On The Water

My coach says: "The longer the season, the longer the recovery phase" At a first thought, it sounds reasonable. Most of us, when we hear the word "recovery", we think immediately about resting our bodies, not working out much, lying on the couch or socializing, eating lots and gathering energy for the next training phase. Although resting muscles and joints is paramount for the hard training athlete - especially the long distance athlete - resting the brain and the neurological canals that feed body and soul is far more critical for a healthy, new season. I have never actually experienced the neurological post-season fatigue as much as this past season. 2017 was a truly great season for me: I built up the volume right, I had no major injuries and setbacks and I had a three month transition (break) between jobs that I utilized to max out my training and recovery. I bettered my race time at the same distance by a whole 1 hour and 10 min compared to last years resu...

Persistence is still determination to overcome adversity and keep moving forward regardless of your feelings or the environmental conditions. It is a sustained effort characterized by will power and desire. Every athlete, from amateurs to Olympians, has dealt with some sort of injury or injuries at some point. Small injuries, big injuries; injuries that take a week to heal or years to overcome. Having a clear vision of the future, removing any stubborn attachment to the past and just sticking to the original goals have helped all of us get through the rough times. Setting up a goal and working towards it, can have many ups and downs; when you are up, you can overcome challenges like a steamroller; when you are down, you have to stay put to that burning desire of succeeding your goal. You will have weak moments; maybe you will cry; maybe you will want to quit. Try to see the end of the tunnel, stay in the path, have faith and hope, and you will get out stronger, more mature and crav...