Summer begins!

With my first open water swim of the season today, summer has officially started. And yet I am not set to graduate high school for another week! Today was the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Festival where I raced a one mile ocean swim. Though this is usually a shorter distance for me, it is always good to start the season out with a sprint. The swim started out unremarkable for me but as I warmed up, my stroke stretched out and I began to actually feel good (a somewhat unlikely occurrence for me). By the time I rounded the first buoy, I was sprinting across the water. I caught a wave on the way in and as is characteristic for me my cap slipped right off. I ran up the beach and crossed the finish line where I learned that I was the third woman to finish. Later they announced my name over the loudspeaker and it was really cool to see my hard work in the pool pay off.