You know how I hate running? I don’t hate swimming, but as difficult of a time as I have running, I’m far worse swimming.

It reminds me of the times I’ve spent as a beginning cyclist and a beginning runner, when I couldn’t figure out gearing or when the best time to shift was, or when I had difficulty with my knees and my lungs were on fire. I didn’t quit, even if I wasn’t having a great time and my friends who were also runners or cyclists were leaving me in the dust–instead, I kept going.

How do I get better as a swimmer? The same way I got better as a runner and cyclist. While I can study a bit and get some coaching, the only real way for me to get better is to keep doing it. And I am improving. I’m never going to be Mark Spitz–okay, for those of you who are younger, Michael Phelps–but I will be better.

So despite my struggles with it, I’ll keep trying, keep struggling, but eventually, get better–because I know that practice, while it won’t make me perfect, will make better.