blackthugcat wrote:
I've signed up to swim individual medley for the first time at the next Masters swim meet in a couple of weeks.
It's short course, so I'm counting on the 'fly bit being no more than about 15m by the time I surface and it's indoors so I should have the roof to navigate by in the back :-)
Stuck with a hotel pool most of next week which should be perfect for practising my turns!
Couldn't 'fly at all this time last year, so fronting up to do IM in Masters public is a step up for me.
Little did I know what I was in for... a bloody exhibition swim!!!
Being at the slow end of the field I was in heat one. To my horror when the program was published it was just me and two old blokes. Nowhere to hide. Swimming excruciatingly bad IM in front of stands full of masters swimmers. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of the old blokes failed to front so it was just me & one old bloke. Luckily we swim for the same club so I think we both got some comfort from that.
My dive start felt passable and my fly was feeling OK until I spotted the marshals at the end of the pool as they all had a slightly concerned look on their face as if they doubted I was going to make it. Marshals possibly look like that most of the time and they could well have been thinking about whether I was going to touch with both hands but it wasn't helping. I hope they were thinking about that actually as I certainly wasn't...
Into the backstroke & that was good as I was on my back and able to gasp for air. Even managed to turn at the end without either headbutting the wall or breaking fingers. Bonus!
Then I hit trouble.. I'd totally gassed myself by that stage and was perilously close to panic attack trying to get things under control and my head under water for the breaststroke. All the relaxed gliding strokes I'd been practicing during the week were completely out the window. To my dying shame I resorted to a few strokes of old lady "just had my hair done" head out of the water breast stroke half way up the pool to get some air in. In front of all those real swimmers. Oh my lord!! I managed to get it together in the last few strokes and another view of those disturbingly concerned marshals.
Last turn was reasonable and into some freestyle on the home stretch with some relief. Bet those marshals were feeling it too. High fived the old bloke when he finished and realised I'd PB'd by about 10 seconds. Yay!!
Still don't feel like a 'real' swimmer but it's one little personal challenge that will feature in my year's highlights if not the club record books :-)
