Ill turn 30 next year, and Im ready to find a new fun fact.
On professional trips, Ive turned down the opportunity for (free!
)surf lessonsmore times than should be legal.
Kirsten Schindler / EyeEm / Getty Images
But Ive always felt a cold core of panic underneath my casual splashing.
I just never learned isnt quite true, because Ihadtaken lessons.
After a decade of opting out of water-related activities, I had even reframed my no as empowering.
I felt proud that I knew myself and my body well enough to steer clear of surfboards and kayaks.
But as I inch toward a new decade, Im ready for a new challenge and a new narrative.
So, about 20 years after my first set of swim lessons, I decided to try them again.
My first challenge was finding a coach and a pool in NYC.
I scheduled phone calls with various swim schools.
One potential coach wanted me to commit to five lessons over two weeks.
Another asked me immediately and abruptly if I had experienced any trauma associated with water.
Best of all, one of Imagine Swimmings 14(!)
pools was at CUNY Medgar Evers, a college located about two blocks from my apartment.
When I arrived at the pool, reality hit.
I fell off my high horse the moment I stepped into the locker room.
Thankfully, Pelatti had agreed to meet me for four one-on-one sessions.
That meant I didnt have to learnalongsideactual children, just near them, at a much slower pace.
I was the only non-instructor over 10 in the pool.
(Unlike Ledecky, I needed Pelatti to help me put my cap on for the subsequent month.)
My first task: learning to hold my breath.
Once I could instinctively hold my breath underwater, we thought, the rest would follow.
We were rightbut it was much harder than I expected.
Do an exercise for me: Make the face you use when blowing out birthday candles.
I did it, but it required all my mental energy.
It was exhilarating to achieve, and also much harder than I expected.
Like a good coach, Pelatti made sure I ended the lesson feeling accomplished.
Pelatti told me to practice breathing in the bath, and sent me home until lesson two.
The next week, I found myself really looking forward to my lesson.
This time, Pelatti had me do bobs in the water.
I jumped up and down like a rabbit, going under each time.
The repeated jumps were meant to get my breathing in a comfortable rhythm.
I completed the exercise, but it required total concentration and 100 percent of my brainpower.
Pelatti termed the lesson a breakthrough.
Feeling empowered, I scheduled two more lessons.
My long, stressful day met me in the water.
After our progress last week, Pelatti had me try dolphin jumps.
As you exhale underwater, your body sinks deeper.
Pelatti demonstrated the move Id seen hundreds of times at the beach.
It looked simple enoughbut I panicked every time I went under.
But I was so frustrated during my final lesson that I didnt even have the courage to try.
Ill be on vacation next week, and I cant wait to test my skills in the wild.
And maybe next summer, Ill feel ready for that surf lesson.