A Beginner's Tale Test

- by Kevin Roman

I am not a triathlete. Nor am I a Master swimmer, and I only swam competitively until around age 13. What brought me to Total Immersion is that I’m a middle-aged guy with a desk job and a family history of heart disease, who needs more exercise and would like to enjoy it enough to stay with it.

I’ve always been a swimmer. I liked the rhythm of the laps. I liked losing myself in the water. I liked the way it made me feel. But my swimming was a fairly hit-or-miss deal. I would swim two or three times a week for 30 minutes, just back-and-forth. I enjoyed it, but often felt tired and sore after a workout. And I swam erratically: I’d swim regularly for a year or so, but then would irritate my back or shoulder and need to give it a rest. Or I’d simply lose interest, fall out of my routine, and stop swimming, often for a year or more.

Last November, I could feel myself sliding toward one of those interruptions. I’d been swimming most of the year, but was feeling stagnant. In search of motivation, I went looking for books about swimming. What I found was Total Immersion and a whole new way of swimming.

I started practicing TI four months ago, and it has changed my swimming from aimless laps to a mindful and even joyful experience. I still have a lot to learn, but I look forward to swimming as never before. In fact, I am now swimming six, even seven, days a week, for at least 45 minutes each time, raising my weekly "immersion" from 90 minutes to at least 270 minutes. And I’m never sore or tired. I always feel great while swimming and energized afterward.

I haven’t had a TI Buddy to work with, and haven’t yet ordered the FME DVD, so I’ve worked on my own with just the book for guidance. I have gone from an SPL of 24 to around 17 on my good days. My swim golf scores are approaching 80, so I’m no expert yet, but the experience has taught me enough to offer some "acquired wisdom for beginners":

Stay the course. At first I felt self conscious, practicing those unconventional movements and unusual positions, and stopping after each lap to think about it. If you can swim in relative solitude, you might feel less self-conscious; but don’t worry, this period will pass, and your drilling will evolve into swimming. I am long over the self consciousness. I know where I am headed, and it is worth it.

Adapt. Water up your nose or in your mouth may be part of your growing pains, but it gets better pretty quickly. It helped to blow bubbles from my nose as I turned my head down, but mostly, it helped when my balance and control improved.

Be flexible. The book suggests you master each drill before you move on, but I discovered that taking the path of least resistance worked well too. When, I just couldn’t get the drill to feel right, I moved on. Later after progressing through several subsequent drills, I came back to the drill I had struggled with, and found that now I could do it.

Focus on base principles. Sometimes I get stuck, or in a rut, or lose my focus. When I would find that happening, I open the book again and reread different sections. Often, just one thought from the book would get me back on track. I’ve done this “refocusing” at least every couple of weeks, and sometimes more often.

Use the on-line Discussion Forums. I was a little leery about posting a question, so at first I just read what other people had to say. But then I posted a question about something in the book that confused me and within a few days got several very helpful suggestions. It was like having a dozen online coaches (and "virtual buddies") to consult with.

Always swim with a plan. Like the book suggests, as I walk to the pool I form a practice plan for that day. I know what I am going to be working on. Some days it works perfectly and I break new ground. Other days, I can’t quite get the rhythm, but I keep at it. Soon I am back in the flow, which is a great place to be.

Patience. I have been swimming the old way for 40+ years. It takes time to change all those old habits, but I can see myself making slow progress, and more to the point, I am enjoying the process which means I am more likely to stay with it.

I love swimming now in a way I never thought I would love any exercise. To be honest, I don’t really understand why TI has made such a difference, but it feels great and that’s enough for me.

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