No breather

If you’ve been around me at all in the past week, you might have picked up from the trail of kleenex that I’ve been a bit under the weather. But thankfully I’ve been feeling better and decided to hit the pool as an official act of being on the mend.

After 45 minutes, I figured I put in a good show and was about to get out when coach Kenny (I swim with a masters group) called all the swimmers to the wall for what I thought was typical Monday drills. Instead of climbing out just then infront of everyone, I tried to be sneaky and wait till after the drill, but little did I know, I was hardly avoiding attention …

Kenny: “Someone pick a number between 1 and 60”
Other swimmer: “4”
Kenny: “Who’s closest in age to 4? Anyone 20? 22? 24? 25?
I mumble: “I’m 25…”
Swimmer in my lane: “OVER HERE! SHE’S 25”
Kenny: Ah yes! You’re [to me] going to be swimming a no breather for us, one length of the pool. We will be cheering you on. Think you can do that?

I manage to nod as the entire pool looks over at me.

No breather is just that, swimming from one side of the pool to the other with no breaths. I’ve done it several times (though sometimes it can take a few tries), yet I’ve never done it first day back after a week out sick and with 50 other (much faster) swimmers watching me.

Having a little bit of pressure and an audience can do amazing things: it was probably the easiest no breather I’ve ever swam. When I got to the other side and came up for air, I heard the group cheering me on and put my arm in the air in triumph. Gotta love it when community gets an introvert out of her shell.