One of the first questions I had was ‘where the hell do i start?’
Thankfully as part of the whole gig, I’d scored some free passes to Tri Bob training sessions (www.tribob.com) (Phew!) and with daily sessions, I could not fail… right?
I rocked up to my first swimming session brimming with confidence. I like to tell people I was ‘born in the water’, hence I certainly wasn’t expecting to freak out the way i did.
Tri Bob Training
Arriving at the Farrer Park pool 20 minutes before the session started, I felt panic set in as I watched the group ahead of me. These guys were ridiculously good. In fact, most of them looked liked they swam for a living!
As I could not resort to Dutch courage – drinking before swimming, bad idea – I sped dialed my long suffering gym partner, Lyn. After five minutes of listening to me rambling she calmly (but firmly) told me to suck it up. I believe her words were, ‘Of course you’re scared. You’re totally out of your comfort zone. This is probably one of the hardest things you’ve done in the last few years. Going to bars/clubs isn’t difficult at all!’
She had a point. Damm. Obediently, I trotted over and began to suit up.
For the next hour, I was put through a range of drills – arm recovery, catch-ups – they were anything but easy. On the upside, I was swimming faster and smoother by the end. On the down side, I’d swallowed a lot of water, got kicked because i did not keep a body length’s distance and felt like a complete muppet for not being able to breathe on my left and my right side.
Post session, as I sat down and reflected I realised my ego was getting in the way. Of course I didn’t know how to swim properly. This is why I have these sessions!
Clearly, if I want to finish the swim leg in a decent time I’m just going to have to suck it up, and some chlorinated water.
Now, if only i can train myself to breathe on both sides.
Charlene Fang's Blog 