Total Immersion Level 1
This class is held at my local gym, Island Health and Fitness in Ithaca, NY. I learned about Shane from Ian at Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Club.
Week 1
Introductions & Lecture
This class is held at my local gym, Island Health and Fitness in Ithaca, NY. I learned about Shane from Ian at Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Club. I was in the store buying goggles telling Ian that I really needed to learn to swim and he said “you should really see Shane!” He put me in touch and I took a private lesson. I enjoyed it and learned a lot in the session. However, my practice was derailed by my own sensitivity to comments from others, and a couple of years later I find myself ready for the next step; a group lesson.
This first class was two classes combined, so it is a large group. I learned during introductions that some are former swimmers, some triathletes, and others are total newbies to the sport. Introductions eased my fears and I found myself eager for the lecture. Shane opened the class with this quote from Abraham Lincoln.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
I lack patience, and the quote made me cringe. I remembered learning to ski when I fell for the first time. My friend Stephanie laid down in the snow next to me, carefully teaching me how to get up. I desperately wanted her to lift me, but she showed me how and waited patiently as I struggled and struggled but finally learned. As a 7th grader, I was mortified, lying there in the snow helpless. I realized at this moment that this swim class would be just like falling during skiing. No quick fixes. I would have to find patience.
Shane shared that novice swimmers are 1-3% efficient, and elite swimmers are 9-10% efficient while dolphins are 90% efficient. A an improvement of a mere 1-2% will dramatically improve a swim time, while improving aerobic output by the same percentage will have minimal effects on finish time. Shane is very Zen, and he stressed that we should be looking for the path of least resistance through the water and in life.
All this time, I’ve been muscling through the water thinking that the harder I work, the more breathless I am, the faster I’ll be. Shane was telling me the exact opposite. I could continue to muscle through and get a great cardio workout, but it would be just that.
The Water
After some land practice, we made it to the warm pool at the gym. At 89 degrees, warm is relative. I was freezing within 10 minutes. This is the major reason I dislike swimming. I’m so cold! However, Shane started with our practicing right away. I knew from the videos and from my private class how we’d begin. We started with Superman Glide, moved into skate, and discussed the “hammock” position. We did a lot of partner practice, and some solo work as well.
During this hour in the pool, I relaxed a lot. Although, I was initially uncomfortable working with a partner, I slowly realized that I wasn’t the only person struggling with what he was asking us to do. Each person added to our class discussion and learning. It was nice to hear others ask questions and see each class member try what he asked us to do. I left feeling really good and very positive about the future classes.
Highlights
When asked to relax in the water, I struggled. My legs fell toward the bottom of the pool, while many other people’s legs floated. Shane reminded us that if we are tense our muscles vibrate and we will sink. He also said to remember to take in air and keep the air. When I practiced next, I realized I was taking in air, but promptly letting it out as I got into the water.
During the land exercises, I looked around and understood that we were all struggling. This helped me relax. Later, I enjoyed the fact that many of us were asking questions and realized that whatever our background is we all have something to learn.
He asked us to “swim wide” like a gorilla. We should take up the entire swim lane. When we need to swim by someone, we should pull in and resume our wide swim promptly.
He told us we’d be resting in the “hammock” position almost 90% of the time we’re swimming. Shane joked that we’d get extra points if we fell asleep while swimming.
He asked us to have the mind set of a child thinking “this is the first time I’m doing this” or the mind of a fatalist and think “this is the last time I’ll get to do this.” Either will work toward helping us approach the water in a positive and playful way.
Week 2
Practice
I didn’t practice the first week. Yes, I did the gorilla walk on land and I thought a lot about swimming. But, the body needs to practice to imprint the behavior. Watching my Total Immersion Videos and thinking about swimming was not going to do a lot for my swim stroke. I did have a wonderful run mid-week where I tried to keep a zen attitude and to learn forward and let gravity do the work for me. My easy run pace was much faster than normal on this run, and I felt really thrilled!
Land Practice
We stood on the pool deck and did some gorilla walk practice. Looking at ourselves in the window “mirror” we practiced our front quadrant walk. I admit that my time here was spent thinking “my hips look fat” and trying to remind myself that this didn’t much matter while practicing swimming. I was grateful when we stopped having to look at ourselves in the mirror and even more grateful when Shane fixed my arm while doing the walk. After practicing this a few times, he had us grab flippers and hop into the lap pool for some practice.
