What makes you happy?
A friend told me about masters swim a while back. I loved the idea of getting back into the pool. I used to swim when I was in grade school, but never wanted to compete. I have no idea why but always thought it took the fun out of what I was doing. I would get nervous and I hated that feeling! So I never competed, never joined the swim team in high school, nothing...notta. Bummer! Who knows where I could have gone with it? It makes me think that I need to push my kids if they have a natural ability towards something.
Geez I ramble a lot! Stay focused, Jill! Anyways since I decided a month or ago I wanted to focus on Tri's this summer I knew I needed to get focused in the pool. I finally bit the bullet, texted a few of you and went to Masters Swimming...
It was AMAZING! (I swear I repeat myself throughout this blog) I haven't been this excited about something in a long time. I feel at home in the pool and I don't know what it is but it's just the best thing for me. I never feel like its hard or tough and maybe that's why I love it? Even when I'm too tired to go, I go and am on such a high afterwards! It's the best feeling and I haven't had it in a while. Feels great!
What's great about Masters Swim is that they coach you, which I love because I want to know how I can improve.
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| Of course this is me... |
When I swim I really have no goal except for time and I just go as hard as I can. Well...now that I have joined masters swim and have someone coaching me...well that has changed. I wear my heart-rate monitor and she has made me s-l-o-w down, which is not easy but very beneficial to build endurance. I typically stay in the 70% zone. Who knew? Clearly I did not. The idea is to slow down so that you can learn to go fast longer! Yah, I guess that works in running too!
This has helped me improve just in the short time I have been going. I have improved on my stroke and my endurance. Having to count my strokes and limit it to 18 in 25 yards...try it, it's not that easy! I have already learned how to kick more efficiently, moving my body differently while doing certain strokes so that I don't strain areas that aren't supposed to be strained and I am learning to keep my head down...guess I wasn't putting it down enough...again, I had no idea! Man I love when I can improve. I can totally tell that all those things have helped BIG TIME!
My coach invited me to do a Postal Swim at the end of the month. The Hour Swim is a great way to make an appropriate assessment of where I am vs where I should be. This will be a great tool so we can put a training plan together. There will be someone to count laps so all I have to do is swim. Very anxious to see what I can do. Have you ever done one of these? How did you do?
SWIMMING MAKES ME HAPPY! What makes you happy?
7 comments:
Good luck with the masters group - that is awesome! I haven't herd of one that focuses on the heart rate, can't wait to follow your progress. I have heard of the postal swims but have never done one. I can see though where it would be cool to compare your results from when you started to results a few months down the road.
Hi Karen,
Thanks! Its such a blast.
They don't focus on the hr, she just has me keep mine at 70% so I don't go out too fast. I started wearing it just so I would know how many calories I would burn...but keeping my hr in a certain range helps me slow it down. I can go fast when that is the workout, but she wants me to keep a normal pace so I didn't kill myself for the full hour.
If you are interested in finding a group, look online. I think they have them all over.
I love swimming and did my first sprint tri this year. I don't have a bike and zero time...BUT some poo time sounds DREAMY! Maybe I will make a detour this week to the pool!
I can see myself loving swimming but I need to learn how to do it well first. My breaststroke is good but freestyle... well, better not say.
Good luck with the masters group.
I love swimming but haven't tried anything structured in a long time - your class sounds fantastic!
Not sure how you found my blog but I'm glad you did! I'm really excited to watch your journey this year. Considering your first tri was the best day of your life you are in for a fantastic year!
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