Tuesday, November 29, 2005

My swimming sucks

I've got no one but myself to blame, dammit. 55 days without sticking even my big toe in the water and the old body can't remember how to get from one end of the pool to the other.

Flail, flail, flail, *splash*, choke, paddle, kick, cramp, flail.

So now we begin again. And keep at it until I start getting it right. In 340 days I plan to do a 2.4 mile ocean swim, remember? That would be 3862 meters, more than 2 1/2 times the total distance that I swam today. And I intend to live to tell the tale. Not to mention go on to do a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile jog the same day. Before midnight.

My baseline today for starting back in the pool:

  • 200m in 6:19
  • 200m in 6:20

The good news is that if I can do exactly that pace or better at Ironman Florida, I'll be out of the water in 2:02. Eighteen minutes ahead of the deadline. Whew!

10 comments:

jeanne said...

It's hard starting at the beginning! Sometimes, that's just what we have to do. You'll get there again!

Bolder said...

thanks Nancy for not taking the math one step further... i keep telling myself not to convert 2.4 miles into 25m pool lengths...

least, not yet... ;o)

Oldman said...

nancy i'm not a fishie but i love the water and have been around swimming since my youth. when i started to train i sunk more than swam. my first tri i more floated with the current than swam!

buy the video from Total Immersion swimming and the training cards. then make swimming your priority using this system. it takes about 3 months to get to the point that uoo feel like you can swim forever!

Hollyfish said...

Hey Nancy! Good job getting back in the pool. I thought of you while I was on the Eastern Shore...my cousin is a member of the Easton YMCA and loves it. Good job on your PR races! I ran on Saturday while in Royal Oak but only for 30 minutes.

Along the same lines as Oldman, Total Immersion is a reasonable program but I'd also recommend again the GO SWIM DVDs. Check them at out www.goswim.tv... does the Y have a Masters swim program?

Dr. Iron TriFeist :) said...

Never fear, I will send friendly dolphins to guide you during your IMFL swim. Only friendly ones, mind you.

You'll be fine. If you can swim a 2:02 pace now, you'll be GOLDEN by then. Maybe even 1:30.

Nancy Toby said...

A squadron of friendly Flippers works for me. As long as they can tow me the correct way around the buoys, and then nudge me onto shore twice.

Ellie Hamilton said...

You have to be where you are to get where you're going...

Like Oldman, I sank more than I swam at first. I couldn't do more than 4 or 5 freestyle strokes before I had to put my feet down and get my breath.

One stroke at a time will get you there. The water version of one foot in front of the other.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Hey, at least you're getting in the water, which is more than I can say.

Total slacker over here!

Jim said...

If I keep reading your website and blog, I may get inspired to attempt a tri! My first love is running but I have done a few short duathlons. Good job setting your goals and sticking with it.

Nancy Toby said...

Jim: Go for it! I'm definitely NOT a natural-born swimmer, but I find it makes a nice complement to biking and running - gets that upper body working a little more, and stretches out the biking and running muscles in a relaxing low-impact way. :-)