The pieces have been gradually falling into place but something finally clicked. I did 21 laps and they were, by far, the best laps that I've ever done. For the most part, I get front crawl breathing. I had a few times were I sputtered towards the end of the lane but that was about it. I feel so much more comfortable.I've been trying to breathe so carefully and so deliberately and, really, the breathing is not as exaggerated as I imagined. Just a simple lifting of the head and your body (being the miraculous entity that it is) just takes the oxygen that it needs.
I've wondered how people do lap after lap of the front crawl and I fought so hard to do just one lap -- trying to calm myself and rest before I ventured out and stuck my head under the water. I wondered how Jessica could fly down the lane and why Dana looked at me as if I were crazy when she asked Are you having trouble with breathing?
I've been overthinking it people. Overthinking it way too much. I made a mountain out of a molehill.
Ironically, chatty Kathleen was at the pool and I haven't seen her in ages. Serendipity. Circles. I find all of it amazing.
The reason I even signed up for a YouTube account is because there was this one video that captured Olympians breathing underwater. I got tired of searching for it and once I signed up for a Tube account, I didn't have to search anymore.
I kept thinking of this Edward M. Forster quote:
Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.I've been teaching myself the shape of the spoon and I've been coloring in between the lines.
I feel like my accomplishment today has opened up a whole new swimming world. Now, I just need to work on treading. I will not overthink it but I won't promise not to look at any videos because I've already watched quite a few and I know where to find them because they're in my YouTube favorites.
treading with flutter...keep you kicks tiny and fast.
ReplyDeleteThe rotary is like a figure 8 drawn with your legs try starting at 10 or 15 seconds then work up to minutes on minutes off of treading.
oh and congrats on falling into your roll to breathe groove its a nice place to be.
ReplyDeleteI just love how much progress you've made swimming! My department head is a swimmer, and has entered all sorts of competitions (he's approaching 60) and I love hearing him talk about his wonderful trainers. I never realized how much technique is involved. I'm so excited for your whole new swimming world!
ReplyDelete@midlife_swimmer,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips -- especially about the figure eight since it helps me to visualize the rotary much better.
@gingersnapper,
Thanks. I felt so good today not to mention relieved. While I was at the pool, I had visions of triathlons dancing around in my head. :)
Love this and have been thinking about taking private swimming lessons. I never learned how to do it the way I was supposed to. The breathing did it to me - I would breathe in while in the water. Did you know that doesn't work once you're out of the womb??
ReplyDeleteAngela,
ReplyDeleteLOL, yeah I found that out... :o, It burns when you get water up your nose.
Once, I got completely out of sync with breathing, pulled up and gasped as if someone had been trying to revive me.
I still think about taking lessons...