Deep Water

Now that my triathlon is finished, I have added a few more fitness goals to my summer's To-Do List. I was worried that after I completed the first race, I'd be bored or lose motivation without having the structure of an official training plan, so I signed up for a 1-mile swim in Lake Michigan and the Capital City River Run 1/2 Marathon. What the hell was I thinking?!?

I'm not regretting my signing up for these events, I'm just examining my fear a little more closely after my experience with the weeds in Hawk Island's Lake (see that post here). There aren't many weeds in Lake Michigan, but that water is cold. And deep. I've signed up with a training team for the 1/2 marathon, and feel pretty confident I'll be able to run it with their support- but that swim is still lurking in the back of my mind with a whole lot of anxiety and doubt tied to it.

Fear is an interesting thing that keeps many of us from doing the things we've always wanted to or dreamed of. I refuse to let fear dictate what I can and cannot do, but the mental battle that rages in the meantime is incessant, and sometimes it breaks me down a little. Then the doubt creeps in, and I question my abilty to do the thing at all. How does one overcome this obstacle?