Today I went down to the pool to continue working on my front crawl, and particularly my breathing issues. I went to the pavilions in central Horsham, which is a 25m pool. There were about 6 or 7 people in the slow lane most of the time, though apart from one moment where I saw a pair of legs suddenly appear while underwater and took a lung-full of water in surprise the number of people wasn't an issue. It probably would have been quieter but half the pool was taken up by a local swimming club.
I warmed up by doing 6 or 8 lengths of breaststroke, and then started practising the front crawl. For the first couple of lengths I really struggled, and was unable to finish a full length. As I got used to it I settled down a bit, and managed to consistently complete a length 3 or 4 times. At one point I felt so good that I completed a length and then managed another half almost immediately before I was left gasping for air and had to finish with breaststroke.
I realise this is pathetic compared to most people, but for me it's progress and a sign that the hard work, and it is VERY hard, will pay off if I stick with it. As I continued swimming I got slower and out of breath quicker as I got tired. I played about with breathing more often than every 4 strokes but when you're breathing every other and still unable to get enough air there's no-where left to go.
Then half way down a length I got cramp in my right calf, and though I managed to finish the length it was pretty much a sign that the session was coming to an end, and after a couple more lengths I called it a day. In total I probably only completed 25 lengths or so in about an hour. More importantly they started to feel a little easier, and I continue to gain confidence in the water. On to the lakes...
No comments:
Post a Comment