Mermaids and the Titanic

This weekend, after our regular swimming session, my husband and I stayed at the pool to record underwater videos of each other swimming. That way we could see our stroke from different angles and discover ways to become more efficient in the water.

For weeks, we have been watching videos of Michael Phelps and other olympic swimmers. They look like mermaids (or mermen) in the water. They glide so smoothly, so effortlessly... But watching myself under water was closer to watching the Titanic crash. There were limbs all over the place, things didn't move the way they should and my stroke was so slow that the video looked in slow motion! It was heartbreaking and demotivating to the point I couldn't watch anymore.

But today, two days later, I am a lot more positive. I have always complained that I am too slow in the water and at least, now I know why. My new task then would be address the (whole lot of) things that I'm doing wrong. Today, I focused on kicking with my legs closed and without bending my knees.

Watching our mistakes is indeed one of the hardest things we can do, but unless we become aware of them, we have no chance of improving ourselves. Improving my stroke will take a long time, but changing one mistake at the time, I hope someday I can be a mermaid too.