Swim lesson #7

Today was INCREDIBLE!! Mark it on the calendar!

I got to Portofino and Coach John was at his truck getting stuff together and waiting for me, which is usual. He came up to me and said, "What are we doing today?" I said that I thought we'd swim. He said, "OK. Want to go in the Gulf?" I wish I could say that I thought he was kidding. But I know him better. He meant it. I felt myself get nervous. I thought maybe I could drive off and he won't notice ...

So we walked across to the Gulf and John talked to me about some things to look for, including are there people in the water? If not, it may not be a good idea to go in. We walked in a little ways and he taught me how to deal with the waves, whether to go under them, over them, or ride them. So we goofed off in the waves for a while. Then he wanted me to float on my back. That was really nerve-wracking. It's funny, but after the first day of course, doing that in the pool was fun. It was super scary in the ocean! After a few minutes, and some jokes from Coach, I started to relax a little and I even smiled. John said he was sorry he didn't have a camera to catch that moment.

Then he said, "Let's do something even more fun! Let's pick up seashells from the floor. That was genius! What I didn't realize at the time was that he was distracting me from being out in the ocean. Concentrating on getting to the bottom and picking up shells made me not think about being out there and I was handling the waves and such without thinking about it. GENIUS!

Then we practiced our exit. John said to imagine we just finished the swim and we see the exit point. We're in the same wave and I've managed to keep up with him the whole time and now we're going to get out. That made me laugh. So we started swimming to the shore. He got out ahead of me, of course, but I swam out as far as I could and then walked in.

He had some good advice on how to make the waves work for you both on the way out and the way in. He said to let my competitors get knocked back by the waves and use that opportunity to get ahead.

So ... I did my first open water swim today! In the Gulf! And I actually enjoyed it!

The next bit of news ... MPI is developing a super-sprint triathlon series for the summer. They are targeting those who want to know about the sport but are intimidated by the distances, those who just do one or two a year, and those who want to do a tri but don't want to train for months. Coach John and Coach Mark seem to think that I can do it, so I am going to sign up for it as soon as they open the signups.

I don't know the distances, but the swim is in the Sound. John said that next lesson (Monday) we'll do the course. That will give me familiarity and confidence. I am scared to death, but I am actually kind of excited about it! I'm nervous and I probably won't be able to sleep for the next few weeks, but it will be good. I figured if I found a sprint tri I could do, it wouldn't be until after we had moved. Then I would have lost my MPI coaches. I'm excited that I'll become a triathlete under their tutelage. I believe Coach John is a miracle worker. Two months ago I would never believe I'd be swimming, and certainly not in the open water!

We saw Coach Mark on the walk back and he seemed just as excited as I was about my swim today. John made it sound like I was a natural in the water. I am anything but a natural, but I am making lots of progress.

I am amazed at my progress and I am really excited about all the possibilities that this experience has opened up! I'm not just talking about doing triathlons, I'm thinking that Bill and I can swim together! I can vacation at the beach (preferably in Tahiti) and I can snorkel and look at fish! I can actually pack a bathing suit and use it in bodies of water other than the jacuzzi! I am discovering a new world that I was sure existed, but not for me.