36 and 1 mile

Today I turn 36.  Today, for the first time, I swam one mile. I think maybe I am the only one who really knows how unbelievable those two sentences are. Growing up I took swimming lessons a few times and swam a bit here and there. I've never had a love for water, more of a fear. In the past few years I've set the goal to learn how to swim. I've always gave up. When I talk to people about swimming I usually get a critical response of "You can't swim?" Like I'm the only person on Earth who can't jump in a pool and start swimming laps.  When watching a 80 year old woman swim laps I have felt as if I was the only person who couldn't swim. Last year I finally got the nerve to ask a friend who teaches swimming if she would help me.  I would meet her at a private pool and she would give me tips.  Mostly she helped me breathe and relax in the water.  I had to swallow a lot of pride (and some water!).  It was not easy admitting I couldn't do such a simple skill and that I needed helped.  I'd tried several times on my own but that lead to failure and discouragement. Other friends gave me books, videos, fins, and encouragement. For the past year I have felt like a cat in water.  Why couldn't this come easy? What was I doing wrong? Why is swimming so hard? I had friends keep telling me not to quit. I did quit over the summer and into last fall. "Just not enough time." In November I started going to the pool once a week with a friend.  Again I felt discouraged, exhausted, frustrated, like drowning. I was pretty sure I was never going to be able to swim more than 2 laps at a time. Sports have always come pretty easy.  I still play basketball every week, run marathons, play softball, I even learned how to play volleyball.  Swimming has been my nemesis. Needing to try something new with swimming I watched another video.  This one made more sense.  The next day I tried drills in the swallow end. Then I jumped in the deep in to try a few laps.  2 laps turned into 3 then 4 and up to 8 before I stopped.  I felt like shouting!! I was swimming. I was really swimming.  My friend was out of town. I wanted to tell someone.  Didn't the other swimmers at the pool know I had just swam more consecutive laps then ever before in my whole life? I was elated.  I had beat the swimming monster. For my 36th birthday I woke early and went to the pool. My goal: 33 laps, one mile.  20 laps was my farthest to date. I wasn't sure I could do 13 more. Around lap 25 I was feeling pretty tired.  If marathon running has taught me anything, it's endurance. I could keep going. 45 minutes later I finished the mile. Now I can turn 36.
(Total Immersion is where I learned to swim!)