Swimming

I’m 33 weeks into my pregnancy; the last run I went on was 28 weeks ago and my next run is still 13, long, weeks away. Our Y membership has been a godsend during my running drought but to say that I’m burned out on gym equipment is an understatement.

Several weeks ago, I borrowed a maternity swimsuit from my sister-in-law so I could take E swimming at the indoor pool. While I was splashing with her in the water I watched some swimmers in the lap lanes powering through what looked like a hard workout and had an epiphany. I can swim!

I went home and made a beeline for my closet. After much digging, I found a pair of cheap goggles I’d bought eons ago and the next day I was staring down the lap lanes of the pool.

I didn’t know what I was doing. I hopped in the water and just started swimming. My arms flailed. My legs thrashed. I huffed and I puffed. My timing could not have been worse. I was attempting my first ever lap swim only 10 minutes before recreational swim began and throngs of parents with small children lined the sides of the pool. They watched the lap swimmers because honestly there wasn’t much else to do; they watched me make a fool of myself. Somehow though I managed to swim a total of 500 meters and I left the Y that day proud and hopeful of my swimming future.

Realizing I needed help, I pulled up some beginning swimmer workout schedules online and began watching YouTube videos on proper swim technique. Now I swim three times a week. Each workout focuses separately on form and endurance – drills to help me become a more efficient swimmer and distance swims to build my endurance.

I quickly realized that real swimming, done properly, HURTS. The first few swims were rough to say the least. I can’t even tell you how much water I inhaled trying to work out the best breathing rhythm and I had to stand up in middle of the lane more than once to relieve screaming muscles. But, amazingly, with each swim I feel more confident and less embarrassed – more like a swimmer and less like an idiot. I’m looking forward to seven more weeks of practice before Baby Buck makes his debut  Maybe a triathlon is in my future? 🙂