All by myself

Well not quite.
Tonight when I opened the door from the changing rooms to the pool, I was greeted with....an empty pool! The teacher was sitting at the side waiting for me.

I started with a couple of lengths of front crawl. This time the teacher videoed me so I could see what I look like.  Eek it was awful to watch but it made me realise what I do wrong with my arms. So, I concentrated on working on them. The only thing with concentrating on my arms though, is that I forget about my legs and what they should be doing. It was definitely better after practice.

Then went on to a bit of swimming on my back. I just went into the middle of the pool and went for it. Again the teacher filmed it and I could see that I look very tense and I'm not flat...I need to lift my stomach. Easier said than done but I know what I have to work on.
Then I did some swimming on my front then turning onto my back then flipping onto front again. This was much better as I have been practicing this.
My confidence is definitely coming back and I'm feeling the benefits of going to the gym alongside swimming. My core is stronger and I have more stamina.
A wee break now while im on holiday but should be swimming loads there!

I've put the videos on so you can see what i'm talking about. It will also let you see how much I still have to learn but also how far I have come!

Im still swimming!

Its been a while but thought I would update the old blog. So, been swimming a few times and you will be pleased to hear its just like riding a bike...you dont forget!
I was on a spa day with my mother in law and swam up and down quite confidently and loved it.
My plan is to maybe go back and have a few more lessons to sort out my technique which isn't very refined.
I'll keep you posted!

Crappy day

Last nights lesson wasn't the best but it was because I hadn't been to the pool to practice and it showed. Also have mega sore shoulders from stress and its hard to relax them in the pool so that makes me swim really awkwardly.

Started off with breaststroke and really struggled with the breathing. Also felt like my arms and legs were all over the place. I tried to slow it down which helped but I can't get used to breathing in through my mouth without gulping loads of water and the back of my nose was burning with the chlorine.

Moved onto freestyle and tried with a float to get arms doing the right thing so I can breathe to the side, then trying one arm at a time but it was hard and I was swallowing half the pool!

Lastly, first time doing backstroke arms which I liked, although I still have that feeling of "where am I going?" I was under the rope at one point, but thats ok I can work on that.

Lots that need practice.

My colleague at work handed me a flyer for the Loch Lomond great swim event which is at the weekend, might be something to try next year. Can hardly do a couple of lengths never mind a loch but look what I have acheived since January so anything is possible!

PS - very weird but i've noticed I have a better lesson when the showers are cold....they were roasting last night!!

A bit of deep reflection

Tuesdays lesson was fine again. I have been feeling that the lessons are becoming a bit samey (is that a word?)  I think I expect too much but in my head i've had a lot of lessons (17) and i'm still not properly swimming (i'm not sure how I define properly swimming!). My husband says its a consolidating stage so i'll trust him with that.

I had a bit of time before the teacher arrived and I was very aware that I was swimming up the side (where the training lane is ) but only to the stairs so always in shallow (ish) water. I'm still not happy in the deeper water but once the teacher arrives I just get on with it.

I did some freestyle legs so kicking and tried to remember to keep them straighter and together which seemed to go better than last week but once I try to add the arms in, the legs go to pot...i'm not good at concentrating on both things but i'm sure that will come at some point. I still have to stop when I run out of breath as I dont know how to breath in between strokes yet and I can't not put my legs down and take a breath. This is where I get frustrated. I can't complete a length without stopping a couple of times.

For the rest of the lesson I did a little bit of floating on my back, then turning in the water and floating on my front which I liked doing and a bit more diving for the little sharks (always my favourite bit). I'm getting better at going into deeper water to get the little sharks although its getting harder to get to the bottom. But again i'm always at the wall which is like a safety net.
So I think I felt a bit rubbish after that lesson, although usually I would have been swimming with the kids in between to the local pool and we hadn't been so that definitely made a difference.

So the other day my friends and I decided to go to a health club for a pamper evening and go to the sauna, steam and swimming. Im still a bit funny about swimming in front of friends cause i feel like they are waiting for a "tah da" moment.  Also not being used to the pool makes for a very different experience.

It turned out the pool was lovely with a glass roof and the sun was streaming in. It was 1.3 m all the way across which felt quite deep to me and that made me slightly uneasy but not enough to stop me going in. I was all prepared with my goggles too, cause being odd I can only swim with my head under water and not above, unlike everyone else!

My friends who can all swim like dolphins were quite happy to bob about in the water so we weren't swimming lengths anyway but I didn't feel happy away from the side and I definitely didnt feel as comfortable with the depth as I had hoped but I was still happy in the pool and it made a big difference to previous times when I would never have even got in.

I think this made me feel a bit disappointed that i'm not as far on as I had hoped but when my friend said to me that she thought it was great that I was learning to swim and how hard it is as an adult to do something new I decided it's not about how fast or slow i'm learning its just the fact that i'm doing it. I will get there in the end....I just dont know when the end will be. 

Maybe thats what keeps the journey interesting?

Facing my nemesis - the backfloat!

After this weeks early lesson and being away with the family for a few days, I was keen to get in and practice the backfloat. My daughter has lessons at the local pool so its a good time for me to go and get some practice.

This is where i'm starting to realise I lucked out in all the years I didn't take part in the family swims....trying to get the kids ready.  Its a nightmare! My youngest two are particularly good at winding each other up and there is no better place than the changing rooms for a brother sister fight.

Todays weapon of choice for me was a personal favourite.....the good old threat of birthday cancellation and I have to say it worked a treat, at first. Then they argued over who got which changing room, who got which shower, who held the float, who held the diving otter stick and finally who got to race me first. Luckily the lesson started for my daughter and me and my son were left in peace.

Again the pool was quiet so I got plenty of practice in. I had a few shots at front crawl and then breastroke where I practised coming up for air. Then I knew I had to practice the backfloat. I asked my son to show me how he does it. He demonstrated that he kind of sticks his chest out, so I copied him. Then he said "sometimes I go under but I like it when that happens."

For some reason this stuck in my head. I thought about why it made me nervous and its the though of falling backwards and not being able to get back up. But, I can swim underwater and I can get myself up.

So I decided to practice first just landing on my bum under water and then standing up. Then I pushed my arms to help me get up. I did it so often I knew if I did fall under water it wouldnt bother me anymore. The lifeguards must have been wondering what I was doing!

Then I held onto the wall with one hand and I leaned back...I floated! and when it came to standing up, I wobbled a bit but I got back up. I did this again and again until I didn't need to hold on but by the time they rang the alarm to clear the pool I had mastered the backfloat!

I go for my fantastic swimming lessons in Glasgow with www.swimmingmasters.co.uk.