If you're willing and able

It's hot outside, y'all.
Today as I was riding to tri class, NPR ran a story about people in Haiti post-earthquake. It made me feel pretty silly, because I was worrying and whining in my head before I started paying attention to the radio. I have a head cold. I couldn't sleep. I'm not seeing any improvements in my swimming. Or running. I would rather do anything else with my morning besides get in that pool or run up that concrete ramp.

One way that I can choose to look at this scary race is that it's a big fat privilege. The training is a privilege, too.

No, this is probably not the end of my expressions of anxiety, but I cannot tell the lie that anyone or anything is making me practice and show up at the race against my will. I actually do want to do this because my body can (or is getting to the point where it maybe can) do this, and I want to live a high quality existence at the top of (or at least in the upper echelon of) my game.

Therefore, I say hooray for the follow things:

• I am not physically handicapped by injury or condition, so I am able to push my body.
  
• I swam almost consistently for 25-30 minutes today. We did freestyle/breaststroke, then buoy pull, then 100 m more freestyle before hopping out to put our wet feet into socks and shoes. Besides running out of time before I did a full 500 m pull, I swam every lap she asked of us.
  
• I sustained a post-swim (slow) jog for a full 30 minutes. I slowed to a walk twice to catch my breath, but not for a significant distance.
  
• My jog was in the sun, yet I managed to not pass out or vomit.
• I could have used the excuse that I have a cold to sit out of tri class and the Gyrontonics class that followed, but I did not.
• I feel physically better for the whole day after I exercise. I tend to forget this fact, but it remains true.
• My endurance is slowly improving. I believe it will continue to do so (despite worries to the contrary) because there isn't anything physically wrong with me.

Now I get to rest. I do love a well-earned rest.