Saturday, June 30, 2012

6/30 - Learning to Swim is (actually) fun!

Swim WOD today though more like a personal swim lesson.  I wasn't going to go but changed my mind knowing that a swim would be good for me - and it's another weakness that I need to work on. 

I never learned how to swim as a child.  I remember swimming lessons but only for a few beginner levels before minus 40 temperatures and wicked earaches ended my (not yet started) swimming career.  I have always loved the water though - have had an attraction to it always but I've never been able to swim beyond what would be necessary to save my life (if it ever came to that).  I paddle and SUP and splash but I've never really swam... until today!

Shonelle was an amazing coach.  The first 50m she told me just to swim like I normally would.  I couldn't see myself but by the look on her face it was more like splashing and flailing than anything resembling swimming - the reason being that I don't put my face in the water - or rather until today I've never swam with my face in the water.  Oh how quickly that was about to change.

Shonelle was great at breaking down what I had to do.  Initially it was just kicking with one arm in front and the other by my side and practicing on keeping my face in then popping it up for a breath.  I did this for 50m then Frances arrived and I got to use the flutter board to do the same drill for another 100m.  Note - when I talk about the lengths it's not necessarily continuous - there were a lot of stops in the middle to rest/ shake out the water/ stop gasping... thankfully I could touch the bottom all the way along.

Next up was the same drill (with flutter board) but now I was swimming with one arm and trying to breathe every 2 or 3 strokes and then down to every stroke when I needed to.  I did this for a total of 4 laps (200m).  Last drill was to do the same thing again for 4 laps but this time stroking with both arms (still using the flutter board) but still only breathing on the one side.  This was tough as I wanted to breath every third stroke but since I was only breathing on one side I was limited to either 2 strokes or 4.  After all this I really was starting to feel better about breathing - that was my only focus today - head under water and coming up for breath but there was still so much to think about...

-when to breath (on the back half of the pull phase of the stroke)
-how to angle my head when breathing
-rolling my top shoulder back when breathing
-avoiding looking forward when I go to put my head back in the water
-breathing out while head was in the water
-not drowning
-and probably many other little things that seemed to come along as I progressed through the laps.  The biggest one really was when I was lifting my head up to breath.  Light bulb.

Then... just as I was feeling good about things Shonelle tells me I now have to actually swim... without the flutter board.  100m.  Just me and my head underwater and breathing and swimming!

IT FELT SO GOOD! 

I truly felt like I was swimming rather than splashing around trying not to sink.  In a way it almost felt effortless and I was actually managing to breath every 4 strokes because the rhythm just felt natural that way.  I made it 25m without stopping then took a bit of a break then struggled with the second half of the lap - I don't have any swimming endurance and as soon as my heartrate increases my breathing struggles.  Something to work on in the future but... but when I'm rested (like the start of the second 50m) I can swim!  I am so amazed with the progress I made in just one hour.  Shonelle said at the start that she'd get me swimming before we left and she was right and I love it.  I'm hooked.  Next time I know what's in store too - exactly what I did today but with my breathing on the other side.  I'm looking forward to it.

Vini took some 'after' video (thankfully there is no before) that I'll try and post when he sends it to me.

Thank you Shonelle, I'm closer to saying I can actually swim. 

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