Swim workout with the Jimmy.

Yesterday I had my first swim training session with the Jimmy, which is what I'm going to call him now in honor of my favorite TV show of all time. Not that the Jimmy talks about himself in the third person, or anything. He's just unfortunately enough to be named Jimmy and have a new client who likes to bestow nicknames.

the Jimmy had me swim up and back in the lane and then showed me some drills. As it turns out, like in running, I've got very good form but no power. This, of course, being the result of a very casual approach to training, the, "Oh, I'm having so much fun now; I'd rather not sweat or get a cramp" type of training. As I have previously mentioned, I hate the feeling of sweat rolling down any part of me. But, no more. I want to be fast. I've already tried a headsweats, and a baby washcloth in my cleavage. They've helped the icky sweat feeling a LOT.

As for swimming, I'm just weak. Like I lot of women who don't weighlift or play ball sports, I have a week upper body. Some of the drills he gave me probably have names, but I don't remember them. They made pant. They made me nearly choke on water when I wasn't able to breath as often as I wanted to.

the Jimmy filmed me, but I haven't been able to see the film, as the battery died at the end of the session.

I did some one-armed swims, in which I swam down the lane with only one arm, switched arms and came back, and tried not to drown. I also did one where I did a normal stroke but as my arm extended down, I pushed back hard enough to make a splash as it came out behind me. I did some drills where I reached down really far before pushing out really hard behind me. I did drills where I swam five strokes before breathing instead of three, tried to lower the number of strokes down the lane by "gliding" on each stroke, and one where I dragged my finger tips through the water as I reached ahead.

During the entire session, as I'd forgotten my swim cap, my hair flipped in my face and interfered with my breathing and I inhaled water. My goggles fogged constantly. Oh, there's just no end to the things I can whine about and use as an excuse to stop for a moment.

On Wednesdays, the Jimmy usually has my warm up and then do some interval 800's around the track. Next Wednesday I'll start bringing my bike to do bricks. My doc, who is a marathoner, is putting me on Singulair along with what I've already been taking: Advair and Flonase. Hopefully this will put me on a less whiny, complainy path.

Oh, and the new Garmins have arrived! Now I get to spend the weekend playing with new technology.

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