As I have written before, I went to a swim clinic back in early January. I never had formal lessons in my 41 years - mom was my swim teacher back in the day. I knew enough to keep myself from drowning & could swim breast stroke, but that was pretty much it. Learning to swim freestyle has always been on my list of things to learn. So I went to the clinic knowing it was going to be a challenge & hoped that I would give it 100% instead of my usual habit of trying, not doing well & quitting.
Once I got over the anxiety of the first time in the pool & trying to breathe, it was tolerable. When I wasn't busy inhaling water, I was swimming (or something like it!) I'm sure it wasn't pretty & I am glad I couldn't see what I looked like. I am afraid if I could, I wouldn't want to continue. Good news is, I have stuck with it. It has been one of the hardest things to improve on. Running & biking are so easy to improve, but there are so many things to think about in the pool, it is hard. Breathing, head position, arms, kicking, breathing some more - the list goes on & on. During January & February, I tried to get to the pool at least twice a week. Then there was another swim clinic in early March. Earlier that day, I was told to start working on my push offs from the wall so that I could glide through the water & save a little energy in the process. Thinking to myself - okay, that sounds like a good plan, I will work on that. So we were going through different drills in the pool (my favorite was the one-armed drill!) Then near the end of the clinic, it was announced that we were going to learn flip turns. Hahaha - funny, joke on me! Well, I couldn't get out of the pool, so I played along. It was easy to do a flip in the water, but let me tell you - it is really hard to find the wall! I tried 3 times & barely got a toe to touch on the last one. In the end, I didn't execute a proper flip turn, but it opened my eyes to the fact that I could learn it. I tried one again on Sunday & missed the wall again. I keep turning too early & then I get frustrated. One of these days, I will do it & then I will wonder what the hell took me so long!
If you are one of those people who is like a fish in the water - I am jealous & impressed. Know that I am watching you and trying to remember all of it so that I can try it out myself. Nowadays, you will find me at the pool three days a week trying to put it all together. Next up for me is a snorkel to help me with my breathing. Then maybe an open water swim later in the spring? So happy that I took that first step back in January to sign up & show up at the pool! Great things are ahead, I can feel it.
Happy spring & remember to smile, it makes people wonder what you are up to!
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