YMCA swimming: Y Not?

SWIM: 1750y in about 45 mins

I don’t tend to think of myself as a competitive person, but I think in reality I am. I’ve always said that I’m competitive with myself. I could easily name a few instances in which this competitiveness is a factor. I read race results to races I didn’t do and wonder if I could have beat those times or podiumed. I show up at group training events with the goal of keeping up with certain people who are faster than me. During a race, I pick athletes ahead of me on the course and one by one pass them. I’ll work myself silly to avoid being the SlowZebra in a group event. This is all new for me, so I guess in the past year or two I’ve become Competitive when I wasn’t looking.

I’ve been hearing others say this about me, and so I might as well accept it. I have a competitive side. While it’s a healthy way to be, I don’t think I’ll go too far down that road to where I don’t enjoy a group event because “I lost” or I hesistate to sign up for something because there’s a chance I won’t win. But getting back to my original point...

Lately group events have been the best way to challenge me. Put me in a pack with faster riders or runners and watch the times drop. My best advances in triathlon have come in group events. But note I say only bike and run. There’s no real group event swim in my schedule, and the only option I do have for that is Monday Masters, which has left my crying alongside of the road, broken down and begging for mercy...OK it wasnt’ that bad. But it is an intimidating workout in which I’m the SlowZebra. And I’m sick to my stomach afterwards, which is due to my stress about being able to keep up. Like I said, I’ll work myself silly.

Remember now that my 2 most recent swims...er....my only recent swims actually... have been weak and uninspired. I really didn’t care to be swimming and it showed. So it was with some trepidation that I signed up for the YMCA Masters I class. Thinking it might be a nice medium range challenge, somewhere between swimming alone and Monday Masters. And I knew that if you put me in a pool with other swimmers, I’d swim. As hard as I needed to in order to keep up. In other words, a challenge, a race, a competitive workout. But, would there be a slow lane? Will I have to be able to swim the butterfly? Would it be worth my time, it’s 2x/week and at night of all times. Suck it up, give it a try! So I signed up for the rest of July. $11.75 seemed a deal.

I was first greeted by the workout on a dry erase board: free and IM distances alternating on a ladder from 50y to 250y. About 2000y total. Now for me, IM means Ironman. For swimmers, it means individual medley. Breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, free? No, wait, butterfly first? Then breastroke? No, it’s butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, free. Oh boy. I took it as the name same said: individual medley=my individual designs on a specified distance. As a triathlete, this meant doggie paddle, backstroke, doggie paddle, free. Cuz heaven knows I can’t do the fly or breaststroke. At least not without catching the attention of the lifeguards.

While waiting for instruction on the class, I was greeted by a woman who said “love your tri tan!”, oh good I’m not the only triathlete! I introduced myself to J, who was also racing the TdD Saturday and looking to improve on her Insbk racing. Getting in the pool, I learned the instructor was not coming tonight so we were on our own to follow the workout set. In chatting with our lanemate, a guy named K, I learned that we were all triathletes! And none of us could really do the fly or breaststrokes! I gave the breaststroke and butterfly my best, but I inhaled more water than I should have. And most importantly, I found that when “chased” by circling swimmers, I can swim. I might work myself up over it, but I can swim. What a relief.

I also soon learned that K is racing not only Racine next weekend, but is also doing IMWI!! What a surprise! I think I’ll be back for this Master’s class!