Friday, January 25

Cheating on my Bike







When the weather gets cold I stop riding my bike outside. I'm wimpy like that. I don't even ride my three speed to the post office even though it is only two miles away.  My husband will pull on booties and a balaclava and ride in winds that make snot freeze. Great visual, right?  Not me.  I used to head to the gym and ride or use the rowing machines and hold my breath so that the germs couldn't get me. But, that's almost 5 months of unhappy exercise.


Then, ironically, in the heat of the summer, I started to swim. The pool did not love me at first, but I loved it anyway.  Both my husband and son  swam competitively while I spent years on the sidelines, but no more. 

The first few weeks were difficult. I knew how to swim, but couldn't get the right rhythm in my stroke to breathe and keep going for more than a few laps. And then one day, it just clicked while I wasn't even thing about it.

When was the last time you tried to master something new?

For  me swimming has become more than keeping fit. It's a metaphor for so many things and it it is mine alone to both revere and master. When I am underwater I am lighter than air. I can now swim a half mile ( that's 36 laps in an indoor pool)  a day. Sometimes, I drift off in thought though, and lose count.

My friend Janell said she admired my commitment to exercise, but it's not that exactly. It's a commitment to me and the life I try to lead. It's not always easy and when my still damp hair literally froze on the way back to my car on Monday I had second thoughts. But, I knew I'd go back tomorrow.

Put another marshmallow in your hot chocolate and kiss the ones you love,
xoSherry




4 comments:

Emanuela said...

Come visit my blog.

xo Emma
www.fromcitytocity-emm.blogspot.com

Kanelstrand said...

Ah, I love your style! Winter is pretty hard around here, so bicycling is out of the question for me. Even without it I managed to inflame my sinuses, go figure.

But I do ski in the wintertime. Cross-country and downhill. It is my sport of choice.

And don't get me started on mastering something... I am a freak... go check my 2 days of getting out of my comfort zone and you'll see.

It was nice having you today on Kanelstrand.

Unknown said...

Marshmallows and balaclavas! :)

I love hearing about other people's 'aha' moments. Things click when the time is right and never before that! There is something special about being in the water, isn't there?

Swim on!

DancingMooney said...

I love swimming! I can't do it in rythm either, but it's always been my favorite thing to jump off a boat in the middle of a lake and just swim out as far as I can and then swim back. (in a safe area of course). Love swimming. Good for you for going back! xo!