Something New

In the spirit of doing new things, I got up yesterday knowing that I was going to swim in the channel off Wrightsville Island, or wherever we were. It wasn’t Wrightsville Beach but it was an island so I’m deeming it Wrightsville Island. I was afraid of being cold and of getting water deep down in my ears. THAT is what’s holding me back from swimming, the water in my ear channel when swimming in the channel. I don’t mind being under water, my face getting wet, any of that sort of thing. What I DO mind is the water going all the way to the middle of my head when I turn to breathe while swimming freestyle. I don’t understand why, but it’s been a problem for me. Earplugs, you say? Well, they don’t work. Evidently I’m not doing it right or water wouldn’t get in within a second of me putting my head in the water.  So this time, I wore a swim cap. I really, REALLY wish I would have taken a picture of me in my bright green swim cap (thank you for lending me one, Randee) and pink goggles and purple swim top. That would have made the cover of “What NOT to Wear” for sure. So anyway, the swim cap didn’t work either so I decided, while swimming yesterday, that I will just have to get used to water being in my ear. It’s not like the water is going to do anything in there. It WILL eventually come out. There’s no fish in there. It’s going to be ok. After swimming for almost 40 minutes with only one little break, I was thrilled that I did it. I liked it actually. I REALLY liked it. And it also was good for my “achy” leg that I’m not going to talk about.

I only swam freestyle enough to know that I will have to learn how to freestyle. But that’s ok. I have time. I just swam. I swam a little harder against the current. It was good. I will do more.  It will get harder when I start to try and swim faster, breathe without stopping, get water in my ear that doesn’t seem like it will come out, and learn how to find my way around in open water that has current.  But I did something new.

This is the area of my first open water swim. Yeah for me!