Dreading Getting Back In The Water?
SIX is the magic number when it comes to hopping back on the bandwagon.
Hey Swimmers,
If you’ve been away from swimming for a few weeks, a few months, or even a few years, there’s a good chance you’re carrying around a little bit of dread.
“I’ve lost all my fitness.”
“Everyone else will be miles ahead of me.”
“I’ll be back to square one.”
“Maybe next week...”
That last point reminds me a little bit of the sign you often see in a pub that says “Free beer tomorrow.” Tomorrow never comes, obviously.
Nonetheless, I know the ‘dread’ feeling all too well and why it can be so prohibitive to your forward momentum.
As I wrote about last week, I’ve just come through three weeks out of the water myself after getting properly knocked around by illness. It would’ve been easy to force my way back in, try to prove something to myself, and expect my swimming to be exactly where I left it.
Instead, I chose to be kind to myself - much to the amusement of my training partner, Chris, who has now also succumbed to the lurgy:
That’s the first lesson when returning to the water:
leave your expectations (and in my case, my entire personality!) at the pool door.
You’re not trying to win an Olympic medal on day one. You’re simply trying to reconnect with something that you know makes you feel better.
Because here’s the thing that so many swimmers forget: almost nobody regrets going for a swim. We regret putting it off.
Six Is The Magic Number
Over the years, we’ve seen a remarkably consistent pattern.
For many swimmers, it takes around six swims to start feeling like themselves again.
Not one swim.
Not two.
And certainly not after the first session where you feel out of breath and wonder where all your fitness has gone.
The first swim often feels awkward.
The second can feel surprisingly hard.
The third and fourth are usually where you begin to remember why you love it.
By the sixth swim, the rhythm starts to return. The water feels familiar again. Your confidence begins to rebuild.
That’s why it’s so important not to judge your comeback on your first session back.
Judge it after six.
Give Yourself Permission To Start Small
One of the biggest mistakes swimmers make is believing they need to return at full speed.
You don’t.
Twenty minutes is enough.
A few gentle lengths are enough.
Turning up and chatting with your lane mates is enough.
The hardest part is rarely the swimming itself. It’s walking through the door.
Once you’re there, the water usually does the rest.
The Water Is Waiting For You
At Swim Smooth, we’ve seen it hundreds of times.
Someone returns after an absence feeling nervous, embarrassed, or worried they’ve fallen behind. A few weeks later, they’re smiling, feeling fitter, sleeping better, and wondering why they left it so long.
Swimming has a wonderful way of giving back far more than it asks of us.
So if you’ve been away for a while, here’s your challenge:
Don’t think about getting fit.
Don’t think about pace.
Don’t think about how many sessions you’ve missed.
Simply commit to six swims.
Be kind to yourself. Lower the bar. Take the pressure off.
Just get back in the water and let the process work its magic.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly it starts to feel like home again.
Thanks for reading! You Coach, Paul.
