Happy dancing in my head because of today’s leap in progress: I breaststroked 30 laps in the leisure pool for the first time. My previous best: five laps, last week. I’m grinning with glee!
My lack of swimming ability has been a lifelong embarrassment. Until this year, I’d only admit to being a lousy swimmer if my lack of ability could impact 1) suggested plans, 2) the safety of others, or 3) my own safety.
Who likes to admit to fear? Weakness? Failure?
But now that I’m motivated to learn, dedicated to improve, I’m jazzed to share my progress.
I’ll admit that during the 30 laps today I stopped at the end of each of the lengths. Still, I kept on improving and going on. It eventually felt routine. I never got scared. My breathing even felt normal.
But then, I was swimming in the leisure pool at the Federal Way Community Center: It has no deep end.
I still have to gain enough nerve to breaststroke my first length and lap in the longer, deeper (scarier) competition pool.
In the competition pool earlier this year I learned to backstroke. Then I learned to backstroke laps. Worked my way up to a mile at a time, swimming on my back. It felt easy, since I didn’t have to learn how to breathe. It felt easy, since I didn’t have to actually look down below me and see how the water gets deeper, and deeper.
As my Facebook friends know, so far this year I backstroked 50+ miles. I even backstroked two miles recently, just to prove to myself that I could.
About time I learn to swim the breaststroke, too.
My fiancé loves boating. So do his friends in San Francisco and Seattle. So, I finally have the motivation to learn to swim.
I’m also loving my new muscle definition, calorie burn and endorphin highs.
It can be so much fun, and invigorating, to learn and make progress. Don’t cha think?
Loving it & so happy for you!!!!
Mary