Lap Pool
We donned our flippers and eased into this pool. At 80 degrees, it is really quite appropriate for swimming. I sat there watching people happily hop in, one after another. Finally, I dipped my body in as my teeth chattered. I was happy to see one or two other women easing themselves in and struggling to stay warm, but I couldn’t help thinking that if I could embrace being chilled I’d enjoy swimming a lot more!
We practiced the Superman glide position and moved into our Skate position. This felt pretty good for me, and Shane reminded us that his goal was to put himself out of a job as quickly as possible. I had to really push back against my mind when I found it saying “sure this feels fine, but wait until you really have to swim.” I enjoyed being in a large group, able to practice and mess up without someone really looking only at me.
Warm Pool
We entered the 89 degree warm pool and I was blissfully happy and warm for about 10 minutes! Later, I decided that this pool should be 98 degrees for my total comfort. Shane had us really focus on our recovery arm. He talked a lot about the importance of the recovery arm. Read Shane’s blog to learn more about this important part of swimming. Later, as the class went on, we started working on relaxing our arm and shoulder and “painting” in both directions. I found this enjoyable, though I was much more tense than I should have been. As the evening went on and I got colder I began to covet the wetsuit that one of my classmates had on. As we added layers to what we were doing, I felt like it was more and more challenging to do what Shane asked. However, we practiced in groups of 3-5 and he was able to give us some feedback and body correction. One thing that always astounds me is when I feel like I’m doing what he asks, and my body is SO out of position! I’m both grateful for the correction, and bummed that I need so much of it.
Highlights
If I said I felt optimistic about this after class #2, I’d be lying. This week I felt defeated. It feels like learning a foreign language that I am not terribly interested in learning. However, I’ve talked with SO many adults who are terrible swimmers, or people that never learned to swim as children who have grown to love swimming as adults. I also realize the need to have a cross training option for dealing with injury and adding variety to my training.
I’ve learned that I need to try hard to push back against my mind that is always looping “you can’t swim” and “you are the worst swimmer in this class.” It is challenging to turn off those negative thoughts. I need to remind myself that just 11 years ago, I was afraid to get onto a bike and 8 years ago when training for my first half marathon, I stomped home from many a run.
I’m glad to have the opportunity to take this class, and trying to look forward to class #3.
Week 3
Practice
After our 2nd class, Shane sent us some great videos and I practiced them in front of my computer at home. I also went to the pool to work on practicing in the water. I felt pretty comfortable with the land drills, and pretty ill at ease in the water. After two weeks of class, I was pretty excited to get back into the water for class #3.
Myelination
As we stood there practicing our front quadrant walk, Shane helped alter my arm position and I remembered that he majored in Modern Dance in college. My daughter is a dancer, and she’s very coordinated. I needed Shane’s video to help me remember which arm lined up with which leg for the entire time I practiced the front quadrant walk. As such, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he needed to refine my arm positions!
Shane reminded us that his email promised to share the process of myelination. He went on to say that myelin is the fatty sheathing that covers nerves. Laying down more myelin on nerve paths will begin in about 2 weeks of consistent practice. I read more about the process and found a nice explanation. Everything I read talked about adolescence and the importance of laying down this myelin early in our lives. Shane didn’t talk about needing to lay down myelin decades ago, or tell us it was a loss if we didn’t yet know how to swim. Shane focuses on the here and now. A quick read of his bio will inspire anyone of any age to start something new. And if I can lay some more myelin in 2 weeks - well that’s fabulous news!
Painters, not farmers
We hopped into the lap pool, going from end to end practicing our newly learned stroke. Swim wide with gorilla arms, lead from the shoulder, and make sure to slide your arm into a sleeve with entry. Shane told us it was a layering exercise. We were going to start small and add steps until the house of cards fell apart. And it would.
Midway through the layering, I felt like I lost all forward momentum. On one of our last trips across the pool, Shane pointed out that my arms were literally plowing the water. I was leading with my hands instead of my shoulders, and my arm was acting like a brake. He smiled and said “remember painters, not farmers.” We did a couple more laps, and I watched as most of my classmates seemed to understand this principle. At this point in the class, I was freezing and struggling to keep a positive approach. But, I knew the warm pool was coming and I’d get to warm up in a few minutes!
