Just Keep Swimming . . .

Apparently we talk about swimming a lot.

I wish I had something deep and philosophical to offer this week, some great lesson learned or some revelation that came to me in the middle of a workout this week. 

But I don't. 

We had a normal week, like every other week. Extraordinary weeks come every once in a long while, and I guess that's what makes them EXTRAordinary. 

In between the moments of fun, the recognizable workouts or accomplishments lie the everyday workouts and mundane. That was this week. 

In January after hearing Jason praise his swim teacher to high heaven, I asked him if I could snag a few lessons from her as well. So a month ago I also began controlled drowning once a week. Currently we take turns with me going one week and Jason the next. We'll keep doing this for a couple of months. 

We're both yielding some massive benefits from having an experienced teacher watch us swim regularly. Jason has seen his splits improve massively, and we're not just talking a second here and there. More importantly, he has found his groove in the water. I swam with him on Friday for the first time since he has begun taking semi-weekly lessons back in November, and I could see the improvement immediately. Not only does he move more quickly, but he moves smoothly with strength and confidence.

That brings this loving wife great comfort in light of the word we've heard about the fickle waters in Coeur d'Alene. 

We've had two different IM friends who have Coeur d'Alene in their race resumes, and they each had different experiences. One experienced glassy waters, even telling Jason to "watch for the shopping cart at the bottom of the lake." She saw the lake floor for her entire swim. The other friend told us about the white caps she tackled, mentioning that it wasn't as much about trying to sight through the choppy water as it was waiting until she swam to the top of one swell to catch a glimpse of a buoy. 

After the downstream, fastest-we'll-ever-experience IM swim in Chattanooga, we both knew Jason could benefit from the extra help, and he indeed has. I know I'm a whole lot more comfortable with him braving the frigid Idaho water than I would have been a couple of months ago. 

Jason also has finished his third week of regular strength training and early rising. I believe that makes his turned-over-leaf now a habit. It's permanent. 

This week looks to be another fun week of life and training. Yesterday one of our two functioning vehicles petered out on us, and so we're learning to live with one vehicle for a little while. Thankfully last year taught us pretty well how to communicate and work together. We can do this. 

Till next week. . .