Did I mention that I’m also hoping to train for triathlons this summer? Yes, I’m going to hopefully run a Half Ironman in September. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. Justin, my triathlete roommate, has been trying to convince me for some time to try one. I actually convinced myself that this was a good idea several weeks ago. With all of the running and lifting I do already, what’s so hard about adding a couple of swims and bike rides to my weekly schedule, right?
However, one minor problem has kept me from doing this sooner. I can’t swim. I can propel myself 10 or 15 meters using a spastic and short-bus looking freestyle stroke, stop, tread water and regain my breath, then repeat. Hardly the technique I’ll need to compete in a race. So I took my first swimming lesson Tuesday. Man, do I suck. I can’t even begin to describe this ricockulous excuse for swimming with any brevity. About half way through the lesson, after my instructor has already had me try to focus (simultaneously, no less) on my arm movements, my kick, my breathing, and the depth of my head and shoulders in the water (which may I mention that at <6% body fat I sink like a freaking bag of rocks…screw all those heifers zooming by me in the adjacent lanes!!!), I decide to instruct the instructor. “How about this…all I’m going to do is practice getting my arms to do what they’re supposed to do. I’m going to just hold my breath as long as I can and focus on my arms.” It worked. By the end of the session, I was actually making some progress. It was also pretty cool that I impressed him by swimming the entire length of the pool without taking a breath. I’m actually looking forward to my next lesson. One word of wisdom to anybody else looking to swim…chlorine &*@#ing burns your eyes! …they (feel) like burning! After 30+ minutes in the pool and keeping my eyes open when my head was in the water, the entire whites of my eyes had turned bright red. Its 16 hours later and I can still feel some burning when I close my eyes. Think I might need to buy some goggles.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment