Well, I thought last night when I was paddling back home after my whitewater loops session that I had worked harder then I had thought - I was getting cold in my short sleeve top.  Impossible, I concluded, that after months and months with temperatures above 35C (100F) would it ever get cold in Charlotte, NC. Well, it is legitimately cold this morning.  I was wrong.  I had almost forgotten what cold felt like.

 

Thankfully, I don’t need to go padding in it this morning; in my post-mid-term exuberance I hit the water hard this weekend. Hard enough, that at 9:12 last night I ditched Brett and his Red Sox support, I dragged my feet upstairs to bed. Hard enough, that I get a day off of training today and am very thankful for it.

 

So far, balancing a heavy school load and a heavy training load has been successful.  With almost all my tests back, it seems math (school in general) isn’t nearly as hard as training for the Olympics.  The interesting, development is that it has changed my paddling perspective as well. In addition to just having plan less time, it is much easier to be objective; if a workout doesn’t go well it doesn’t feel as though someone just ripped my beating heart from my chest, mortal combat style (does anyone remember that game?).  I can, more often, step back look at the variables involved and as why?  

 

At this point, I’m not, personally, advocating one method of training, I think for me both are necessary and part of a complete package.  But it is nice to look at the problem from the other side.