Discipline

I remember last summer coach EG asked us how much weekly skating/cardio we do outside of club practice and I sheepishly answered "less than 60 minutes". That was when he assigned me to do LSD for the remainder of the practice while other skaters worked on intervals.

Fast forward to this season, and suddenly I realize I have incorporated training into my daily routine. 60 minutes of cardio outside of club practice is easily achievable and I go to the gym (as if on autopilot) if any of my scheduled practice is cancelled due to weather. It wasn't even a matter of "Should I go to the gym? Hmmm". Rather, it was "Oh well, no practice. To the gym then".

When did this happen?! January 2007, to be precise. I was in the midst of a busy "off season", committed to 5 skating practices every week. SZ helped me refocus with a training schedule which included regular visits to the gym for cardio and weights. From that point on, I became much more disciplined with training.

When I look around me, the culture of my club helps me to take training more seriously too. When I see my friends and club mates training hard for whatever goals they have for the season (be it World Championship, Pan Am Games, WIC, Nationals, 24hr relay, or any marathons), the urge to train is contagious. Of course I'm no where near their level of dedication. However, their positive influence definitely help me to incorporate training into my life. It's true, I don't want to be the one slacking off when everyone's working hard.

This is actually quite a contrast to the culture in my dragonboat team. Our team is a very competitive team in the region but to take it to the next level, we definitely need to work on the overall fitness level of the team. However, despite constant encouragement from our team captain and coaches, our paddlers still seem a little reluctant to hit the gym. Both my skating friends and my paddling friends are equally passionate about their respective sport and the thirst to be competitive are matched. The peer support is definitely there too as both groups have lots of social activities outside of club practices. However, from what I can observe, the focus of the social activities is the main difference. Among my skating friends, training and skating is the focus of any social outings (spinning party anyone?). Of course we enjoy going out for a bite after skating but we rarely ever meet without our skates or bike shoes or running shoes. There is certainly no lack of social activities from my dragonboat club. However, hanging out and clubbing are not exactly the best motivation to get fit.

After 30 years, I can finally claim that I live an active lifestyle. I would not have even imagine the possibilities a couple of years ago!