So That's How To Kick!!!

Apparantly the last two year I haven't actually been kicking during my kick drills...or my swim drills...or at all. My coaches will be really happy to know that. LOL. In my defense I would like to state that I thought I was!

This morning in swim class it was all about the kick....

We started out with a 400 m freestyle warm up. I have lost my flipturn technique I might add. Waaaay too far away from the wall. I admit it, I went back to just touching the wall. I know, I know, I'm a wimp. Ah well. I promise I was concentrating on form so just didn't feel I could fit that in as well, haha. It's early in the morning and my brain can only handle so much!

Next up was 800 m in sets of 100 m in 2:10 min. We were to practice keeping our chests out, leading with shoulders and kicking....hard. Jen wanted to see splash! Yet another excuse not to do flipturns. You see, if I do a flipturn I have to hold my breath for a rather long time....and now that I'm kicking, hard, I notice that I'm out of breath a bit more. Hmmm....something to work on! I really liked this exercise as I had to focus on many many things and so the laps went by quickly. In fact, at one point I asked Daniella if we were on the fourth set and she said, no, only one more to go. SUHWEET!!

After that it was more kicking. This time we did 25 m each of 8, 6, 4 and 2 count kicking. Two count was insane. You are to kick with each stroke. My body did not want to synch up, unfortunately, but it was still cool trying it. Jen said if you can do this one, it's great for open water swimming as you can swim with head up so you can pick off who you want to swim over! Niiiiice! Perhaps I will try this once I get the courage to move more into the middle of the pack!!

After that it was 8 x 50 m of kicking. We kicked for 8 counts for the length of the solid blue rope, then 4 counts for the blue/white rope, then back to 8 counts for the solid blue again. I gotta tell ya - this is where I realized what kicking was all about! I have never felt my legs work that hard in a swim before....EVER. Okay, okay, that is partly because I'm lazy triathlete who depends on wetsuit buoyancy. But even in kick drills I've never kicked that hard!!! Can you imagine what I will be able to do if I can actually kick that hard, swim, AND do the flipturn??? I'll be friggin unstoppable!! haha. Or so I hope (she writes meekly....).

To finish off the morning we did a 100 m medley, butterfly (highly amusing - I am impressed I didn't drown), back, breast, then free.

Oh, and you will all be shocked to know that when she said to do an easy 50 m - I actually did the breast stroke for 25 of it. I know, I know...you don't believe me, but it's true! I think I've almost got down the weird timing of it all.

I have to congratulate my swim coach, Jen, because this is the first time ever that I've felt my legs got a workout in the pool. At this rate I may actually achieve Desiree Fickers triceps and (insert any female triathletes name here) legs. Okay, that last bit may be wishful thinking...but as I was doing all that kicking I couldn't help but think...hmmm....this may actually give me a perky arse!!

Hey, you gotta think whatever motivates ya!!