Swim Like a Fish (Out of Water)

This morning, I got up at 5am to head to the Y and give the ole lap swimming a try. I have always enjoyed swimming, and have felt myself to be a strong swimmer. I got there at 5:30 on the dot, in order to be done and home before J needed to leave for work.

Problem #1: The pool doesn't open until 6am...sweet. I noted that there's an indoor track opposite the women's dressing room, so I opted to walk around it for 20 minutes until I could get ready for the pool.

Problem #2: As I had anticipated going straight from my car to the locker room, then to the pool, I didn't wear a bra, and had on my sling-back crocs...not so practical for walking around the track, but oh well.

I was armed with my trusty work-out from Swim Plan, which I would recommend to anyone who's either starting to swim for the first time, or just tired of the same old routine...it's an ABSOLUTELY FREE site that provides customized workouts for you, with you inputting the length of the pool, how long you want to swim, the strokes you want to utilize and any accessories.

Once I was changed into my suit and showered, I entered the pool area and noted that there didn't seem to be any Olympians, although they were definitely accustomed to swimming, and even did successful flip-turns. Nevertheless, I felt comfortable, and entered the slow lane where I spent my laps competing with an 80 year-old man whose in better shape than me.

After being in my apartment pool, I had forgotten how long a 'real' pool is. I completed the workout just fine, and felt good when it was over, but realized that I am not as adept or graceful in the water as I once was.

I know that it will just take practice, but it's hard when I spent virtually childhood summer day in the pool and emulating Summer Sanders. I'm just going to keep on keepin' on, because I'm determined to make this baby came out the same way (well, maybe not the exact way) it came in.

I'm going to be scouring YouTube for flipturn videos, and have asked my friend Alex to show me, so expect a post about me drowning in 5 feet of water after my first attempt. Oh, and as I was leaving, I saw proof that Speedos were designed for a reason...I forgot that there are some men out there that can pull it off...maybe that will be my real motivation for keeping up the good fight!