As the weekend rolled on and especially on friday evening as I swam with the squad I could not help but focus on my swim stroke after all the lessons and advice .It isn't how hard you work in the water but how efficient you are .I am constantly correcting my body posture and especially my legs and arms to get to the point where I am slicing through the water effortlessly.
I had a very good work out on Friday and started early so I ended up swimmimg 3.2 km.
I did a 1000m warm up with some drills and medleys.then 10 x 100 with 10sec rests. Followed by 10x 50m with 5 sec rest. I managed to keep up with the 2 girls in my lane.(this is a first for me) . I was averaging 2mins to 2.15 for the 100m . I felt good and at times I felt my stroke and body position in the water was very good.
Ross was happy with our performance and we got one of the few compliments ever.Now if only I can drop some weight and Ross thinks I will have it made.
Well it ain't that simple.
I wish it was. The next morning I got out of bed a little later then normal and rode off for my 110km ride. I passed lots of people I knew including Ross riding back from Applecross. Saw Lajos , Nat and Ten ,all out riding the expressway.I dropped my water bottle but picked it up on the way back some 3 hours later.
I ran into a group of North Coasters and finished the ride with them at the Narrows.They had stopped to help out when a cyclist crashed at a bend on the cyclepath near Mt Henry.
She looked Ok but was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I had a good ride and managed to hold a decent pace.I did not push too hard and averaged just under 30kph.
I should have gone harder in the last hour but I slacked off. Enjoying the company of the group.Again on the ride with 3 plus hours of riding alone there was not alot to do but ride and think. There was a stretch of 25 km where I follwed a rider before passing him and he hung on to me for the rest of the ride to the turn around before he turned back and I kept going for a further 5km.
During the ride today I thought about my swimming and about cycling and how there was a difference staying in the aero position and sitting up .I felt it but being in aero for hours is not so simple. I have managed it but I do need to stretch the back from time to time.
Again it is more efficient to be in the aero position to maximise the energy expended to derive maximum speed.
I think riding and training offers many lessons that can be applied in life metaphorically.
Like swimming and riding , can I be efficient in my life , slicing though with the least resistance and by analogy creating the least friction with all around me.This may be in terms of my relationships with everyone around me, my footprint on this earth .Have I been a model citizen in my country , my continent and ultimately my earth. Will I leave a footprint that is richer for my presence here ?
It is a hard ask but one worth striving for . The plan for training is easy , the instructions are relatively straightforward but translating the idea is never easy.It takes constant work and from time to time I have to sit up and stretch my back.
I plan to keep trying
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