2014 marked a lot of changes in my life. New power meter. New coach. New race distance. New training approach. New responsibilities in my fellowship. New boss. New job. New routine. With that much change, I spent a lot of time this fall being introspective and assessing what I want for 2015.
Who am I now, and who do I want to be? How do I want to grow? What leaps of faith do I want to take?
While this blog is mainly focused on my life as a triathlete, these questions transcend sport and touch all aspects of my life.
At the end of the day, I want to be happy, healthy, and fast. I want to be surrounded by friends and family in a place that is special and exciting to me. I want to be challenged in my career and continually learning. I want to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
To achieve these goals, here are my 2015 Resolutions (adapted from http://swimswam.com/17-new-years-resolutions-swimmers/):
1. No pulling on the lane rope - I’m guilty of this more than I should be, but then I complain about how my backstroke isn’t as developed as I’d like. I know I’ll never get where I want to be by using the lane rope as a crutch, so that needs to stop. In life, I need to look beyond the easy way out and challenge myself.
2. Be less of a grouch during practice - I may not be in a perfect mood everyday, but that doesn’t have to carry over into my workouts. I will be happy for the opportunity to escape from whatever is bothering me and enjoy the suffering solo or with friends.
3. Make this the year I go injury-free - I know what types of overuse injuries I tend to fall victim to (shoulder tendinitis, shin splints, IT band flare ups) so why not be proactive and make time each week for pre-hab so the little things don’t become big things? Activities like foam rolling, bosu ball ankle strengthening exercises, stretch cords, core work should be assembled into a 30-40 min weekly routine.
4. Get in the habit of being more grateful - I will make use of my training log, and blog, to remind myself of what I’ve accomplished so far. I will write weekly gratitude lists (thanks Shelley!).
5. Sleep more - Now this is a resolution I can always get behind! I adore my 8 hours of sleep every night and already make this a priority, but sprinkling in weekend naps after hard sessions will only aid in recovery.
6. Straighten out my stroke (body) imbalance - I’ve known for years that the right side of my body is much more developed than my left, both in terms of overall strength and coordination. Instead of just knowing about it, why not do something about it? A PT assessment will put me on the right track for 2015.
7. Stop peeing in the pool - Who am I kidding … this will never happen!
8. Start and/or end every workout with a perfect dive (or flying mount/dismount) - Perfect practice makes perfect. I’ve lacked confidence in the last couple of years over doing a proper flying mount, mainly because I’ve convinced myself that my pelvis still isn’t flexible enough to fling my leg up and over the saddle. But I’ll never know unless I try!
9. Keep journaling my workouts - Workout log, Strava, Garmin connect. All of these sites compile the raw data of my workouts, but they don’t tell me where my head was at or how I felt. I will make sure to include a couple of tidbits at the end of each session while it’s still fresh in my mind.
10. Make all of my morning practices - This one I already do pretty well since I’m more of a morning person anyways, but even I am tempted to sleep in on occasion. Certainly some of those times, I need to listen to what my body is telling me, but other times I just need to HTFU and get out the door. I will very rarely regret it!
11. Each day encourage other athletes - Triathletes come in all shapes and sizes and come from all backgrounds. Even when I don’t have the time for formal coaching, I must never forget that I was once new to the sport and should give back to the community as much as I can.
12. Finish the warm-down - The warm-down is the one part of a workout that becomes so easy to skimp on when pressed for time, but that active recovery is crucial. Make the time! My body will thank me later. :)
13. Work on the thing I keep telling myself I suck at - I’m looking at you, racing in the heat. I had a lot of difficulties with heat and humidity this year and it really got to me mentally. At the start line of my races, I was already defeated and that’s no way to race! If I’m having trouble with something, I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to fix it.
14. Do ten minutes of extra vertical kicking once a week - Like with starts or mounts, every little bit adds up. Vertical kicking is great for kick strength as well as core development - and practical for deep water triathlon starts. Just do it!
15. Lead the lane more often. Don’t be afraid to rise to the occasion - I always jump to lead the lane on distance freestyle sets, but chicken out when it comes to sprinting or stroke. If I want to get faster, maybe I ought to try swimming scared. Not letting Peter or Scott catch me will be good motivation!
16. Align my lifestyle with my goals - I’ve made triathlon a priority, and my life reflects that to a big extent. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t enjoy myself outside of the sport, but I need to constantly keep reaffirming my goals to get where I want to go.
17. Reward myself - I work hard and deserve treats of the food, friends, and vacations variety. I won’t forget to enjoy myself in the new year!
I like these. Maybe I need some.
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