I estimated
that I would complete the 50x50 during week 38 of pregnancy if I increased by 2
every week. Even with holidays throwing
off my normal week’s schedule, I made sure I got my 50’s in, and a few weeks I
even increased by 3, which has made me able to complete it 4 weeks earlier than
I originally anticipated – at 34.5 weeks of pregnancy (one week shy of 8
months)! After spending 5 months working
on this, I’m ecstatic to say I’M DONE – I DID IT!
Fortunately,
for my final 3 weeks I had company in the pool for the sets of 46, 48, and
50. And as long as my swim buddy could
stick it out for the duration of the set, I didn’t care if they adapted it,
took some easy, took some off, or wore fins for some of it. I should also add that this was done in an
84-degree pool, which is extremely warm for any type of intense sets of
swimming. It’s the type of temperature
where you feel you are sweating in the water and your face gets hot. Even when I got up to 50 sprints, I still
aimed to hit as close to 37 seconds as I could for each one.
I was
impressed with my partners for the final sets.
My set of 46 was done with the company of a former volleyball player of
mine, who had only swum once since she was in swim club in 4th
grade. I had her mix up what she was
doing (descend 1-3, 4th was choice swim, and 5th was
off), and after the first couple round of 5 she put on some fins and was golden
for the rest. My aquatic director swam
with me for the sets of 48 and 50 – a former swimmer, who is fast, but was not currently
accustomed to this type of training and didn’t have the endurance built
up. She suffered through the first
session with me, and she came ready to rock for the final session, pushing
hard, only taking every 11th off – very impressive! In her words, “Mom’s rule.”
34.5 Weeks |
There is a lot of satisfaction in
conquering a challenge, or succeeding with a big undertaking, for the first
time. Challenges need to be tough, but
also attainable if we keep working towards it over time. It keeps motivation alive, but you’ll need your
own determination to stick with it.
There will be suffering in the journey, but the end reward and
satisfaction is worth the pain. Keep challenging
yourself, and you’ll keep realizing you are capable of far more than you dreamed
possible.
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