Stealth swimming
Aah, the 89-degree warm pool! Shane began this portion with a great story about elite triathletes that he’d coached. He’d put them in an endless pool with a swift current and they’d swim really hard for 5 minutes. They’d stop and he would ask them how that felt. “Great!” they’d reply. Then it was Shane’s turn to use the endless pool. With no change in current setting, he’d hop in and in his very Zen way he’d swim. He was graceful and calm. He’d hop out and it was a revelation to these athletes that he was swimming as fast as them. “No!” they’d say and he would respond, “I didn’t change the current. It wasn’t pushing me backwards.” Hmmm.
Our class practiced putting our hand deliberately into a “sleeve” while stationary. Then, we added that to our stroke and circle swam around a woman exercising in the center of the warm pool. It was GREAT! We were slow and stealthy and it was mesmerizing. I, however, was still plowing. I mentioned that to Shane. He replied, “If you’ve always approached swimming with apprehension, it will take awhile to unlearn those habits and feelings. You will need to retrain your brain.” He went on to share with all of us that swimming was similar to sculpting from a large block of wood. We were unlearning all the bad habits we’d formed in our lives and what was left was our sculpture, our pure swimming.
Tense muscles sink
“If your muscles are tense, they vibrate. Your body will seek out the pockets in the water and fall into them. It sounds crazy but it is true,” says Shane. We have just learned the proper time to breathe along with how to roll our head to get air. I rolled my head but got water and asked why. My muscles are tense. I am nervous in the water. Always worried about drowning, I’m sure I’m the person who literally lifts my entire head from the water to breathe. Then, my back end sinks and the rest is history. I realize that I need to remove pressure from myself - I shouldn’t think that I’ll be a solid swimmer in 8 weeks. Just try to soak in what I can, practice and begin chipping away at the large block of wood to slowly reveal that sculpture.
And the next day ...
Wednesdays are my crazy exercise morning. I begin with a 6 a.m. BodyPump class, followed by an hour long trail run and then an 8:30 a.m. spin class. Today, I added swim practice to the morning. It was time to begin adding myelin! In the warm pool, I worked on our drills and began my stealth swimming practice. The best moment was when another classmate arrived. She stood on the pool deck and stopped me saying, “I knew you had to be someone from our class by the way you were swimming!” And for me, this was what I needed to hear. Someone in my class could recognize that I was practicing what Shane was teaching us. My heart sang a little and I went back to my swim practice, trying to paint instead of plow.
Week 4
Practice makes better
I made it to the pool 3 times this week! For the first time (well maybe 2nd or 3rd) in my life, I longed for an endless pool so that I could practice every day. I’m also VERY grateful to have an Island Health and Fitness membership so I can use their pool. By mid-week, swimming became less personal. By saying this I mean that I no longer feel like a bad person because I don’t YET know how to swim well. It has turned into a game or puzzle of sorts and I’m having a great time figuring it out. One of the practice days I was swimming about 5 strokes back and forth in the warm pool. The lifeguard came over and told me that lap swimming wasn’t permitted in the warm pool. My brain thought, “but this is NOT lap swimming!” but then I looked around and saw the 2 other people in the pool were walking or just moving in a couple foot radius. I guess compared to the exercises the warm pool is designed for, it was. I admit I begged to stay and said I’d swim less - anything to remain in the 89 degree water over the lap pool. But, the next time I went to swim I hopped right into the lap pool and got moving!!
She’s in Level 3
Here we are, starting class and asking questions. There is not a soul in the pool except for our group. In walks a woman and she heads over to one of the lanes. Moments later, most of us start glancing at her in the lane. She’s swimming “wide” like Shane has taught us, and her stroke looks beautiful. Shane tells us she is in level 3. The woman next to me says, “yes she’s my friend who told me about this class.” We all smile and try to stay focused on our questions. I alternate thinking “I have to get to level 3?” with “there’s hope for us all” as we kick off our class.
