Form

Do you ever get a really good look at the form of the swimmer in the lane next to you? This happened to me this morning in the pool. It was actually pretty interesting. I'm a unilateral breather - at least, that is what I'm labeled because I can only breath on my right side (without inhaling water and dying). So, I always get an interesting change in scenery after each turn at the wall.

This morning I had a guy with relatively poor form on one side and woman with EXCELLENT form on the other. So, off I went on my 3x500's. At each 25 I turned and was able to catch a glimpse of the swimmer next to me. I tried hard to focus on form and body position of each swimmer. I saw some interesting things.

It was actually quite beautiful. The guy was visibly exerting himself splashing, kicking and turning in wild motions. This also effected his pace. He got slower and slower until I had lapped him. Twice. His ankles we dragging behind him and each time he took a breath he would kick so hard his entire head would shoot up out of the water. The woman on the other hand seemed to float on top of the water. She had a very shallow, quick kick and her arms seemed to move in and out of the water with robotic ease. She was also a bit faster than I was. It took a little bit of effort to keep up - but I tried to pace her for as long as I could. I only realized after I was out of the pool that she obviously was doing drills and was capable of speeds that would probably rival Olympians.

Anyway, it was a good workout because it helped me to visualize my swim form and remember the importance of minimizing effort and maximizing efficiency. The differences were as clear as night and day.

See ya out there...