Part Pisces

Remember back in the day when I expressed how much I was dreading the triathlon that I'm participating in at the end of the summer? I felt fairly confident about biking, and did not think running would be much of a problem. It was the swimming, though, that made me tremble in my sneakers. I am not at all comfortable in the water, a fact that is not help by my poor vision sans glasses or contacts (which I find very uncomfortable and hardly ever wear). To me, pools are murky instruments of torture and despair.

Until now.

This past week I visited the ophthalmologist and got fitted with some much more comfortable single-use contact lenses. Then, contact lenses in place, I roused myself early Tuesday morning and managed to don my swimsuit and get myself to the Y for their master's coached swim session. I felt nervous, but the instructor was very welcoming and reassuring, and she placed me in a lane with two other first-timers.

The coach asked us to swim a few laps. I felt gratified to see that my two newbie cohorts flailed and floundered over the course of the 100 yards just as much as I did. I found myself daring to hope that maybe, just maybe, I could learn to swim well.

We went through a few form drills, made use of fins and pull buoys, and before long I found myself swimming freestyle. Not swimming my modified dog paddle/breaststroke. Not resorting to backstroke. But full-on, face-in-the-water, Rocky-style (if Rocky swam) freestyle. This was an absolute first for me. It was also a victory over fear.

I now have two coached swims under my belt and am eagerly looking forward to next week's early morning sessions. I feel so much more confident, and perhaps even close to comfortable, in the water. In fact, it's almost enjoyable. Almost, one might say, fun. Who knew that I would ever be able to swim like this, and like it?

So now I'm a true triathlete wannabe, I suppose. I run. I bike. And now, I swim. I even got a swanky new Speedo. Not to celebrate my success, really, but more because I dropped my old suit in the parking lot on the way out of my first coached swim. It has yet to be found. Oops. I guess being a super swimming triathlete doesn't immunize me against my innate clumsiness. Perhaps I need a master's coached living class!