So Phelps, I Am Not, But I Am Having Fun

So I continue to swim. I hit 6000 yards last week, and while I could have hit 7200, I decided to rest on Sunday. I really had to work hard to pull myself through the water on both Friday and Saturday. It may not always be fun, but I am amazed at the progress.

I had an experience on Saturday, that will pay dividends in the lake. I was doing my fifth 100, and misjudged my level in the water column, and inhaled a mouth full of water that went down my throat. I was on length number two heading into the third. I made myself swim through it. In the lake, there will be no bottom to touch, so I did not allow myself to put my feet down. I continued for a few more strokes, as the panic of having no air set in. I came to the surface and coughed the most horrible cough of my life. It sounded like I had lost my lunch in the pool. I took two more crawl strokes, and then went to the well for the breast stroke. I forced myself to calm down, surface, breath, under and stroke. Surface, breath, calm down, under stroke. I took four breast strokes, got my air back and then completed length three and four with the crawl.

I completed my whole workout without quitting when it got tough. I then promptly came home exhausted and passed out in my lazy boy. It was a nap well earned!

This experience is exactly why I am training so early. I expect struggle. I expect difficulty. Work put in now will yield experience that can be called upon when the going gets tough on event day. The event is still months away, but there is never a better time to prepare than now. I have miles to go, but I now know that I can survive a short period of panic and recover while in the water without stopping forward progress.

I hope to one day be able to get this enjoyment out of cerebral activity. The physical endeavors have always delivered lessons more easily that can be reflected on and used in other areas. When everything falls into place, there is that beautiful moment where one feels invincible. Man that is a wonderful feeling.