Anticipation

Anticipation: n.  expectant waiting: the feeling of looking forward, usually excitedly or eagerly, to something that is going to happen.  A lot of my training is based on that wonderful feeling of anticipation. I look forward to each run, knowing how good each one is going to feel.  And knowing how good I feel at the end, when I can see my progress, and know how fast I ran.  There's the anticipation of whether I can shave just a little bit of time off last week's pace, or feel just a little more energetic than the previous day.  I build my running playlist with songs that I anticipate listening to while I run.   And of course there is the anticipation of the relaxing soak in a warm tub to soothe my sore muscles at the end of the day.   It's the same with swimming.  I look forward to completing that first lap when I finally start to feel at ease in the water, that precise moment that the tenseness leaves my body and I finally peg my breathing, kicking and arm stroke rhythm.  There is the anticiaption of learning something new from Coach, and the confidence that's built when I finally get it right.  There's the anticipation of the races I have picked to run, the and reward for the hard work of training.  I have a whole year's worth of anticipation ahead of me. Each training run, each swim, each race is just ahead of me, and I'm looking forward to completing each and every one.