This may be the "year of yes" but my first week in swimming entailed hearing a bunch of "no"s. On my first day, I outed myself. Coach asked, "so what's your goal?" I responded, "I have poor swimming form and don't know how to breathe with my head under water as I stroke." From there it began....
I started this swimming venture on January 5th. That week, I attended thrice... and all three lessons were somewhat infuriating. This was not because of the patient coach or because of the kind people who always told me how much I was improving. You see, I learned how to swim in preschool, when I was 3. In 22 years, I never "kicked from the hip" (whatever that really means, ) kept my toes pointed, and most importantly, I never kept my head in the water, only to breathe to the side upon every fourth stroke. Before correcting posture, you have to get the breathing down.
I cannot share exact details for how this is done, but let's just say it involves flippers and a mini floating board... oh, and lots of patience. I was almost running out of the latter when a kind elderly woman approached me this past Saturday. We share a lane because she (being 84) cannot keep up with everyone else... and I have no idea what I'm doing in the water. She started by saying how much I have improved from the day I started. Then, she, ever-so-politely, tore me a new one. She mentioned what I was doing wrong and how I could fix it. This would have made me feel bad, except she proceeded to spend the next hour with me to not only touch up my errors in breathing while I stroked, but also to correct my kicking position and make efficient strokes. She also told me that she didn't want me to feel bad because she was correcting me and always gave a warm smile no matter how much I botched my strokes after her careful explanations. How could I really every get mad at a woman like that? I later found out that the woman has taught swimming for 70 years (mainly in NJ... to both members of the US Coast Guard and to children in the Special Olympics) and I will always be grateful for the Saturday during which she took time away from her workout to be a coach once more. :)
Yesterday, I began once more by working on breathing while I stroked. Initially, I always forget to breathe both underwater and to my side... result in an obvious choking effect. Then, I progress to breathing under water and forgetting to inhale after every fourth stroke... once again, resulting in a choking effect... and then I finally put it all together and zigzag through my lane, every so often getting tired... and choking on the water... of course!
In any event, I'm improving. By the end of this week, my goal is to incorporate biking into my workout routine. =) Dearest "year of yes," please continue to make me patient and proficient in tasks in which I, by no means, have any level of expertise.
I started this swimming venture on January 5th. That week, I attended thrice... and all three lessons were somewhat infuriating. This was not because of the patient coach or because of the kind people who always told me how much I was improving. You see, I learned how to swim in preschool, when I was 3. In 22 years, I never "kicked from the hip" (whatever that really means, ) kept my toes pointed, and most importantly, I never kept my head in the water, only to breathe to the side upon every fourth stroke. Before correcting posture, you have to get the breathing down.
I cannot share exact details for how this is done, but let's just say it involves flippers and a mini floating board... oh, and lots of patience. I was almost running out of the latter when a kind elderly woman approached me this past Saturday. We share a lane because she (being 84) cannot keep up with everyone else... and I have no idea what I'm doing in the water. She started by saying how much I have improved from the day I started. Then, she, ever-so-politely, tore me a new one. She mentioned what I was doing wrong and how I could fix it. This would have made me feel bad, except she proceeded to spend the next hour with me to not only touch up my errors in breathing while I stroked, but also to correct my kicking position and make efficient strokes. She also told me that she didn't want me to feel bad because she was correcting me and always gave a warm smile no matter how much I botched my strokes after her careful explanations. How could I really every get mad at a woman like that? I later found out that the woman has taught swimming for 70 years (mainly in NJ... to both members of the US Coast Guard and to children in the Special Olympics) and I will always be grateful for the Saturday during which she took time away from her workout to be a coach once more. :)
Yesterday, I began once more by working on breathing while I stroked. Initially, I always forget to breathe both underwater and to my side... result in an obvious choking effect. Then, I progress to breathing under water and forgetting to inhale after every fourth stroke... once again, resulting in a choking effect... and then I finally put it all together and zigzag through my lane, every so often getting tired... and choking on the water... of course!
In any event, I'm improving. By the end of this week, my goal is to incorporate biking into my workout routine. =) Dearest "year of yes," please continue to make me patient and proficient in tasks in which I, by no means, have any level of expertise.
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