I Like

I think I like to swim. Believe it or not, I've always been a good swimmer. My mom insisted that us kids have swim lessons every year, and she herself was a lifeguard in high school. Growing up my parents had a little trailer near a lake and we'd spend summer weekends there and usually a good week or two during the summer. At one time I think my brother and I could swim to the other side of the lake. When I was in high school I joined the swim team. (and quit.... because I got the lead in the school musical and knew my priorities!)

All this was 20 years ago and I really thought I'd forgotten how to swim. I definitely forgot that I enjoyed swimming. It seems so inconvenient..... to go in that cold water. To be seen in a bathing suit..... I could go on and on with excuses as to why I did not belong in a pool.

This is the beginning of my third week attempting to work out to meet the goal of competing (completing!) a sprint triathlon next summer. The first week I attempted to run and walk. That only accomplished my being very tired and sore, especially since we went swimming that day too. I came home and took a nap, getting more and more sore the less I moved around. It was painful. My training partner and I have walked up a Very Steep Hill and done a bit more swimming.

It has been hard! First, I"m a really awful runner, and getting in a pool and doing laps after 20 years of not doing stuff like that was PAINFUL! The first two swims were near impossible; I don't think I could do 2 laps without stopping or rolling over on my back and taking a rest for a bit. My training partner started getting really good...... a steady pace of back and forth with no rests while I was resting and gasping for breaths!


It took me a bit to figure out , but I began to notice that if I concentrated in relaxing and slowing my pace down a bit, I could actually go back and forth with minimal pauses. Because I was so excited by this, I went back to the gym on Friday night and did 40 laps, with very little stops. It tired me out like crazy. But I liked it. I wanted to be sore. My friend Maxine did her thing, mostly laps with a kickboard.

Monday I went back to the gym with Maxine at 10 and did about 48 laps...... then went back that night and did another 24. This time a bit faster.

Tuesday I didn't get to the gym til 8, and the pool was packed! Thinking I'd go upstairs and do the gym equipment, I changed out of my swimsuit and chose the stairmaster. Huge mistake! I managed for about 10 minutes.... climbed 27 flights of stairs and then almost passed out!

So I knew that today I had to go to the gym, and actually made it there before prayer. Got in the water at 5:45 and swam only 15 minutes, but surprisingly managed to do 20 laps. My fastest times ever! My first lap was a minute and most of the others were under 1:20. Still slow by anyone's standards, but I was happy. Then frantically showered so I could be at church for prayer on time. I was about 5 minutes late, but pretty much everyone else was late too.

I went back to the gym tonight and swam 52 laps. They were slow laps, 1 minute and 20 to 1 minute and 30 seconds, but I did more than I usually do. I think I am sore.

I know this has been a boring post, but I don't tweet or FB my laps and I don't want to forget this journey. I am hoping that this excitement I have now won't get lost in the coming months.

I'm really happy that I found out that I enjoy swimming.