House of Cards
Our class began on the swim deck like always with the front quadrant walk. And, as is typical for me, my correction was to work on having less tension in my lower arms. Relax! But, the front quadrant walk is becoming more comfortable each week.
We quickly moved into the lap pool and began a house of cards. Each drill we’d add something, and just like last week Shane said we’d build until our house of cards collapsed. The difference this week was that it was FUN. I enjoyed the layering approach and the challenge. I was in a lane with 3 other people and we headed off in twos for each drill. We were in a nice flow, and I felt pretty comfortable.
When we got to the drill where we needed to intensely focus on leading with our shoulders my arms felt better than last week. I didn’t feel like a plow. It wasn’t quite a paintbrush, but definitely not a plow either! It did make me want to cry when he said we were going to do this drill, but I did it!
Bilateral Breathing
Our last two drills incorporated breathing. Last week in class I was totally underwater when I was to turn my head to get air. Shane reminded me that tense muscles sink when I asked about it last week. It was frustrating, and even though Shane told us not to worry about breathing this week during practice, I decided to add it in. I actually managed to get air during the week. Sure, it wasn’t bilateral (in fact it was the opposite side that I normally breathe on) but it was air.
In class, I breathed bilaterally. Like several of my classmates, it was a struggle to get enough air, to remember to breathe out so I could breathe in, and to keep my patient lead arm in place long enough, but I got air. Always.
Flow
To swim well, we need to feel the water and relax. Shane reminded us that we can’t think our way to good swimming. We need to feel to swim. This means turning off or pre-frontal cortex. Flow is a state we get to when time seems to stop, we are uninhibited and completely immersed in an activity. It just so happens that when people are in flow, activity in the pre-frontal cortex is suppressed. If we can get into flow we are much less likely to overthink and just feel.
This part of the class, when we talk and really listen to Shane’s experiences also doubles as a weekly calming influence. It is the time when I remember how grateful I am that I am learning something new on a Tuesday evening, making time to get to the pool to practice and it also helps me keep everything in life in perspective.
Backstroke Anyone?
Last night I was talking with a classmate. She had a Cayuga Lake Tri cap on and I asked her about how her race went. She replied that it was great except for the swim sharing, “I panicked 50 feet in and almost bailed. Then I did the backstroke the rest of the way.” I was surprised to hear someone else had the same experience I had. We laughed that we both panicked, couldn’t get air and in self preservation decided to backstroke. It made me feel SO much better to talk to her and to know we were both taking steps to make sure that next year we can tell a much different race day story.
Halfway there
With 4 classes to go, I’m optimistic. The layering that Shane is doing is helping me a lot. Every week we go back to reinforce and imprint the skills we have been working on and we layer something new!
Week 5
Flow
Shane talked about flow last week, and reminded us that swimming is something our body needs to learn to do. You can’t think your way to better swimming. I practiced a lot this week, and felt really positive about my practice. I swam next to Shane for one session and next to another gentleman using Total Immersion swim technique for another.
Building Neural Endurance
The pool was CROWDED at our last class, and Shane had us hop right into the water to claim our lanes. Tonight he would video one of our laps across the pool. We worked on the same set of exercises, building our “house of cards” until things started to fall apart (or maybe stayed up a little longer)!
I felt really confident. My practice had gone well, and I thought I was getting it. This thought should have been my first hint that things were going to go awry. I believe there is a disconnect between my brain and my body with swimming. So many times, I really think I am doing what is asked or taught, but often it is COMPLETELY wrong!
The Video
And a video speaks the truth. I’m not there yet; not even close! I cried all the way home from my lesson. The next morning I was supposed to get up for my Wednesday morning 6 a.m. BodyPump class and actually said aloud, “perhaps I should just give up exercise in general and watch TV and eat.” Luckily I remembered Dr. Getzin’s comment when I had an injured knee “an object in motion tends to stay in motion” and pretty soon I was off to class! My video is below, along with a link for what perfect form should look like.
The Morning After
I made it to BodyPump and Spinning. Usually I practice swimming as well, but I purposely left my bathing suit home because I wasn’t ready to practice with a full heart. I’m not sure what is worse; knowing you can’t swim or thinking you are getting it only to discover you are nowhere near understanding. I gave myself until December to sort out my swimming because the Cayuga Lake Tri registration opens in December. But, in addition to having already paid for and committed to taking the class, two other things conspired today to make sure I won’t give up on swimming just yet.
