Swimming
I'm an average swimmer, maybe slightly above average. I'm certainly not the fastest in my age group, but I'm usually right in the middle of the pack. Furthermore, when I get out of the water, I'm very rarely tired or worn out. In the pool during my workouts, I'm generally in the low 2's per 100's. If I'm having a good day, I'll swim sub-2 min per 100, and other days, I'll swim 2:10-2:15 per 100.
The ironic thing is, swimming is the one area where I will have to put in a ton of work to see minimal gains. It's gonna take hundreds of thousands of meters to gain seconds per 100. And yet, out of the three disciplines, I'm willing to work the hardest at swimming.
Cycling
Cycling
I'd rate myself a just-below average cyclist. There are days where I'm riding outside or on the trainer and I'm just crushing my workouts. There's other days (like Silverman) where my weakness in cycling is evident and how much work I need to put in.
I love to ride my bike. I love being outside. But I will say that cycling is the one of the three sports that I seem content to be "average" in. I know how much work I need to do, and right now, mentally, I'm not willing to take the steps necessary to grow in it. I have no doubt that when Ironman comes along I'll do what it takes, but I need to be doing these things NOW to build up the base and get stronger.
Running
I'm definitely not a good runner. There are moments, and sometimes I surprise myself, but running I am not good at. Furthermore, unlike the previous two disciplines, running is one where if I am not consistent with it, I lose it very quickly.
Running is also the discipline where I make the most excuses. I'm tired. The temperature isn't right. The treadmill isn't a brand I like. And on and on. Don't get me wrong; I have flashes of discipline with running too. If I sit down and force myself to schedule a run, I'll 90% of the time stick to it. But running isn't one of those things I just do. I have to force it. Furthermore, it's the one of the three sports I consistently have a love/hate relationship with.
What I pondered on this short run yesterday is that right now, November, is not the time to be striving for ridiculous gains. We're in the offseason. November and December aren't times to be stressing about getting faster. But stressing discipline and consistency? Definitely things I need to be working on.
Discipline and consistency. I've been doing much less martial arts for many years. A year ago I started doing them on my own a little, six months ago I decided I needed to work with others to get better. I have been doing them with discipline and consistency for that amount of time. As Paul Newman said at the end of "The Color of Money," "I"M BACK!" You are right about discipline and consistency, Brandon.
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