Lucky's Lake Swim & the help of friends!!

I know for an absolute FACT that we are blessed here in Orlando with the mostly beautiful weather and some very UNIQUE opportunities as triathletes. One of those benefits is : Lucky's Lake Swim

I know I have posted about Lucky's before but this morning I really had a special appreciation for the place. For those
that don't know, Lucky Meisenheimer is a physician in Orlando who has a love of many things (including yo yo's) but one of
his passions is swimming. He opens up his home every weekday morning at 630am for people to use his dock and lakefront to do open water swims. Lucky is a legend in these parts. He has indirectly helped hundreds of triathletes and many more swimmers throughout his years here. Even his pool and hot tub are open to those who finish the 1k over and back swim in Little Lake Cane behind Universal Studios.

This morning, the weather looked horrible. One of my boot camp classes had to be cancelled because their location was getting lightening and rain (our programs are done outdoors). As I arrived at Lucky's, the rain began to fall but no lightening. No worries..Im gonna be wet anyway!!

Swimming the lake is another mental issue for me. One lap over and back and I wanna head home. Not today. Today I was determined to do at least 2 laps with one .5k being with hand paddles. I am trying very hard to improve my strength in the water and..of course..the battle cry for every triathlete...get just a little faster.

I wasn't alone in my morning quest for swim fitness. About 25 other swimmers were ready at 630am as Lucky exited his home to get us going. Most of those folks were part of my Team in Training team-past or present-including Coach Beth and Assistant Coach Geni from the TNT Marathon Team.

My first crossing (.5K) was the fastest I have ever done at Lucky's shaving off a substantial 57 seconds. I was excited!! As the rain got a little harder, I returned to a slightly slower pace. As I approached the dock to complete my first 1k lap, the argument began in my head: Just jump out and head home!!

Coach Beth had other ideas and I am so glad she was there. "Another lap don't you think!!" she said. Instead of exiting the water, I headed back out-this time with paddles. I made it to the other side and handed off my paddles to Kim, a staff member at the Leukemia Society. She wanted to experience what "fun" the paddles can make in your swim.

Second lap completed. Beth turned to Geni and myself and suggested a "1/2 lap!!??" A what?? Ive never considered going half way across the lake and then returning but we did...and I took it easy.

I left today with a sense of satisfaction. Put aside all the medical garbage going on with me, I got across another mental roadblock today. There is no doubt that I can complete 2.4 miles. I did it last year..and I know I can do it again. The difficulty has been getting it done in TRAINING so my body can get stronger and faster. This is KEY to making the cut offs happen in Florida.