Swimming

I had zero athletic background when I started Swimming. First class I was completely lost — everyone seemed to know the language of tapering and I didn't. My bilateral breathing was nonexistent. I nearly didn't go back. I did go back. And the first grading 9 months later was one of the proudest mom…

After 17 months of training Swimming I entered my first competition. I lost. It was the best thing that's happened to my development in the sport. Competition exposes gaps in your game that rolling or drilling never will. My high elbow catch fell apart under pressure. My understanding of pull buoy …

I started Swimming at 40 and felt completely out of my depth in the first class. Most people were twenty-something and athletic. I was neither. But the coach adapted sessions to my level and nobody made me feel unwelcome. Recovery takes longer at my age, and pool access and early morning scheduling…

I started Swimming six months ago with zero background in the sport. The first few weeks were humbling — I couldn't do underwater dolphin kicks properly and had no idea what pace per 100m even meant. My coach kept pulling me back to fundamentals, which was frustrating at the time but clearly the rig…

I'd been training Swimming for two years when I picked up an injury that kept me out for four months. Coming back was harder mentally than physically. My high elbow catch had regressed and drafting in open water I'd taken for granted needed rebuilding. the full-body fatigue after a hard set was wha…

I got into Swimming after watching Katie Ledecky compete and thinking I wanted a piece of that. Reality check: what they make look effortless takes years of work. The high elbow catch I admired on screen took me 8 months just to do passably. But somewhere in that process I stopped caring about look…

A friend dragged me to a Swimming trial class. I went to be polite. I was terrible. I went back because I couldn't stand being terrible at something. That was 6 months ago. The underwater dolphin kicks I stumbled through in that first class is now something I teach to newer beginners. pace per 100m…

Around the 7-month mark in Swimming I hit a wall. My progress with underwater dolphin kicks wasn't improving and I felt like I was spinning wheels. It's apparently common but that didn't make it less frustrating. What helped: going back to fundamentals with my coach, spending more time drilling tap…

People describe Swimming as a workout but that undersells it. After 17 months your body moves differently. The butterfly timing drills reshape how you use your hips, shoulders, and weight distribution in ways that carry into everything else you do. It's not just fitness — it's body literacy. Unders…

Swimming has been one of the best decisions I've made for my fitness and mental health. The high elbow catch and the deeper drafting in open water keep training mentally engaging in a way the gym never did. But I want to be honest: technique errors entrenching without coaching. Nobody told me about…