My 1KM Swim Experience @ Ultra

When people talk about swimming, the first thoughts that came to mind was the time my cousin thrown me into a pool in La Union when I was about 4 years old, that is how I learned or forced to learned to swim, I taught myself to swim and I actually thought I was pretty good until today.

I was able to attend several Triathlon Clinics, but the one that made me re-think my swimming style was the Tri-101 Clinic by Arland Macasieb, from there I started questioning if I am doing the right movement and strokes when I am swimming.

All of a sudden, a friend called me up if I want to swim in Ultra, which then also reminded me I have a good friend who’s also a University Swim Coach, so we all met up to swim one afternoon, which actually became my first formal swim training.

Quick Rundown of what I learned:
1. I have to keep my body straight and parallel to the floor as to minimize drag. (I was lifting my head to look forward, but I need to be looking down instead)
2. You need to breathe in a steady pace, which is very important for long distance swimming. (When I was a kid, I’m used to holding my breath for as long as I can, opps bad.)
3. You don’t have to hurry, make sure your stroke and form is correct.
4. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

For me swimming is the “scariest” discipline in Triathlon, the idea of open water where you can’t stand, stop or rest kinda frightens me, but after a simple coaching session I was a bit enlightened. Now I believe with the proper coaching and form, long distance swimming is actually something I can train for… maybe in the future ;)

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If your planning to go into Aquathlon or Triathlon, I really suggest you get a Coach to check your form and make sure its correct. If you’re interested, leave a message here, I’m sure we can hook you up with a Swim or Bike coach. Or if you know or recommend some coaches, leave their information here.

BTW, for those who might ask, Ultra Pool is from 8AM to 4:30PM for P65.