A means of Escape
Like the character in the well-known book, and film - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - I used my ability as a distance runner to escape from my issues. In the story, the character runs to escape from the horrors of life in a borstal; I used use running as an escape from my failure in school.
I was never a competition swimmer, I was a good distance swimmer, I could swim for miles.