I really like this picture of the swim IM Cozumel swim exit because I fought the entire swim (for fear of jellyfish stings!) to stay on the feet in front of me. I worked hard leading up to the race, but also when it counted during the race. And for the first time ever the clock was under an hour.
I've been told the Cozumel swim course is fast, and short. But I also believe that I can repeat a sub-1 hour swim on a different course. Somewhere along the learn-to-swim journey I actually began to believe I was strong in the pool.
And I have started to realize that the more I believe I am a swimmer, the faster I'm able to swim. And the more aggressively I attack the swim in races.
It definitely has not gotten any easier. I still have moments at masters when I think dying might feel better than how I feel during the set, or times when I look over at those swimming in the fastest lane at the pool and wish I understood how they make it look so easy. But it is pretty darn cool to realize that hard work really does pay off over time. So I encourage you to stick with those things that don't come easy - because eventually you will see progress.
