Three things Thursday

1. Never underestimate the effect your example has on your children

Neither my husband or I wear a watch anymore. You can get the time from your cell phone, car clock, computer, etc. For our recent backpacking trip though, we needed one, so I went and bought a cheap watch.

When Sweetpea saw it, she got very excited. She declared "a little running watch! For me!" (The only watch she's probably ever noticed is my garmin.) She then proceeded to put it on and ran around the house with her "running watch".

Sometimes we don't think our kids notice what we do, but they do notice. Believe me, they notice far more then we realize. They are sure to repeat something embarrassing in front of a group of people at some point, but for the time being, I'll enjoy seeing it when the things they notice and repeat are positive things.

2. Practice makes perfect (or at least better)

Since my recent bike fitting (where my saddle got raised a fair bit), I've had renewed nervousness about clipping and unclipping. Previously, I would unclip both feet and touch down on both sides. Doing so made me feel secure in the knowledge that I wouldn't fall over. Since having my saddle raised, I couldn't do that without being on my very tiptoes (like a ballerina en point) and tottering side to side. Probably comical to watch, but not so fun to do.

When I was leaving for my last ride, I realized that I had a fair bit of anxiety about getting out of town. There are three intersections I need to go through to get out of town, and one of them can be busy, and tough to make the left turn.

So, rather then heading right out for my ride, I rode around my subdivision, stopping, unclipping, clipping back in. Rinse. Repeat. I found it easier to get down out of the saddle and back into it then I though. Perhaps because it's now a necessity. Once I took off for the actual ride, it was with more confidence that I could manage the intersections.

3. More feedback at the pool

One of the ironmen at the pool is in the process of getting certified to coach. I think she's noticed me as someone she can practice on: I'm serious about swimming, but still have plenty of technique flaws that could use correction. I don't mind at all; I've noticed her as someone that knows what she's doing, after all. Yesterday, she gave me feedback on my kick. I'm bending my knees too much again, causing my hips to sink and my body to drag.

So, she gave me some tips on it, and watched me kick a set and then swim a set with more focus on the kick. I felt a huge difference. Now, I know that my kick usually sucks, and I have to admit that I don't love kicking. I also know that I need to work on it. Yeah, triathletes need to save their legs for the bike and run, but that's no excuse for lazy form. Especially when that lazy form causes drag.

She even gave me her workout card and suggested I try it. Now, I had noticed how many kicksets she was doing during that particular workout. In fact, the thought had occurred to me, "Man, that's a lot of kicking! That must suck." I don't have to do it, of course. I don't currently have a coach, so I set all my own workouts. I will do it though. I know it's good for me. (I guess it would be cheating to put flippers on for the kicksets?)