I now have a summer of swimming under my belt. As a beginning swimmer with no experience in a lap lane to now a seasoned beginner, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned.
- It's ok to be the worst one out there. You'll get better. The first day I nearly panicked, but I managed to swim a few laps. With a bit of instruction and practice I eased my fears. And p.s. all my instruction was online.
- Don't be embarrassed by your speed. You'll probably be surprised at the variety of swim experience in the pool. There will be the lady swimming only breaststroke quite slowly and fluidly. There will be the woman swimming 100s in a minute flat. Then there will be people like me, someone who slowly but surely gets there and back, there and back.
- When you arrive at the pool, and find you need to lane share, take time to observe the lanes to see where you fit in. Don't over or underestimate your abilities. If you find you got into the wrong lane, then just switch. No biggie.
- Every time I go to a new pool or at a new time, I'm afraid there will be too many people in the lanes. I've found that most people are happy to lane share. Even with several people in a lane, if you pay attention, the swim will go quite smoothly. I shared with a handful of people today and didn't even notice. It didn't go any differently than if I had my own lane.
- I'll say it again cause it's so important. Don't worry about your speed or ability. Just try. You will get better and more confident with time, but that's only true if you try.
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