It is hard to believe how fast February has come and gone. Just two months ago, we were making plans for what 2013 would have and store. Developing grand schemes to make our lives better, earn more money, get more fit, eat healthier, and much more.
Before declaring my New Year’s resolution to “learn” how to swim, I let you in on my brief, very brief, history with swimming and my struggles. I am not going to lie or butter it up in any way, I was a terrible swimmer. I knew enough to stay alive until help arrived and that was about it. I could swim a fifty with backstroke and that was about it. Pretty sad if you think about it considering my wife used to swim competitively and taught swimming lessons most of her life. While last year I made it my goal to tackle my weight problem and succeeded, I knew this year I had to step out of my comfort zone and work for so much more. By the end of the year, I want to look comfortable and natural in the water like I had been doing this my whole life while being able to pick up at least three of the major swim strokes.
After two months of torture and triumph I am beginning to see some major progress toward my goal. I have not given up despite times when I have been severely down on myself. Life got in the way a little during January and I wasn’t quite able to get to the pool as much as I would have wanted to but come February I was ready to tackle my fears head on. Now I am hitting the deck two to four times a week and doing much better than I had imagined. Here are some major milestones that I am proud to say I’ve accomplished:
- Swim a fifty non-stop while doing freestyle
- Using a pull buoy, swim 100 m non-stop
- Learn the freestyle stroke
- Learn the breast stroke
- Complete a 25 m and 50 m with the breast stroke
- Double my kicking speed and master my freestyle kick
I have by no means met my goals that I had set for myself at the beginning of the year, but I am we’ll on my way. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I enjoy swimming. As a matter of fact, I had just told my wife the other day that I prefer swimming over running as a form of cardiovascular work outs. Periodically I’ll try to update you on my progress and hope that you will do the same with your resolutions.
