It takes discipline.

Ah, but this may not be what you think. Right away, you are probably thinking, "Oh, she didn't want to get out of bed this morning." Well, that is true of course. But that is not the discipline I am referring to.

Today was a swim day. And I'm so happy to be finally getting back to swimming, that getting up before the sun was not too bad. I ate my oatmeal, answered emails that came in overnight, (doesn't anyone sleep anymore?), took Natasha to school, and arrived at the pool at 7:00 eager to get started.

Lane one was open by 7:20 and I wanted to get right at it. However, I know I am not supposed to overdo it with this poor shoulder of mine, so I forced myself to wait until 7:30. We were scheduled to do a lot of kicking today, and that meant I could participate longer since that doesn't involve the shoulder. Bonus!

Using discipline comes when you are feeling pretty good, loving what you are doing, but knowing you must stop for the health of your body parts. The internal conversation goes something like this:

Wow, I'm feeling pretty good.
Maybe I could stay in for a couple hundred more meters.
No one will know.
It's not like anyone is counting the meters but me.
Ow.
I'm not supposed to do more than 1000 meters.
Well, let's see how the next pull feels. Then I'll decide.
Feels OK again. See. I can stay in.
How many did I swim so far again?
Ow.
OK, watch the form. It's all about good form.
Amazing, when the form is good, the shoulder doesn't hurt.
Form: steep entry, relaxed hand, pinky first, bend the elbow, ROTATE, pull, pinky first, brush the hip, keep the head down, high elbow, squeeze the abs, and for the love of God...KICK!!!!

Yup, I'm mentally exhausted even if not physically exhausted. Did 50 meters more than last time. That's fine I'm sure. Time to get out, using the damn ladder, which I loathe. It makes me look lame. Which I suppose I still am. So, out I go, even though I want to stay! Bye bye bubbles. See you Friday!