That Which Does Not Kill You...

Nietzsche said, "That which does not kill you..."

I'm adjusting as best I can here. My body is still on some insane rhythm right now, where I'm wide-awake at 4am. I'm napping when I can.

The biggest issue is that I'm having some troubles with the car fumes. Many on the team think I may have come from some La-la land, which I did: the Santa Ynez Valley is the BEST place to train, bar none. I haven't smelled so many car fumes at once. I guess this is what they call the "real world"!

As I've said, Sutto is a good guy. He is also blunt and unashamedly tells me what I need to know. The first thing, in his words, "my swimming SUCKS". No hesitancy, no mistaking it. "Form isn't it, you need power!" I think we'll make a good team! The more I'm told what to do, the better! And with that, I'm going to try the eggs, the water and the other foods that I think were the culprits of my illness. There's no better way to build immunity than to give your body a chance to do so. Let's just hope I'm over the crap! Literally.

After my food poisoning episode, my energy has been waning and I haven't eaten a solid meal for the last few days. Hopefully, in the next day or two, I'll feel like my old self again.

Which brings me to Nietzsche and the famous 'That which does not kill you' quote.

If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. I feel like I've been thrown head first into reality, and I'm glad I have. Sure, the fumes are hard to get use to. But the changes in diet and time zone, the humidity, the crowdedness, the noise, and the cars are all stressors and things that will no doubt make me a stronger athlete. I come from a place of safe-haven so this is all new to me. It is waking me up. I need to wake up. Wake me up!

About all this, Chuckie wrote a good email to me that I thought I'd pass along...

"All that shit sharpens your desire to be a champion---to get out of that mess and yet to cherish it at the same time. Keep in mind that the number one fighter in the world right now is a Filipino who grew up in a cardboard shack, fighting his way to the very top, literally and figuratively. He's now a hero to everyone who hopes. Be that hero."

The picture, by the way, is of LC at the track. She has been my lifesaver as of late!