Taking The Plunge

For almost three years now I've been a loyal swim mom. I've spent hundreds of hours at the pool. But not in the pool. I've cheered at meets, wiped away tears, rejoiced over big victories, and pointed out that even a tiny time drop is still a time drop. I've watched my uncoordinated, awkward little girl develop into a strong, muscular tween who took home the push-up champion title for the whole 4th grade at her school, and beat a whole pack of Cub Scouts at both push-ups and sit-ups! I've seen the health benefits for my child, and our whole family has enjoyed the friendships that have developed with other swim families.

That's why I decided to take the plunge and join the team myself.

I went to my first Masters swim practice today. Masters is swim team for adults. Our masters program is a mix of amazing triathletes, and swim parents who want to get in better shape. My body spent the hour-long practice slowly remembering that I was once a very good swimmer...but now I'm overweight and bad out of shape. Coach Joe is awesome, though. He has a slower-paced workout for the dozen or so of us mommy swimmers who would be hopelessly beaten if we raced our 9-year-olds in the pool. We focused on breaststroke and freestyle today, and swam a combination of laps and drills, with a little bit of dryland conditioning as well. I was good and tired at the end of the hour, and I'm pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow. But it is good sore. Worked over muscle sore. Not creaky knee joint sore and back achy sore like I get when I walk more than a half mile or attempt to run. I'm just not a runner. I do think, however, that I can stick with swimming. And I like it!

Three cheers for me!