It had been five weeks since I underwent major surgery, and I was starting to feel better. So, to unwind and continue to recover, my husband and I went to Sandals in Antigua.
We had never been to an all-inclusive place, but we were up for the fun. The thought of swimming in the turquoise waters appealed to me, so we booked the last-minute trip and took five days off from work.
The Water
Every morning, I would wake up at 6 am every morning and walk down to the water.
I remembered that beach chairs, especially ones with umbrellas, are a commodity at these types of resorts. So, I grabbed a few towels and headed to the beach. I wasn’t alone. There were dozens of people getting their spots by the large pool or the beach.
I found two spots that were close to the water. (The “butler” service folks took all the spots in front of the water.)
Meeting an Ironman
On the second morning of our vacation, I went downstairs, grabbed my towels and headed to the beach. While there, I sat and listened to the waves. I wanted to remember that sound so when I was at home weeks later, I could bring myself back to that gorgeous beach.
As I sat on the edge of the lounge chair, I saw someone in the water with an orange buoy, similar to my swim buoy. I knew then and there that he was a triathlete.
When the guy exited the water, I said, “Hey, are you a triathlete?”
“I’m an Ironman,” he told me. He then proceeded to tell me that he also lived on Long Island. I was surprised I had not met him at one of the races, but he said he doesn’t do local races, except last year he did Ironman Jones Beach.
“In that horrible storm?” I asked him. “Yeah,” he said.
When I told him I backed out in the morning, he said, “You were smart.”
While on Vacation
As you know, athletes and triathletes don’t stop working out. We keep on going.
For me, swimming in that turquoise water was incredible. Although there were no fish and the water was foggy, I felt as if I were in my happy place. “I could certainly get used to this,” I thought.
I swam every day. I also tried to run a bit but it was difficult to run around the facility. In between paths were stone and marble floors, which were wet most of the time because it would rain and then stop. So, I felt uncomfortable running over them and slowed down to a walk.
The thought of leaving the facility crossed my mind. However, the roads were narrow, with no shoulder and two way traffic. I felt uncomfortable so I opted against it.
Kept Seeing the Ironman
I kept seeing the Ironman. I swam with my bathing cap and buoy and he kept seeing me as well. I swam the length of the beach and back. On the last day, I swam the length of the beach and back and then did it again. “I need to remember this,” I thought.
The last day, I saw the Ironman get out of the water. When he was swimming he was smacking the water as if he were hitting it. Trying to refrain from being a coach, I couldn’t help myself so I said, “When you enter the water, use your finger tips first then the rest of your hand.” He seemed appreciative of my unsolicited advice.
Sticking out
It was funny because he and I stuck out like sore thumbs in the mass of people who frequented the Sandals resort. Most just lounged around the pool or the beach, but we needed to get in our workouts so we did.
I’m so grateful to have had that amazing experience and can’t wait to go back.
