I just don’t know about this swim thing. I went to the pool this morning, did my 1000 yards, even got in a 400 yd stretch. Felt better than I thought I would. I tried a couple of new drills, one in particular that emphasizes the glide part of the swim stroke. I dropped my strokes per lap from 24 to 18 and was only slightly slower. I can see how efficiency can be beneficial over the long haul.
But I just don’t love it yet. I’m trying. I think I am much more comfortable in the water than I was even a couple of weeks ago but I still feel like I’m doing everything wrong and my endurance isn’t increasing as fast as I thought it would. I am already secretly aprehensive about my first open water swim and the thought of cramming my fat butt into a wetsuit does not thrill me. Nor does trying to wiggle my soggy, fat butt out of one in the transition area. Maybe it will be warm and I won’t need to wear one… No matter. It will happen. I just need to get myself in the mindset that form and efficiency are the most important skills to develop in the water becuase this is the shortest part of the race. Seven minutes if I’m fast up to 12 minutes if I dog paddle. Out of a race that can last an hour to an hour and a half, this isn’t much. I can make greater gains in the bike or on the run if I focus on them so I will build my endurance for the next month or so and then switch to fewer, more technique focused workouts so that I can spend more time on the bike/run portion of the show.
Maybe I can learn to love swimming as I go. For now, though, not drowning is going to have to do.