Fellow teammate from Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Company, Emily was next to me in BodyPump that morning. She recently did the Wisconsin Ironman. I shared a lane with her this summer on one of my first training swims and she’s an outstanding swimmer. We were chatting about swimming. I told her about my video. She said she had taken Shane’s class last year and things really clicked in Level 2. Suddenly I had hope. A little lightbulb went off in my head, My brain thought, “You have taken 5 classes, practiced about 15 times, and you expect to have great form already?” Later that day, Shane sent my video. I was afraid to open it, but reluctantly clicked play. In isolation it suddenly didn’t seem just SO awful. Scott watched it with me and candidly said, “you do look A LOT better than you did this summer.” Again, I had hope. He knows how much I struggle with swimming and saw some improvement.
Realistic Goals
I am slowly resetting my expectations. Maybe someone who has never enjoyed swimming and has always struggled with shoulder mobility is crazy unrealistic to expect to get things in 5 lessons? It has been 4 days since that session, and I’m still not ready to enter the pool with a full heart and open mind. I’m choosing to wait until after the Wineglass Half Marathon this Sunday to get back into the pool. We don’t have class this week, so I will have several opportunities to practice, and look forward to them. And next time we get videotaped, I’ll hopefully find at least one little improvement in my form. After all, now I have a baseline video!!
Week 6
Watching Perfect Form
When you watch someone swimming using perfect form, your body thinks that it is swimming that way. One of the members of my class watched Shinji’s Total Immersion video every day between the classes. Her stroke improved dramatically this week.
Becoming Comfortable in the Space
I admit, it was a week before I was able to go back to the pool with a full heart. The day arrived though, and I went back into the pool. It was during our normal swim class time, and the pool was completely empty. It was in stark contrast to the same time of day the week prior. I spent the entire time working on my shoulder shrug and trying to relax my arms. It felt pretty good.
A few days later, I ventured to the pool again. I’m noticing that my heart doesn’t pound as I enter the room anymore, and while I still don’t enjoy jumping in the water, I feel less like I need to scream. On this particular day, a gentleman was in the lane next to me. He was swimming using Total Immersion style, so I asked him if he had taken Shane’s class. It turns out that he has taken levels 1 and 2, and he sang Shane’s praises saying he helped him A LOT! He’s a local triathlete with 40+ triathlons under his belt, and he was one of the kayakers for the Cayuga Lake Tri this summer. We chatted about that race, and he happily reported that the crew only needed to pull 3 swimmers from the water this year. Two of them just panicked within the first 100 yards. I thought about myself and the other swimmer in my class both panicking by the first buoy. We both pulled through our panic (by flipping to our backs), and I wonder how many more of the athletes had a similar experience? Talking to him, and later watching him swim made me feel more confident. Every person starts somewhere, and we can all improve. I felt very good about this swim session.
My 2nd Video
Shane brought his ipad to class again, so we knew we’d be videotaped. There were three occasions where I thought he was taping me, but the one he actually taped was a time that I thought he was taping the man in the lane next to me. I don’t think it changed my swimming too much, except that I was trying to slow down to not block him and to not be in his video. As it turns out, it was my video! At first glance to me it doesn’t look a lot better, but Shane says I’m starting to get it, and Scott could see a difference as well. I’m already looking forward to practicing this week and seeing next week’s video!
Fins Anyone?
After swimming for just under an hour, Shane told us it was time to work on our breathing again. This was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time, as we’re all struggling with our breathing. He grabbed us fins and had us do a breathing exercise. You swim a few strokes and then turn into “skate” position as you breathe, then swim again and “skate” and breathe as you cross the pool. We reached the end of the pool and we were all giddy like children. We felt fast and competent! Wearing fins was exhilarating prompting some of us to say, “Why can’t triathlons allow fins?” Shane replied, “If triathlons allowed fins, I’d be out of a job.”
Next Steps
We have two classes left. Shane is talking about Session 2. I know that our breathing will improve in these next two weeks, and I hope that we learn a little bit about kicking. I’m already excited to get back into the pool to practice with fins!!
