OT: problem solvers

rtk said:

Reading the posts here about the problems that arise about
swimming and their solutions brings to mind several dozen
books I have read by and about adventurers, always written
first person because I'm interested in their experience, not
the discoveries. I began these books thinking I would learn
about how they overcame obstacles, solved problems, and met
their goals through persistence in the face of overwhelming
odds. The authors range from giants like Chichester and
Herzog to a 60 year old English woman who circled the globe
partly on a Chinese bike with her cigarettes and camera in
her bag, but not much else.

What I never expected was that none of them solved a series
of problems because they never even saw them. When it
rained, Chichester got wet in his little plane; lost over
Italy, he flew low enough to see the street signs; plane
torn over China, he found tailors to sew it up. But he
never mentions obstacles. The English woman was told firmly
she couldn't ride solo through Pakistan; that message went
in one ear and out the other, without pause for reflection.

I live with a professional problem solver. I say Let's move
this chair to the other room; he says Here's the reason why
it might not work. He works with Black Holes. That's not a
metaphor or simile. It's what he does. It requires
extensive use of an eraser. Making is what I do. No
problems. No solutions. No erasers. This is where swimming
comes in. This is where Micheal comes in. All those
problems that prevent you from doing what you want to do?
You do want to do?! Look through them. The asbestos was
quite a far reach for an obstacle to swimming. Whatever the
problem, the person in the next lane has twice as many and
hasn't even noticed. Hasn't even noticed!

Be assured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, I'm taking to the
pool today a body that could not be farther from a 25 year
old male. I'm going to do 200 free, 2x175 mixed strokes,
3x150 free, 4x125 pull im, 5x100 drills free, 6x75 kick im,
7x50 free, 8x25 im. I'm going to do this 3000 workout with
one man 2/3 my age, one man 1/3 my age, two women also 1/3
and 2/3, and one in between who is 30 years younger than me.
I will keep up with them. In the end I'll ache everywhere
and I might not even notice.

rtk

Despite my sarcastic approach, the reason I stuck with Micheal as long
as I did is because of seeing the same thing you saw. I recognized it
as one of my own life-long issues. But it isn't as simple as looking
through the list of problems. That is necessary, but, in my case,
although the list of problems contains almost no real problems, there
really is some problem there that is not on the list. The problem with
that problem is that it is mental, but it manifests itself as physical
pains.

My brain somehow developed the ability to use my body against me to
stop me from doing things it has somehow recorded that I am afraid to
do. There is no feeling of fear involved. It is as if my brain has
learned that it can no longer stop me by making me feel fear, so it
tries to stop me by disabling my body in one or more ways.

The mild form of this syndrome is just "I'm too tired." I really do
feel too tired, but the feeling of fatigue is caused by mental
fatigue, not physical fatigue. I'm not really physically tired. In
fact, I'm quite fresh, having sat behind a desk all day. I did work
hard, and my brain is flat tired, whatever that means, but if I test
my body, I'm not physically tired at all. Now my brain has learned to
conjure up that feeling of fatigue whenever I decide to do something
where the risks and rewards are high.

It took a long time to reverse this particular simple example in most
cases, but I now know that if I do a workout when I am mentally
fatigued, I will feel better after, both physically and mentally.

There are much more serious examples of this syndrome in my own life.
I have overcome all that I know of but one, and I'm still working on
that one. It's a never-ending story.

Martin Smith wrote:
........ I really do

Quoted message said:

feel too tired, ......

It is really weird, but I know everyone has had the same
experience I have all the time of coming to the pool feeling
just great, then having a truly seriously lousy swim.
Others times I barely drag myself in, wonder why I even
bothered changing because clearly I'm going to drown. Yep.
All best times, hit the water, feel great. Maybe it's the
intoxication of the chlorine. Whatever, I know this happens
to everyone. My conclusion is that my mind and my body are
strangers to each other and don't even speak the same
language, so there's no point in one listening to the other.

rtk

At least for Olivier's sake, I should have mentioned one of
my huge favorites, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. His Wind, Sand
and Stars is full of silver linings without any clouds. No
concerns would have gotten between him and an 800 IM.

rtk

rtk said:

Martin Smith wrote:
....... I really do

Quoted message said:

feel too tired, ......

It is really weird, but I know everyone has had the same
experience I have all the time of coming to the pool feeling
just great, then having a truly seriously lousy swim.

I've experienced that as well.

