Every day

Sometimes, it's not so easy to jump in the pool or the lake and plow through the water. It should be -- I have an epic goal on the horizon that will only be achieved by consistently swimming toward it, every day, or close to it. The whole reason I'm doing this is to challenge myself and celebrate the blessing of good health that allows me to do it. Every day, I see patients in rehab, struggling with intense focus to move a finger or take a single step. They push their limits, too, every day.

So why is it, when I look out on a slightly rough lake on a given Sunday, say last Sunday, I decide to bail on the workout? There was no one around, which was my excuse, but I could have easily swum close to the beach for a couple of hours safely enough. I just didn't. 

It's times like these where I wish I wasn't the only goldfish in the bowl. I'm connected to dozens of other marathon swimmers through facebook and the marathon swimmers forum, but not here, on the beach at Branched Oak Lake, telling me to quit being a pansy and let's go swim. 

I especially want some company when the water temps start dropping. I don't think I ever would have stayed in the cold ocean at Manhattan Beach last spring if it weren't for the pod of other swimmers. Somehow, knowing there's another person who's also plowing headfirst into the freezing seafoam, makes it a lot more tolerable.

So, I'll see who I can con into doing this with me. Granted, it's a tough sell. "Hey, wanna go swimming in 60 degree lake water? It'll be fun!" But, really - it IS fun when you are in it together. And hot coffee never tasted so good afterwards.

Meanwhile, I've opted to go for a jog-walk this morning instead of the usual swim practice, so I'd better get going. I don't necessarily need to swim the entire way to my channel swimming goal, but I need to keep moving forward one way or another. I love this quote from fellow Channel 2014 classmate Bethany Bosch:

"All great accomplishments are the compilation of small, consistent, great choices. The choice is there, whether or not you make it is what determines where your journey will end."