For most of us, we began to compete in a sport because it was fun.  For some it made us feel like a kid again.  For others, it was pure stress relief, social connection, a way to lose weight, get out of the house, learn something new, and the list goes on an on.When the training/competition gets tough, or we get tired, injured, burnt out, lost?  A negative energy can become a block for something that at one time brought us so much joy.  This time of year is common for this to happen .  So what to do?  Take a step back, take a break!  Get off the bike, hide the swim fins, lose the heart rate monitors, power meters, and training logs and go to the park and watch kids living in their moment. You will (re)-learn so much!They are not worried about how long they play, if there is a sprinkling (or torrent) of rain, if they ate enough for breakfast or remembered to mix their sports drink correctly.  They eat when they are hungry, play until tired, rest a bit (or a lot) and go back for more.  They laugh, they sing, they scream, and those ETFE grins are constantly plastered on their faces.  Remember when you lived this?  Remember when even your sport felt like this?If you absolutely can't get off the bike, grab a beach cruiser, some flip flops and a bunch of friends and ride circles in the neighborhood to fill your heart's void.  Same with the pool.  Have a water fight, play with the hose.  Get the idea? Breathe, laugh, take a nap.  A few days of this, and any training blues you may have felt or little aches and pains will be lost memories and when you hit the pool again for intervals or lace up the race flats, it will be with a renewed fresh focus and joyful energy sure to give the second half of the season something to look forward to with excitement!