One of my favourite stories over the last few weeks of the open water season has been the incredible progress of a very fast, accomplished runner who has decided she wants to experience the wonderful sports of swimming and triathlon.
She wants to develop her swim so she can experience triathlon, and all of the fun this sport brings.
Recommendation
After speaking to some athletes in her running club who have previously worked with me, this athlete was strongly persuaded to contact me to arrange a session. After a few messages, this athlete arrived at the Watersports Centre a few weeks ago for a 1-1 session.
Starting Point
At the beginning of this first session, she was unable to string four strokes together.
And I’m not exaggerating!
A very fit athlete, always near the front of run races, and very used to success, found herself incredibly frustrated with her swimming. If she wanted to experience triathlon – and she really did – then she needed to make some big improvements.
Within minutes of our first session, this determination shone through and she was swimming.
A Swimmer
Since the first few minutes of that first session, we’ve done some work on …
👉 Breathing
👉 Posture
👉 Timing
👉 Propulsion
Three 1-1 sessions later, this athlete is now a swimmer.
100%
Not perfect technique. Not particularly fast. But a swimmer. A swimmer who I think could now hold her own in a triathlon.
Definitely.
And my suspicions – and confidence in this swimmer – were confirmed at the end of the session when she asked:
“So, Ironman Bolton 70.3 next year. What do you reckon?”
My answer was obviously yes!
And I meant it.
“I’m Loving It”
This swimmer went on to tell me that swimming – and switching from fast distance running to triathlon – was now dominating her thinking.
“The thing about you and your sessions is … I’m really starting to enjoy swimming! I never ever thought I would. There’s so much to learn, to think about, to challenge you. I’m loving it.”
Music. To. My. Ears.
I didn’t dare tell her that if she thinks about swimming a lot now, wait until she tries triathlon. It will actually take over her life!
I’ll let her discover that joy herself.
Ironman Bolton 70.3 … watch this space!
You can see why I love this story, can’t you?
100% true.
100% satisfying.
100% invested.
One of the lessons to take away from this story?
With the right support, the right people around you and most importantly, the right mindset, you can achieve pretty much anything!
🙌
Discover more from Triathlon Swim Squad
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.