i CAN swim

Monday, 3/23 – Swimming, 30 minutes

Only 30 minutes of swimming today. It’s not my normal swim day, so the hubby was at Hapkido and my parents had the kiddos. I didn’t want to stay too late, so 30 minutes was it. I met with swim coach, Connie, for some help. I thought I was doing okay with my form, but the breathing is what gets me. Connie was awesome! She told me to keep my head down…apparently, I tend to let my head come up which makes my legs sink, causing more drag, which means I have to work harder to move forward. She also gave me some pointers on form and later told me my form looked “great”. For the breathing, she thought I was worrying too much about breathing in and needed to focus more on getting the air out. And finally, she said to slow down and relax…jeeze, what have I been trying to tell myself for the past two months? Slow down and relax! But seriously, I did everything she said and I had no trouble swimming 50 yds with no break at the wall. She thought that I should have no problem with the 200 meters with a few more weeks of practice. And she said there's no shame in turning over on my back if I am starting to freak out or feel tired, so that made me feel a little better.

Progress! Slow, but I’m making progress!

Oh, and just a little about Connie…she’s 59 years old, but looks more like 40. She has been swimming competitively since she was 9 years old and still competes today in relay races. She has also run 39 marathons and will be running her 40th marathon next year in honor of her 60th birthday. Plus, she loves to compete in triathlons. I only hope I am still doing all of this at 60!!!