I glide like a swan

No, I don't really glide like a swan but that's how I feel today.

Anyway, most of you know that I suck at swimming. I have been swimming, swimming and swimming... and I can barely go across 25 meters. To add to the insult, the coach wanted us to swim 1 km nonstop this last Sunday.... and if you divide 1000m by 25m... that's 40 times. I did the distance, but I made a lot of stops and I also drink a lot of pool water. Let me tell you, 24 hr fitness pool water tastes the worst!

Well the coach keep telling us that we will be fine as long as we do our training. Louis on the other hand feels like he is falling behind, so he started talking lessons at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. I started my first lesson Monday night and it was good. I feel like I made a lot of improvement. The weird thing about swimming instructors is they tend to give you general guideline and you really have to ask them for specific stuff... like how you breath... how you pull...etc. I feel great after the lesson. I felt like I was ready for Tue Team Training.

So today I am supposed to run 50 minutes in the morning, then swim with the team in the evening... and being me I was running late in the morning so I ran after work... RIGHT BEFORE SWIMMING. I took it easy on the run just to make sure I am fresh for the swim... and boy I WAS SO WRONG.

I got to the pool and jump into the water. I swam 50 meters freestyle and I was dying!!! We then did other drills for like another 200-300 meters and I wasn't getting any better! My legs are tired, I was winded, and I basically feel like shit. I was upset. I told the coach Monday night that I gotten a little better but now I swim like a... I don't know... a chicken? So I continue to struggle... and then the coach told us... now you are going to swim 8 100meters with 30 seconds break in between each 100 meters. Sorry for my language, but I was like WHAT THE FUCK! I cannot swim 100 meters nonstop (100meter is like swimming at those 24hr fitness pool 4 times). The coach told us to take our time so we don't get tired. The coach then told us to make sure we reach out and glide... I was like...hmm... glide... hmm... ok. Then he told us to make sure we utilize the gliding time to rest and I was like... hmm... hmm... ok... rest is good... I need those freaking rest because I am always running out of breath.

So I started the 100 meters thing. I kick off the wall and start swimming... I told myself to go slow, reach one hand out of the water to glide while I pull (or whatever you call that) with the other arm to propel myself forward. I was going very slow and I feel ok! I wasn't dying!!! Then I told myself not to kick so fast because kicking fast take up oxygen... so I kick like a dying fish(I am guessing they barely swim with their fins). So this is what I did... I glide... I pull... I breath... and I kick like a dying fish. And you know what... IT WORKS!!! I swam the 100 meter!!! All of it!!!

But I am not out of the blue yet... I still have to do this 7 more times!!! Luckly we get to use this floating thing to pratrice our strokes every other 100 meters so I have additional time to rest.

Let me tell you, I have been trying to swim as fast as I can for the last two months. I wasn't going fast at all and I get winded. But with this gliding thing, things become 10X easier!

Anyway, the coach gave me additional pointers so I gotten better and I was doing it. However since I only breath on my right side... I am getting a little dizzy and I am also getting hungry... and of course.. drinking pool water doesn't help either!

So finally... I finished!!! 8 X 100 meters... that's 0.8 km!!! But guess what... just when I thought I was done. The coach told us... ok guys... now you do an easy 200 and then we are done. I was like WHATTTTTTT? 200 meters nonstop????? I feel like everytime the coach uses the word 'fun'... he is about to drive a nail into the word 'fun' so it will never come up again. (I borrow this quote from the book 'You Sucks') But I suck it up and did the 200. It wasn't too bad...

When I am finally done, I wanted to cry (not really but sort of)! If the coach didn't tell me to glide, I am probably staying at the hospital right now!!! But you know what, I bet the coach have been telling me to glide all along... I probably just didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

So after training I went to eat with few of my teammates... well I like to call it 'the group therapy session' because every one of us complains about our trainings. Some of us can't swim, some of us can't bike, and some of us can't run... so you get to hear a lot of interesting stories. You know... when all of us are bitching about the samething, we tend to bond faster! I told my teammate about me gliding like a swan and they were like you have to put that on your facebook... so I decided to write a blog about it.

Anyway, now that I know I am supposed to glide instead of muscle my way though, I can focus more on my breathing and my form =)

Until next time... Go Team!

swan rock at the bridge to nowhere hike