"Feeling the Water"

When I first began swimming last fall, and in my quest to improve swim times and fitness levels for this season's Triathlon(s), I often heard the term "Feeling the Water". At first this phrase perplexed me; of course everyone can "feel" the water, so to speak, every time they dive in. Certainly cooler water can be felt easier, and any old lake will leave you "feeling" pretty damn cold - however - that's not the point. What was the point?

Months and months of swimming passed, and even after marked and continual improvement, I reflected back on this quote often. I wondered if I had experienced it, and the answer always seemed to be no.

About a month ago, shortly after the BAM triathlon in June, something remarkable happened. I was swimming at my normal 6 AM masters group, lamenting to our coach about how my disastrous swim unfolded the prior weekend out on Deer Creek. She didn't look surprised, but rather told me to get my ass out of the pool and demonstrate to her my stroke on dry land. I scoffed, but complied begrudgingly, because after all - I'm a world class swimmer! What could I possibly learn after nearly a year of swimming 2 and 3 days a week?! I was in for a great shock.

As I hunched over with my head facing downward, I began paddling as if I were moving through the chlorine-induced pool water, hastily tossing one arm forward, down, then back toward my thigh. After two quick "air strokes", she stopped me. What I saw next was nearly as scary as the horror movies that haunt our dreams from childhood - DROPPED ELBOW. I couldn't believe it. Not me!

No wonder I had become so comfortable with lap swimming and mediocre splits - my upper body muscle memory had imprinted itself with a terrible dropped elbow stroke. BAD, bad habit. Swim coaches everywhere are tearing up their workouts and manuals and crying uncontrollably for me, whether they realize it or not. For those who don't know, dropped elbow is one of "the" cardinal sins of swimming 101. Dropped elbow causes inefficient pulling. Inefficient pulling causes bad form. Bad form causes slower workouts, and more difficult workouts. Difficult workouts lead to slower times and less distance - and the bottom line is that it can be hard to correct. Here is a great link if you wanna read more about it.

So back to poolside with my cynical-sorry-ass standing there, freezing, wondering what my elbow was doing. Coach Becky quickly adjusted my elbow to square, had me practice a few on dry land, and motioned for me to get back in the pool. What ensued was a real miracle, as I started up the next set. My pulls seemed more fluid, my follow-through was more deliberate, and my arm was square. No more dropped shoulder! As I continued swimming that morning, I made a focused conscious effort to keep the arms square, and catch as much water from the tip of my fingers up through my forearms, and finally my shoulders.

One week later, continuing workouts and focusing on avoiding this dropped elbow, I FELT THE WATER. I was streamlined - I was rolling, and I was PULLING like you wouldn't believe! More importantly, I was faster! What a relief. To this day, I still think about squaring that arm and "reaching over the barrel" as it were, and catching as much water as I can. I feel the water all the time now and it has literally changed the way I swim.