Today I swam "for fitness" for the first time in my life. It wasn't easy.
I learned to swim as a kid and have enjoyed swimming ever since. Until our recent move we lived with a pool in our backyard plus I worked this past summer at a camp that had a lake, so I've been swimming quite a bit this past year. What I don't do is "lap" swimming, and I never learned proper form. I can swim on my back, with just feet, with just hands, in spirals, under water, and plain ol' treading water. It's good enough for my needs. Now, however, I need better form.
In my May Iron Girl triathlon I am to swim 1/3 (0.33) of a mile. Today, with lots of breaks between laps, I swam 0.14 miles. This is my baseline. Now I have some idea of what it's going to take to get myself up to a performance level required for the triathlon.
It's important to know where you are as you set your goals. The trick is making sure you are not only improving what you are doing but how you are doing it. I don't want to expend a lot of energy needlessly, so I am going to learn how to swim more efficiently.
And remember, just as Dory said in Disney's "Finding Nemo":
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
 |
| Copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company, all rights reserved |
Good luck on your triathlon! Swimming is one of those sports where you will significantly progress quicker than you think. The hardest part is getting in the pool.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement - I hope you're right about the progress!
ReplyDelete