Quoted message said:

Others times I barely drag myself in, wonder why I even
bothered changing because clearly I'm going to drown. Yep.
All best times, hit the water, feel great. Maybe it's the
intoxication of the chlorine. Whatever, I know this happens
to everyone. My conclusion is that my mind and my body are
strangers to each other and don't even speak the same
language, so there's no point in one listening to the other.

In fact, virtually all my personal bests as a masters swimmer were
set when I got to the pool feeling like it was going to be a bad swim
meet. I explain it by noting that when I feel like I can't do my best,
I relax and forget about everything. It is a buddhist meditational
thing, I think.

"Martin Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

rtk said:

Martin Smith wrote:
....... I really do

Quoted message said:

feel too tired, ......

It is really weird, but I know everyone has had the same
experience I have all the time of coming to the pool feeling
just great, then having a truly seriously lousy swim.

I've experienced that as well.

Quoted message said:

Others times I barely drag myself in, wonder why I even
bothered changing because clearly I'm going to drown. Yep.
All best times, hit the water, feel great. Maybe it's the
intoxication of the chlorine. Whatever, I know this happens
to everyone. My conclusion is that my mind and my body are
strangers to each other and don't even speak the same
language, so there's no point in one listening to the other.

In fact, virtually all my personal bests as a masters swimmer were
set when I got to the pool feeling like it was going to be a bad swim
meet. I explain it by noting that when I feel like I can't do my best,
I relax and forget about everything. It is a buddhist meditational
thing, I think.

Everyone I know seems to experience this.
I believe it *may* be due to the fact that when we feel good, we use more
force (to the detriment of technique).
When we feel less good, we try to get the very best out of every stroke
because we don't feel that we have the energy to use too much power.
If only we could combine the two on good days !

Joskin

Quoted message said:

Be assured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, I'm taking to the
pool today a body that could not be farther from a 25 year old male. I'm
going to do 200 free, 2x175 mixed strokes, 3x150 free, 4x125 pull im,
5x100 drills free, 6x75 kick im, 7x50 free, 8x25 im. I'm going to do this
3000 workout with one man 2/3 my age, one man 1/3 my age, two women also
1/3 and 2/3, and one in between who is 30 years younger than me. I will
keep up with them. In the end I'll ache everywhere and I might not even
notice.

rtk

I think some people do not wish to have the problem solved: they simply want
to be the center of attention.

Pat in TX

"rtk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Reading the posts here about the problems that arise about swimming and

their solutions brings to mind several dozen books I have read by and about
adventurers, always written

Quoted message said:

first person because I'm interested in their experience, not
the discoveries. I began these books thinking I would learn
about how they overcame obstacles, solved problems, and met
their goals through persistence in the face of overwhelming
odds. The authors range from giants like Chichester and
Herzog to a 60 year old English woman who circled the globe
partly on a Chinese bike with her cigarettes and camera in
her bag, but not much else.

What I never expected was that none of them solved a series
of problems because they never even saw them. When it
rained, Chichester got wet in his little plane; lost over
Italy, he flew low enough to see the street signs; plane
torn over China, he found tailors to sew it up. But he
never mentions obstacles. The English woman was told firmly
she couldn't ride solo through Pakistan; that message went
in one ear and out the other, without pause for reflection.

I live with a professional problem solver. I say Let's move
this chair to the other room; he says Here's the reason why
it might not work. He works with Black Holes. That's not a
metaphor or simile. It's what he does. It requires
extensive use of an eraser. Making is what I do. No
problems. No solutions. No erasers. This is where swimming
comes in. This is where Micheal comes in. All those
problems that prevent you from doing what you want to do?
You do want to do?! Look through them. The asbestos was
quite a far reach for an obstacle to swimming. Whatever the
problem, the person in the next lane has twice as many and
hasn't even noticed. Hasn't even noticed!

I dont know how to reply to this......
So, I'll start a new thread. Problem solved.

Quoted message said:

Be assured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, I'm taking to the
pool today a body that could not be farther from a 25 year
old male. I'm going to do 200 free, 2x175 mixed strokes,
3x150 free, 4x125 pull im, 5x100 drills free, 6x75 kick im,
7x50 free, 8x25 im. I'm going to do this 3000 workout with
one man 2/3 my age, one man 1/3 my age, two women also 1/3
and 2/3, and one in between who is 30 years younger than me.
I will keep up with them. In the end I'll ache everywhere
and I might not even notice.

rtk