Improving my swimming pace

Question
QUESTION: I am reasonably fit and belong to a surf club.  Each year I need to do my proficiency and thus do 400m in under 9min.  I can swim for an hour non stop but nothing I do gets me under 9min for 400m.  The harder I try the worse I seem to get - what can I do to make it less stressful?

ANSWER: Hey Garry,

Do you swim with other people or just by yourself? You didn't tell me how old you are - that would help me answer your question. I can see you're getting very stressed out - I think you should chill out for a few days. When you practice, don't work too hard and just take a few days to go easy. I find that this works for me. When I'm feeling frustrated or stressed that my times aren't getting better, I take a day or two off to taper. It helps me relax and when I go back to the hard practices, I can concentrate better.

Hope this helps!
~April

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks April - I am in my 50's but still reasonably fit.  I do swim on my own in the pool and I have tried many different things to improve my pace.  I do get stressed about it but even when I'm just doing a relaxed swim, I'd like to be able to move through the water faster than what I do.  Colleagues tell me I'm a "sinker".  I am not overweight but if I float in the water without moving, my feet sink and the rest of me does.  What am I doing wrong??

Answer
Hey Garry,

That may be the problem. Though the case is very rare, people who have less than 5% of fat in their body tend to sink when they try to float in the water. Is this the case with you? This does not mean you won't be able to swim, just that it makes it harder for you to stay afloat. Maybe you should consider getting a personal coach and discuss these issues with him/her. I'll be here if you need to bounce any more questions off me.

~April =]