9 Questions

Last night was class #1 of my second triathlon swimming class. Training with triathletes who do not normally swim has helped me to focus more on form than on distance - kind of a cool down, stretch, zen/yoga type day. The last class was pretty busy with 15 or so people and the current class is down to 6. Definitely is a bit more focused.

I was the only returning person and have more swimming experience than the others in the class. Ann, the instructor, used that to push me a bit more than the others and was giving me some good technical tips as well as resistance kicking exercises to work on. During the breaks between reps, my new work out pals were asking some questions about my background that I thought I'd share.

1) How long have you been swimming? It's not an easy answer. I was lucky and my parents always had a pool when I was growing up since I was 4. I swam more for fun than for exercise. I swam competitively 2 years in high school, picked it back up in my mid 20s for a couple years and then again 2 years ago last March in a push to lose 30 pounds.

2) How'd the weight loss go? Great! I lost 30 pounds in 6 months and have kept it off in the past 18 months.

3) How much do you swim every week? I try to get into the pool for 3 to 4 workouts per week.

4) If you swim better than the class, why do you go? To stretch out and focus on form. I tend to pull and not kick when I get tired. Ann has really pushed me to strengthen my weaknesses.

5) But, don't you find that the workout isn't as hard in a class that is slower? No. I try to push myself for more laps, especially when kicking, than the rest of the class. I also let people know that is what I am doing, versus not working as hard as they are. I feel it is insulting to the class, the instructor, and myself not to push.

6) What does your normal workout look like? Nothing about me is normal :) I rotate through a few different types of workouts. The distance is typically between 2,000 and 4,500 yards and the time is between 35 and 90 minutes. Some days I do more sprints/intermediate distance and others I will just jump in and start swimming.

7) Don't you get tired of swimming? Some people get in a zone when running. I get in a zone while swimming. I also carry a waterproof mp3 player and headphones.

8) Why not try a triathlon? Two reasons, one of which I don't want to fix. First, I don't own a bike. That's easy to fix. Second, I hate running because I cannot find my zone. I admire people who get in a zone while running. Maybe one day....


9) A waterproof mp3 player?  Yeah, more on that later :)