One of my "regulars" came to me after a swim session and confessed that after all the years of working out and all the races she did, she realized that she was a "lazy" triathlete.
"Wow!", I thought to myself, "If she's lazy everyone else must be couch potatoes!"
She was working out about 7 hours a week, but had recently cut down to about 4 or 5, yet she still looked fantastic, happy and in great form. Was she going through some (obsessive) "guilty" phase because she was exercising less, even though she still seemed to be in great shape?
Nope, it turns out that she was lazy when she worked out more!
I'll let her tell you why:
"I first realized it in my swim stroke. You have always told me to extend my shoulder on the catch, in order to really grip the water. Well, I'd do that for a few stokes and then revert back to just being lazy and not extending myself. I'd paddle through the hour session, but I was just going through the motions.
Extending my shoulder is hard. It tires me out and it was just easier to take a shorter stroke. But a few weeks ago, I tried to do a whole session with perfect form. Well, not the whole session, I thought I'd only last a few laps. But a few laps turned into two sets and I finished the whole workout that way! I was tired and sore, but I felt really great about it, particularly the next day when I realized how simple it was to make that big improvement.
So that's when I realized that I was often just going through the motions. I'd stick to my weekly schedule, but didn't stick to a goal to get a little better every time I could. I saw it on my bike rides and my runs, where I'd settle into a nice comfortable pace and knock off the hour and feel good about it. But I realized that I was lazy and I'd feel better if I simply tried just a little bit harder. When I extended my shoulder on the swim, I got more out of it. And so decided to simply run just a little step faster and to click to just one harder gear. And to keep myself honest (and make it easier at first ;-) I'd make my workouts shorter.
Now I am seeing the results of that little bit more effort. I think I am fitter and faster, and spend less time working out! I guess it is like anything, my work, my relationships, my other hobbies. It is easy to get lazy and just go through the motions. But just a little more effort has made an enormous difference."
Pretty cool! Are you going through the motions? Do you know what one degree of temperature means to water? Here is an interesting video to get you motivated!
May you find your own ways to improve in fitness and in life!
Coach Pascale
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