Swimmers are so nice. I am struck by how friendly everyone is in the locker room after I get out of the pool.

I remembered how nice everyone was at the Y when I started swimming regularly. They met for breakfast on Saturdays. I didn’t even consider myself a real swimmer yet, and I was invited.

The ladies in the locker room struck up a pleasant conversation this week when I went swimming. I had thought I don’t go often enough for anyone to notice, but no, that wasn’t true.

I met a woman swimming through her second pregnancy. I remember being the pregnant woman in the pool. She lamented that she’s already slowing down. I remember that, too. How you sometimes must let go that ideal number of laps you wanted to swim, or resign yourself to the fact that it will take longer.

But, what are you swimming for anyway? A number? Love of the water? Or your health?

This week I had a set time I would swim. I wanted to be home before the kids woke up. So I swam for 20 minutes, ending up with 500 yards. In another two weeks, maybe I can get there earlier and put in more yards. If not, I will have still got my swim in.

Do you make or take the time to exercise? It doesn’t have to take long.

In the never ending saga of my training, I am getting closer to that triathlon. I started the day with a 900 yard swim. Nothing to write home about, the usual backstroke dominated set. I did notice that my legs are stronger than they were, and I swim much faster when I concentrate on kicking. Imagine that!

Conversely, when I swim freestyle faster, I also panic more about being out of breath, and get too scared to swim more freestyle laps. I must resolve this issue. I’m pretty sure it’s all in my head, but I must take a leap of faith in order to be sure.

After my swim, I went for a 3.8 mile walk with a friend. I later hopped on my bike to go pick up my daughter from Girls on the Run. We walked and rode home, for a total of 2.8 miles.

I know, it’s not pure or anything, but I convinced myself I could handle that last ride because I’d have to do that much and more in a triathlon. That was good to keep in mind.

Just in case a walk doesn’t count in the big scheme of things? I ran on the treadmill yesterday. So a two-day span is still a smaller gap in my discipline than I’ve done before. (not counting the little mini backwards triathlon I attempted back in ’05, when I first started swimming regularly).

Baby steps, people.

I recently shared how I’m losing that warm fuzzy feeling about triathlons.

I was in a funk because I’d been working out pretty hard and had plateaued on my weight loss. Working out was increasingly feeling like having a mouth full of gravel. I was beginning to wonder ‘what’s the point?’

But then a few things happened (not necessarily in this order):

I finished Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. This took MUCH longer than 30 days for me, because I was not doing it everyday. In the end, it was a month between Jillian’s workouts, what with all the lovely warm weather we’ve been having and all. But, I finished it, and I do notice more tone and strength in my body. I am thinking about either starting it over, 10 days per level, or to just do level 3 once or twice a week.

I also changed my diet and broke through my plateau. That is beyond a relief, even with another of my children’s birthdays (and cake!) upon us.

I got my bike fixed! My good friend bike, companion since 1993, had been down since the summer. Which is not a huge deal, considering Michigan winter. But, with my bike down, as well as the other large bikes in the family, let’s just say that had more to do with my taking up running than almost anything else.

So there was some good in that.

But with my bike back, I don’t have to depend on getting to the gym to get my mileage in. As I rode my running path today, overjoyed at how much faster I can cover the same path with a bike, I worked out a way to get 10 miles in on the bike. The goal is to get up to riding 10 miles 3 days a week. I thought I’d start with one day a week.

In 4 weeks, I’ve ridden 10 miles, 13 miles, 9 miles, and 3 miles. Those first three rides were on the recumbent and stationary bikes at the gym. Today I rode the 3 miles on my bike. It was all I could do to keep it at 3. Time was of the essence, and it is my daughter’s birthday.

What does any of this have to do with a triathlon? Well, with today’s ride, I’ve done 3 miles running, 900 yards swimming, and 3 miles riding a bike.

With a few accomplishments under my belt, I am re-energized,and excited to improve. I did swim much more freestyle this week than the last time I’d swum, but I still swim on my back for the majority of the time. I don’t see anybody bumping along on their back in a triathlon, do you?

See the full interview here.
It’s good to see that the disillusioned Olympian is back in the pool. This really is a life-long sport, no?

I remember driving across town and seeing the bike trails at the side of the road. I imagined the mystery awaiting me at the end of those trails…I couldn’t wait to take my bike out and explore them.

But when I took my bike on the trail? I was just riding my bike. On the street.

After a certain point, all this triathlon stuff is starting to look like a workout. An INTENSE workout, but a workout, nevertheless.

I guess it had to happen sometime, that as I actually worked on the skills to do a triathlon, it would strip the wonder and mystery from the whole experience.

So, this week so far, I’ve ridden a stationary bike 13.3 miles, swum 500 yards, and run 3 miles. That’s a small triathlon, no?

And on this end of it, it’s been a lot of exercise.

I still don’t feel ready to compete in a triathlon. I plan on running a 5k with my daughters this spring, and I want this to be the year I ride my bike to Lake Michigan. I am in the pool more often than I’ve been over the last couple of years, so maybe I’m looking at a short triathlon next year.

It had to become more routine for me to even imagine it, I guess. But the thrill is gone.

I can finally see time in my schedule to get back to the pool, and that’s exciting.

I went swimming for the first time in months last Wednesday. Again, I can feel a difference when I’m better fit.

I’ve been running all winter, and what with the beautiful mild weather, I did most of my running outdoors.

Wednesday was in the middle of an unprecedented March Michigan heatwave, with temperatures already in the 60s at 6:30 AM when I hit the pool.

Worried as always about my breathing, I decided to backstroke until I felt warm enough to swim freestyle. As it turned out, I swam 550 of my 800 yards on my back. I only swam 50 free in total, and made up the rest with 200 breast.

Aerobically, I could have kept going. I could feel what running has done for my swimming. But I had to stop because my shoulders got tired.

And it will take me a while to build up my stamina for freestyle, unfortunately. Swimming every other week (as opposed to every three months!) should help.

Has Spring called you back to the pool?