John Inglese
March 28, 2014
The fantastic 500
Sometimes what you think to be hard is not as hard as you thought. In some recent swim sessions I have discovered that adding sustained effort is sometimes easier than going at a slower pace. It seems contradictory but going faster is sometimes easier than taking it easy.
“Boredom is in the eye of the beholder. There is no such thing as a boring subject only an uninterested person.” Dr George Sheehan. I agree with this quote immencncely since I enjoy staring at a blue line at a bottom of a pool for hours at a time. But the real joy can be found between my ears. Getting to and going into the pool no longer presents any problem cause it is now an engrained habit for me. When I'm under I vary between going easy and fast at set intervals which makes the time fly too fast.
On the fast intervals it is tough to think or meditate as I call it cause your going hard. I usually do a 100, 200, or 300. Stepping it up recently I just added the 200 and 300 together to make 500. The fantastic 5.
At first it seems tough but once your body gets use to the sustained extra effort it is not as bad as it started. I still pace myself until the final 50 or 25 yards but it is still an increase in effort. I also count my strokes during these intervals which also probably contributes to the whole meditative underwater state I put myself in.
The thing I find most enjoyable about being in the water however is the fact that I feel like a kid again. I try to "stay in my own lane", and not worry about how fast or how slow the person in the next lane is going. It brings me back to easier times cause when your a child it's all about play and not about the stress of life. It is my "white space" I've heard it called. Time to myself where no one can reach me. I'm always happy to share a lane but even then I am literally and figuratively in my own world. Unlike most of the time when I'm just in my own world figuratively.
It's all about your mindset also. If you think your tired you will be. If you think your happy you will be. Sometimes all you need is a piece of candy to fix your low blood sugar level and put you in a more positive mood. I know I do. I've come to realize that about myself. I suffer from bouts of low blood sugar and if I don't keep it in check I get crazy and foggy. "Food is mood", is how the saying goes. But more important is to preserve in your heart the passion for growth. What I mean by that is to always continue to learn, love and live every moment of your life, no matter how monotonous and boring it can seem sometimes. Hard to do especially if you didn't have coffee. But in all seriousness it is really a mindset thing. Use the power of your mind to have passion for everyday living. The exciting as well as the mundane. Believe in yourself and the power of the mind. Believing you can is more important than even discipline. So keep believing in yourself and give effort in all you do.
...You are not tired.
- Barton 
