Swimming Update.

Doh! Sorry it is the wrong way!! Turn your computer screens on their sides!! Haha!

Well, 3 weeks into lessons and I can not only move forwards in the water -- but I can do something which resembles freestyle!!! WOO!! How good am I!! Haha!! Well, all you swimmers out there may watch the video and have 1001 things for me to change -- but all in good time people!! I have a triathalon which I am going to aim to do in January. That gives me 5 months to fix up the freestyle.. ie. streamline my stroke, breath better (without choking), kick better and learn how to turn. Then I need to learn how to ride a bike and figure out the best way to get from one to the other in a race!! What do you think?? PIECE OF CAKE!!! (Well, that's what I am telling myself anyway!! LOL!)

So many things to remember when it comes to swimming!! OMGosh! Kick from the hips, keep the head tilted down (otherwise the bubbles go up your nose - NOT good), bend your arms and reach forward with your strokes -- your thumbs point down to go into the water and then turn when in the water, your hands need to enter the water in the same midline spot (streamline). When you lift your head to the side be careful the shoulder does not drop too much on the other side... and keep your chin down still - do not lift it forwards or water goes up your nose when you put your head back in the water... And then -- DO NOT OVERTHINK IT!!  BAHAHAHahahah!!! Oh yeah -- I am GOOD!! Oh -- And try and swim in a STRAIGHT line!! (unless dodging people who are in your way).

Happy with being able to look like I can do something which resembles freestyle after 3 weeks of lessons!! Who knows what another 3 weeks may bring!! BRING IT ON!!

PS. Chloe is the awesomist, most patient teacher ever -- even when she does threaten to smack my head with the noodle if I tilt it up!! Hahaha!! Big KISS for her!! MWAH!

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in day out" ~ Robert Collier

Run Melbourne Half



Yes people -- It IS still DARK!! (Before)



And after!! WOO!!



Well, a week later and I am STILL super excited!! After freaking out for the entire week before hand I was surprisingly calm on the morning of race day! Met a few friends at Flinders St Clocks at 6.15am... Yep -- AM people!! It was still DARK!! Haha!! Walked across the road to federation square and did the warm up, went to the toilet (because needing to pee while running is VERY unpleasant!), and found the start line. I did something differently this race and started at the back -- this was great because I felt like I was passing everyone; instead of everyone passing me!! LOL!



Still smiling - about half way through.



As per usual I went out too fast, the first 5 km were not too bad - but the second 5 km I KNEW I was running to fast -- I was DYING by the time 8-9km came around!! A little distressed at this given I still had another 12-13km to go!!! But I gave myself a talking to which went something like this, "It's ok Kel, just slow it down slightly -- because there is not a CHANCE you will be walking during this sucker -- even if it KILLS you, vomit or no vomit, just keep the legs turning over! You can do it!!" And I did!! WOO! Hehe..

21km in 1:59:19 ... YAY!!

Not so smiley towards the end.. LOL!

It was not until around the 16km mark that I realised that I was going to make it in around my 2 hr goal I had set for myself -- then, as I  got to 19km I realised I might actually be able to come in UNDER the 2 hr goal!! Boy did that make my little legs reach longer and turn over as fast as they could (which by then was not that fast!!) I was still able to sprint the last 100m too which I thought was alright!! LOL! Although, I have to say that last 1km went FOREVER!!!



I did manage to sprint to the
finish line though!! WOO!



Of course, being told I was not going to make it in 2 hours just topped off the day -- because I LOVE to prove people wrong!! Funny thing was, I did not even believe I was going to be able to do it! I thought 2:05 would have been good!! Haha!! Under 2 hours (even by seconds) was just awesome!! So excitement!! Had a look at the results and discovered that I am in the first half of my division -- even more excitement!! Most of the females who finished earlier started coming in around 1:45... The odd few were faster, but it seems that if I can knock 10-15min off my time I could consider myself "good" as opposed to "slightly better than average"... Perhaps I will go for this in the Melb Marathon in Oct... We will see. Not sure if I am willing to give up the weights!

SO EXCITEMENT!!!!

2 hrs worth of bumbag rubbing



2 hrs worth of heart rate monitor rubbing



Swimming efforts!

Who would have thought swimming would actually be HARD!! Haha!! Swimming looks so effortless... people just glide through the water... Kick your legs and little and wave your arms back and forwards -- what's so difficult about that!!! It's that exercise you do to rest from the "hard" exercise. The "low impact" "easy" option for when you have been doing too much high impact stuff. It's that exercise that bigger people do because they can't do the more strenuous stuff (and I can say that because I WAS the bigger person!!) LOL!

Bahahaha!!! Well, how wrong was I!! I have certainly been taught a thing or two.. I knew I was not a great swimmer -- and all I can say is -- I really had ZERO idea how bad I actually am!! Got in the water with my awesome swim teacher friend, who asks me what I CAN do. "Not much!" I reply... "Can you float?" she asks me... "YES!!! I can float!!" I say (very proud).. "Show me!" she says...

So I lay down on my back, spread my arms out and relax... and SINK!! Yep, my butt sinks down and down and drags my entire body under the water -- which I inhale (of course!) and come up very humbled and coughing and spluttering... Haha! "Well, I THOUGHT I could float" Hahaha!!

How does one learn to FLOAT?? Isn't that just some innate thing which you just can DO?? I have always been able to float!! How can one FORGET how to float!! LOL!

So, after a little while of trying to float. We move on to the kickboard... She shows me what to do... Seems pretty basic. Hold the board - kick your legs from the hips. No problem! Except that when SHE did it - she moved FORWARDS!! And when I did it - I went NOWHERE!! Bahahaha!!! Umm... Am I supposed to have some forward movement here?? Kicking the legs... check. Holding the board... check. Something is WRONG here!! LOL!

After much trial and error -- I think I figured out that because my butt sinks, my legs and kicking too wide (as in up and down wide)... because I need to kick them near the surface of the water!! Phew! Talk about difficult! So -- next time -- butt needs to stay up! Then the legs will stay up! Haha!!! Have I mentioned swimming should be EASY???!!!!!

So, I also did some running in the water which was good.. Forwards, Backwards, Sideways... otherways... Now : THAT I could do!!

Interesting experience this swimming business.. Eye opening in a good way!! Hard work and I am not sure how I will learn -- BUT I am excited about the challenge. After this, all I need to do is learn how to ride a bike and I will be ready for the TRIATHALON! YAY! LOL!