Reaching New Heights

I am reaching new levels of distance in my swimming.  Now granted it is not straight swimming just yet.  Still getting my endurance for swimming up but it is coming a little at a time.  Each outing I am seeing improvements in my distances in the pool.  Today I swam 400 meters and it just about killed me.  I know that out of the three sports that make up an triathlon swimming is the most demanding of all the body parts that you have.  Running and Biking will focusing all most exclusively on the legs but swimming is everything.  And right now I swam 350 on Friday and it killed me but I came back on Saturday and swam 400 meters.  I am still only swimming with the snorkel right now but I am hoping within a private lesson or two to have the ability to swim both without a snorkel and without taking as many breaks and finally with no breaks.

March 16th Sprint Tri is a pool based swim.  So I am hoping to be able to do that one when that date comes.  Now after that the swims are open swims.  And that is something a little more scary for me at the current moment.  Open water means just as it sounds.  You are swimming with the fish, you are swimming away from the beach and dry land area and the further you swim the deeper the water gets as well.  So when those races come along I better have my swimming down or hope to be swimming new to a life guard.  But fear will always be there for me.  It is what can keep you going to overcome it or it can be what you use to quit altogether.  And for this I will use my fear to keep me focused on being that swimmer who can swim not only in the open waters but up to a mile or two and a half.  But lets focus on the 1.4 miles or whatever it is for the 70.3 Ironman.  I highly doubt I will be doing the elite ironman in my lifetime.  No matter how many them I may watch.

Now tomorrow I will be fitted for a bike.  Will not buy one tomorrow but will at least know what size bike I will need to be looking for when I do decide to buy one soon.

I literally cannot wait to start riding the bike and to start training for the open road.  I also cannot wait to hit the LA Fitness' Spinning Classes as well to help me build my strength and endurance in this sport as well.

The main thing I need to not forget is to stay focus on my running.  I cannot afford to get so catch up in swimming and biking that I let me running slide back to lower miles.  Because I am still wanting to  run my usual three or so half marathons this year and I still want to run at least one more marathon after I do the Cowtown at the end of February.

Now I just need to find a tri-girl to go after because we will have our activities in triathlons to start with in a relationship.  And I know she will be a far better athlete than me.  I am just an average guy who tries to reach for the stars.  While she will be someone who is in the stars trying to reach elite status.  I can handle that.