Looking for OWS partner/group - Detroit Area

Hey Dan,

Although I haven't joined that particular group that Jogo mentioned, I have swam out there at Spring Mill Pond.  Its pretty nice water.

I swim further north.  Mainly at Holly Rec Area or Seven Lakes.  If you are ever up this way, let me know.

If you are swimming well in the pool, but struggling in the open water, is it just a comfort thing?  I really struggled in the open water last year, but I'm coming around this year.  For me, it was losing sight of the bottom.  When that happened, I struggled.  Its been just time and experience that has gotten me over that reaction.  Let us know what the deal is, and maybe we can help.

Go Spartans!

Here is a little mental exercise that helped me. I've used visualization with some pretty incredible results in other sports.  It was a key ingredient to becoming a scratch golfer several years ago.

I call this my swim ladder, but its not a workout ladder:

When I am swimming, I tend to visually focus on whats below me. Who wouldn't? Having something to look at occupies my mind. When I loose sight of the bottom of the lake, I get pretty uncomfortable, as in, I panic. I start to gasp for breath, I over roll to try to take in more air, it throws off my rhythm, which makes me work harder to keep afloat and moving forward.

So, I started to think about this giant ladder stretching from my position in the water to my sighting object. It could be a bouy, a landmark, whatever. This imaginary ladder has rungs that are spaced out like a good stroke. It requires a nice little glide to get to the next rung on the ladder, each stroke allowing me to "climb" the ladder.

I also visualize the astronauts in zero-G. They have that same gliding movement when they push off an object and come to the next one.

I keep that visualization of the ladder stretched out, rungs spaced apart, and I can "see" my body taking a stroke and then gliding to the next rung, grab that next rung and pull again. Before I know it, my breathing has returned to a great bi-lateral rhythm, I'm swimming a perfectly straight line, and I'm cruising through the water with little effort.

Give it a try. I hope it helps.