I know it’s impossible to use everything all the time while under the watchful eye of The Gatekeeper of Capabilities. That guy that determines whether we’re in shape to do number crunching, marketing, or running is always pulling out one of our capabilities if we ignore it.
In my last race yesterday I discovered I had increased my bike speed and running speed both by 5% (!) since the last time I ran the same race; diligent strength, speed, endurance training, and a wonderful triathlon coach paid off. But for an old guy like me, not pounding on those same things in swimming left me with a 10% decrease in swim speed.
I realized immediately that I’d slacked off the swim pain for the last six months or so; I’d put in my time with various sprints and longer swims, thinking it was “good enough”. If I was only 35 years old that might work…..being a lot older than that muscular strength can dissipate like a pan of alcohol in the sun. OK, back to the strength exercises specifically for water speed and add 20 minutes of that a few times a week.
Likewise, putting in my time with new developments in the audio/video world and the monstrous amount of math and physics that goes into compression and signal technology is part of my job. So thank heavens mental capabilities don’t disappear as quickly as fast-twitch muscle cells, but I’ve been warned!
Now I’ll have to start making friends with the Gatekeeper to see if he will take my offerings of home-built, or gym machines, and swim workouts that strengthen my swim muscles. Coach Holly gives me specific exercise instructions and limits (“don’t go nuts with this and damage your shoulders”). Wait, going nuts is one of my favorite things…..OK, I’ve been warned.
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