Back to Pool

I finally did it. I finally dragged my reluctant self to the pool for a swim. It may not sound like much of a feat, but when you consider I only swam 23 times in 2012, it's significant.

When I learned to swim in 2008 it was an incredible journey. I was tackling one of life's big to-dos and paving the way to doing my first Ironman in 2009. It was exciting, new and challenging. I went to the pool five days a week and loved it. Even while training for my first Ironman, I chose to swim four days a week instead of the three prescribed by my coach. But over time, my love of swimming waned and it became a chore. Now I can barely stand the thought of it.

Six of the months of 2012 were swim-free, and the other six were spotty at best. I only swam three times to prepare for the Celebration Sprint in June, and only two times to prepare for Steelhead. I knew I was strong enough to get through the races and didn't care if my times were slower.

But now as I stage a comeback from total burnout and tackle my fifth Ironman, I'd like to do it right, which means getting back to consistent swimming. I only went once in January and skipped the first half of February, so this week's solo swim was my fresh start. I'm aiming to do the twice-weekly swims my coach has laid out - nothing more, nothing less.

So how was my first swim in months? It was as expected - a little awkward, definitely slow and surprisingly tiring. But it wasn't awful and because I have a flexible schedule, I was able to go just before 9am and have the pool to myself. Now I just need to do it again and again, until it feels like part of my normal routine.

A lot of triathletes don't enjoy swimming. Is it your favorite or least favorite of the three sports?