Since taking a dip in the pool for the first time last fall, going through swimming lessons, and progressively getting stronger, I'm feeling more and more pressure to join a master's class. At the end of my swimming lessons last winter, Coach Ann has been on me to go.  Then, the more time I spent swimming alone, the more I've been approached to join. Just today, as I politely informed someone who was sharing a lane that I was leaving, he immediately asked why he hasn't seen me at a master's swim. I said I'm "new" to swimming and "those people" are too intense for me. He didn't welcome that response and by the time I was leaving, he ended our conversation with "I'll see you on Monday." Okay……….

It's time for me to stop acting like a novice swimmer. As much as I imagine my water anxiety returning as I'm surrounded by people that have swam two decades longer than me, I know it will make be a better athlete. It's just the same if I were training for my first marathon comfortably at a 9 minute mile pace and not running with people who run 8:30s or even 8:45s just because I thought they were way better than me. It doesn't make sense to abandon working out with those who can help you improve. 

I've been known to be overly competitive in almost everything -- running, conversing, driving (watch out!), vacationing….And of course, I am never wrong!! Sometimes you have to let go of the ego to achieve self-advancement. Being the slowest swimmer will not make me a bad person nor will people go home to their families and tell them how terrible the new girl was in the pool. If either of those were true, I would be living in my parents basement by now hiding from a very cruel and punishing world. 


It's time to party in the pool. See you Monday, random JCC pool bully!

So I finally got in the pool this week! After my OKC bike accident, my elbow was strangely awkward and swollen (not to mention road-rashed) for about a month. Last week, the swelling and pain was finally gone and now I'm in the scarring process. Anyway -- it's amazing what you take for granted. Yes, everyone says that after going through anything. Well, I found out that without a healthy elbow, I can't really be an effective athlete.

Things you need your elbow for if you're an athlete:
1. Holding yourself up on a bicycle
2. Swimming
3. Putting your hair in a ponytail
4. Opening a jar of peanut butter
5. Peeling vegetables and cutting things
6. Showering

Imagine my life without a ponytail!! Most people don't recognize me with my hair down.

I'm back in the pool and feeling great, and somehow I'm faster than before. I've been spending most of my time on my bike and running 4-8 mile runs at a tempo pace so I think I'm on track to do a triathlon or two before 2014 is gone. I'm looking at doing the Jackson County triathlon, most likely the olympic distance and now I've got my eye on Austin 70.3. 

My week vacation coming up to exotic northeast Iowa will help me solidify my decision while I clear my head and avoid my personal life for a while. Can't wait to be home on the open road and cruising down the Mighty Mississippi!