When I got to the pool yesterday, I saw my friend Stephani in the lockeroom.  She had just finished her workout.  She told me that she wanted to tell Vince, my kids’ former swim coach that she had actually swum 26 lengths in her triathlon.  I asked her if Vince were her coach, and she told me that she had signed up for swimming lessons with him in October.  She had been in class with 5 year olds, but rather than be humiliated, she wanted to glean everything she could from the great coach Vince Gallant.  I’m sure he would be proud of her accomplishment.

Stephani has the gleam in her eye that you get when you’re hooked on swimming.  She wondered, “What took me so long?”  I know what she means.  Her husband has a bad knee.  Now he swims with Stephani.  He also wonders what took him so long.

She is a mother of 2 in her 40s, and she looks great!  I see older people in the pool every time I go, and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I see the young swim team practicing.  Message?  It’s never too late to start swimming.  (starting early doesn’t hurt, either)

So I hopped in the pool, determined to add to my yardage.  It felt good at first, but I felt that shoulder burning halfway into my set.  Even though I know my ultimate goal is to swim straight freestle, I train as though I am going to compete in the IM.  I am really fascinated with swimming four strokes in that combination!  I timed both of my IMs this time, and was a little slower than last time.  The first time was 2:47.68, and the second one was 2:50.52.  I thought a third would be even slower, but didn’t care to find out.  By then, the shoulder was pretty hot, so I just stayed in the water until I had swum 1100.

I have increased my freestyle yardage and decreased my recovery stroke yardage.  I’m inching towards my goal. I’m sure I’ll be wondering what took me so long by the time I reach it.