"I think I learned how to kick..."

M.K.'s Road To Redemption...

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

(7:30-9:00 PM)

1.)  Warmup (Continuous Swim):

600 Swim (150 swim, 50 drill stroke)

400 Swim (75 swim, 25 kick no board)

2.)

9 x 100 (1:35)

     -3 perfect technique

     -3 build

     -3 descend

3.)

3 x 200 (2:50) Free

3 x 200 (1:40) I.M.

2 x 200 (2:50) Free

2 x 100 (1:40) I.M.

1 x 200 (2:50) Free

1 x 100 (1:40) I.M.

100 easy

*Held 2:28ish on the 200's and 1:22ish on the 100's.

4.)

8 x 125 (2:00)

     -75 kick on back

     -50 swim (I.M. order --> #1 fly, #2 back etc.)

5.)

4 x 50 (:45) easy

Daily Total:  5,000 yards

Redemption Total:  12,800 yards

Epilogue:

     Well, it only took me 24 years, 10 months, and 3 days to be able to utter the words "I think I learned how to kick."  I guess that makes sense seeing as how I didn't "learn how to swim" til my last collegiate race.  But, as I love to say, better late than never, right??

     What an amazing feeling!!!  Kicking along in the 8 x 125's it just clicked.  It was one of the weirdest and coolest experiences I've ever had in a pool.  Hopefully I'm not getting too excited over nothing (entirely possible), but I really think I might have actually learned how to kick tonite.  I'll try to explain, but it probably won't make any sense.

     My theory is this:  For some reason I've always kicked using my whole leg.  It's hard to explain, but imagine lying on your back on land and making the kicking motion by basically keeping your entire leg straight.  I have no idea why I did this for so long.  The only explanation I can think of is that it somehow got ingrained as a habit from my freshmen year of high school when we did dryland training in the gym and did that exercise (we called it 'backstroke kick') as an ab/leg exercise...

     When Bettly, Poppa B, and I went swimming over NESCAC weekend at the legendary Westminster pool, Bettly tried in vain to give me some kicking advice, as I'm sure he's done tens if not hundreds of times before.  He said, quite simply, "Kick from your knee and keep your ankles loose."  Such a simple thought.  However, I could never grasp this...  Until tonite!  The key for me is in the "kick from your knee" portion of the advice.  Instead of using your entire leg, you generate your kick entirely from your knee.  Revolutionary!!!  I think I've struck gold.

     I was seriously on cloud nine as I finished up practice.  I swam along kicking up a storm, which anyone who has ever swum with me knows is not standard operating procedure for me.  Great stuff.  Or, as we used to say at Tuftensis, "It's a GREAT DAMN DAY!!!"

Live it, love it, chop it.

Epilogue Part II:

     I almost forgot, another little gem of practice came after the 9 x 100's, when our Coach Patrick made everyone listen up for an announcement, which went something like this:  "Okay everyone, listen up...  I have to tell you guys this...  There have been a lot of muggings lately in the areas outside the pool between here and 2nd Avenue.  This is what happens in a recession.  It's like, 'Welcome back to the '80's!!'  So with that in mind, be very careful and try to stick to main streets and stay alert."  Wow.  Good thing I don't have much to get mugged for...