Finding Nemo

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." 

This scene has been playing in my head over the last month. The swim may be my weak spot but I am determined to find some mojo in the pool. I WILL conquer the swim. But it's going to take a lot of hard work. 

YMCA Downtown Pool

Elevating the swim from "bane of my existence" to "swim? no problem!" meant fine-tuning my technique so that I become one with the water. This November, I devoted my training energies to SENSATIONAL FREESTYLE - a month-long Total Immersion course offered by SEAHIKER, run by Peter Scott and Tyler Zetterstrom. Awesome guys, by the way. They know their stuff and teach flawless technique mixed in with a lot of humor. I had taken some private lessons with them over the summer, and I am still amazed at how they were able to get me to comfortably swim lengths after just 2 sessions. Prior to meeting them, I couldn't even make half a length without gasping for air. I was at my wits' end and thought I would never be able to do a triathlon. That changed really quickly, thanks to these guys.

Sensational Freestyle is a program meant to work on all those little details that can make or break your swim stroke and ultimately, your efficiency in the water. Technique-heavy with LOTS of drills, it teaches you to master the sensations of proper form (hence Sensational Freestyle). When you know how your body feels while swimming with perfect balance and minimum effort, you can then correct yourself when these details fall off in practice. 

Drills. We did lots of drills. Drills are boring, but very, very essential to achieving proper swimming form. You do them over and over and over. And then you do them some more until the muscle movements are imprinted and become second nature. We were not allowed to swim full stroke throughout the course, even in practice. This was hard, but worth it in the end. 

A Classmate Doing Drills 

The very last thing we worked on was breathing. Breathing is one of those things that will take a lot of work and pool time to master. The human need to breathe in water really tends to mess with technique. So we worked first on mastering basic form before being allowed to breathe. I think we were starting to grow gills. Towards the end, with only 2 sessions left, the whole class was beginning to feel like were would never be allowed to breathe.  But by the time we added the breathing in, we were so comfortable with our balance and form that we could focus on breathing without thinking about the other stuff. Immensely helpful. 

This course was crucial to my training. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will take everything I have learned into my swim workouts going forward. Now I have the tools I need to take my swimming to the next level.

What's next?
Swim time. Lots of swim time. Also, training for the half-marathon has started, woot! I'm doing the Vancouver BMO half-marathon in May 2010 to achieve a personal milestone BUT, more importantly, to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - running for a cure for blood cancers. Please visit my fundraising page to learn all about this cause. I would really appreciate your support. Every little bit helps!