Week 7
Gravity
There were only 6 people in my class this week, so we had a lot more space for our dry land time. A class mate asked about propulsion with our core and Shane talked about the role of gravity. He demonstrated the arm movement and shared that we could utilize gravity by being on a tipping point as we insert our arm into the “sleeve” in the water. In running, we use gravity by leaning forward until we have to tip to catch our legs and in swimming the tipping comes from the core. Something clicked with this for me tonight, and I was really glad that this question was asked and answered.
We worked on our form out of the water before hopping into the pool to start with 5 lengths of relaxed, easy swimming. As we built our “house of cards” we just kept working on our patient lead arm, shrugging our shoulders and using our core to propel our body. After our first 5 lengths, Shane started checking in with us after each 50. During one of these discussions, he told me that my shoulders were starting to relax. “YAY!!!!!” I was SO happy to hear this. I felt like they were relaxing, but the affirmation was great.
A 10K swim in 2000 feet deep water anyone?
About halfway through class, I stopped mid lap and had a moment of panic. I was breathing just fine in my practice, but it was because I knew that I could stop practicing breathing at any moment. I could choose to go back to stopping in the pool, breathing and then resume swimming because the pool is only 4 feet deep.
“What about when I’m in open water? Or a pool that has a deep end?”
I shared this thought when I got to the end, which started a conversation about water depth. Shane told us about swimming in 2000 ft deep water near Kona. He said the rays of the sun go through the clear water and look like the fingers of God. He went on to tell us about being able to see dolphins far beneath him while swimming. A classmate asked him the longest distance he’s swum before and he answered “about 6 miles.” Wow! He went on to talk about workouts as “practice” vs workouts. I love that Shane is so zen, and his focus is truly on long term growth vs short term. This helps give every session perspective, and has really improved my outlook on swimming. A classmate was having a difficult evening with her patient lead arm. Shane reminded her, and all of us, to accept each session for what it is. Some will be hard and frustrating and others will click along. Our job is to accept this, work on what we can, and keep our attitude strong and solid.
Tempo Trainers
Tonight Shane introduced us to a device called a tempo trainer. This nifty little device sends out a sound at consistent intervals. He had us begin with a moderate setting, then cycle it slower and slower and reverse through the same cycle. The purpose of this series of drills was to help us with our balance and patient lead arm. If our body was not in balance, it would be very difficult to switch at the specified times. After the first lap one of my classmates said “this is SO slow” about our fastest setting, while I felt it was pretty speedy compared to what I’d been doing. Our class was roughly split down the middle about whether it felt fast or slow. At first I commented that it was like patting my head and rubbing my belly at the same time. My focus was drawn to the trainer, and I wasn’t able to think about my form. However, as the speeds changed, I became really comfortable with it. I started to think of it like hockey is to ice-skating. I had to focus on this, so my form just became second nature. I even noticed that my lead arm was staying patient during breathing strokes, something I had struggled with during the first part of class.
Shane Swims
Shane offered to swim for us at the end of the class. A bunch of us hopped into the hot tub to watch in warm comfort, while a couple of brave classmates hung out by the main pool to watch. He jokes with us that we’ll get bonus points if we fall asleep while swimming, and as we watched him we couldn’t help but feel relaxed. Things heard from the hot tub, “wow, he practically has fins,” and “he is so calm” to “look at his patient lead arm.” Of course also joked that he needed to work on being more patient (not possible)! Here is a video of Shane swimming.
7 Down, 1 to Go
When this session started I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through 8 sessions, and I certainly didn’t think that I’d start to enjoy swimming. I remember when I first started running; when many runs ended in tears and I felt completely inept with the sport. With all my failed starts I think I resigned myself to thinking that maybe swimming would never turn into what running is for me now; something I truly love.
Last night, during one of our 50s, I started behind one of my classmates and I caught up to her. We weren’t racing by any means, but I’ve NEVER caught up to another swimmer in my entire life. When I did my first lake practice swim with Jenny this summer, before my panic attack in the first minute or so of swimming, Jenny already had at least 25 yards on me. When Scott and I attended an open water swim clinic this summer. When we were practicing starts I was dead last in the 25 yard swim every time! I certainly wasn’t catching anyone then. I’m feeling positive about swimming, and committed to finishing this learning process. My only wish is that we had more than one class left!!
