The 11th week of reaching towards my goal, and I want to tell you about the mental part of this journey.
Where are the crossroads in which we, myself and my mental inner self have a dialogue… The whole mental part of my swimming became more powerful recently. I’m taking a swimming instructor course and one of my mentors there, a truly great man called Ruby Shalev talked to us about a thinking process that can change things… And I find with this method of thinking, that the world is mine to conquer! The sky is NOT the limit like I’ve always been told and who need boundaries when I have my head on my shoulders and I’m able to conquer anything!
So yes, we had a few crossroads in we nearly parted, myself and my mental inner-self, the first one was swimming in the sea in very low temperature water.
A year ago if someone was to suggest I swim without a body suit, I would most likely not even listen to you! Not a chance! Why? Just cause. I can’t.
This year I decided, with much encouragement from my coach Ori, that I’m going to give it a try. I will swim the 49.195 without a body suit, so I better start getting used to it!
And once I made up my mind, so it was! Why? Because I made up my mind!
So now a days, even if I thought it was impossible, I swim 7 and 8 kilometers, in open waters, 17 degrees Celsius, without a body suit!
The next challenge, intersection for myself and my mental inner-self, is distance. I have to start swimming longer distances.
This week I swam 24 kilometers which is 960 pools, 959 keepers, 7 hours and 45 minutes in the water.
When I was planning my whole swimming agenda, I decided that I’ll take it one week at a time, which was smart. I was planning to swim the 24 kilometers on a Thursday and I even took a whole day off work.
I woke up at 04:30am, and started my swim at 05:45. 960 laps and I went to work afterwards! It’s all about mental strength! Decisions!
Which takes me to the next crossroad… The day after swimming the 24 kilometers I decided to go out for an open water swim! 7 kilometers, 16 degrees and I was scared that I’ll be too tired and I was scared of the cold… But I pushed away the fear, had faith in myself and I did it! Why? Because I put my mind to it and it was an amazing open waters practice.
The final crossroad I had to deal with is the changes.
Changes are happening constantly and I’m trying to adjust to them… to “flow” as we say in Hebrew.
I made my practice a bit easier last week, because I knew the masters will be at the weekend, but the weather changed and forced the masters to re-schedule to a week in which I’m swimming harder, doing 44 kilometers. But I can do it!
So next Saturday I’ll warm up at the beach in a beautiful swim with a group of people who are swimming to raise awareness and support for sports for children with difficulties, and after this swim I’ll go to the pool and compete! And I can do it because I made up my mind to it, and once I make up my mind, nothing can stop me!
So I hope you’ll also make up your mind, to meet me here next week with my next post, because I’ve already made up my mind to write it! J
