There I was, wading in the water, waiting for the countdown to begin. “Two minutes,” the director shouted. I started bouncing off the bottom of the lake, anxiously awaiting my chance to push off and start my race.

“One minute!”

The crowd around me were moving similarly to me, their caps bobbing in the water with their eyes shielded behind goggles. 

“Five, four, three, two, one!”

Now was my chance, to prove to myself that my recent increase in training mixed with my lifelong swimming passion would lead me to successfully cross the finish line, five thousand meters later. I have never swam this distance in one session, and I was nervous about how my arms would handle this type of punishment.

I pushed my hardest during the last leg of the race, knowing my family was cheering for me at the finish line. Though my time wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be, I was proud that I finished strong! 

Still, like most people who push themselves do, while everyone was clapping and cheering for me, I was wondering if I could have gone faster during my first lap in order to have a faster time. While I was successful at finishing the race, I didn’t meet another goal for time. It also made me realize, while we usually have a big picture in mind, there are usually many facets to achieving that. Sure, I wanted to finish the race, but I also wanted to push myself, I wanted to have controlled breathing, my heart rate in a certain range, and, of course, the time.

The main point for me, and something I ask myself frequently, is: am I enjoying the time I’m spending on this. I ultimately didn’t get the time I was after, but at the same time I was proud of myself for not only completing the race, but having a terrific time. I saw friends I’ve known since I was a child, I overcame my anxiety about swimming in a lake after such a long break, and my kids got to see me compete.

Every part of your journey might not be perfect, but it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the parts that are going well. The second lap of my lake swim taught me something: when the first round doesn’t go your way, try again! I’ve learned many times over that there are many second chances in life. My second chance will be at the Eel Lake swim in August!