The shark RACES the manatee…..
It remains to be seen which one I will be.
So, our little training squad is working well for me. Brandon has been working his hot little butt off, especially in the pool. I cannot get over the progress he has made just in the last few months. He is a RUNNER. He ran for UCLA so the fact that his non-webbed-footed-ass can keep up with me, even an out of shape me, has been pissing me off!! 
It’s not like I will ever be near him when we run – so it isn’t fair!!!!
A couple weeks ago we somehow got into some testosterone-filled verbal jousting about our swimming skills, or lack thereof, and I really don’t know how it started, but SOMEHOW a war is on. !! Brandon challenged me to a 1500 race! Oh GOOD LORD! We’re doing this sucker in mid-January and I am actually a little freaked out. The dude is seriously swimming well. He is right there with me in practice.
If I lose to Brandon I will NEVER be able to live it down!!! There is no one who knows us both who will let me forget it.
As usual, all I need is a little challenge to get motivated. I have actually been swimming a lot more knowing Brandon is swimming double in prep for the “1500 Race” showdown.
On Saturday our little pod of 4: JZ, Brandon, Billy and I did our Saturday morning swim at FAC. It was barely 10 degrees and I laughed at the pull-buoy that collected ice on the deck as it waited to be used. The water was warm, but MAN, it’s C-O-L-D outside.
So our mean JZ instructed us with the main set: 20 x 100 on our goal pace for the 1500 challenge. WHAT??!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not ready for a pace that is still 3 weeks away!! She didn’t care. (I hate her.)
My goal pace is 1:24 (don’t laugh!! I am out of shape!). The scary thing is, Brandon’s goal pace is like 1:25. OH LORD!!!!!! The set was on 1:30, so not a lot of rest for those bastards, and 20 of them! Shitballs.
Brandon and I shared a lane and he went 10 sec behind me – and he was hitting all of them! I was really proud of him, I have to admit it. I hit most, but right around #12-#13 I significantly died off. I came in on 1:28 for a few, regrouped in literally 2 seconds to hit it again. I was DYING. I was breathing like an out of shape oaf and lactic was filling every morsel in my body.
JZ finished her 20 while Brandon and I were like 3 behind. I saw Joanna start swimming easily in the next lane and was so jealous she was done. She was at the wall when I was starting #19 and she sternly encouraged, “Carole, hit these last two! Come on!” I pushed off and began giving it my all, as instructed.
As I was finishing 100 #19, I saw Joanna turn around mid-pool so she would be at the wall for me again to provide encouragement. I knew that’s what she was doing, and I was so touched by that. I was too blown to care in the moment, but I registered what she was doing.
I hit the wall at 1:25 and was breathing like I was having an asthma attack and wondered how I would do the last one. I was blown. I think she instinctively knew that – and a different level of friendship was displayed. JZ said, “Good Carole. Stay with me for this last one!” Milliseconds later we pushed off together, and she swam my last 100 with me in the next lane. I was giving it every last drop of energy I had in my tired, pathetic body … but more than that, I was so motivated and touched that JZ was literally pulling me through it. It’s one thing to cheer and verbally encourage, that alone is really great. But she saw I was DYING. She knew. As is typical of her, she wanted to help.
I did not want to let her down. I just focused on her in my peripheral vision, yelling at myself to hang on, to stay even with her. I touched in 1:20 – and almost HURLED.
Of course, 1:20 is pathetic… but it’s where I am … and quite frankly, it was not even close to what I would have been able to pull off alone. I can’t tell you what it meant to me to get JZ’s help on that swim. Most people, probably even me, would have just cheered and encouraged, but Jo went right along with me, every second of it, getting me through something that for me was quite difficult.
I realize this was just a swim set, but in many ways, in later reflection, it was much more than that to me. Pulling someone through a difficult moment – if that isn’t how a real friend is defined, I don’t know what is.
After the swim I went home and slept for 90 minutes, exhausted.
Glad to hear your at it again! Best of luck in the upcoming season.