Like a Fish

This is NOT me. I have never been a good swimmer. I learned how to swim (or should I say not to sink) in my friend's backyard pool when I was a kid. I love playing in the water but let's just say swimming is not one of my strong points. Last year when I did a triathlon, that point was forcefully driven home.

Now this is me. Yup, I swam on my back for 1/4 mile for the triathlon. Let's just say that out of the three events, swimming was the longest, most excruciating one I had to endure. When I was training, I discovered that I have a fear of putting my face in the water. Well, no, I take that back, I have a fear of putting my face in the water and being able to come up for air without getting a lungful full of liquid.

This past week, my friend Tresa and I decided to take swim lessons. I was joking before that I hoped they wouldn't make me sing the motorboat song or have us play shark. I was not saying that by the end of the week. Adult swim classes are much more intense and concentrated than the cute classes I took my kids to. The teach would spend a couple of minutes telling us what to do and then we would have to do it--several times. I've been keeping myself in pretty good shape since the triathlon but let me tell you, I was exhausted and sore at the end of each class. I do feel like I've improved quite a bit since last summer. I'm still working on the my mental issues (don't say it! I mean my mental issues pertaining to swimming) but my technique is definitely improving. I think I'm still the worst swimmer in the class but someday maybe I'll be able to swim like the girl in the picture above. Oh, Ariel, where are you?