Sometimes, life doesn’t go the way you want it to. Which is totally ridiculous and honestly, something should be done about it.

In the meantime, I suppose I’ll just continue to deal with it. For example, when an injury stops me from running for awhile, I deal with it by swimming instead.

The result? I hate swimming slightly less than I used to. So I suppose that’s progress.

Honestly though, swimming hasn’t been half bad. Over these past few months, I’ve felt myself become stronger, I know I’m a way better swimmer, I’m much less terrified of drowning, and I’ve been able to work muscles that my body forgot existed. I am convinced that this whole swimming experience is going to make all the difference when I really get back into running. Am I going to become a triathlete now? Not a chance. But I certainly appreciate all that swimming has done for me during this weird period in my life (who am I if I’m not running?!?!)

If you’re injured or just thinking of giving the water another chance, here’s what I’ve learned from my time in the pool.

You won’t be the coolest kid in the pool

If you’re a seasoned runner, you’re used to looking like you know what you’re doing. You may even occasionally shake your head when someone with poor form crosses your path or you see a runner jogging in place at a stoplight. You’ll think to yourself, amateurs, and continue on smugly. But friends, when you get in the pool, you’re suddenly the one jogging in place at a stoplight. Luckily, swimmers spend most of their time with their faces in the water so they have less time to openly stare at how wrong your strokes are. You will be surrounded by people who actually know what they’re doing. So instead of floundering forever, take the opportunity to look at what other people are doing and try to mimic it. That’s how I was able to move from snail speed to turtle speed. Major improvement.

Practice makes perfect

I set some seriously lofty goals the first time I got in the pool. I thought I’d go at least ten laps for free stroke without stopping then take a few second break and go at it again. Instead, I felt like I was at death’s door when I reached the other side of the pool for the first time. I wish there was a less self-conscious way of informing the general public that I run marathons so I’m actually a lot less pathetic than I look at the moment. We runners are used to being good at our craft. We know what to expect during our runs and workouts. We’re seasoned pros! With swimming, it’s starting from the ground up all over again. You’re not going to be amazing at swimming your first time. It will probably be really hard, and super exhausting, and you’ll feel like you’ve made a terrible mistake. But I guarantee you felt the same about running at some point waaaaay back in time.  Don’t give up on it so quickly. Give swimming its fair share of chances. The more you get in the pool, the easier it will become.

Take some time to get down a routine

Running is simple. You can do it anywhere, anytime, wearing close to anything. Swimming is not nearly as simple. You need a pool or another body of water. If using a pool, that pool needs to have open swim hours that fit your schedule. You need to find out what times the pool is least crowded. You need proper swim attire, you have to plan out showers and changes of clothes and lots of other little details that you’re just not used to. Give yourself some time to develop a routine. Just like you had to with your running schedule at some point, your swimming schedule will have an adjustment period.

Dust off your humility

I remember during two-a-days in high school, all the fast girls would be the slowest swimmers and the slower girls would swim circles around the rest of us. You may be the world’s greatest runner, but that doesn’t mean you also have to be the world’s greatest swimmer. People will swim faster and longer than you, and that’s okay. You’re not there to prove anything to anyone, you’re not there to compete. You’re there to get stronger and better. Take this whole experience as a chance to learn to laugh at yourself. It’s also a great chance to relearn how to set goals on no one else’s expectations or standards but your own.

Challenge yourself

For years it’s just been running, running, and more running. This is a whole new universe! You can set totally new goals for yourself. It doesn’t matter how big or small, the fact that the challenge is new is the most important part. Most of my challenges consist of finishing a lap faster than the 75-year old man in the lane next to me. But those little goals have built up over time and have made me a better swimmer. Plus, it adds some excitement to swimming lap after lap after lap…. And people think running is boring.

Swimming is such an awesome cross-training exercise for runners. Especially if you need something with zero impact. How rare is it to find a killer workout with zero impact?? If you have the chance, give it a try. You may be terrible at it, but I swear you’ll get less terrible with time. And most importantly, your future running carreer will thank you.