I have been humbled by the... scariest...swim....ever...

Today is my swim day. Always a welcomed break. However, the pool I have been using had a swim meet today. So, I went to another public pool: Pullen Park Pool. I figure what's the big deal. Water is water. TWO things were the matter. Distance and Depth.  I normally swim in a 25 meter pool. I have never even seen a 50 meter pool, until today. At first glance the experience is like this:

this

           versus

                    that....


 

At first you think " OMG Holy crap" But 2 seconds later you're like 

                                 "GAME ON!"

So in swimming land it was more like this:

My normal distance 25 meters

This is Pullen Park Park. Much bigger. 50 down. 25 across.

So at first I was a little startled but 2 seconds later I was so excited!! I couldn't wait to get in. The lanes were set up as 50 meter lanes but they were about to change them to 25 meter lanes. Sooo, I was pretty much solo in the pool without any lane dividers (read---> security blanket). Not having lane dividers always always feels weird, but whatever I get in and grab my pull buoy. This is a swim buoy that stabilizes your legs so you can focus on your stroke. I use it the first 10 minutes of every swim as a warm up. 

this is my pull buoy.

 So, I start swimming in this big ass pool all alone with my legs pretty much tied up by the buoy. I'm excited! I get half way across the pool and THE FLOOR DROPS! It goes from stand up depth to 14 feet deep. A little preface on me: I am afraid of heights. I can't look down on a ski lift. I hate roof top anything. It's an irrational fear. I deal. 

But now I am forced to look down into this abyss. I want to cry. I totally panic which as a swimmer you can not do. If your breathing is messed up you're done. The fear felt like this:

Two things enter my mind: There are 3 life guards probably looking at the new girl and I don't want to look like a chicken shit. And, omg, omg, omg....so I tried to keep my composure and focus on getting across the abyss. I closed my eyes and did a much faster swim and maniac breathing. I got to the end and clung to the wall. I'm still 14 feet from the bottom. I did not want to go back. 

But, in times like these I have a little bad-ass self talk and say, "cut it out and get in there!" So I pushed off and did self talk therapy across the deep part. I did that a few more laps and then they changed it to 25 meters. So I had my choice of lanes depths. 4 feet to about 12 feet. I was now pissed that I ninnied out so I made myself swim in the 12 feet deep 25 meter lap lane. I probably had tears in my goggles but that's just unacceptable! After maybe 10 minutes of scarey swimming I mellowed out and had a great swim. It was actually cool to swim that deep. Although the bottom of the pool markings look more like the landing field at RDU. Lots of lines. Solids and  breaks, uggg...go just straight LaBella...look for the wall and flip!

So now I love deep water swimming. I'll definitely go back there next week. I wish I had a video of this experience!

Ahhh, glad I'm not a newbie anymore! 

happy monday friends!

xoxo