I swam in the indoor pool with my Garmin on, hitting the lap button after each set of 4 lengths, trying to limit my rests, getting stressed that it failed to count the lengths properly when I did some drills.
Next time I went I was properly bloody FURIOUS to discover I'd left the Garmin at home on charge. I can't possibly exercise without timing it, counting the lengths, over-analysing the results in a desperate attempt to find some glimmer of hope in there that I'm not actually shit. I very nearly went home to get it, which would've left me about 25mins to swim before the pool closed.
There was only one horrifying alternative: swim without my Garmin. <Hammer House of Horror style music>
And so I did. I got in the outdoor pool - which made me catch my breath when I got in but after 30s of dead-man floating was fine - I forgot about lengths, I cared not about lap times, I just went up and down the pool until I felt I'd done enough... and crucially, with nothing else to focus on than technique I turned it into a REALLY good session.
Next time I went I left the Garmin at home deliberately and jumped into the outdoor pool with the intention of just swimming well. Reckon I may have done 500-600m in one easy, steady set. Focussing on my hands, my catch, my power stroke etc I was pretty reliable at an easy 14 strokes (hand entries) per length. It's a short pool: 22m. Towards the end I tried really hard and got it down to 11 strokes
but it isn't a sustainable way to swim.The point is that I took the pressure off myself: I removed the Garmin effect, or the Strava effect if you're on your bike; the pressure to beat some record, look good to your mates, look good to YOURSELF when you compare training notes.
It just made me think that maybe we should all chuck our metrics away for a little while each year. Focus on technique in the pool or try to learn a new stroke or drill or simply to enjoy the feel of the water while you let your mind drift off, 'spoil' your run by stopping to do some stretches and physio stuff mid-way or perhaps walk for a bit to enjoy the winter air, 'ruin' your bike ride average speed by pausing to enjoy the view or fiddle with your seat position etc.
By going to the outdoor pool for the first time(s) in ages and not taking my Garmin 'Big Brother' with me I've had some of the most enjoyable swims I can remember. It was utterly beautiful. I'm now really looking forwards to my Boxing Day swim in the Hamble!
