Triathlon Genius: Total Immersion Swimming

Goals keep me focused.  And energized.  Especially since they always include a plan and show up with with their partner in crime, the to do list.  My nirvana.  Each year, I blissfully complete an item from my life list, and this year I set my sights on completing a triathlon.  Not the Ironman, nor the sprint distance, but the “Goldilocks” of the triathlon, the Olympic distance.

Swim_Start_{photo credit: triathlon swim start}

Now a lot of people avoid the triathlon because of the swimming leg.  Probably with good reason.  Though not a strong swimmer, I figured heck, I have been swimming my entire life.  From the choppy, post thaw waters of Canadian lakes to avoiding near collisions with whale sharks, I’m sure I have swum for my life on more than one occasion.  So off I set for the pool, to kick some chlorinated ass.

whale shark{photo credit: whale shark}

Who knew that breathing underwater doesn’t come naturally?  Not fish.  Cue flashbacks to being the last kid in swim class to finish lengths, splashing, spluttering and choking my way towards a desperate grab for the pool edge every 50 meters.  Who is going to let a pesky thing like air get in the way of triathlon success?  Not this gal.

I delve into the repository for all learning and knowledge (aka internet) for guidance on freestyle swimming techniques.  Lo and behold, there seems to be a new swimming movement underfoot.  Total immersion swimming – check it out:

As much as I research this topic, I keep landing on variations of the same video.  Could it be that simple?  No multi step mastery of the technique?  Impossible.  I did find a local pool giving a weekend course on the subject for a meager $450, but at 4x the registration fee I can’t quite wrap my head (or wallet) around that one.  Armed with 3:46s of youtube inspiration, I am on my way towards Total Immersion greatness…

… and I’m back.  Well that was pretty amazing!!  Up until this point, I have only been able to swim 2-3 laps without changing strokes.  Today I completed way more than that with the TI technique, and it felt fantastic.  Where were you when I was 8 months pregnant and sinking like a battleship?  Streamlining has a much nicer ring to it.

Triathlon

And just like that, she committed to her first triathlon.

Comments

comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *