…but I’m spending some time in the water these days. I’m learning to swim for the Ironman 70.3 Boulder on August 7 at the Boulder Reservoir. I’m not sure why I signed up. I’m a runner. I bike on vacation, or to get from one place to another. I only swim when laying on a surf board, while playing in the ocean, or to keep from downing if I fall off a boat.

I have a funny feeling a friend wanted me to do it, and when I refused, I think he said something like, “Come on!!” When I still said no, I’m sure he said, “Alright, you probably wouldn’t finish anyway.”

Note to world: A challenge is my Kryptonite. If you want me to do something I would really prefer not to do, the easiest way to get me on board is to tell me you don’t think I can. “Oh yeah?!” I will say, “We’ll see about that.” Then, I’ll probably storm off while you watch me go with a smile on your face, because, you will have won. I fall for it all the time.

Since I got back from my trip with ExperiencePlus!, I’ve gone swimming three times. The first time, I planned on swimming for half and hour. I made it 12 minutes and I’m sure I spent three of those 12 minutes looking at the giant clock on the wall and wondering why it was moving so slowly. The second time I made it about 15 minutes. Yesterday I made it 15 minutes again but I almost doubled my number of laps thanks to a random woman at the gym who told me to, “Stretch forward during each stroke, it will turn your shoulders and help you breathe.”

Learning to swim has been difficult and frustrating and I’ve only been to the pool three times (I’m not a patient person). So, I am planning to do what I always do when attempting something new. Read a book on it. I ordered three books from Amazon to prepare for the challenge.

• The Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel (his blog is here)
• Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster, and Easier by Terry Laughlin with Johhn Delves
• Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald

Let’s hope one of them helps!