Earn my stripes

"Just jump right in."

It's almost like a scene out of high school, going to sit at the cool kids' table. It's one thing if you're invited to join them, but altogether different to just pull up a chair. But that's the scenario that played out in my head on the pool deck this morning. I know everyone in the lane, we've joked in the locker room and over the lane lines, I've joined them for a few workouts, but what if I can't keep up? What if I get sent back a lane? Will I ever get over the embarrassment? (Do I sound like an insecure fourteen year-old girl yet?)

Well, there's only one way to find out, so I dropped my toys at the end of Lane Two, and started the warm-up before anyone could say anything. And just like any parent of a teenager could tell you, it was all built up more in my head than it ever could be in real-life. I was more than welcome in the lane. In fact, I was called on to lead a set or two. I proved to myself that I could hang, maybe not lead like before, but I belonged. I wasn't the fastest, but I wasn't the slowest either. It took most of the season, but I've moved up another lane.

Now I have six weeks to get to that last one.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
400 free as 25 thigh scrape/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, HIM pace, 15"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 25 10&2/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, Olympic pace, 15"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 25 head-up/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, Sprint pace, 30"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 300 w/paddles/100 ez, 30"
2x100 free, max, 1'
100 ez non-free
Total: 3400m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez