8th – 14th January 2018
I am now on my 2nd week of my swimming challenge. At this point of the month I was meant to have done 1,000 lengths of a 15 metre pool.
My challenge has been going really well. I have planned 2 days off a week but I have found that I have only taken one day off a week so far. Which means I am ahead of schedule having done 1,200 lengths.
I am a person who would prefer to exercise in the mornings. I like to get it out of the way and then the rest of the day is my own. With this challenge I have found it difficult to go every morning because sometimes things crop up that I have to do instead.
For me exercising has always been a bit of a chore – it’s something I do because I have to and not because I want to! To exercise when it’s not the morning is even more of a chore – I have to be really pushed to go later in the day.
A few times during this challenge I have had to really push myself to get the lengths in and that, on occasions, means going later.
This one day I did my swim later in the day and after there is a seat I usually sit on and look out of the window while I catch my breath. Through the window there is a field and lots trees to look out on. I have found it a nice time of reflection. On this occasion though it was especially nice as I got to see the sun going down and the sky was full of lots of amazing colours .
I sat there in awe as I watched this amazing sunset coming through the trees. One thing that went through my mind was that it was my reward for all those lengths and all the hard work I had put in. It made me proud that I hadn’t wasted my day.
As I said, exercising at night is particularly hard for me. But if I hadn’t of done it, if I hadn’t put in that extra effort, I would have missed that reward.
I have learnt, especially on this journey, that when you put in the effort, when you go the extra mile the rewards can be so much greater and that sunset was my reminder.
I don’t think I can now look at a sunset in the same way again from now on.
Gorgeous picture. Well done on the swimming