Build Up Your Swim

   Every summer, I have a familiar weekend routine: go to the (unheated) pool in our development, bake in the sun for an hour to build up insulation, plunge in, and trudge out a mile.
   In my 20's, I used to do mid-length triathlons, and my average training mile took about 30 minutes. This year, at age 56, my time has ballooned into the low 40's for the 64 length swim.
    In one respect, I can't believe how much I've slowed! Looking at from another angle, I'm surprised at how easy it still is for me to swim a mile. I feel, if it weren't for hypothermia or the need to go to the bathroom, I could do two or three miles without a problem.
   My form isn't great, but a college friend of mine, a former ocean lifeguard, did give me tips with the breathing. One long stroke, turn head to the right side, take oxygen in and out, return head to water. Keep the body straight, and try to elongate each stroke. Legs supply more power than arms.
    The first 10 laps are the hardest, particularly if I lifted earlier that day. The shoulders are really tight, and by lap eight, your upper body is shot. Everything loosens up as you go along, however, and from lap 20 on, it's really not bad.
    Like in a road race, I shorten everything up: every 10 laps is a mini-milestone. Lap 32 is halfway, downhill after that. Pick it up at 40 laps, and a little more at 50. Give everything you have at lap 60, just four to go! Deep breath at the end! No endorphins are released while I'm swimming, but I feel good for the accomplishment after.
   Newcomers to swimming workouts should get instruction from a coach or experienced swimmer. Form is crucial in swimming, even more so than running. Don't violently thrash at the water, you're just wasting energy and losing efficiency. Good swimmers barely make a splash with each stroke, and just seem to glide along.
    While I focus on the mile in my sporadic swim workouts, you can mix in 50-, 100-, or 200-meter intervals. Similar to running, you can rest on a 1:1 scale to how long the interval took, or shorten that up, if you haven't been going all out. Your lungs get a great workout, and the lactic acid can build up in the upper body, especially on those 50-meter (two length) sprints.
     It's a good idea to mix in other strokes, too, to emphasize different body parts and add variety. If a mile freestyle swim seems daunting, go 10 laps and then throw in a breast or side-stroke for two, before returning to the more physically challenging freestyle. Or, freestyle down one way, and throw in another stroke on the return before resting for 30-seconds to a minute. Just like in a running, there are hundreds of ways to mix it with interval training!
    While swimming has never been my main exercise choice, it's a good, non-impact alternative to running. It's helped me through injury, provided variety when I've burnt out by running, and is a good total body workout.
     One note: when I'm done running, I'm usually not hungry for about an hour, at least. Swimming, perhaps because of the calories burnt keeping my body heated in the cold water, leaves me famished! I can't stop eating afterward. See if you have the same reaction, and good luck in the pool!