Own Lane

It is sort of surprising for me to write this.... I actually enjoyed my swim this morning. The swim is definitely my 'third sport' in triathlon training. My weakest, my slowest, the workout that gives me the most anxiety. I am capable of beginning to fret about a swim workout the night before I have one scheduled. It is not unusual for me to stall, run late, cut a swim short - something I rarely do with a run or a bike workout. I often feel slow, clumsy and out of my element in the water.

This morning I was actually looking forward to being in the pool. My legs were still a little crunchy from Saturday's 11 miler and nothing else sounded good to me. I was at the pool a little before 6:00am (when they open) and was the first person slipping into the water when the college-age life guard arrived. It felt good to stretch out weightlessly. The range of motion for my legs, my ankles, my knees was soothing - even healing. I did 2 x 500 with 100 meter warm up and 100 meter cool down. It took about 35-40 minutes.

Maybe it was because the sun was out at 6:00am and streaming through the windows. Maybe it was because it was 70 degrees and humid at 6:00am. Maybe it was the two sessions I've had with the swim coach who is in my running group who mostly has bolstered my confidence that my form isn't really that awful. (A few pointers here and there have made a difference in my perceived exertion, not really my pace. Another post on speed vs distance is kicking around in my head.) I wasn't cold, I wasn't cutting my workout short, I dare say I may have actually felt a little bit (graceful) in the water.

I hope this isn't a fluke!