Streamline, streamline, streamline.....

REALLY didn't want to get up for swimming this morning. The 5:30am sessions at the Lab School on Thursday mornings are good to get to but difficult to wake up for.

I've had a good active week getting ready for the Philly Triathlon. Cycled into work Monday and Wednesday (about 25-30miles r/t, depending on my route), went to boxing each day, and then ran 50 min Tues and today.

I was tired. I didn't want to get up. Alarm went off and HankTheDog came in, cuddled in, and fell asleep next to me. I hate getting up from that. Still, after an argument with myself, I got up - got to the pool in time and had a productive swim.

AJ's pushing me to attend her yoga class tonight. I suppose I'll go. I usually paddle with Team River Runner on Thursday evenings but I could use the stretch.

Oh yeah...streamlining. So, basically, I can't swim. I mean, I can get by. I've swum (swam? swimmed? done swim?) some mean sections of rivers in my life. Nasty rapids, big hydraulics, crashing waves. But flat water? That's a challenge.

Here's why. Before I was born, my uncle Ronald drowned trying to save someone that had fallen into a lake. He was one of three - a twin brother and sister (my Mom). So, when I was old enough, Mom whisked me away to the Pickens County Country Club - which had the only outdoor pool in the county at the time - to learn how to swim. Or, rather, to learn how to not die. I never got much more than that. For years, I excelled at Polliwog swimming.

That brings me to my career as a whitewater paddler and instructor. I can swim rivers. And rapids. Through my training and time as a paddler, I've developed a keen skill for swimming rivers. In fact, I hold the highest certifications in search and rescue from the American Canoe Association. I've done live bait rescues, deep current wading, and body surfed big holes (not all of them intentionally!) But the whitewater swim is really different than a swim for distance. Whitewater swims are about safety and survival. Endurance swims are about efficiency and glide. So, I'm learning how to streamline in the pool. Coach Danielle was really helpful this morning - as was Coach Ivey - in giving me tips on technique and efficient motion. I'll practice it some this weekend but, for one of the first times, I felt like I was doing something right in the pool

And, that, was a pretty cool thing to experience at 5:30am.....

Go Team