IM NYNJ 2012
284 days to go...
Tonight I earned a $25 donation from Jeanette. I signed up for and had my first swimming lesson. I haven't been shy about sharing to everyone how much the swim portion of this Ironman scares me. I've never felt comfortable in water.
Sheila is my instructor's name. She's been teaching at the Park Slope YMCA for 27 years. "This is my pool. That's how I feel. This is my home and this is my pool." She went on to say how she has a full time job during the day and that she's here at night because she wants to be. She enjoys it. I cracked a smile because it reminded me how I felt about marathon coaching.
She explained to us that safety comes first, and how by the end of the day, we'd be able to cross the pool (width wise, not length wise). Yup. We were gonna be taking baby steps. I wondered whether I was in the right class or not. I wondered that throughout the lesson. Most of the time we were holding onto the edge of the pool or using a floatie-thing, even though we were only in three feet of water.
I wondered if I should explain to her that I could actually swim. I could pull off a few laps in a pool, yes quite awkwardly, but I won't sink. Was I wasting my time and hers? I didn't need to learn to stand in a pool or float. My discomfort stems from breathing in the water. Seriously, how? I mean, I just
hold my breath. Even if my head isn't even submerged. I panic when it
is. Yeah, that's fun.
But I didn't say anything. There was no need. I was learning so much. The lesson progressed and Sheila explained how my flippers (my feet) propelled me forward. She explained that if I lift my head up, my feet would head down. "Everything is opposites in swimming," she expressed. And most importantly, we practiced submerging our heads in the water. And taking a breath.
I was excited. I could already feel progress. This class was right after all.
"Thanks for tonight, Sheila. See you next week."
"See you next week. Remember to do your homework!" She asked us to loosen up our ankles. No problem. I'm looking forward to next week.
Yay Joel! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Totally true about the head controlling your swim. It's why people who won't put their heads in think swimming is hard :).
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are more advanced than the beginning class, but I am glad that you are taking it, Joel!! Swimming is supposedly the toughest part of the IronMan, and since I know you have the other two parts in the bag, I think it is smart to focus on hard part early on. How much did I say I was going to donate? $100? I'll double it when you swim in the ocean with your head down! :)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited you are doing an IronMan!!! I wish I could someday...