I had my first ever swimming lesson and didn’t drown! As another who’s also a beginner in swimming, you can replicate that by checking out this website.
Before I went to get wet, I had a handful of nuts. Yep.
Okay, I didn’t expect to drown, but I was really nervous about swimming for a few reasons…
1. I haven’t been swimming in an actual lap pool pretty much ever (I think I tried it once when I was in college and wanted to try a tri?)
2. I have no idea about pool etiquette… Am I supposed to wear my cap at all times? How do I even put it on?! How do I know what lane to get in? Is doggy paddling okay? Can I pee in there?
3. It involves being in a swim suit in public. Ugh.
Luckily, Pam helped put me at ease right away! Pam is a local OC beginner triathlon coach and has offered to help me get ready for the tri. If you are local and looking for a coach you can check her out at OC Triathlon Coach
She told me to bring a cap, goggles, spf 300 and zoomers. I had no idea what zoomers were until she pulled these out of the bag. 
She watched me swim and gave me a series of drills to do. I think I did 30 minutes of swimming for our first lesson.
Swimming Day 1 self assessment:
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I don’t kick from my hip.
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I lift my head and drop my arm when I try to breath.
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I only breath on one side.
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I’m not comfortable to be in a swim suit in public.
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I cross my arms when I’m stroking.
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I don’t put my head down all the way.
I’m training for the iTryathlon on the 28th so I don’t have that much time. I’m going to work on all these things over the next 4 weeks and hopefully update every so often to see progress. I’m hoping that I’ll stick with swimming for cross training throughout my ING Marathon training too!!
On the way home I was HUNGRY and considered stopping for lunch somewhere. But I was on a time crunch to get back so I went home and threw together a tuna sandwich with this packet I got after Rock N Roll San Diego. Weird post race treat, right?
I enjoyed it with a Dove candy and ended up grabbing a Kind bar too. 
I have some more work to finish up before I log off for the 4th of July Holiday!
I found this kit for White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies on sale at Target Sunday. I’m making these and probably a big salad for our BBQ tomorrow.
I should make a patriotic cake like I did before too – we’ll see!
What are you cooking or eating up for tomorrow?
The fact that it hides the midsection already brings comfort to full-figured
women who find it difficult to buy plus size swimming apparel that flatters their body.
This gives women the option of showing some skin without having to
expose their entire tummies. When it comes
to a one-piece swimsuit, avoid busy patterns or too much detail; it can overwhelm your figure.
My grandmother once mailed me a package of that tuna stuff, a few years ago. No note, just the squeezable tuna packet. I thought it was hilarious but I was very confused. I had my mom ask her why she sent it and she told her that when she saw a recent picture that I sent her, I looked too skinny. So I needed to eat some tuna. HAHA!
HA! Love it 🙂
My best friend made that same kind of flag cake for my Memorial Day bbq! I got a big kick out of it…then proceeded to eat all the fruit off it 😛
I can’t wait to follow your training online and learn all your swimming skills!
I love to swim for cross training! Having asthma made it difficult for me to ‘get into the rhythm’ of swimming when I was younger because I didn’t understand how to properly control my breathing. I always ended up hyperventilating. So I started off slow: swim to the other side of the pool. breathe. swim back. and gradually increased distance. My form was decent (having had swimming lessons every summer as a kid), but the hardest part for me was the breathing. Once I was in college and had conquered that hurdle, I decided it was time to learn how to do flip-turns. Took me a good month or so of swimming 2-3x/week until I started to ‘get the hang of it’. I still mess up once in a while (like when my goggles fog up and I under/overestimate how far I am from the wall!).
Keep at it! You will get there!
Can you use the zoomers in a triathlon? Great job on the swim lesson. It will pay off when you decide to have little ones.
I don’t think you can use them in a race.
Great job on swimming!!! I have been trying to add swimming into my workout regimen. I heard, because you use your hips so much, it really strengthens them and helps control your running stride!
I won’t be cooking anything today- only eating! 😉
I’m actually not making or eating anything special for today. But ice cream will definitely make an appearance at some point. Ice cream sounds aweeesome right about now.
