Swimming
Each year for several years, my husband and I had an annual challenge. One year we biked around Cayuga Lake, another we ran our first half marathon, and the third year we tackled our first sprint triathlon. After the sprint tri we were hooked on exercise! We put countless hours in training over the next many years, and improved as athletes. After doing the Cayuga Lake Tri four times, however, the swim is still the most stressful portion for me.
Total Immersion
Total Immersion took me from being unable to swim more than 50 yards without panic to being able to swim over a mile comfortably. I am still not a fast swimmer, but that is because of my own shoulder mobility struggles and body type, not because of the method. If you are interested in improving your swimming, I highly recommend you check this out. Total Immersion offers a video set and book for you to learn alone, but the best thing to do is look for a local TI coach. Shane Eversfield is a fabulous coach here in Ithaca if you are ever in the area. He also teaches workshops around the world.
My Total Immersion Journey
After every triathlon swim I felt more and more defeated. Despite all my pool and lake practice, each time I headed into a tri swim situation I felt unprepared. One day I was finally ready to listen to all the people who said, “You should take lessons from Shane Eversfield.”
They went on to describe Total Immersion and tell me that there was a weekly class offered at my gym. All I had to do was sign up and show up and I’d be on my way to effortless swimming. Read all about the process of Total Immersion before you read my posts below about my experiences. I wrote each post as soon after the class as I was able, so they reflect my in the moment feelings about the struggle with swimming and show my growth over time. Also, read my post about why I don’t LOVE swimming.
I’m happy to report that I now LOVE to swim and consider it to be a good (and relaxing) form of exercise. I never thought I’d say that before taking Total Immersion!
If you are looking to improve your swimming, definitely check out Shane’s classes. He works out of Island Health and Fitness in Ithaca and offers individual and group lessons. He also offers refresher classes. Call Island and they can surely tell you what classes he has going on at any given time.
