I learned to swim quite by accident. I inched my way deeper and deeper in the pool, and all of a sudden found I'd taken one step too many. I could yell for help (embarrassing), or I could tread water and doggy paddle back to safety. That I did. All that and only 38 years old!
Ha ha. I might have been six or seven when I learned to swim, but I remember going to boot camp, and there were fellows there that couldn't swim. They lined us up at the pool and asked, "Who can't swim?" Surprisingly to me, there were a number of guys in my company that raised their hands. Then they took all of us and, one by one, made us jump off a three meter platform. I think we had to cross our arms and legs as we jumped. The whole point was to prove we could, in fact, swim. Or not. Even the fellows that said they couldn't swim had to jump. To their credit, they all jumped. I still admire those guys for that. The drill was, if they needed help, they'd reach out their hands and grab a pole that the instructor held out. I still found it humorous, though, as each of those non-swimmers sunk below the water. I just couldn't imagine a grown person not swimming.
So here I am, 38 years old, at the pool, trying not to drown, and hoping somebody will extend a pole to me. No such luck. I have to make to the edge on my own.
I'm trying to strengthen my stroke for a couple of races I hope to be in this summer. Well, I generously call what I do a swimming stroke. It's more like a mad thrash in an attempt to not drown. And all that thrashing makes you tired. Nothing makes you feel more out of shape that swimming. But it's getting better. I used to have to rest at 25 yards (our town's pool is 25 yards long), but yesterday I was able to do 800 yards, only resting every 200 yards. You can rest in the open water at a triathlon, can't you?
Endurance is obviously a big component to swimming well, but so is form. I'm working on that as well. Did I hire a coach? No way, I watch YouTube videos. I'm serious! You can find a google of instructional videos out there. Right now, I have the swimming form of a drunk monkey, but I'm confident that after buffering several hundred swimming clips, I'll be swimming just like the greatest and most decorated swimmer of all time, a mermaid.
Enough for now. I would include a pic our our pool, but I think the old ladies that swim laps with me might find it uncomfortable if I brought a camera in there and started snapping photos (oh, don't worry about it ladies, it's just for my blog, on the internet). Instead of swimming pics, here's a Saab 900T I used to own. Enjoy!
