I'll never forget when I first started lap swimming. I was an avid cyclist already in pretty decent physical and cardio shape, but wanted to add some cross training to my regimen. A friend was recovering from knee surgery and couldn't ride, so convinced me to start doing some lap swimming with him. I actually started picking it up very quickly, but it would blow my mind when any random middle-aged, not particularly svelte, woman would be in the lane next to me just smoking me up and down the pool. I learned pretty quickly how much technique trumps raw fitness in the water, and I eventually got to the point where I was one of the faster swimmers and had one of the lowest stroke counts per lap at my local pool. And that's when my love for speedos took hold, too!
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