Swim #5

I can't believe I am halfway through! I am a little sad, actually. I am almost afraid to say that I have been having fun in the pool. Today was no different.

I started off by sitting on the edge and pushing myself in. That is a far cry from session #1 when I had to climb down the ladder. I am not ready to jump in from the side, but I think that will come in time. First thing today I had to swim 50m freestyle. I did. Then we talked about some things that weren't right with my form and we did drills. Then we worked on swimming underwater.

The first question was could I get underwater and swim all the way across the pool. I said that I didn't think I could go all the way but I thought one third of the way was achievable. So I gave it a try and I swam underwater two thirds of the way across the pool! Granted, I wasn't that far underwater, but I at least know what it feels like and I can continue to work on it.

John threw the rock out a ways and wanted me to swim underwater to get it. I made a few attempts and came close. Then we worked on staying underwater. I stayed in one place and blew out (almost) all my air until I could feel the change in buoyancy. That was the point when I could push off and go get it. First try John pulled me lower by grabbing my arm. Then we talked about tucking the head down and leading with our hands. So on that attempt I didn't tuck my head in enough. He reached out and pushed my head down and that set off a major panic.

I fought my way to the top and was coughing. He asked if I was OK and I said that I had panicked. He asked if it was because he pushed my head and I said yes. I know he wasn't trying to drown me. Honestly I know this. But something inside didn't believe that and I just freaked out. John said that it was good to know and that it wouldn't happen again. I know he didn't mean anything and was probably as surprised as I was. So I regained my composure and tried it again. This time I really tucked my head and I was able to go all the way to the rock and pick it up. With no fins! That is a major achievement!

I feel really good about today's session. I think I have come a long way in a short amount of time. I am really excited about my progress and the fact that I am becoming a little more comfortable in the water. I really didn't think I could get to this point by the 10th lesson. Here I am after the 5th. Wow!