Going the distance

As you may know, prior to January, I had no clue how to swim freestyle. This year, I have gone to swim clinics, asked for advice & welcome feedback from my coach & training partners. I watch videos, read articles & have my swim bag full of "pool toys". I

have even asked to get video of me in the pool (this from the girl who didn't want anyone to see her in a bathing suit 12 months ago). I want to improve my form & endurance so that I can continue on this tri journey that I have started. I don't want to "just get through the swim" portion of the race, I want to have the confidence to know that I can do it well & have the energy I need to complete the bike & run. I am still learning & have a long way to go, but today I was able to swim to swim over 2-1/2 miles. Yes, this is the same person who had trouble swimming 2 laps without stopping in January. I can't believe the progress I have seen this year. I go to the pool with a plan & execute it when I get there (usually...)  So today's goal was to swim my age - this crazy idea first surfaced in August when I did a birthday swim with Dave & Jeff.  Dave suggested we all swim 42 100's in honor of my 42nd birthday. This to the girl who had never swam farther than 2200 meters! Jeff & I traded ages - I swam his age while he & Dave did mine.  It was perfect & I swam farther than I ever had.  When I finished, I decided that I was going to swim 4200 meters before the end of the year. So, since I was running out of time, I decided today would be the day. I have been a bit depressed the last few days & was worried that I would talk myself out of the swim & not finish it. So, as I've been taught, I came up with a plan to get the distance. I decided I was going to do 300M sets to break things up a bit & was going to use most of the pool toys I have - snorkel, fins & paddles along with sets of plain ol' swimming. The snorkel (as much as I dislike wearing it) allows me to focus on my stroke & keeps my body in proper alignment. Having the plan in place meant I was able to simply get in the water & go. Every 300M my watch would buzz & I would stop briefly and go again. I got into a rhythm and started to think about the last few days. I can honestly say that I am glad Christmas is over. I look forward to the normalcy of January. I don't like to spend a lot of time alone & the last few days have been pretty lonely & I have no one to blame but myself for that. I was thankful when Dave showed up this morning to keep me company for the last part of the swim. Having friends to train with makes all the difference in the world. It keeps you accountable & makes you realize you aren't alone. I have built so many walls around myself and I try to do everything on my own - I don't want to lean on people for support. But I need to - I can't do everything by myself. Or maybe I can do it all by myself, but I don't need to. I have great friends who will help me if I let them. All I need to do is ask. It isn't a sign of weakness to ask for help, instead I think it is a sign of strength to realize you need help & are willing to ask for it.  So to my friends - thank you for your patience with me & for being there. You all are the family I have chosen. You mean more to me than you know & I look forward to some fun adventures in 2015.

It has been a great year in the pool for me and I am looking forward to getting better each time I go to the pool in 2015. I will be swimming my age again in 2015 - maybe more than once & I plan to do it with longer sets. Next up - a serious discussion with my coach to address my nutrition. I have tried on my own & it has been mildly successful but I really need to focus on it & make it happen in 2015. I need someone to hold me accountable to it. I have a feeling it won't be easy, but in the end, I will be healthier & that's what I need to focus on. And I need another picture of me in a bathing suit! What are your goals for 2015?

July 4th lake swim