The slump…
Today I’ve got a bad case of the “I can’t be arsed”s…
Well, I say today, it’s been several days really. My previous swim was last Thursday, almost a week ago. It was a pretty good session other than a nasty little cramp I pulled in my right leg on my last sprint length.
I knew I wasn’t going to train on Friday night as normal in the lake as I’d got work drinks to go to. Normally I’d have skipped the drinks but I’ve only been at this company for 5 weeks and it was my first real opportunity to see everyone outside the office so worth it. That was OK though as there’s another lake session on Saturday mornings. I set my alarm, woke up for it, turned the alarm off and well back to sleep.
I know I don’t generally train well in the mornings as I’m not used to it but that one was 2 fingers full of ‘nope’, can’t be arsed. Yes my leg hurt still from the cramp, yes I was tired and a smidge hungover from the night before but nothing a nice cool swim wouldn’t have sorted out.
Saturday afternoon/evening was an annual BBQ round a couple of friends in Ely, and to avoid the last train home we were staying the night. After a chilled morning and a nice breakfast we headed home on Sunday around lunchtime and I was already internally arguing with myself about going for a swim that afternoon to make up for the missed session. Half a dozen complete missions on Fallout:4 Far Harbours survival mode should tell you how that one went.
“That’s OK”, I told myself, “It was only a 25m pool session I’d missed, they’re not the important ones. I’ll do a make-up session on Monday morning in Jesus Green”.
Once more I set my alarm but this time I didn’t even let it go off. I woke up to go to the toilet at about 5am and switched it off, that confident was I that there was zero chance I was going to get out of bed so why lose the sleep.
Finally we get to today an my regularly scheduled Tuesday morning session. This one is in Jesus Green, the 100yrd open air pool in central Cambridge, and it’s one I can wear my wetsuit for.
The alarm went off, I switched it off and lay in bed for nearly 15 minutes trying to convince myself to get on with it. I then pottered about getting my stuff together, which was odd as I’d done that the night before to avoid that delay and cycled down to the pool. I was supposed to have got there for as near to 7.30 when they opened as possible so I could have a long swim. As it turned out after the initial delays, and another one caused by me not concentrating and putting half my wet-suit on backwards, I didn’t start swimming until gone 8…but at least today I started.
I managed 12 lengths by which time it was gone 8.30 and I had to leave to get to work on time.
I’m seeing today as a motivational slump, but perhaps I shouldn’t. It was difficult to force myself though all the blocks I’d been putting in my own way, but at least today I actually swam, unlike the last 3 sessions. Maybe I should see today as a positive, as bouncing/struggling back out of a slump rather than going into one.
My next scheduled swim it tomorrow afternoon. Let’s see how/if that one goes…
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