Day 235: Watersheds

About a week before the race while riding with DA.
DA: Aren't you worried about the swim?
Me: The swim is the least of my worries. I'm worried about my cycling. My cadence is so slow! I'm water, I follow the path of least resistance.
DA: Most people are concerned the most about the swim. Once the swim is over, the race is done.

When two rivers converge together they create a ridge of land between them, carving it out as they flow to the sea. As the river carves deeper, the ridge towers higher. This is called a watershed. For boats heading up river, a critical decision rests upon which way they choose to go. Water at these points is often treacherous and fast and any navigator understands the importance of knowing which way to go before approaching that convergence.

The term watershed also refers to a critical point on a persons life. "A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point."

One of my watershed moments happened last summer: my bike tour changed my life. There were a few times that I gagged on my own fear and still pressed forward, having hope that things would turn out well. And that sublime moment, looking down the foggy cliff, knowing I had made it beyond the moment I feared most and feeling that intense gratitude and whole-souled love for my life--it was all worth all the work and hardship. It is all worth it.

Work and hardship are what make us appreciate what we have. At those moments when we can look back and see the accomplishments we have achieved, we grow in our love of life, God, other people and our selves. Sometimes we create hardship for ourselves so that we can feel that accomplishment--like my training. And yet, for me, I have needed to do this--for reasons that are my own. Challenging myself, and fulfilling that challenge, has enabled me to feel gratitude and with that gratitude comes happiness and contentment. Change is hard. But fulfilling the desire to change is gratifying.

When I think about swimming a mile, that is intimidating (I think that is why I choked in my last race--I had not seen a mile swim laid out like that before). But breaking it down into smaller segments and then into smaller segments is so much more doable. If you are seeking a change in your life, if there is something that needs your attention, take that challenge. "A year from now, you may wish you had started today," Karen Lamb.

Right now, navigating this course, I have a lot of questions about what my training should be, how to continue, how to grow a tiny business. There are people out there willing to help, people who know so much more than I do right now.

Plan for the week:
Monday
Tuesday

Wednesday: AM: Ride to work with JE and do a wee recovery run. Go light, see how I feel and shoot for 4 miles.
PM: Recovery stretches
Dinner: Quesadillas with avocado and peach salsa. Side salad

Thursday: AM: Ride to work with JE and and ride with DW
PM: Light swim--24 laps
Dinner: Scrambled eggs with ricotta, broccolini, and crusty bread

Friday: AM: Ride with DA--hoping he can guide me on how to improve and where to look for answers
PM: Kareoke at the Prospector Contact me if you are in! It shall be a blast-ola!
Dinner: Black pepper honey steak, with mushroom ambrosia and couscous (Lynn Rosetta Casper's How to eat Supper)

Saturday: AM: Head to the beach with my sweetheart and do some ocean swimming
JE has BAND PRACTICE later that day!!! I'm stoked for him!