** Yes, my hair is growing out, yes I don’t really know what to do with it, yes I am taking any and all suggestions.
Two years ago I watched PIC swim her fanny off in the Colorado state swim meet. It both intrigued and scared the crap out of me.
Over the last 6 months I have been working really really hard on my swim. It started with a frustration over the fact that I swam 30 minutes at Worlds in Gold Coast. I licked my wounds for a little while and then decided to go for it, swim a lot, swim hard, seek first to understand, put in lots of hard work.
It worked. Well, I should say, it’s working. I don’t plan on letting up any time soon. When we were running the Moab 100 Anthony said something to me that made a lot of sense. I can’t get his words quite exactly, but essentially he said that we are athletes, and swimming is about efficiency and technique. With the right knowledge and dedication we should be good swimmers, because we are fit athletes. It rang a bell with me.
So, the state meet!!
The warm up went great. Michelle and I swam it together (it’s always easier together) and we were both feeling ready to go. She was in heat #4 and I was going to count for her. This created a little anxiety on my part, I didn’t want to mess up. But really, how hard can counting be? I have a degree in Math. I’m sure that’s just what my dad had in mind for me when he was paying my way through college “Well, she’ll be a really good lap counter”.
Watching PIC swim was well, amazing, inspiring, jaw dropping. By the end I was shaking the lap counter and screaming at her to GO GO GO. She rocks and your going to have to wait for her blog to find out how it went for her.
I was in heat #6 so I hit the practice pool again to warm up a second time after her heat. Before I knew it I was standing there waiting to get on the blocks. Suddenly a peaceful calm came over me. I knew without a doubt that I was going to jump in and that my goggles were going to stay on. I knew it, I was totally sure of it.
We get up there, I’m a little wobbly. I find my gravity and they do the set thingee. I put my head down, take a breath, I hear the go sound and I jump. I tuck my head, look for the top of my swimsuit and in I go.
I open my eyes and my goggles are on, and there isn’t a single drop of water in them. BOOOO YAAAAA!!! It’s so on.
It’s game time.
Time to rock and roll.
Ok, wait, calm down Sonja. Let’s not get overly excited. Three laps have gone by and I’m still jazzing about my goggles being on. I’ve got to settle in.
And so I did. I settled.
I was swimming next to this guy wearing a yellow and black polka dot speedo. He was just enough ahead of me that I scooted over to the side of the lane to catch any draft I could. Every time I flipped I got an eye full of what I came to call the “polka dot panty package”. Wowah. Another lap, there it is again.
I have got to get ahead of this guy. I was lucky in that he started to fall off pace and I got past him. The next lap I flipped and noticed that I was neck and neck with the lady two laps over. Like every single flip turn we were flipping at the same exact time. And it stayed that way for lap after lap after lap.
I knew Michelle who was counting laps for me was going to want me to get going. She’s wasn’t going to be happy if this girl got me at the end. I had to make a move and I was running out of time. I started pulling harder. That really hurt.
I asked myself…”What hurts”. I went through my body assessment. Dude, Sonja, your fine. Swim harder. And I did, and I pulled away. Then it was 6 laps to go. Hang on Sonja, hang on. Then 5 laps, 4 laps, 3, 2, last lap, all out. I saw the double yellow on the lap chart. PIC is shaking them like crazy. ALL OUT. To the wall.
And even being done hurt so bad. Everything was on fire, my head hurt, my body hurt. my pinkies hurt. I look up at the wall and next to my name it says 24:09. Big smile, and by the time I drag myself out of the pool PIC is there with a big hug. We both had great days in the pool.
In triathlon training and racing you don’t always get a race that reflects the hard work you have put into your training. Sometimes you train really hard and your races don’t quite reflect it. Today was not one of those days. I don’t need a lot of reinforcement to stay motivated. I love what I do, and I love doing it. But on those days that you go out and race and it feels like the result is a little reward for the hard work, well, those days are special. You have to remember those ones and let them drive you forward.
I can’t wait to get back in the pool. I can’t wait for the work that is to come. I can’t believe that in September I swam 30 minutes and I just swam 24. If you are reading this and you are frustrated with your swim, feel free to email me. I can’t tell you what you need to change but I can give you some motivation to seek answers.
Many thanks to PIC, Troy and Annie for being there for me today. It’s always a blessing to have the three of you around.
Just keep swimming!
Sonja–please don’t take this wrong–but you remind me of a very young Billie Jean King (tennis pro in the 80′s) She had a big smile and short hair too
Get some gel and make it all spikey! well, you said you were taking suggestions!
