So yesterday, as I stood in my swimming costume at our local pool with a few surly, bored teenagers and a big beefy man (henceforth to be referred to as BBM) I wondered what the hell I was doing there.
I'm 34. I've had 3 children. I'm overweight.
There are a million reasons why it was sheer insanity to be at the pool yesterday morning.
And in view of the challenge I faced I am sure you will agree with me.
I remember saying to you a while ago one of my goals in 2010 was to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a surf lifesaver.
I'd attended a meeting about this in November last year and then pretty much let it slide out of my mind.
So on Friday night at about 6.30 pm there was a phone call saying to be at our local pool first thing Saturday morning for a trial swim.
In order to even start the Bronze Medallion course you must be able to swim 400 metres in under 9 minutes.
So, having set myself this challenge, and even worse, having blogged about it, I had no choice but to be at the pool yesterday morning to at least try the swim.
The surly teenagers and I stood in silence.
BBM started telling us about his gym sessions and his swimming training for this. And then he turned to me, looked me up and down (and can I just say how much I HATE it when people do that) and said in a condescending tone: "Have you done any training?"
I mumbled something incomprehensible and lapsed back in to silence.
As luck would have it BBM and I were the first ones to be selected to do the swim. We were sharing a lane.
He elected to go first and they gave him a 40 second head start.
Then it was my turn.
I won't bore you with the details, only to modestly say I lapped BBM on the third length.
And I finished it in 7.53 seconds.
And BBM?
He didn't fulfill the time requirement and stormed off from the pool. (9 minutes and 40 seconds was HIS time)
And afterwards I started chatting with the bored and surly teenagers, who, like the thousands of teenagers I have taught over the years, were in fact delightful and chatty. Like teens the world over, surly and bored is a great cover for being nervous and shy, which they were.
Like me, they were and are enthusiastic about doing the course.
And me?
Well, my cat got the cream smile was quickly wiped off my face when I blithely told the instructor I was heading home now to lie on the couch for several hours to recover only to be told I now had 2 hours training down at the beach learning how to do tube rescues.
So for now, the half marathon training is on hold. Between 2 beach runs during the week, and a 2 hour training session every Saturday morning for the next few weeks, my plate is full.
But you have to walk before you learn how to run.
Or in BBM's case, swim. :)