A beautiful swim

Already the 6th week and I have missed only one day. I now wake up and without even thinking about it, I just get up and go for a run. I don’t toss and turn thinking I’d be better in bed, I don’t make excuses, I don’t even question it. I just get up and go. And if I have to get up early, then I just set up my alarm earlier and go anyway. It has became a habit, a reflex. The next few weeks won’t be easy though with all the traveling we’ll be doing, but I really want to stick to it. I now run 18 minutes everyday and should be running 30 minutes within a couple of weeks. I used to run the flat circuit around my house but for the last few days, I have changed my route and now go behind my house, in the hills through the rubber plantations. A lot more challenging but that’s what makes it so rewarding.

Also, for the last 10 days, we have been practicing the swim. At the beginning of the season, we signed up for the gym at one of the Resort in town, which includes access to the swimming pools of the resort. The main one is 70 meters long (the Man measured it...), and now that it is the end of the season, it is pretty much empty. Many time we were actually the only people there. So it is huge (no turning around every 25 meters), it is empty, and it is outside. I can think of some worse conditions to train... Which is great because I am not the best swimmer in the world. The Man can swim forever without ever getting tired, He says for him it is like walking, he could just go on and on and on... Unfortunately, I do not have that gift, and for me, swimming can be a struggle. I manage the breast stroke without too much trouble, but apparently, if you want to swim a race or a triathlon, you should swim the freestyle. So for the last 10 days, I have been practicing that swim that I couldn’t swim a couple of weeks ago. I still have troubles keeping the rythm, I have to focus to coordinate legs and arms, I sometimes forget to breathe, and I am extremely slow. But yesterday I swam 8 laps. The first time I tried, I had to stop after half a lap because I was too out of breath. Encouraging.

When we are on the boat, we go swimming in open water (a good practice because the swim of the actual race will be in open water). It can be tricky because of the waves and currents, but it can also be unbelievably rewarding... Last week, we had the incredible chance to make one of our practice session with the company of a baby manta ray. They are the most beautiful creatures, so graceful... They seem to swim effortlessly and yet they are so fast ! It was just amazing and that training session flew by. We swam with it for about 45 minutes and it was just magic. Now everytime I swim, I remember that particular day and it keeps me going. Amazing day.