Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A Breakthrough....finally!

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Today is a red letter day.

I almost wasn't going to post about it because I'm worried what was done today won't be repeatable.

It is something I have been trying to do for over a year now.

Trying and failing.

But in retrospect all that failure was probably building the groundwork for today's success.

I didn't even feel like going to the pool today but it was on my training schedule like it has been twice a week for months.
I reluctantly went, just like I had every time before.

Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

Now just to be clear...I CAN swim.
I grew up in Australia, on the beach and had a backyard swimming pool throughout my entire childhood. So I could definitely swim but it was only once I started in triathlon I realized that I wasn't swimming with any degree of efficiency and after swimming only a hundred yards I would be gasping for breath and my arms felt like lead.

Bottom line....no endurance and no technique.

So I have been spending a lot of time in the pool and with the guidance of Coach Scott, I have been trying to work on my technique but it was only today that it all fell into place.

I took the kids with me to the pool and I had a half hour to do my workout. Usually I'll swim about 250 yards then have to stop to get my breath back...then another 200 or so and so it hass been going.  But today I got in and swam......I swam 1200 yards without stopping, keeping my heart rate low and without even getting close to running out of breath. By the end of my workout I felt I could have just kept going.

I was so excited that I almost grabbed the hairy, shirtless 400lb man swimming in the next lane and hugged him....ALMOST.

I just hope today's workout was not an apparition. I have another date with the pool on Saturday, (as usual) so I guess we will just have to wait and see.

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations Donna! That is terrific news.

    P.S. Be nice to us hairless, shirtless old guys.

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  2. HOORAY!!!!! I am THRILLED for you!!!

    I REALLY wish you woulda hugged that guy. Really, really. ;)

    Keep swimming! It wasn't an apparition. :D

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  3. Woohoo! Well done, it's so nice to have those breakthroughs :)

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  4. Awesome! I am the same as you when it comes to the pool - limited and gasping. But I had a breakthrough like you a few months ago and it changed my world. Keep plugging away!

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