My friend Michele got me a guest pass at her gym so that I could practice my swimming.
This turned out to be a really good thing, because splashing around and playing in the water is totally different than swimming 12 laps in a row without drowning.
I'm not horrible, but I'm not as good at swimming as I've gotten used to being at other athletic activities.
After several days of "training" I can now swim up to 4 laps without needing to stop and catch my breath.
The breathing is SO much different for swimming than it is for running.
I've been practicing the Freestyle stroke, and trying to remember everything my dad (and Jason who swam in high school)once told me about timing my breaths so I won't breath in water on accident.
I've been trying to SLOW DOWN and not bust out of the gate (so to speak) and then get all tired and gaspy within the first two laps.
It turns out that, that part of swimming is exactly like running.
If you want to go farther...go slower.
Pacing is EVERYTHING.
Also, if you start feeling all whiny and thinking you want to quit and go home, God WILL stick a guy with no legs in the lane next to you who ISN'T whining and is getting it done.
Yesterday I was swimming and there was another swimmer using a snorkel which helped me feel all "better than them"...until I realized he was an amputee...and a soldier (When he left he put on his army t-shirt)
When I first started running about 4 years ago, I was wheezing through a 2-3 mile run and had stopped to catch my breath and "let" Grace (my dog) pee. (Really I wanted to quit and was letting her sniff around for no reason) when a runner bounded by with one of those prothetic cheetah legs.
Try and say to your self that it's "too hard" after that. I dare you!
True story.
And yes, I sucked it up quit my whining and got it done.
3 comments:
You are going to kick my trash at this tri! I haven't gone swimming in months and I wasn't a strong swimmer to start with!
Ah, you'll be fine. Everyone knows it's the biking and running that matters! :)
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