Truth in Swimming

The swim is my worst event. I don't intend to focus too intently on improving my swim time - it is the shortest of the three events, if I really want to improve my race time during this summer's triathlons my best chance is to focus on my bike and run. I've been trying to practice swimming with an eye toward improving my efficiency and comfort with the sport. My past few swims have gone really well. I've felt relaxed going to the pool, good in the water, strong when I'm done.

I am the first to admit I am too intently focused on numbers in my training. (See prior dozen posts referencing my Garmin running watch) What I've been doing with my swims is just showing up and making an agreement with myself that I will swim steadily for a certain period of time. I am not counting laps, I am not checking my time, I am just swimming. Today I swam for 40 minutes or so and I actually enjoyed myself. I can feel sort of panicky in the water and my last couple of swims there's been none of that. Progress, to be sure.

But an honest barrier for me being a regular swimmer? No, not the panicky feeling, which is subsiding. Not the access to a pool, which has been largely resolved by joining the Y. Not the "I don't really know how to swim." It is my hair. Swimming totally wrecks my hair. I plan my swims around washing my hair. How ridiculous is that? I figure if I can get over these other things, I can get past my hair issues. Because I'd rather be an honest to goodness triathlete than have good hair.