Get Swimming Diary: A pool of pep talks to ease the panic

Week 2 starts much as Week 1 did: I flailed around in the water with all the elegance and confidence of a cat thrown into a fast-flowing river. This is most disappointing. My first session in the water without our trainer does not go well. And although I have enlisted the help of a swim buddy, I still struggle to complete one length of a 25-metre pool without stopping. My swim buddy, on the other hand, glides through the water like a gazelle who can swim like a mermaid.

I know what I am doing wrong. My arms – my left one in particular – are not catching the water properly and not propelling me as fast as they should. My kick is poor too. And then there is the panic. That entirely irrational fear that at some point I will sink like a stone and never rise to the surface.

The instructors come to my aid. One, Stephen, tells me how to be more efficient by getting my head out of the water to breathe: it is all about stretching out the body and turning my head only slightly to one side rather than lifting it out completely like a hungry dog looking for a treat. Meanwhile, Fran, another instructor, suggests I use a float to keep my legs up for a bit so I can concentrate on my arms. It is a good idea, and by the end of Week 2 I can swim four lengths of the 25-metre pool without stopping and without using the float.

Only another 60 or so to go.

Want to give Conor some tips? Tweet him @conor_pope

For more, see irishtimes.com/getswimming