Mark (the swim instructor I met with last Saturday) suggested I do the breast stroke between freestyle laps as a way for my body to recover; thus allowing me to swim longer distances. I'd told him that I tired easily (after 2 laps - 50 yards). Seems like a great idea but I must be doing the breast stroke incorrectly because it is almost as exhausting as my freestyle stroke; hope to get another lesson with Mark next Saturday.
Since I only started swimming about a month ago, my quick fatigue may also be due to the number of strokes per breadth (plus the fact that I'm not in swim condition:). As a new swimmer, I watched videos, read online articles, and talked to coaches to determine the number of strokes per breadth and which side to breathe out of. Based on this research, I take breadths every 3rd stroke from alternating sides; however, I always feel short of breadth - even at the beginning of a lap. Maybe I need to take breadths every 2 strokes? It could also be that I'm just a bit anxious in the water. After moving off the farm at age 10 or 11, I played in the community pool, creeks, and ponds during summers. I could float, tread water, and "swim" short distances; however, without swim lessons, I never learned the proper strokes and most of my time in the water was just playing around - not swimming. As a result, I'm speculating, that my lack of swimming experience might cause me to be a bit tense in the water.
Hopefully, Mark will help me work this out. I was thinking today that if I swim every day for a year, it might help me to feel more comfortable in the water; good to have goals:) Swimming 1 mile freestyle without stopping seems like a fantasy at this point but...
No comments:
Post a Comment