tracking my progress

Just want to give an update to my progress with my huge goal of a triathlon, the swim portion being the main challenge.

First off, I am officially up and 'running' or should I say swimming with River Plaza and have been going to swim about twice a week. Every time I go, I try to focus on adding a new skill or technique to my routine while maintaining what I already knew.

Here is what I could do before:

• use my arms and legs to propel myself, attempting the front crawl but with my head out of the water; and looking very unskilled, usually doing 2 laps and then taking a break

Here were my first goals:

• stick my head underwater and feel comfortable (x)
• be able to breath, keeping most of my head in the water and not get winded after two laps - basically figure out how to swim and breath properly at the same time (x)

Here was the next phase:

• be able to do all the motion above for at least 6-8 laps, which I would compare to what I'd call a one mile jog (x)

The last few times I went:

• kick using my whole leg, not really bending the knee too much (tip from SC) - in this I have learned that I have a lot of muscle to build as I could only do this a few laps before my legs were back to the old way of kicking
• use my arms to scoop the water past me, which uses the forearm and bicep (tip from SC) - this I also learned I could do for a few laps and then my arms felt like jello

Goal for the next few weeks:

• continue my breathing - head in water, move up to 10 laps (no stopping), keep my legs straight and scoop with my hands (build some muscle!)

Key factor: Remind myself repeatedly that at this point it's not about speed but technique and endurance. Hopefully by May I won't have to focus so much on the basic technique/skills and can then try to increase my speed and feel solid in my ability to swim the 400-500 meters (about 1/4 mile). Once I feel comfortable knowing I can do the distance then I'll try and pick up speed.

On a side note, since I have a membership to RP, I went and ran 4 miles on the run track and was so excited to

1. not run in snow/ice

2. not run in several layers of clothes

3. run at my best ability/fastest times

4. be willing and excited to push for 4 miles instead of the normal 3

On Sunday, I also had a lot of fun having SC join me at the pool to give me some tips on swimming (and to see just how good she can swim : ) and we also had a little fun in the racquet ball court. I think we did more laughing at our fairy looking jumps swinging at the ball than actually hitting it. It was a great stress reliever and break from my normal routine.