Just Keep Swimming: Learning to Swim for a Triathlon

After running countless half-marathons, I got this crazy idea–Why not do a triathlon? Seemed like a great challenge… except for one tiny detail—I didn’t actually know how to swim.

As a kid, I learned the basics—treading water, a little breaststroke—but that was it, I could stay afloat, but it would take me forever to swim from one point to another. My swimming technique was more “survival mode” than “race-ready.” But once the idea was in my head, that was it, I was determined to do it!

Learning to swim was not easy. At first, I couldn’t even make it 10 yards without feeling completely exhausted and like I was gasping for air—so the thought of swimming 800 yards for a race? Terrifying. My 6-year-old daughter was already a better swimmer than me! 

One day, while at her swim lesson, I decided to ask her coach, Coach Mike, for help. That simple question turned out to be the first real step toward making my triathlon dream happen. I’m pretty sure neither of us knew what we were signing up for, but after watching me struggle through the water, he offered to coach me until race day. At that point, I don’t even think I had officially picked out a race, I just knew it was next summer. 

And just like that, my swimming journey officially began. To say that Coach Mike was patient and encouraging would be an understatement. No matter how tough a session felt, he always managed to find something positive in whatever I was working on—even if I felt like I was doing everything wrong. There were definitely days when I climbed out of the pool thinking, “This is impossible, am I ever going to get better? What was I thinking signing up for a triathlon?!” Every time doubt crept in, Mike was there to reassure me that we had time, and I would get it.  

No matter what I was training for on the running side of things, Coach Mike and I stuck to our routine—swimming twice a week. Week after week, we worked on my freestyle technique, breath control, and slowly increasing my distance in the pool.

Then, one day, I swam 300 yards without stopping—and for the first time, it actually felt ok. Something was starting to click. Swimming was no longer just about surviving; I was finally getting the hang of it.

I also noticed that my running was improving too. Learning to control my breath in the water, pushing through the mental challenge of swimming, and building endurance in the pool started carrying over to my running. 

Crystal Lake Triathlon in Averill Park, New York.

Once I set my sights on a specific triathlon, Mike and I had our goal—and he made sure training was always engaging and fun. Some days were all about technique, breaking things down piece by piece. Other days, we focused on distance, slowly building on the progress from the week before.

But as race day got closer, it was time for a new challenge: open water swimming.

Mike started teaching me about sighting (keeping track of where you are in open water and where you are going) and preparing me for what it would feel like outside the comfort of the pool. The first time I hit open water, it was… not what I expected. No lane lines, no perfectly clear water, and definitely no wall to grab onto when I needed a break. But Coach Mike was right there with me every step of the way.

It took me a full year to go from treading water to swimming 1,000 yards in open water—but I did it. Something that once felt completely terrifying became an incredible achievement. Along the way, I not only learned how to swim, but I also gained a real appreciation for it—especially for how amazing it is as a cross-training tool.

Coach Mike and I still train together, and adjust our training based on my goals. When I was training for a full marathon, swimming became recovery after long runs. And now, with the marathon season behind me, we’re using this downtime to fine-tune my technique and get ready for the next triathlon season.

What started as a challenge to simply not drown has turned into something so much bigger—swimming has become a key part of my training, my recovery, and my growth as an athlete.