Wildfish 1 miler

I've been in a funk. A funk that started when I was laid off and has undulated between terrible and lingering. The last few weeks were terrible. Part of it was clearly that my professional life was uncertain, partly that I'm lonely, and partly who knows. For some reason it all became unbearable in the last few weeks. In typical Kristi fashion I kept it to myself. A week ago Friday I made a decision to kick myself back on track. I went on a 5 day cleanse: limited wheat, no dairy except yogurt, no alcohol, lots and lots of veggies, nuts, tofu, fruit, and water. I poured my heart into every workout even when I was feeling tired from work. I surrounded myself by friends. With each day I woke up happier and happier. By Saturday I was back to myself. I still feel a little lonely. I am SO dang tired of being single. (but that's for another day). But it's not suffocating. Today Becky, Laurie, Dave, Gretchen, Monica, Robin and I participated in Wildfish open water swim in Salem, MA. I did the one miler. The day was beautiful: low 70's, cool water, partly sunny, calm waters. We could not as for anything better!! It was a small race and well organized. I approached this race as a training day but also tried to push it a bit. In an effort to push my swimming skills I started in the front. I knew I would get passed and probably swam over. IMLP is a mass start and wanted to start prepping myself for this. hee hee. I did get kicked a bit, but swam on. I felt good and strong throughout. I pushed as I could. I passed a lot of people and even drafted a bit. I still cannot quite figure out how to regulate my swim speed to draft properly....something to work on. I added a bit of kick on the last .5 miles and again with each remaining buoy. I finished strong in 37:47. 50/98 overall...age group standing not yet available. Middle range...can I move up to upper middle next year......only time will tell. Not as fast as I would have liked (I was aiming for 30-35), but I did it and I had fun. For the first time during a swim race/leg I raced the swim. I pushed myself even when it hurt, I drafted, I maintained or picked up my perceived effort, and I picked people off. I am making baby steps with my swimming abilities and confidence each year. WOOT. I am so confident that I am going to join Cambridge Masters in Nov to boost my swimming speed, skill, and confidence. Two more 5k's, one 6 miler relay, RTB, and one century left.