A bit of a breakthrough today! I've been going to swimming lessons for 8 months now, at least once a week, starting from scratch as I never learnt as a child. It's been really hard as my legs sink like a stone and trawl along the bottom (too much muscle I reckon
), so leg action, breathing and generally staying afloat long enough to practice arm technique has been a constant struggle.
I've just got back from cycle touring in Scotland for a couple of weeks so missed 3 weeks lessons and went to the pool today expecting the worst and, lo and behold, I was freestyling in a fairly elegant way! Everyone commented on it, including the teacher. They all reckoned I'd been to a swimming camp for intensive training, but the opposite was true.
It makes me think that you have to lay off things for a while and come back to them fresh to see an improvement. It just felt so relaxed and natural, rather than worrying and analysing technique too much. I'm hoping this is the breakthrough I've been waiting for!