I grew up with constant ear problems. I had countless surgeries on my ears including having my ear drums reconstructed. So for much of my childhood I was not allowed to go swimming. There was one summer where I was allowed to swim. I took swimming lessons with my brother, but I just was never very good. And after that I went back to not being allowed to swim again.
As I became an adult, I got opportunities to go swimming. I think I remember a doctor telling me that I could go swimming, but shouldn’t go diving. I would love to try scuba diving, so that is kind of a shame. But my swimming skills are limited to a weak breast stroke, a dog paddle, and a very sloppy freestyle. I just haven’t taken opportunities to practice.
I want to try a triathlon sometime. I can ride a bike, and I can run. I just don’t swim well enough to try swimming any distance. A co-worker of mine is a master level swimmer. He also teaches the Total Immersion system of swimming. He gave me some materials, and I have bought a book titled Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin.
These last few days I have had access to a swimming pool at a hotel where we are staying. I brought some swimming goggles, the book, and the other materials I got. He also gave me a couple DVDs, but I haven’t been able to get them to play on my laptop computer. I will watch them when I get home. I have been playing in the pool trying to do the first few drills in the books. They involve swimming with my arms at my sides, using just my legs, and trying to stay balanced horizontally. One of the drills was to swim on my back. I had a weird thing happen after only a few laps of this. I would get dizzy. The room would be rolling. After about a half dozen laps, I got out, and I couldn’t walk in a straight line. I had to sit down for a bit. I don’t know if this is normal. Maybe it has something to do with my ears? Or maybe this is because I am not used to swimming, and the motion of the water. My wife said she doesn’t get dizzy. Maybe it was just because I was swimming on my back?
Unlike most people, I don’t float. I am pretty lean and muscular, and have long legs. I am what Terry Laughlin’s book calls a sinker. So that will make things even more interesting.
When we get home, I may try to get the swimming pool at the local community center, and try to practice swimming. Also, my co-worker teaches swimming at a YMCA. I had asked previously about taking lessons, but they were on nights when I taught karate. But our karate school moved, and instead of classes being only Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have class 6 days a week. So I can teach karate on a couple different nights, and maybe go take the swimming lessons.

Posted by Rob in Swimming on April 17th, 2007 |