Week 8
Trending on Twitter
Last Friday I realized that our class was almost over. With a mere one class left, it was time to see if I could swim for a sustained duration so I could come armed with questions for the last class. I went through the practice sequence Shane has been having us do, and then started my swim. It was AMAZING! I felt happy, graceful and I felt like I was moving water. Most importantly it felt repeatable. After my half mile, I showered an headed to BodyPump but it was Zombie Night in Trumansburg and our regular crew was there. I was doing the dance driving, so while it was great to be able to workout, there was no one in class to share with. When I got home, Scott arrived back from being a Zombie to find me jumping up and down saying “I SWAM a half mile!! It was faster than before! It was FUN!!!” This was one of those times when I wish this was important enough to the world to have that little email come through with “trending on Twitter.” I was on cloud 9 for at least the next day.
Beware of High Expectations
And then class started. I was excited and a little more scared than usual. I knew this was our last, and my schedule may not let me hop right into the next offering for Level 2. We did our dry land work and then hopped into the pool. Shane asked us to swim the first 5 lengths as lazily as possible. For me the trouble was that we started swimming in pairs. Immediately I felt like it was a race and I was afraid I couldn’t keep up. Quickly, my happy attitude disappeared and I was stuck in a battle in my head for much of the next half hour. It was during this time that I realized I haven’t shared a lane during most of my swim practice during this class, and I definitely haven’t been next to someone swimming at the same rate. Suddenly I thought about the mass start of the tri and realized that I have a LONG way to go.
However, as the class continued, I eased back into things. We went back to circle swimming and I felt much more relaxed. The tempo trainers came out again and I was really excited to use them. These things are just so nifty that I have to get one!!
Synchronized Swimming
Shane ended our session by swimming with each one of us. He would mirror our stroke and send us the video of the two of us swimming together. The class volunteered me to go first because I was SO cold (and eager to get to the hot tub). So, off I went. This was really cool to watch. It was a great way to end class. After everyone finished their syncro session, we gathered in the hot tub and chatted for awhile. Most of my classmates plan to take session two this winter, and there was a lot of enthusiasm about moving forward in our respective swimming goals.
What’s Next
Shane is offering Session 2 in early January. My kids ski race, so we’re juggling ski race schedules along with the year long activities; piano, choir and dance. My plan is to continue to make it to the pool twice a week and refine all the things we have learned this fall, and I’m working on my schedule for winter. A lot of things will have to fall into place to make winter work, but I’m quasi optimistic that they will.
Series Wrap
What I learned
I was excited to sign up for this class, but was also frightened. My biggest worry; failing level 1! Shane helped build everyone’s confidence though, and we gradually built upon each skill learned. The things that stand out for me include;
Realizing how much I would learn from my classmates. There is something very comforting about being in this together with others. We all came here from very different swim backgrounds and for different reasons, but we were in the same place learning together. Whether it was learning from their questions or by watching others practice what we were learning, it was valuable.
I looked forward to Tuesdays for Shane’s Zen approach. He radiates a calm energy and brings out the best in people. I left every session feeling calm and confident. Shane also helped me realize that this isn’t personal. We all have our own rate of learning, and we just need to be patient and let things happen and relax.
Midway through the session I was practicing quasi lap swimming in the warm pool. The lifeguard came over and reminded me that lap swimming was not permitted in this pool and suggested I move to the warm pool. At that time the thought of actually swimming in the cold pool was impossible. This was week FOUR of the session; by week 8 it was hard to remember ever being in the warm pool!
During week 7 a classmate asked why she was out of breath. She was concerned she didn’t have the cardio fitness needed. Shane told her that she already had the cardio from running. The calmness would come in the water when she nailed technique. It seems obvious, but this was a revelation to me. I’m in great cardiovascular shape, and if I’m out of breath with swimming of course it was form related.
I recommend this class to anyone that I meet. It has been a high point of my fall. I feel optimistic about my future with swimming. I’m excited to keep adding to my “house of cards” in level 2. Whether that is this winter or later, I know Shane will guide me well through the process. I also really enjoyed meeting my classmates and swimming with them every week!