A Kind of Dara Torres Moment!

You remember her—2008 Beijing Olympics—oldest swimming medalist in Olympic history…Well today I had my own little moment. It is microscopic to her amazing accomplishments in swimming, but it was HUGE for me. I swam a mile without stopping! That’s the distance of the ocean swim! Woo hoo!

I have to back up so you will know what kind of swim shape I was in at the beginning of this triathlon training two months ago. At our first Team in Training swim practice I thought I was doomed. One length of the pool and I was spent. I wrote in an earlier blog entry that I never learned to breathe right in the YMCA lessons as a kid. I love being in the water. I’m not afraid of deep water. I’m not afraid of the ocean. I love to surf. I was just never good at swimming laps. I admit it--I like oxygen! When I got to my lesson today my swim instructor said “You are going to swim for 1 hour...any stroke…just keep swimming.” Oh, yikes! But somehow I did it, and I wasn’t even gasping for breath at the end. Jess, your mom appreciates all your pointers in the pool when you were home for Christmas! And my swim instructor, Tina, got a big hug at the end of my lesson today. No medals for this lady, and there’s a LOT ahead to work on, but I’m thinking at least now maybe I won’t drown in the swim!

It was hard to get in all the training over the holidays with the crazy weather. Shoveling snow & Wii Fit had to do on some of the nasty weather days. It was dark, cold and snowing on my drive down to Mercer Island Saturday morning for the bike ride. It wasn’t snowing there, though, and the ride was great. The run Monday night at Greenlake was good, too. (Dance, Dance Revolution got me nicely limbered up for that agility ladder drill--Thanks, Rachel!)

It felt good this week to get back to business and to be with the gang again. Hele Hui! Go Team!