Better balance

[cjsmith]

20 lengths? 22 lengths? I lost track.

I'm definitely getting better at keeping my hips up and my head down. Another few swims and I'll start focusing on a better kick. I'm also no longer worried about being booted out of the medium-speed lane.

CRAWL STROKE people: I know breathing is done by rotating the head sideways. Do you also do anything to look forward, to see where you're going? Do you instead look only at your distance from the wall or from the lane boundary, so you don't veer? If the latter, is bumping into the end wall a surprise?

Comments

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

You don't rotate the head.

You rotate the whole body. If you only rotate the head, you'll get a crick in your neck after a few workouts. (Guess how I know this one).

I tend to navigate by looking at the stripe on the bottom of the pool. The stripe usually has a cross about a yard from the end.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

OK, yeah, I was imprecise about that one. I meant that the face points toward the side of the lane rather than toward the end. :-)

Cool beans! I have noticed that stripe and that cross, but usually only when I'm climbing in (or waiting for a good chance to climb in). I tend to close my eyes when they are submerged. I should get over that. After all, I haven't worn contacts for at least a decade!

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

Goggles, madam, goggles. Otherwise you'll fry your eyeballs.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've got a pair donated by a kind LJ friend. I should go see if I can make them fit.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Do you have prescription goggles? They are pretty cheap, under 20 bucks, and work well enough to see under water.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

No need for the prescription. My eyes aren't great, but they're not too too bad either! :-)