Pretty sure Dolly Parton was Never a Swimmer

Of all the disciplines in triathlon, I find swimming the most difficult.  It takes technique and skill and just because you do a lot of it, doesn't mean you will get better.  In addition to the actual swimming thing, wearing a swimsuit has always been an issue due to the girls and an unhealthy dose of being self conscious that has plagued me for years.  I can honestly say it has been about 15 years since I wore a real suit.  Usually, I just wear a sports bra top and buns or some swimming suit bottoms.  In the past I tried on countless bikinis in hopes they would fit with absolutely no luck.  The tops were never big enough or supportive enough and the bottoms that came in the set were always too big.  I had researched and read many articles on the best supportive suits out there, but there really wasn't anything in my opinion. 


Here's me racing the full at Rev3 in, yep you guessed it, a sports bra.


The only answer for me had been the breast reduction.  Now, I had no excuses.  I had even bought myself a swimming suit by Betty Designs, that I just thought looked amazing!!  Originally, when I bought the suit I was 8 lbs. heavier and was to put it bluntly, too fat to wear it.  I finally, put it on the other day and asked AH how bad it looked and he said "not that bad."  I thought well maybe a few more pounds and I would give it another try modelling it, but AH changed his statement and said it was completely okay for me to wear in public.  God, I hoped he wasn't lying because...

Yesterday, I woMAN'd up and went to the pool in a bikini (GULP!).  I was so self conscious and there were little girls staring at me in the locker room.  Not wanting them to see all the incisional scars from the surgery, I changed my top in the shower stall (hey I am a work in progress here).

I jumped in the water and hoped the top would hold the girls in place (Once a few years back, I had gone to take a stroke and my sports bra had risen up just a tad too much to expose the lower part of my breast.  I was so embarassed and I immediately stopped to tuck it back in).  I successfully swam 1300 yds without any complications and the suit worked just fine yesterday.  There was hope after all. 

My only issue now with the swimsuit is tightening up those flabbly areas and getting over my self conscious complex.  AH says the more I wear the bikini the less self conscious I will feel. 

So here's me in the bikini post-swim with no more excuses but to swim, swim, swim!!