Masters Swim

Last week I made friends with two other nurses at my new job when we started talking triathlons. It turns out they planned to do the same one I'm doing. One had already registered but I shared the Schwaggle deal for a huge discount on the tri registration with the other girl. Save a girl some money, instant friends! They excitedly asked me to swim and ride with them, even stay in their hotel the night before the race. I love other athletes... We can be total strangers or have nothing else really in common, but bond like BFFs over workouts. So, these girls gushed about their coach for their Masters swim class and convinced me to try it out. One mentioned in conversation a guy at the pool who used 62 strokes for 50 meters. Not having ever counted, I did count the next time I went to the pool. Ouch. 63. So, that's where I started, going into my first class. Now, I am probably not ready for any other Masters classes, but my friends are the only ones in this class right now. Tuesday was my first class and I dropped 9 strokes, down to 54. I was exhausted and starving by the end of class. Tonight was my second class. I dropped 7 strokes, down to 47! What was funny, though, is that I thought I was swimming terribly. It felt like I was standing still in the water and not moving at all with each stroke. I was shocked when Patrick called out 47 for my stroke count. Who, me??? I was getting tired and losing form by the end, but not as bad as Tuesday afternoon. I still have a long way to go but I'm super excited with my improvement over just the past few days.