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I can't understand the meaning of "to strap herself in to try and keep up" in the text below. Mary is dating an older man that likes ski races in the winter and regattas in the summer. Would the meaning be: she had to make an effort to do the sports that he did?

He had swept Mary off her feet and she’d had to strap herself in to try and keep up.

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    Does this answer your question? Difference between "try to do" and "try and do" // M-W has a fine article comparing 'try and' and 'try to'. //// 'Strap herself in' certainly here means 'join the man in skiing'; it's possibly modelled on 'get your skates on' (meaning 'get ready for fast action').
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jan 24, 2022 at 18:34
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    It's a mixed metaphor. Swept off her feet is dancing, strap yourself in is airline travel and such - Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night. But sweeping and keeping up refer to a high-energy pace.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Jan 24, 2022 at 18:57
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    It's not (just) his sportiness that Mary had to try to keep up with, it's reasonable to interpret that sentence to mean that he set something of a whirlwind pace for their, err, romance.
    – High Performance Mark
    Commented Jan 24, 2022 at 20:39

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