Left Brain vs Right Brain - the swim lesson

Some people are right brained. This group of people is more creative and imaginative. The daydreamers, if you will. Most people have a dominant left brain and follow a more logical and rational train of thought. Everyone has some right brain and left brain tendencies and the combination of the two makes us what we are today.

Also, it is known that the left brain controls most movements on the right side of the body and the right brain controls your left side.

So I sit here today, trying to find a left brained (logical) explanation to what happened in the pool this morning and it just isn’t working. So I am turning to my more creative half. But it, too is puzzled.

There has to be some sort of explanation to what Koach Karl saw during my 5AM swim lesson.

But I don’t know what it is.

So I will explain it the best I can.

One half of my brain wasn’t communicating to the other half of my brain what it was doing. On half of my body had great form. The other half, not so much . I blame it all on my left brain (it is the more stubborn half, you know)

I started off swimming a lap. KK said it looked good for the most part. I had a decent stroke and was doing a decent job kicking. I was relatively aerodynamic (flat back) in the pool.

One little problem though, I had good rotation to my left side but not my right side. (come on, left brain, get with the program).

So I swim a little more. I get the rotation thing down, but now, my left side stroke (controlled by my right brain) is looking good. You know, elbow up, reach, pull. But my right, just wind-milling its way through the water (flop flop flop flop). For whatever reason, my left brain was convinced that this windmill stroke was the most logical way to swim. It wanted nothing to do with the right brain’s theory that a more deliberate, almost artistic stroke was better.

Fortunately, KK agreed with my right brain so, being in the minority, the left brain gave into the pressure and is now following the more energy efficient, elbow up, reach, pull stroke my right brain was supporting all along.

So once I got the right and left side of my head in sync, everything when much better.
Of course, as I sit here writing this, my left brain is trying to get back at my right brain for showing it up this morning. The left side is telling me to get a Smoothie King smoothie and chug it. You see, the left brain is aware that scientific studies have demonstrated that the right half of your brain is more sensitive to brain freeze than the left side.

And a Smoothie sounds good.

Let’s just hope the right side thaws out before my open water swim tomorrow night.




p.s. People have often asked me what the hell goes on between my ears. If only I had a dollar for every time someone asked me “What were you thinking?”. Well, this was a free glimpse into the inner workings of my brain.

For whatever reason, I am convinced my left brain and right brain are jealous of the other half. Each side thinks I favor the other side. But in reality, I love both halves the equally.

And during the roughly 20% of the time when I actually use my brain to make a decision, I pull from both my logical and creative sides before acting. And usually make the right decision.

It is the ~80% of the time I don’t think before acting that concerns me.