Integritus Prime

It’s November 3. Seemed like an ordinary day.

My fins arrived today, and a strange gadget called a pull buoy that I am still learning to use to keep my legs together as I use paddles to strengthen my pull. Lots of swim jargon for a newbie? Definitely.

(Oh, a quick aside – last week I got water in my nose and mouth while trying side breathing, and it didn’t freak me out – that was a first. I noticed it, and kept going. Practice defeats fear – read that again.)

Well, today started off a little topsy turvy – some technical issues with my laptop that I eventually fixed.

I got into the water, and started using my new fins – they are beyond perfect. They allow me to learn the proper movement: engaging my core and kicking gently and rhythmically.

My plan: use the fins for at least six months. Strengthen my core and lower body. Maybe then I can breathe to the side.

Same with the paddles, which I wear on my hands and they strengthen my shoulders and arms. Speed helps with breathing – my swim friend, SK, told me.

Okay, Marilyn, strength and speed. That’s the mantra. Let’s give it six months.

So, today I did several hundred meters with my tools, alternating upper body then lower body.

As usual, I put away all the tools except goggles and nose clip and began to practice breathing, as I do everyday.

But, today was different.

Today, I started going and breathed to the side…and kept going. I went for half the pool length, and then back again. I did it four times, then ran over to tell my eternal champion, Dad, who proceeded to capture it on video.

I am still in shock. I had set a target for six months, but it happened today. My body is somehow getting it. I am so excited. You know what this means?

One day, I will swim with no equipment, just goggles. That day is coming.

Today, I celebrate my side breathing. It’s a beginning. A milestone I didn’t hope to reach today, and it’s given me the most hope of all. Definitely extraordinary.