Advice

I just want to say thanks- although he'll probably never see it- to Chris, who was in the LA Fitness today in the lane next to me and took the time to deconstruct the two problems with my stroke in record time.

He was dead right, my pull, just changed to something like a swimmer's, is still too short, and I don't kick enough, and these are things that I'm working on. But Margit drew the straight line that I was thinking about as well when I was in the pool after Chris took time out of his workout to help me.

My problems stem from my awkwardness in the water. Much like the strength training session last Sunday, my biggest issue in the water isn't lack of strength, my short stature, or my lack of experience as a swimmer. It's just a general lack of coordinated action.

As Margit said, 'I generally think of you as the opposite of someone who has coordination problems.'

Practice. And not just practice, but practice of good form. There's a reason I can throw a tight spiral but still struggle in the pool. One I've done thousands of time from the time I was old enough to hold a ball. The other- still learning.

It's funny. I'm 43, and I have to admit to myself that I need to learn something that's simple and basic to thousands of people- that I'm the swimming equivalent of the guy who can't throw a spiral, or in a straight-line for that point, and that I need to discover basic coordination in the water.