Let the Games Begin!

Happy New Year!

I hope that the festive season was enjoyable, filled with family, friends, feasts and fun. Mine definitely was.

Although I had preliminary plans to spend lots of time hanging with friends, socializing and stuff, I found myself becoming almost fiercely protective of the time I spent with those closest to me, my hubby and our dog, and my family just being together. Boxing Day shopping, dinners, renting movies, skiing, going for walks, anything and nothing, I think in the back of my mind I knew what was looming right around the midnight corner on New Year's Eve. The kick-off to the next seven months of our lives, the first real and true step toward Becoming Irongirl. Workout number one.

Now, you might be thinking, 'but, you've been training throughout the fall, what makes this workout different to the others?' My answer is this, in my mind, the success or failure of this initial session will set the tone for the weeks and months to come, and while I acknowledge that true momentum won't come from a single workout, I believe that a training program is all the more successful if it starts on the right foot, or in my case, with the right stroke.

At 9:00 this morning, I started the ball rolling with a successful 3500 metre swim, fitting I suppose, given that it all starts in the water on race day. A mixture of small to medium sized swim sets, the warm-up alone took about 30 minutes, I have some difficulty with the kick that accompanies breastroke, so there were times when I felt I was being pulled backward, rather than progressing down the lane, swearing underbreath all the while. It's always at times like these when someone dons their 'knight in shining armour' cap and attempts to coach the random stranger in hopes of improving said kick in a matter of minutes. While I appreciated this gentleman's advice, I watched as precious minutes were snatched away from me on the clock, and my workout, which should have taken less than 90 minutes dragged on as a result. He did however make a few adjustments to my backstroke, which is now ten times more comfortable than it was. Thanks Mike.

By 10:40, it was all over, and I am quite satisfied with how it went. I have to confess, as far as volume goes, it presented a challenge, but the mix of different strokes, set distances, and some drills to finish made it all quite manageable. At no point during the workout did the words 'give up, you're tired' cross my mind, which is probably what I'm most proud of at this early stage of the game.

Tomorrow morning starts with a run and some weight training, and then it's back to the office after a 10 day vacation. Which do you think I'm more excited about?

Happy 2011! I hope it proves happy, healthy and prosperous.