“IF THERE IS no struggle, there is no progress.”
The last three weeks had been a struggle, no doubt.
You’ll recall that significant progress on week 1, where this water novice agreed to do a diary of his eight-week swim challenge and mastered the basics before becoming unstuck on the most basic of all human tasks – breathing.
The last two weeks, I won’t lie, were a struggle. A mental struggle if nothing else, when frustration was the order of the evenings.
Daniel McConnell, the swim instructor at the Aura Leisure Centre, where I’m taking part in the eight-week Adult Swim Academy, has been assuring us that we’ve been making small steps.
[adrotate group=”37″]But when you’ve agreed to chronicle the journey, and have stated the aim of swimming a length of the pool by the end of week 8, small steps aren’t what a man desires.
Not least when Janice McCready has a Tuesday afternoon brainwave.
Her words might as well be the Grim Reaper himself wagging his finger at me.
“We are thinking this week of doing a quick mid-way interview video.”
Janice and I go back a long way.
Please, don’t do this to me, Janice.
“It’s an order, not a question.”
Christ.
That, right there, was the moment shit got real.
In these text diaries, you can mask things. Hide, even. You can manipulate a photo.
But a video?
Jesus.
I’d vowed to get in some practice between week three and week four. Did that happen? Of course it didn’t!
So, it’s 7 o’clock on Thursday night and I’m in a pickle.
I’m. Going. To. Be. Videod.
There is no way back.
Remember the first two weeks and the positives. I can do everything bar the breathing.
[adrotate group=”37″]How hard can it be? Quite bloody difficult if the previous two weeks are anything to go by!
It’s not Thursday and I’m on in less than an hour. What the actual f***?!
YouTube!
Yep, this week’s secret, folks, was YouTube! At around quarter-past seven on Thursday night, I opened the laptop, punched in YouTube and typed the following: ‘How to breathe properly when swimming’.
They actually do have everything on the internet these days. For some bizarre reason, the video clicks and I think I’ve got it.
Have I?
Yes.
Well, sort of.
If last week was about Co-ordination and consistency then this week appears to be about confidence.
And there’s certainly a new-found confidence in the group this week.
We’re getting there.
Our first couple of attempts this week go well. Better than expected. ‘Where have you been practicing,’ Daniel wonders.
‘Erm, the kitchen table watching YouTube’, I venture.
He laughs.
I’m serious.
That technique of ‘ear in the water, head to the side’ isn’t quite mastered and I now find myself with another problem.
[adrotate group=”37″]I can now manage to swim for about three breaths, but at some point along the line I’ve confused myself. As hard as this is to explain, it’s like a case of ‘what the hell do I do now?’ when the head goes under again.
‘Don’t panic, take your time,’ Daniel tells me.
We’ve gone for the repetition, repetition, repetition model this week. And it’s working.
We do take a quick break as Daniel gets the eight of us to lie on the broad of our backs and float. That part wasn’t caught on video. Thank the Lord for small mercies!
Back to the swimming again.
At the head of the pool, there are beginners, at the other side to us there are those more advanced. The wonders of this place, the various stages people are at and the general patience of the instructors never fails to amaze me here.
The patience, particularly!
Daniel has gone for the gung-ho approach this week, but it’s paid off.
The struggles are at last turning into progress.
The steps are small, but they feel huge right now.
It’s as if I’ve been scared by the prospect of Janice and her video into it but, no matter, this thing is finally taking off.
Don’t even dream of asking to see that video by the way. Not yet.
Wait ‘til I can do one to compare it to.
Week 4 – the best, most positive yet. Finally feel like I’m getting somewhere.
Next week’s challenge: Get past the flags.
I’m halfway there and no longer feeling as if I’m livin’ on a prayer.
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