This post brought back all kind of memories from my first swim lesson for my tri. I was a mess! And I looked like I was drowning for atleast 3 weeks of my training. Good luck with your training. I look forward to reading about your training.
Yay! I’m planning to take some swimming lessons too! I just posted about it last week! I failed the same swim class as a child 2x because I couldn’t rhythmic breathe. And I still can’t. We’ll get better!
good luck with the swimming
Congratulations on getting back in the pool! I started swimming with a tri group earlier this year (a terribly humbling experience since I couldn’t do half a lap of the pool while everyone else was doing dolphin tricks), so I know it takes courage to do it! Good luck, looking forward to reading about how it goes!! I just got back in the pool this week myself 🙂
Happy 4th of July!
I am so excited to read about your tri training. I am training for my first tri in Aug and my second marathon in Oct and I have been tired but noticing some great improvements!.
I have never heard about Fitness for Geeks but after I read your discription, I am dying to read it.
Hope its not to hot out there today, we have had 100 degree days so I have to do my workouts at the crack of dawn. Have a happy fourth!
Keep it up with the swimming. Good luck at the tri!
I feel the same way about swimming, only I can’t even get my head underwater so triathlons are probably pretty much out of my reach.
I’m glad you didn’t drown! I would never attempt a tri for the simple fact that I am not a strong swimmer. I don’t really even know how to swim technically…just well enough to hang out in a pool for a short period of time. Good for you for baring all and taking lessons!!
Oh, I’m sure everyone is beyond thankful that you didn’t drown!!! Great job on your first swim practice girl 🙂 I had seen those cookies before, but never got around to trying them out. Let me know how they taste if you do! Happy 4th of July!
**Also, I just started my own blog. Check it out 🙂
Where did you get your swimsuit? It’s awesome!
I’m impressed with your non-drowning abilities…can’t say the same for myself!
Being Canadian, all my celebrations were done over the weekend. I made S’mores bars – cannot go wrong with chocolaty/marshmellowy deliciousness.
Great job on your first lesson. I need to take swimming lessons PERIOD. I’ve always had a fear of water and never grew up around it so… I can’t swim to save my soul. It’s embarrassing since I’m almost 30.
Tomorrow I will be making the simplest of desserts. Sugar cookie fruit pizza which I posted today on my blog. Can’t wait for the BBQ fun!
Great job! I found your site from Skinnyrunner.com. The first couple of times swimming was hard for me. I can’t wait to swim again! 🙂 I did my first tri last year and did some quick calculations that if i had really quick transitions — I could catch up/keep up with the strong swimmers and it worked!
Hi Erin, Glad you found me 🙂
Try to really work on the alternate side breathing. If you can breathe every 3 strokes, you’ll streamline your swim.
Oh my gosh you look SO cute in your bathing suit! Stop being silly 🙂 Glad you had fun.
Congrats on your first swim lesson! It sounds like you’re doing alright.
It’ll be great to keep up as cross-training for NYCM. And, then you’ll be even more ready next time you do a tri!
Swimming is my favorite! Did you figure out all the etiquette? I wrote a post about it in case you didn’t. 🙂
Ooh, can you link to it? 🙂
I love zoomers! I used those when swimming with my husband so I could keep up with him and we could do the workout together.
You look great in your swimsuit! It’s so cool that you got a swim lesson. I am also doing a triathlon on the 28th (www.rocketchix.com) and was thinking about doing some swim lessons if I want to do another tri in the fall. I think that the swimming and biking have really helped my running speed too so I hope it pays off for your marathon training too.
My father went his whole life not knowing how to swim and I know he often regretted not being able to especially when we were kids.
Bravo for deciding to open the door to a new world of opportunity in the pool 🙂
That is so cool! I would love to have someone to teach me all the rights and wrongs of swimming! I know I’m doing plenty of things wrong as I’m thrashing around in my backyard pool pretending I’m Dara Torres, but it’s all I got! Good for you, and good luck with it!! 🙂
I made oatmeal cookies for tomorrow too! I have the best recipe ever for them! I am also making corn bread! 🙂
I got one of those Starkist packets after my first 5K! In fact, I made my fiancee grab one too. I eat them almost everyday so it was welcomed 🙂
Very patriotic cake! Looks delicious 🙂