Today, I jumped into swimming!
That's an exaggeration. I slowly lowered myself into the cool, cool pool water at the gym, drew a sharp breath at the iciness and began what must have looked like to those above water, a desperate attempt to save my own life.
It's official, I am no swimmer.
I mean, I can swim. I can dog paddle, frog paddle, backstroke. I am a skilled floater. I not a danger to myself or others in the water. But I'm not a Swimmer. I've never been schooled in how to cut through the water efficiently. How to execute the different strokes with ease. I don't even know the right names. Or, apparently, how to breathe.
Yes, my biggest challenge today was breathing. I'm not sure when to come up for breath. Or how! I mean yes, I know when it is time to procure more oxygen. Just not the finesse of the timing.
Nor do I know anything about pacing. (is there such a thing?)
I arrived prepared with my oh-so-colorful Dolphin Ugly swimsuit. They didn't have a pink suit in my price range so I went with a suit that looks like a rainbow threw up on it. It sure lives up to the Ugly name.
I had my Speedo swimcap made specifically for long hair and my pink goggles. I was ready. At least I looked the part. Oh, why oh why did I put off swimming until just now??? What WAS I THINKING? Who is this person and why does she think she can complete a sprint triathlon???
It was a humbling experience to say the least. And I started off pretty darn humble, believe me. I knew that swimming would kick my rainbow tail! (the fabric is glittery too BTW) Man I'm worn out from just 45 minutes in the pool. I don't claim 45 minutes of actual movement because once I reached the edge of the pool I'd cling to it for dear life, my multi-colored chest heaving, gasping for air. My glasses not on my face, I was blind to all but what was right in front of me. At one point I thought Bahama Mama was in front of me when in fact, she was right next to me. I'm practically blind in case you didn't know. I thought the dark stripe marking the lane was her. Ooops. She kept an eye on the clock and let me know once we'd met our goal. (side not, not sure WHAT to do for the race. Do you wear your contacts in the water?)
Long ago I lost count of the laps we "swam." All I know is that swimming is the total body workout I anticipated it would be and that I'm not thrilled about the prospect of getting lake water in my mouth.
I've got a long row to hoe. Er, um, swim.
What have I gotten myself into???
Any advice you got, I'll take it. Goodness knows I need it!
Congrats on making it through your first swim workout! My goal is just to stay relaxed during the swim and not waste too much energy. I wear my contacts at all times but I have seen that Kiefer offers prescription goggles.
ReplyDeleteHa! One of my next goals is a Sprint Tri, but I, too, am not a skilled swimmer. I married into a family of Swim Team members, so, I am hoping my hubby will stop laughing at me long enough to actually teach me to do it. I also saw a sign up sheet at my gym for people who want training in the swimming portion of their Tri.
ReplyDeleteHey, it's the first step... and you did it! Love the suit, by the way!!!
ReplyDeleteWell good first try! If it makes you feel any better, the majority of actual triathletes consider swimming their WORST event. Swimming is in fact my best event, and I STILL like it the least! As for breathing, maybe watch a training video on youtube... I bet that would help. When I started out, I would breathe every stroke. As I trained more and more, I got it down to a 1/2 pattern (stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, breathe...). Good luck! And don't worry... no one else in the gym is looking at how you're doing!
ReplyDeleteI always use to swim with my contacts in (but then I did the whole Lasik thing about 5 years ago). As others mentioned...you took the first step...you sound like how I feel with running...out of your comfort zone, but trying. Guess what?! With each day and each ounce of effort, you will get better, stronger, and more confident. Soak up every ounce of info you can get from swimmers - ones you know, ones you don't know...(that's pretty much what I do with running)! Hang in there and most importantly - HAVE FUN! =)
ReplyDeletegirl... I'm wiped out after reading this! I FELT this post. I know you can do this though, it'll take practice, but I know you can do it. :)
ReplyDeleteThat suit is hot! You can do it. :o)
ReplyDeleteI definitely wear my contacts in the pool...I've never had any problems with it....Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI went to cheer for friends at a sprint tri this morning and you can SO do it! Everyone looked like they were having so much fun but their bathing suits were SO BORING compared to yours. I didn't see any frog paddlers but there's always room for one and since you're in the water getting al splashed and pushed around, I'm sure no one will notice.
ReplyDeleteKeep working hard, I'm so excited for you!
I wear contacts in the water.
ReplyDeleteWay to go on the swimming. I can't swim either. Except to dog paddle. I admire you for taking on the challenge. Good for you! And and least if you start to drown you'll be highly noticeable in that suit. LOL
Laura
haha that would SO be me! I am an awful swimmer! I wouldn't even know where to start!
ReplyDeleteWhen is your tri? You'll do great. I did a sprint tri about 5 years ago, and I am no swimmer (or biker!) either. Funny enough, I thought I was all hardcore swimmer and then, no. It took me about 3 months (but this was just swimming once a week) before I felt "good" at swimming, but, it worked! The breathing will make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I sported a blue flower-y suit--not very hardcore, but heck, I was cute. As cute as one can be in a one piece!
I could have written this post! And well, actually, I am in the midst of writing something very similar right now! I too am NOT a swimmer but am training for a sprint triathlon that is just around the corner! You can do it!
ReplyDeletejust to repeat everyone else.....i always wear my contacts when i swim, and i open my eyes a lot under water and never had a problem. but maybe goggles w/ contacts would be better?
ReplyDeletecongrats on swimming!!!!! i can't wait to hear more!
As a former swim instructor I would suggest taking some adult lessons maybe?? We used to have adults come in for lessons ALL THE TIME and having the proper form when swimming can make a world of difference!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Once you get into swimming I'm sure you'll love it :)
You made it through the first swim, that's the hard part. Just stick with it. Work on your form and technique, don't worry about speed. Rest after each length. Once you get used to the stroke and breath the speed and endurance will follow,
ReplyDeleteSwimming is really hard when you first get into it/back into it, but I promise you can do the sprint tri if you keep with it! You'll be amazed how you can build up endurance and see improvements. I felt exactly like you training for my first tri!
ReplyDelete