By Diana Pimer, Swimming World Contributor
About two years ago in my senior year of college, I wrote the following article: 6 Everyday Struggles of a Breaststroker. After going for a (short, by the way) run yesterday and hopping in for an IM set today, I was quickly bombarded with sore abductors.
With this came an influx of horrid yet wonderful memories. Headaches from lack of oxygen, the most painful hamstring workouts imaginable and getting two seconds rest on freestyle intervals quickly came to mind.
It was in this moment, where I was hobbling around the pool deck trying to coach a club practice, that I remembered my original article. Except this time, the struggles are not only worse, but entirely different.
Photo Courtesy: acintosh)
1. Getting out of bed
This may be true for all athletes, current and retired. But there are specific difficulties that come with a breaststroker body. If your knees and ankles do not crack simultaneously in agony the moment your feet hit the floor, I envy you. Usually, the hips follow along shortly and I need to confirm that I was a 200 breaststroker and not a marathon runner in college. Less pounding, yet somehow these joints just aren’t what they used to be.
2. Squatting and running
Back to the inspiration for this article, over the last nine months I have learned that I can run, lift, or swim. But combine them? That is a pulled groin waiting to happen. Not only am I limited to front squatting because these muscles are so worn and beat down that back squatting puts too much pressure on them, (seriously, can anyone else relate to this?) but then trying to do a breaststroke set afterward is nearly impossible. And the day after a run is no better. Oh you ran a 5k yesterday? Looks like our breaststroke yardage today is limited to 5…hundred? laps? yards? Yards.
3. No, your traps do not go back down to a normal size
Every once in a while in our swimming careers we dress up. Prom, a yearly banquet, high school and college graduations. On the other 360+ days of the year, I was proud of these muscles. We shrug, it is what we do, and we have the glorious traps to show for it. And this proves true for other muscles as well, but for some reason I am pretty sure my ability to wear a strapless dress will be limited for the rest of my life. Could this just be due to my obsession with power snatching and cleaning? Possibly, but the results of that study are currently unofficial.
4. Driving slowly and waiting in lines
Look, I spent 16 years waiting for my turn in the back of lane and getting run over by All-American freestylers. I’m retired – this is my time to live with no limits in the fast lane! So every time I find myself stuck behind someone driving 20mph I get uncontrollably anxious and antsy. The same goes for waiting in lines, predominantly for food (some struggles never change). While I think breaststrokers excel at these tasks based on our long-term practice of patience being the slowest swimmers in the pool, it does not make it fun. We will not, we can not be held back! Well…aside from maybe speed limits, those are pretty important.
5. Searching everywhere for your timing
All breaststrokers know how hard it is to keep the timing of your stroke, even when you are in shape. It is very easy to lose and if it is off it is off, there isn’t really “okay, in-between breaststroke.” From experience anyway, you are either on or off. You can’t throw in a couple of extra dolphin kicks or change up your breathing pattern to get by on an off day. You send out a search party for your timing. And when you are not swimming for four hours a day or swimming consistent breaststroke, this timing disappears. I can usually hear it laughing at me somewhere in the distance. It could take weeks or months for it to come back, and by that point I usually just put my snorkel on and freestyle pull for 20 minutes anyway.
6. Getting made fun of for your feet
Okay so this struggle has not changed over the last two years. Except now, there’s not even a unique, somewhat cool excuse for it. “Oh these feet? Yeah I was given a gift at birth and was basically born to a be breaststroker.” And you said it with pride because at the end of the day you know you have a deep appreciation for your outwardly positioned feet. But now anytime someone asks me about this I fall into some sort of identity crisis…”Oh, um, well, they helped me win nine conference titles because I’m, uh well I was a breaststroker…yes, that’s the frog stroke.”
And while these are just the highlights, the struggles come with a side of pride. (There it is again, another food reference). While I may struggle to get a personal best back squat or wait in a line, it was all worth it. For that medley relay spot, for that unique bond between us all, being constantly reminded of your time as a breaststroker is actually a blessing, with just a dollop of struggle.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Julianna Bender Remember these things…… hugs
Joline Höstman nummer 4 ?
Den var faktisk rolig ☝??
Aaahaaa..just wait till you go to the ortho and he says “oh you have breaststrokers knees….then schedule replacement….aaahhh no more pain..also no more kick
I had the lungs of a whale when I was in my teens and twenties. I could do endless sets of 200s going 12.5 yards on each pullout without a second thought. At 50 it is a whole new story. One of the hardest things now is that I run out of breath on my breaststroke sets. All I do now is sprint 25s when I want to prepare to race.
I enjoyed being a breastroker because it allowed me to swim at a high level. I went to Nationals but would have been a middle of the road swimmer with any other stroke. I can relate to having to do the same sets as freestylers who were 4 seconds faster. If I could do 10x100s on the 1:10, they should have had to do them on the 1:05.
Don’t appreciate your post! BS.
Montana Clasby it’s a good read
Ahh i just read this!!! So true!! Hahaha some of these I never even realized I struggled with ?
Montana Clasby I figured you would like it!
Daniel Rachlin דוד מנשר
For all your Breaststrokers out there! 🙂
Marilee Kiernan Susan Kim life strugglez
Bartosz Zarzecki
Kelsey MacCuish
#6 for me and #2 for you
Good article from a fellow retired breastroker
Corrina Nickerson
Junae Huynh me
i hate getting out of bed HAHAGA and bad timing gets me so frustrated o my god
Cameron Gillespie
Brian Sarah Dean
?
I’m not retired, Bob?
“Retired” in the sense of prime age competition… yes, you and I are! ?
I disagree, Bob
Plus, I wasn’t a breaststroke back in the day.
I disagree, Bob
Plus, I wasn’t a breaststroker back in the day.
You’re missing the point Sarah…
?
Heather Moyer Iglar- lol
As a breaststroke I agree!
As a breastroker I can agree with this, except I still swim breastroke as a Master. I am so much a breastroker that if I swim these weird crawl kick sets, my feet cramp up after a while!?
Alyisha Beckingham Vladimir Pan
Appreciates your article some might scoff and dismiss it but it gives me an insight into how my 18 yr old is feeling ..now I understand even more whats going on when he tries to explain whats going on with his body and stroke .