Even more helpful than this swim plan was an actual swim lesson that I got from my friend Jess this past Sunday. Not only was Jess a competitive swimmer in college, but she's also a teacher now, so she's really good at explaining things and encouraging and thinking of creative ways to help me figure out how to do what she's telling me to do. For example: I wanted to learn to do a flip turn. When you're doing lap after lap in a 25-yard pool, stopping and turning around at the end of each length gets really old. Plus, flip turns are so cool! In my mind, if I can learn a flip turn, then I'm a real swimmer. Based on my experience on Sunday... we'll see if I ever get there.
Flip turns require a quick, tight flip in the water. You propel yourself downwards and around and then push off the wall with a twist. My problem so far is the whole buoyancy thing--there's nothing against which I can propel myself downwards and around to even get to the wall! I end up with a very deep, not very tight flip, which generally ends with me pushing myself off the pool wall and straight onto the pool floor. I only did a few flip turns in our practice, largely because I kept scraping all or part of my person on the bottom of the pool. But I will try, try again, I suppose.
Of course, flip turns are a very small part of what Jess showed me. Equally helpful was the swim cap she let me borrow! Gosh, my head felt funny. It floated in the water differently, the whole thing was a very strange experience. But I intend to get my own--yet another step towards becoming a real swimmer. Also, Jess told me to focus on keeping my hips up and head down--to be long and flat in the water, rather than dragging my legs behind me. I'm learning to think about that as I swim, and it's great! I can already feel the difference.
Also, Jess adjusted my hand placement. When I put my hands in the water, I was placing them almost directly over my head, rather than directly over my shoulder. With time, she said, I could develop some serious shoulder problems. I've already had to have my boss, Dr. Eric, work on my shoulders a few times. Swimming is hard on those joints and muscles! My whole upper back (sometimes lower back too) gets really tight. So I'm also trying to remember to point my hands directly above my shoulders on my stroke. Jess said my elbows were nice and high, as they should be, and that I was doing well for how short a time I've been swimming! What fantastic encouragement!
Slowly but surely, I am learning! I had an "endurance" workout today (my plan has one day of drills, one day of endurance, and one day of drills and endurance work). Today's workout included a warm-up and cool-down, with three sets of two laps in the middle. Two laps does not seem so far; I've done it before. But it's been a while, so it was challenging--especially doing two continuous laps, resting briefly, then heading right back into another two laps; and then doing that again! I went into the first set too hard, I think, so I had to dial it back and swim at a more relaxed pace for the second and third sets. Two laps is as far as I go this week and next; but the week after that it jumps up to six! Yikes!
All I can say is, hopefully by then I can do a flip turn.
