Swim Faster!

I am not what you would call a fast animal.

I know some fast people.

I long to be a fast person.  I am not.

So I should not expect that the speed at which I propel my body through the very dense matter we call water would be any different.  After all, I am not fast.  If I can't be fast, however, can't I be faster?  Is that too much to ask?

I was out of bed by 5:15 am this morning.  Although my alarm went off at 5:00, I was firmly committed to more sleep.  However, Max didn't get that memo and so in he came at 5:15 demanding to be let outside.  Max is our dog.  So, since I was up and there were a lot of things to get done today, I went to the gym.  I was TIRED, but I went.  Lifted for the required 20-25 minutes and then headed in to the pool.  I warmed up with about 200 yards of body positioning, breaststroke, sidestroke, etc just to get the feel for the water because I had already warmed up by pumping iron for 25 minutes.  Took a short breather, set my stopwatch and hit 'Start.'

I was in the water to do 20 minutes of Level II swimming.  Heart rate monitors don't really work in the water though so it is basically just trying to swim at an easy pace that doesn't leave you gasping air all the time.  I actually did wear my monitor in the pool one day and would stand up and check my HR periodically just to see what was happening.  It certainly wasn't Level II.  As usual, it was Level III or IV most of the time and I was really trying to keep it down.  But I digress.

So, here I am swimming my time, trying to focus on good form and not exert myself too much.  Goal: 1000 yards in 20 minutes.  Simply 30 seconds per pool length.  1.2 seconds per yard.  That's pretty slow.  I am swimming along checking my time occasionally and realizing that I am not doing 30 second lengths.  The problem is I feel like I am pushing myself way too much but just not moving.  Persevering, however, I finish my 1000 yards in 22:55.  That's 34.375 seconds per length.  At that rate, my 750m swim (820 yards) ends up being about 18:40.  That's just too slow.

I am very seriously considering some coaching on my swimming technique.  The couple of YouTube videos I have watched have been helpful but they don't give me any feedback on my own efficiency in the water.  I am not fooling myself, I am not going to be fast, but I would like to be faster.  If I could finish the swim portion of the race at around 15:00, I would be feeling great!

I guess it comes down to more training!