This evening I joined my Masters Swim group to work on distance swimming.
Sadly, I admit that I swim in the slow lane, and tonight I shared a lane with a woman who’s five months pregnant. I’m also sad to report that she swam faster than me … ;-( … even when I was wearing fins. That’s just pathetic!
Halfway through the workout I started thinking that the swimming portion of the Ironman is 2.4 miles, and then I wondered how in the world I’d accomplish that for I could barely breath after swimming 1000 meters. Thankfully, happily, I was in the shallow end, which let me stand up and hold onto the side of the pool when needed, and yes, I took a few breaks tonight.
Then I started thinking about the fact that when swimming the Ironman there’s nothing to hold onto. It’s sink or swim, literally.
Freaking out is not acceptable, so I started focusing on my motto, “Every stoke matters”, and with each stroke I’ll get stronger, unlike those who suffer from a real stroke. For them I’ll swim.