As far as marathon swimming is concerned, I am definitely a wanna-be. The longest distance I have ever swum is a little over two miles, and that was in a pool. As the title of my blog implies, I am also a fairly slow swimmer. I can't even do a flip turn (yet!) At my present skill level, the really cool distance swim are more in the range of dangerous pipe dream than they are any sort of reality.
I'm okay with this.
I know that sounds crazy, but I'm totally okay with being a wanna-be right now. It's the wanna-be that gets me in the pool pretty much daily. It's the wanna-be that gets out my checkbook to pay for lessons to improve my speed and form. It's the wanna-be that's pushing me to swim longer distances in my training and pushes up my weekly mileage.
I wouldn't be okay with it if I were more talking about than doing, mind.
I got to thinking about this during my morning swim when I glanced over at a gentleman swimming next to me. He swims every day for about 25-30 minutes. He doesn't use any stroke that'd be recognized by a competitive organization, nor does he do the drills that the "serious swimmer" does. Definitely a fitness swimmer rather than an athlete.
But here's there. Patiently, consistently, he is there every single morning, and he does his thing. He doesn't need the lure of achievement that I seem to just to be motivated to work out.
While I do strive hard to become a better and faster swimmer, the gentleman in the next lane keeps me grounded. While having goals and working towards them is great, I think it's important not to forget that being patient, consistent, and just showing up has its own power.
1 comment:
Like you, I grew up on swim teams & then got away from swimming as an adult. It became my form of exercise when it was time to do something about the shape I had allowed myself to get into, & it feels great when I'm in the water 4-5 days a week. I also have been involved in coaching kids on a summer recreational team.
Although I have a long swimming history, experience has taught me that I will always be, to some extent, a wanna-be. This is because, by the time I reach a level I was shooting for, other things have come along that I haver wanted to accomplish - therefore I am (& will be) a lifelong wanna-be.
I'm good with this because it means there is always something new to strive for. It also does not lessen any accomplishments, I can still look back & take pride in seeing where I started & where I am today. I still remember the difficulties I had getting re-started as an adult, how little endurance I had & how my stroke had deteriorated but it makes me appreciate all the more the work I have done in getting it back while building my endurance.
Take heart in knowing that you will always be some sort of wanna-be because it means you are constantly evolving & improving.
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