So I mentioned that I planned on finding a swimming coach. Well, my boyfriend, Dave, said to check out the Atlanta Swimming Academy since it's a rather large complex and they are down the street from where we live. So last week he stopped and picked up some flyers. Turns out they have a Masters Swim thing on Saturday mornings. Did I mention I sucked at swimming? Lol. Yeah... So going to a session where you do endless laps and drills are pointless when I can't even swim efficiently or correctly.
So I called to see if I could get a "lesson" there. Not unless I could do the lesson at 9AM or 11AM. I teach at a school, so that is a no go. They said to just go to the Masters Swim and I will be fine. HA! Yeah right!! So I hung up the phone disappointed.
The next day at work, I do a search for "swim coach triathlon" on Bing and Google during my lunch. I found a website (www.trifind.com) that had listings for coaches. Score! I e-mailed two and looked around a couple others and their websites. Most of them wanted you to pay a monthly rate and get a workout plan, nutrition plan, heart rate evaluation, body fat measurement, BMI, consultations, and ONE coaching session of your choice (swim, bike, or run). I don't need all that!! I just want the "lessons."
It took a day for one of the two people I wrote to respond. Here's my initial e-mail:
Hi!
I'm looking for some assistance with swimming. I found your name on trifind.com while doing a search for triathlon swim coaches in the Marietta area. I was wondering if you were available for some coaching/training.
My name is Jana Cummiskey. I am a recreational athlete and I'm not naturally athletic. I'm primarily a runner, and last year I participated in 3 sprint distance triathlons. I finished mid-pack in my age group in all three. I'm doing two of the same races this year plus one other. I really enjoy the sport. However, the worst part of each race was the swim. Last summer, I spent many hours in the pool doing the best I could alone. I even went to an open water swim clinic before my last race in August. I barely made a dent in my swim times and I feel like I have to put 200% effort just to be dead last in the swim.
I'm a music teacher; I understand that technique is key to efficiency. I preach this all the time to my students. Lol. I'm obviously doing a few things wrong in the water and it's driving me nuts! A few things I know, but I have no clue how to fix. I keep doing a lot of reading, researching, etc, but I'm too much of a kinesthetic learner that it's hard for me to assess myself. I'm not shy of the water or even open water. I am shy of large groups of people. There's a facility near my home that holds Masters Swim sessions, but I'm much too shy and uncertain to randomly attend just yet. I would like to attend these in the near future though.
Like I said, I'm looking for some assistance and I was wondering if you were available. :) Much appreciated!
I was speaking the truth in the whole e-mail. We settled on a day, time and place, and went from there. The lesson was last Saturday.
OMG! That session was very enlightening. Bill told me to swim two laps right off the start so he could see what I had going (not much I'll tell you that much). When I was done, I was out of breath (once again) and my legs were tired (not good). First thing he said to me was, "You have a strong motor!" Lol. Unfortunately my body position created too much drag for my "motor" to work properly (that I knew just didn't know how to fix). I think of it like this.... (I'm an NHRA fan :) ) You've got a 800HP drag racing car. You're racing on a drag strip with.... OFF-ROAD TIRES! ***dum dum dum!*** Sure.... You have a strong-ass motor, but without slicks, you ain't gonna go as fast as the other guy.
I like his approach though. We didn't focus on body positioning really. He had me doing drills with keeping my arm at a 45 degree angle underwater and using a technique called "thumbs up swimming." In the same drill, he'd have me rotate back and forth between face down in the water and floating on my back, but always keeping my "thumb up" when in either position. Intriguing....
Then we did 3 other sets of drills. I could always feel when I did something wrong. And it pissed me off! Against my own preachings in the classroom, I kept trying to go too fast too soon. I knew better. Bill called me out on it too. I got pissed at myself even more. Lol.
I swam for one hour almost continuously. Bill didn't really give breaks. In between laps he gave very specific, short instructions so there was very little down time. By the end of the hour, I had a bunch of "Aha!" moments and I wasn't even tired. I lost count of how many laps I did. Felt like nothing. I'm so motivated! I can do this! I see him again on April 7th.
He told me to check out his website to remind myself of the four drills he told me to do. I was looking around it today during my lunch break. Kind of fun to learn more about someone's teaching/coaching philosophies. I like his approach and how he's not afraid to try new ideas. The thumbs up swimming idea is rather new from what I gather. Very cool. Well.... I'm a believer! Works for me so far!
Check out Bill's website at www.thumbsupswimming.com
He has two books out as well: Swim Like You Run and The Indoor Triathlete. Both are available on Amazon for about $10. Next month, I'll probably look into buying either or both. I love reading about that sort of stuff.
Yes I am a nerd....
Now I gotta get my ass to the pool a few times..... Lol.
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