It Looks Easy in the Video

My triathlon training plan includes teaching myself to swim "for real," instead of faking it. Let me explain. I can't swim freestyle for more than 20 yards, because I do it all wrong. So, whenever I need to cover any kind of distance in the pool, I do the breaststroke. So I got myself an instructional video, Freestyle Made Easy or something like that, produced by the Total Immersion Swimming Gurus. The video breaks freestyle swimming down to its very basic components and uses a set of drills to build your stroke from floating to swimming. Along the way they encourage you to be more fish-like, to swim like a fish instead of a barge. So I am trying to transform myself from a barge to a fish, that's the nitty gritty. It looks easy in the video. Today I practiced swimming on each side and rotating from side to side, without using my arms. Although I think I made progress, I discovered that its not easy to swim in a straight line (I kept wobbling off to the side). Moving forward without using your arms is like trying to walk fast without swinging your arms. It's just awkward. And its easy to get water up your nose. Unpleasant.

But I'm committed to giving this 100% effort. I want to swim like a fish! So I will be back in the pool, wobbling down the lane without any arms trying not to suck up too much water through my nose. I can't wait.