Well, I know how to swim, swim… but not efficiently, as in, how to breath or not breath during the strokes of competitive swimming. I can swim to save my life or someone else’s, but if it were to compete I wouldn’t have a prayer out there. I know this because of O’ sweet Kyla. My client-turned-friend-turned-part-time-employee, she is seemingly sweet, till she throws you into the water. Face first! Her, Jennifer, and I are all contemplating a triathalon. After a discussion on swimming we found out that Kyla is a swim coach and used to compete in swimming. So I inquired of her to teach me how to straighten my hips and get better at swimming. She raised her eyebrows like she didn’t know what I was talking about. “Hips?!” she said, wondering if we were still talking about swimming. I said, “you’ll see”, figuring that she would just make a few adjustments in my body language of swimming. I had no idea what was next…
Let me do a little more setup to this Kyla person you are being introduced to today. I met her a little over a year ago when she came to a free boot camp I was having, with a friend. After not seeing her for 2 weeks she came back, but without the friend, I saw that she had some experience in boot camping. She could punch with the best of them and that meant she could box, which means she could probably take me. So I knew she was tough, but would find out later how tough she was. She soon joined a class we like to call “kill you with weights” and in this class I do what I do best. I find your weakness and dance on them (cause there are always more than one) while slapping your face. It will make you stronger, and a better person… or something like that.
Kyla came and was tough like I thought, keeping up with the fellah’s and beating a few of them as well. She kind of got on my nerves because I couldn’t break her… especially those abs of hers, until one day we decided to do the pushup/situp challenge. This was really tough, 300 a day all the way up to 1000 a day by the end of the month. She stuck in there right with me, which was unexpected. Why? Because I didn’t challenge her to this, she heard that I was doing it and jumped right in. I know crazy tough right?! But I got those abs (evil laugh).
I tell you this to tell you that she was a little to excited to throw me into the water. I have heard her when she instructs my boot campers for me, you wouldn’t be able to tell that she eats sit-ups for breakfast. So sweet. Till she has me in the water! I drank more pool water that day than I have in my whole life. She knows how competitive I am and she screws with my head. After the first lesson she told me “sure, we can swim a half mile in the lake without rest” knowing that I would be crazy enough to do it. I did, it was hard.
In summary, I will tell you that I haven’t learned how to swim competitively, but I will not quit, I can’t… I will not stop till I figure this out. I can’t let her win at my challenge to quit at hers. Breathe, blow bubbles, then repeat, and even though I think that the bubbles are silly, I will listen when she yells at me.
Why am I so competitive?