A lot has happened since my last post. On Saturday we had a group “ride”; well actually, it was a spin class, a two hour swim orientation, and a personal swim evaluation. Let me tell you about the swim evaluation. I have been swimming since I was two years old. I took lessons at a young age, and lifeguarded when I was in college. I was so cocky and confident that the instructor would be so impressed with my skills that he would use me as an example for others to follow. Maybe he would tweak one or two things, but that would be all I would need.
Then I entered the world of reality. The first humbling experience had nothing to do with my swim skills. The instructor had us put our bathing suits on and get in a pool that he had specifically made for swim instruction. This pool is about three feet deep with mirrors on the bottom and a video camera in the corner. Now if I was a fit, trim triathlete it may not have been such a horrifying experience, but who wants to see a bowl of jello wobbling around in a bathing suit? Then came the instruction. Now during the orientation the coach told us how everybody naturally does a freestyle stroke in sort of an S shape. Of course, I’m thinking “I don’t do that. My stroke is perfect”. I was also thinking that I keep my arms parallel to each other and my body parallel to the ground and that my breathing technique was correct. NOT! It was all there in front of me, on the video, in black and white. I have accumulated and perfected years of poor technique. Now I have five months to get out of my old habits and create new ones. Easier said than done. I am as sick as a dog today, but come hell or high water I will not miss my swim with the TEAM. I need an instructor standing over me correcting my form on every stroke. Time to start good habits. Wish me luck!
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