Motivation

Brrr. We have a cold week ahead. It was in the 40s today. At this rate I doubt there will be a transition into Fall at all. I'm not happy. Winter gear should stay hidden until late October, but clearly this is not going to be the case for this year. Looks like winter might be a long one.

Weather I can't control, but two things perked me up today:

A new toy! My co-worker returned from a visit to home (US) and brought back an Ipod Shuffle as I requested. See picture. So pretty. It's for my running or walking, however my “training” turns out.



I feel a bit decadent about the Shuffle since I already have a regular-size Ipod. But my 30G model has been/is cumbersome to run with. Not to mention that a while ago the back-and-forth motion of the velcro-ed arm band when I ran left a quarter-size bruise below my armpit. It broke skin and the area stung like heck for days whenever I showered. I couldn't imagine an entire winter of that.

The second item is for my attempt to be a swimmer. “The Miracle Swimmer” DVD from Transpersonal Swimming Institute. (The rest of the DVD's title goes: “Learn to be in control in water, shallow and deep: Prevent panic”.) I'm more interested in the deep aspect because this is where I “lose it”. I cling to the wall and refuse to let go.


Five swimming classes have drilled stroke techniques into me. But none have helped my fear of deep water. Then in March an article in the NYTimes about the TSI approach caught my interest, and when I enrolled in my swim class a week ago I decided to order a TSI DVD. It wasn't cheap (about $50 plus S&H), but if it gets me over my fear it'll be worth every penny. I'll report back in another post.