When something is in my face 198 times it becomes a topic of musing. The"wall" as it were was my focus. I was goggled up and underwater, no music pumping my adrenaline just the steady sound of my breath scrambled into a barrage of gurgling bubbles, flip turn after flip turn, after flip turn.
I started taking a Master Swim class where we swim as much as 1800 yards ( about a mile) That’s a boatload of flip turns with plenty of wall time to contemplate. I confess I like the short distances: 100 yds. of free style, 200 yds. buoy with paddles, 50 yds. backstroke etc. etc. When I see the teacher post the day’s workout with long intervals of 400 and 500 strokes, my gut groans. My first thought is Who can count that high and keep track of it? My next thought is anticipating the sheer boredom of repetition. Then at about 200 yds into the first set, a nagging voice kicks in–“You really don’t have to do it all, You’re just doing this for exercise, it doesn’t really matter. Hey, the fact you got here at all is great.” I recognize this voice. It is definitely NOT my inner coach– the one that sees my potential for greatness. But as it turns out the wall is, because it stares me in the face asking me, "Is this your END or your PUSH OFF? There is no surprise about stopping at the wall, it is just what it is– THE END. Finito. Nada. Nothing More. The “surprise,” or perhaps more aptly put, the “PRIZE” is using the wall to push off of. It’s the reward of “free mileage” for just committing to continue. Pushing off the wall turns out to have some science to it: The push back resistance transfers energy and gives me the longest, easiest, fastest and most gratuitous stroke of all. In fact it can propel me as much as 1/3 of the length of the pool! Pretty sweet deal for just committing to hit my wall.
What walls are you up against? How do you push off?
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