Learning To Swim

I can swim just fine.  I’m not “great” at it, but I’m able to swim laps, and I know (in broad strokes) how to backstroke, crawl, breaststroke.

I would reckon that I’ve had 20 or so “Swimming workouts” in my life.  I would guess that in those workouts I have done about an average of 15 lengths per workout or so – let’s be generous and say 400 lengths.

I’m not a  good swimmer – yet.  It exhausts me, because I don’t have “baseline incompetence” at swimming yet.  I decided that I wanted to be able to swim.  I’m not “afraid” of the water, it just isn’t something i excel at and I stick to things that are comfortable BECAUSE they are comfortable.

Go towards the pain, that’s where you make the magic.

This means: a relationship that’s dicey, a client that’s hard.  Where the risk and fear and resistance are is where you make magic.

Right now- for me-  a fairly vigorous swimming workout would be 25 lengths.  I don’t know when to breathe, I don’t know how hard to push myself.  I get spent after 12-15 laps and I am simply not skilled enough to manage expectations.  The ground is unfamiliar.  When I returned to running last December, I was treading a path that I’d been on.  I knew that eventually I’d acquire fitness and be able to push myself and kick some ass.

I’m good at running – for my weight.  I am better than 85-90% of the population (can run a 5k in about 25 minute on a treadmill).  I like running because I’m good at it.  I am good at it because I like it.  That’s a virtuous cycle.

That’s the kind of thing I want for Swimming, so I’m going to do a program as follows:

• 15 lengths at the beginning or end of EVERY workout till it’s simple an easy.
• one swimming workout a week where I get 50 lengths in. (OK if I have to start at 40).
• learn to kick turn (find videos on youtube and watch).
• learn breath control (find instructions and follow directions)

I think that if I do this, and do it correctly it won’t be long before I’m solid enough to swim frequently, 2-3 times a week.