes and the way they train the swim.

Many in the northern hemisphere will drop the swim training right around the time October rolls around. But this is the opposite of what they need to be doing!

Although we have 12 week training plans in our Tri Swim Success course, and these do cover a lot of ground with technique, it is in reality so much better, more efficient, and more effective to practice the “nitty gritty” of stroke technique now- in the so-called off season.

This is the time when training elements can be isolated. No need to spend hours building up endurance.

No need to hammer yourself with speed workouts. But with technique, you could spend 45 minutes in the pool just doing drills right now and it will move you forward so much faster next year than trying to squeeze in an extra 500 meters.

So what are you doing this season? Are you following along with the crowd and ditching swimming, only to pick it up 12 weeks before your first 2020 race?

Or are you going against the crowd, and making gains now to make things easier (and faster) for yourself later?

As hard as it can be sometimes, by thinking about your own needs, you end up in a better place, both in the present, and in the future.

Be different, and start your transition to a better freestyle today, by getting access to Tri Swim Success here.

Happy, healthy weekend!

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