Just a Matter of the Mind - published on fb on Jan 17, 2012

"Brrrr!" I thought in my head as I looked up the temperature at 4 a.m. - it was 30 degrees Farenheit in Palo Alto. It didn't deter me from getting my workout gear and heading to the gym. Given that I never thought twice about running outside when it was 35 degrees, this was really easy in comparison in terms of getting my mind ready. Bracing myself through the five minute drive which isn't an adequate distance to truly kick in the heat, I was all set. After all, I had missed working out three days in a row. As I greeted two of my early morning friends upon entering the gym, one of them piped up, "Hey, the heater for the pool is broken. I went in there yesterday and it was freezing." My instinct was to head right back to the car, go home get some work in or just snuggle back up in my covers. She then added, "Well, you could use the jacuzzi and sauna". Given that I had come all the way, that I am really constrained in my workouts with my still-injured foot, I decided to check out the hot tub. The wet area was deserted. I had to warm up my mind while I could dare step into the water. After a few minutes in the jacuzzi, I gingerly put one toe in the pool. "No way", shouted a voice in my head. So back I went to the steaming tub. Another minute of dithering while a voice said to me I was a wimp. I certainly wasn't going to buy into that. So without further thought, I plunged right into the unheated pool. Surprisingly, it didn't feel as cold as I had earlier thought. The trick was to dive right in without thinking too much about it I guess. Thrilled to have finished my warm up laps, I put on my aqua jogging belt, which is my only saving grace while I bide my time to get back to real running, I completed my aqua workout convincing myself that I had burned more calories this way (in the icy waters). While in the pool, I had to encourage two more of my friends to just get in. They did. We all feel way better after the workout and I am extremely satisfied at my decision to have completed my workout this morning.