2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead

2011 Look-Back Last January, I timidly started to learn to swim, having had only 2 weeks of lessons at the age of 6. I found that I loved being able to work at a sport that demanded so much technical precision, and that swimming was a perfect match for my temperament and my body type. After blowing a disc in my back in June, I decided to stop pretending that I liked to run and bike, and I instead upped my swimming from 3x/week to 6x/wk. The added time paid off. I'm not "fast" but I'm "faster" than I was, and getting faster. I've been bugged by the idea that I hear that an adult who begins to swim will always be identifiable as an "adult onset" swimmer. I am doing my best to keep my adult onset status a secret, and I am now getting comments from swimmers that don't know me, asking "did you swim in high school?" :bliss: Why, no I didn't, but I'm so glad to confuse you!:) I also learned the other three strokes, with varying degrees of stamina at the present time. I'm finding that fly and dolphin kicking REALLY have had good crossover applications to freestyle. I love fly--just wish I could swim more than one pool length consecutively. I'm finding the love for breaststroke. Backstroke, to be honest, feels like a long drawn out drowning, but I'm sure that will improve as well. 2012 Look-ahead Lower my 100 m freestyle time to under 2 min. I think I'm getting close. I hope by the year end that my time is WAY under 2 min. Make flip turns SOP. More consecutive lengths of fly. I dunno--is 100 m attainable in one year? "Even out" my ability/technique in the non-freestyle strokes so that I can do (not race) an IM in a dignified manner. Meaning no EMT's on standby. I have a plan to swim in an open water swim relay race in fall 2012. Have team pretty much in place, a good group of swimmers that are faster than me and in it for the fun, because if I'm swimmin' it, we ain't winnin' it! As spring comes, I'll start doing open water work again.

2011 Look-Back Last January, I timidly started to learn to swim, having had only 2 weeks of lessons at the age of 6. I found that I loved being able to work at a sport that demanded so much technical precision, and that swimming was a perfect match for my temperament and my body type. After blowing a disc in my back in June, I decided to stop pretending that I liked to run and bike, and I instead upped my swimming from 3x/week to 6x/wk. The added time paid off. I'm not "fast" but I'm "faster" than I was, and getting faster. I've been bugged by the idea that I hear that an adult who begins to swim will always be identifiable as an "adult onset" swimmer. I am doing my best to keep my adult onset status a secret, and I am now getting comments from swimmers that don't know me, asking "did you swim in high school?" :bliss: Why, no I didn't, but I'm so glad to confuse you!:) I also learned the other three strokes, with varying degrees of stamina at the present time. I'm finding that fly and dolphin kicking REALLY have had good crossover applications to freestyle. I love fly--just wish I could swim more than one pool length consecutively. I'm finding the love for breaststroke. Backstroke, to be honest, feels like a long drawn out drowning, but I'm sure that will improve as well. 2012 Look-ahead Lower my 100 m freestyle time to under 2 min. I think I'm getting close. I hope by the year end that my time is WAY under 2 min. Make flip turns SOP. More consecutive lengths of fly. I dunno--is 100 m attainable in one year? "Even out" my ability/technique in the non-freestyle strokes so that I can do (not race) an IM in a dignified manner. Meaning no EMT's on standby. I have a plan to swim in an open water swim relay race in fall 2012. Have team pretty much in place, a good group of swimmers that are faster than me and in it for the fun, because if I'm swimmin' it, we ain't winnin' it! As spring comes, I'll start doing open water work again.