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July 25, 2007

Woohoo!

The outcome of the last few swim workouts I've had have been incredibly dependent on where they took place. If they were in the pool? They were awesome. I felt strong and relaxed and like I could swim forever. If they were in the lake? I felt horrible, I was winded and tired after 200 yards and I was seriously starting to wonder why I ever thought I could swim a mile in open water, because clearly it just wasn't going to happen. I was totally up a creek in regards to my race next month, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Then all that changed tonight. I got to the lake. The coach leading asked me if I was doing a mile. I said, "Sure, we'll see how I feel," and told myself I'd swim out to the buoy at the quarter-mile mark and figure it out then.

When I first hopped in the water, the first 200 yards sucked as usual. But then something different happened. I let it go. I relaxed. I found my rhythm and I just kept swimming. I hit the first buoy. I looked out to the second buoy which was a half-mile from the shore I'd started on. It was only a quarter-mile from where I was, but I could barely even see it. I looked back to shore. And without even thinking about it, I started swimming towards buoy #2, like turning back early wasn't even an option.

Eventually, I hit the second buoy. I stopped for a bit to rest and catch my breath but I didn't really need it. I headed back towards shore. And I made it. The entire mile. Twice as long as my longest open water swim before tonight. And I felt great.

It took me every bit of an hour to cover that mile, and I was the last person from our group out of the water (despite being one of the first ones in), but that didn't matter. I'd swam a mile in the lake, and not only did I live to tell the tale, but I felt pretty darn good. Like someday I might be able to string two of those miles together, even.

I know that tomorrow my arms and shoulders are going to be completely dead, if not sore, but that doesn't matter. I made it. The full mile. In the lake. I'm going to be perfectly OK for my race, because I can do this. I know that for a fact now.

Posted by Dawn at July 25, 2007 09:29 PM