Luv U–you rock!
I say just spike it up and get your grrrr on! What a fantastic post, a fantastic swim and an all around fantastic day! I’ll look for a little more pain when I do mine today thanks to your inspiration, but I don’t get do dive off the block : (
You are a total rockstar ( with or without hair!)… Way to take your weaker link in the sport and tell it who is boss:). I can’t wait to see how your season progresses… And your hair, of course!
You rocked the house last night girl! GRRRRRR!!!
NIIIIICE Sonja!!! Swimming is def. my weakest link, and seeing how you WENT FOR IT is very inspiring!! So proud to have you as a teammate!! See ya at the races!!
Swimming is the toughest for me, but seeing how you just attacked it is inspiring me to do the same!
Congratulations on your swim! You are an inspiration and I am going to work on my swim even harder now. Thanks for that!
Nearly all triathletes enter in runs races. Some enter in bike races. But this is the first time that I have ever read of a triathlete (without a swim background) entering a swim race! Good on ya!
Wow Sonja! You continue to push the bar up. You rock! Congratulations!
Great job S
I agree with the others–get some gel and spike it. You can carry it off splendidly, grrr or no grrr. Great swim!
That is so awesome and dropping six minutes is a HUGE accomplishment. I get jazzed now when I drop a meager few seconds. Way to crank and LOL on the polka-dot package!
Amazing work! totally inspirational!
Nice work!!
Awesome effort Sonja! How much of it do you think was tweaking your form and how much was just better swim strength?
Oh, and your hair is very pip Taylor-esque. She is hawt. Do short and spikey like hers. That is my vote.
Great question Jamie.
I feel that tweaking my form (overhaul really) got me from the 1:40′s to the 1:30′s and strength got me to 1:27. The bulk of it was fixing my form. I was dropping my elbow and until I saw it very clearly and slowly spelled out to me on camera, I didn’t completely understand. Then it was lots of practice to get it to stick.
There are still many things I am doing not quite right, but I’m getting better. It’s time for another trip to SwimLabs!
Awesome job Sonja! I think I can smell a podium in your not too distant future…
Agree with Ben S. (Hair-I vote for spiking. Why not? You could even dye parts of it w/ crazy fun color. Bright Pink, etc.-Yes, I know chlorine. But, enjoy while it lasts. Go for it.)
We like your hair just as it is! A great look! GREAT JOB !!!!!!
Sonja: First, great work on the Moab 100. You stomped it and you’re a beast. Second, your 62 mile training run was itself an awesome feat of dedication. Finally, congrats on this swim. I jumped in the pool for the first time today since who knows when to give it a go. I am a wreck at the moment, but am going to give it a shot and see if I can learn to be reasonably efficient in the water. Don’t know if I’ll ever be trying a triathlon, but the broad-based training will be fun and keep me from injury regardless. Keep up the the good work. And the hair…irrelevant… if you’re good at what you do, no one cares what you look like! Fruita 25 mile this weekend for me. Interested to see how it goes.
Congrats to you guys on a great race! Can’t believe no one has said anything about your cute trackers shirts in the pic! Love ‘em! Hair looks cute btw!
We like your hair just as it is! A great look! GREAT JOB !!!!!!
Nice work!!
We like your hair just as it is! A great look! GREAT JOB !!!!!!
We like your hair just as it is! A great look! GREAT JOB !!!!!!
Awesome job Sonja! I think I can smell a podium in your not too distant future…
Great question Jamie.
I feel that tweaking my form (overhaul really) got me from the 1:40′s to the 1:30′s and strength got me to 1:27. The bulk of it was fixing my form. I was dropping my elbow and until I saw it very clearly and slowly spelled out to me on camera, I didn’t completely understand. Then it was lots of practice to get it to stick.
There are still many things I am doing not quite right, but I’m getting better. It’s time for another trip to SwimLabs!
Agree with Ben S. (Hair-I vote for spiking. Why not? You could even dye parts of it w/ crazy fun color. Bright Pink, etc.-Yes, I know chlorine. But, enjoy while it lasts. Go for it.)
Great question Jamie.
I feel that tweaking my form (overhaul really) got me from the 1:40′s to the 1:30′s and strength got me to 1:27. The bulk of it was fixing my form. I was dropping my elbow and until I saw it very clearly and slowly spelled out to me on camera, I didn’t completely understand. Then it was lots of practice to get it to stick.
There are still many things I am doing not quite right, but I’m getting better. It’s time for another trip to SwimLabs!
Amazing work! totally inspirational!
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