I’m pretty sure there are about 5 people who came into the sport of triathlon through swimming. The rest of us fall somewhere between hate and tolerance of the first leg of our race days. I came to triathlon through running causing me to be a, “just get through it,” swimmer for years. Admittedly, I would swim as much as needed to train for the season’s races and then not even look at a pool or body of open water during the winter months. After a long break, I would head back to the water and wonder why I wasn’t getting any faster at this stupid swimming thing.

Swimvember

Several years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Swimvember. You can probably guess that Swimvember is when the month of November becomes consumed by swimming. I’m not talking about swimming a few extra yards or simply getting into the pool during the month typically dedicated to turkey and prepping for Christmas. No. I am talking about 30 days dedicated to obnoxious amounts of yards, challenges, and stroke work.

My first Swimvember, I met someone who took the day off work to swim for 12 hours to win. She won a sweatshirt. It was insane. My skin was itchy all the time, my shoulders hurt, and my face was never without goggle marks. However, at the end of the month not only was I faster in the pool but something incredible happened. I had fallen in love with swimming.

Facts

You will never be as good as you can be at swimming if you don’t love it. It’s true. Of course, swimming doesn’t have to be your favorite of the three disciplines, but if you head to the pool hating it you are wasting your time. Swimming is a skill. You can not throw a bunch of angry effort at it hoping to get faster. The process is important and it can’t be rushed. Trust me, I’ve tried. So, how do you fall in love with something as frustrating as trying to wrestle into your wetsuit?

How to Fall in Love with Swimming

1. Pick a huge challenge. During your off-season participate in your own Swimvember. Write big challenges. Gather your friends and make a game out of swimming all the laps. Some of my favorites were the 100×100, swimming 25s with my eyes closed, and wearing long sleeves and tennis shoes for repeating 100s.  
2. Register for a swim-only race. While an open water race or swim meet might feel overwhelming, once you hit the submit button, you’ll feel the pressure you need to keep you focused. My first swim meet was terrifying. However, I was shocked at how nice all the real swimmers were. They didn’t even make fun of my lack of flip-turning and not going off the blocks.
3. Find a friend. There are these crazy people out there who already love swimming. If you find one, ask a question and they will throw their love for swimming on you like glitter. Swim with them a few times and you’ll notice the start of warm fuzzy swim feelings.
4. Swim longer or harder. Once a week, swim so hard that half the yards you normally swim are plenty. If you are used to short swims, swim longer than normal at a very easy pace. The different stimuli will be enough to keep you interested and change your mindset.
5. Remember when the pool was closed? Any time I find myself dreading a swim session, I think about driving 40 min to swim, for an hour, at 6 am once a week.  A moment of gratitude can be magical.

I’m grateful that I’ve developed a love for swimming. I now find it fun, relaxing, and mentally engaging. Yes, it’s hard, and some days I feel like the effort isn’t worth it. Thankfully, on those days, I swim simply for the love of it. That love is what keeps me headed to the pool in the middle of January. It is also what has left me with memories of swimming in open water and random pools all over the world. If you are struggling to fall in love with swimming, I have guest passes. 🙂