Wardrobe malfunction

I haven't written much about swimming...likely because I don't really care for swimming.  I barely know enough about what I'm doing in the water to be able to say I semi-know how to swim.  I have ample room for improvement where swimming is concerned.

I will say...I've been working hard on my swimming technique since the end of November when I started working with my coach.  Since then, most weeks I've been in the pool 3-4 times.  I actually have started to feel stronger and more efficient in the water...and my confidence with swimming has grown as well.

This past week the university rec center's pool where I typically swim was closed thanks to spring break.  In addition, I was traveling much of that week.  As a result, before tonight, I hadn't been in the pool in over a week.  Eek!!

This morning I had to pack many things to take with me before I left the house...including a bag for yoga and a bag for swimming.  I typically don't have time to return home between work and workouts.  My plan this evening was to attend my usual Monday night yoga class after work at 5:30, head over to a family's home to teach two piano lessons, and then hurry to the rec center to get in the pool by 8:15 at the latest...the pool closes at 9 pm and I knew I needed around 45 minutes to get my prescribed 1700 yard swim/drills in.

By 8:05pm I was in the locker room changing into my swimsuit.  I was pumped to be trying out my cute new suit from Athleta.  This past weekend while shopping in DC with some girlfriends, I checked out the new tri collection in an Athleta store.  I was excited to find a colorful two-piece sporty swim suit to replace my tired and well-worn black Reebok two-piece.

After donning the suit and securing my hastily-written out workout in a clear plastic bag so I could easily view it beteeen laps, I realized my goggles weren't in their typical pocket of my swim bag.  I began to panic and dumped the contents of the bag onto the locker room floor. After a few moments of frantic searching, I remembered just where the goggles were:  in my suitcase on my bedroom floor.  I had packed them just in case I had access to a pool during my east coast trio this past weekend.  And...I typically carry two pairs of goggles so I have back-ups, however my backup pair recently suffered strap-breakage and were also in my apartment in hopes of being salvaged at some point.

I stared at the wall for a few moments, contemplating just going home.  I had already complete an hour yoga class this evening, thus successfully completing 66 consecutive days of workouts (getting closer to my goal of 100 each day!)....so I didn't really NEED this swim...right??  However, I ended up forcing myself to go out to the pool anyway.  Going another day without swimming when I'd already gone nine days without swimming didn't sound like a good idea.

I ventured out to the pool with a kick board and pull buoy and jumped into the second lane.  I gave myself a minute to mentally prepare for the irritation of swimming with chlorine constantly in my eyeballs, then pushed off from the wall swiftly with my legs.  Immediately, I felt as if the top of my swimming suit was inflating and being drawn to the bottom of the pool simultaneously.  I addition, the swimsuit bottoms flapped around my hips.  I panicked and stood up in the middle of the lane and walked back to the beginning of the lane, realizing my cute new suit was far too big.  Somehow, the thing expanded as soon as it got heavy with water.

When I got to the side of the pool again, I was able to tighten the tie waist on the bottoms quite a bit to secure them.  However, there wasn't much I could do about the top.  I decided to just go for it.  I was completing this workout, darn it all!!

I set out swimming a lap, careful not to kick off of the side as dramatically as I had the first time.  I kept my eyes closed under water, praying that my contacts would stay securely suctioned to my eyeballs thought the workout.  My eyes burned as I started opening them during breaths; I tried to sneak peeks when my eyes were above water to make sure I was swimming in relatively straight lines and not running into the lane dividers.  

I muscled through all 1700 yards of that workout with no goggles.  In addition, the entire time I swam,  I wondered/worried about the possibility that the male swimmer in the lane to my right a) thought I was a huge poser and/or b) had repeated shots of my chest as swimming suit top sagged toward the bottom of the pool.  

I did realize I had to concentrate much more on how my body FELT in the water tonight.  When most of my sight had been eliminated as a means for adjusting my stroke, I found myself working hard to make changes to how I was swimming based on how my body felt in the water.  I guess if something positive were to be identified from this experience, it would be that it challenged my body/position awareness.

I had never been as excited to get out of the pool as I was tonight.  On the agenda for tomorrow?  

1). Calling Athleta to see if they REALLY allow you to make returns/exchanges after you wear something (their catalog says you can!) and send my way-too-big suit back 

2). Ordering a second pair of goggles so I have a back-up pair in my swim bag!

Here's hoping I don't ever have a swim worse than tonight's! 

Happy swimming!