Tranquility, Beauty, Clarity

While running this morning I spent some time mulling over this concept. I think one of the reasons I've kept with my training plan so well (haven't had two zero days in a row since April) is that each of the three disciplines fulfills completely different roles for my brain.

Swimming: Tranquility. The first time I noticed this was when I started open water swimming a bit. It's so quiet and peaceful in the water. Just a rhythmic spash, easy in and out of breath, suspended weightless, and a whole lot of quiet. In my first race once the start pack sorted out I had this same feeling. I was all alone in the world and it was so calm.

Biking: Beauty. Rolling at 20 mph up hills, down hills, around corners, passing by ocean, rivers, lakes, forests, fields, small towns. I'm moving fast enough that I get to see a lot of varied terrain and when I don't have to concentrate on traffic it's a really great way to experience the outdoors.

Running: Clarity. Running requires much less focus on the world around me than biking and so I really have time to get inside my head and think. I'm moving more slowly than on the bike so I don't see as much passing me by. I just get into a nice sustainable pace and can really concentrate on what's important in my head. I'm expending energy so the useless thoughts just sort of float away and my brain gets lots of quality thinking time.

Anyhow, just some musings on why I'm enjoying this so much. Plus, having to do each of these things every week keeps my short attention spanned brain from getting too bored.