Freestyle: Easier Said Than Done

No, that's not me. It is an unknown swimmer exhibiting excellent form as he completes the recovery and prepares for the entry phase of the stroke.

Today I was thinking of something while turning out the light and easy laps in the pool. Specifically, I was calculating the number of strokes I typically do for a given swim workout. Basically, I regularly take as few as 17 strokes to complete a length (25m) when I'm really trying to keep my count low, and as many as 22 when I'm fatigued and/or sprinting during training. So, for arguments sake, let's say I take 20 strokes per length. Now, on a typical long swim day, I'll do 2500m. That's 100 lengths, and 100 lengths at 20 strokes per length is 2000 strokes per workout. But it wasn't the number of strokes I was really thinking about, rather, it was the fact that of those 2000 strokes, only now and again do I really feel the execution of a single, perfect stroke.

What is a perfect stroke? I suppose, for me, it starts with a brush of my stroking hand's thumb on my thigh - the first indication that I'm exhibiting good form by "swimming tight" and "staying long". As that thumb brushes against my upper leg, I complete my roll and raise my elbow out of the water and high in the air, driving my recovery arm effortlessly forward. I know it's going to be a perfect stroke when I purposely keep my extended arm straight and pointed until the very last possible moment while "waiting" for my recovery arm to catch up. As my recovery hand enters my peripheral vision, I drive it down and into the water, not making a single sound or splash, and guide it forward as I begin the pull from the opposite arm. When this happens, it's just... Magic.

So what could go wrong? Well, how about: body under-rotation, crooked hand entry, slapping the water with the hand and/or forearm, over-reaching, dropping the elbow, under-catching, mid-line crossing... Just to name a few issues. By and large, my stroke is pretty consistent and proper throughout the workouts. And there's no doubt I've come a long way from the first day in the pool almost a year ago. But, man, every now and again when I feel that perfect stroke, I simply fall into a blissful state of pride and accomplishment. At least for a few seconds, until the next stroke is initiated when, at that point, all I can do is focus on making it happen again.

It's then that I remind myself to remember: it took me a solid 4 years before I could truly "spin circles" on the bike without actually thinking about what I was doing. That, is muscle memory.

Swimming commentary aside, I'm getting ready for the SkinnyMan Sprint Triathlon this weekend in Skaneateles, NY. The race, being named after me and all, will be an ideal event to win as this season begins to wind down. More on that later.

This past weekend I hit the pool for along swim on Friday, which went well but left me strangely sore in the upper body all night and when I woke up on Saturday. After shaking it off, I did a bike-run brick which also went extremely well. The 5k I ran after the bike was as smooth, controlled and as fast as a pure 5k. Sunday brought more positive feedback with a delightful 1.5 hour trail run which left me feeling more strong than expired. The way my recent training sessions have been going, I'm almost tempted to say that I've hit my peak almost according to plan. Considering my goal of peaking this month was established in October of 2004, it's pretty amazing to see it actually unfold accordingly.

Thanks for reading.