There is absolutely nothing in this world like swimming. Growing up thirty minutes from South Padre Island definitely had an influence on me being so comfortable in and around the water; in fact, I learned to swim before I could walk.
My mom's side of the family was heavily involved in competitive swimming in high school, and even maintain records at the aquatic club I trained at from over twenty years ago. I miss competitive swimming so much, and anyone who has ever been a swimmer understands why.
If you think swimming looks easy, thank you. Each of the four strokes – freestyle, back stroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, when done correctly, are meant to look effortless.
Ever wonder why Olympic swimmers look like they're moving rather slow in the water? Believe it or not, they are still going at a very fast speed; they are simply taking advantage of the oldest trick in the swimmer's book – gliding.
Gliding helps you save energy, and makes it easier for you to maintain a steady and fast speed without getting as tired so fast. However, let me assure you – every muscle in our bodies is on fire as we kick and pull through the water.
I've been in club swimming for as long as I can remember; it was just something our mother was adamant about. I joined my first competitive team in middle school, and continued through high school.
My time spent competitive swimming in high school was particularly intense compared to most of the other girls on the team. After winning a few regional and district titles, as well as setting school records, my coach put me on the fast track to getting a swimming scholarship for college. This "fast track" included six to seven hour practices, five days a week. Plus a dry workout routine that included running and weights.
The only real freedom I had was diet, because I was burning off so many calories in practice and gaining muscle. You would think I lived at Whataburger my sophomore and junior year of high school, because I was there almost every day after practice carb-loading.
If you're thinking about swimming competitively, be ready to say goodbye to whatever social life you had prior. Every Saturday of mine was spent on the road, going from meet to meet around South Texas; it was an all day event, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. I had little to no time for any friends outside of the swim team, because any time I had that wasn't spent in the water was spent sleeping or eating.
Despite the dry hair from the chlorine, lack of sleep and enduring freezing waters when the pool heater was broken, I miss swimming. It was my escape from everything. I miss the adrenaline rush I felt racing against the clock.
Sometimes I wonder where I'd be if I kept training into college as I had planned. If I could, I would go back in time to relive every moment on the swim team one more time.
