Swimming Downhill

    Have I mentioned that I love swimming? I think it may have come up a time or two. Last night was swim night, and now that the high school swim team's season is over I can get into the water earlier. I hit the lane at  5pm, thinking I would get in a good swim and maybe manage to get home a bit early. Well, knowing myself as I do, I should have known that I would still swim right up to the moment when the young lifeguards are about ready to tap me on the head and politely mention, "Ma'am, it's past closing time." Now that the crawl has become my comfortable Go-To stroke I feel better about tossing in backstroke as a way of working different muscles. Last night, I was feeling pretty tired as I slipped into the water and started my warm up laps. It took me about 20 laps before I felt like pushing myself. In the end, I swam 75 laps (2.13 miles) mostly nonstop. I don't take breaks when I swim, except when I am changing out the tools of the trade; flippers, hand paddles, pull buoy. I did hypoxic drills, sprint lengths, and death sprints. Once I hit the 2 mile mark I kinda wanted to drag my ass out of the water but decided to do another 5 laps alternating crawl and backstoke on each length. It was a good way to finish strong.

    Last night I hit another epic moment in perfecting my form. I am always striving for better alignment and streamlining. Last night I reached the point of good alignment so that it felt as if I were swimming downhill. It is an eerie feeling. As I strive towards Total Immersion Swimming technique I have a thought in my mind of how it should feel to glide effortlessly and smoothly through the water, and every once in a while I feel it. Last night, I was feeling it. Head down, hips aligned, torso rotating and powering my arms, legs straight and relaxed, breathing calm and easy. And feeling as if I were swimming downhill. Add in the fact that I am now wearing earplugs when I swim, it makes for a surreal experience. Exhilarating, but surreal. Tonight I will return to the pool and hope to recapture the feeling, commit it to muscle memory and to the little grey cells inside my skull. Have I mentioned that I love swimming?