Swimming, how to go farther, faster?

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Okay, a bit of research to see if there might be something to add to what I am doing, or change something I am doing wrong.  After enough reading I realize... the bottom line is... If you want to go farther, swim more.  If you want to go faster... urhm, swim more.  *laughs*  Oh, I am sure a solid swimming coach could attempt to retrain some of my efforts, to enhance efficiency.  Barring that, a thing that is not available to me, then simply working on speed, then distance, and back and forth, with breaks from any conscious attempts at improvement, are the way to get there (no, swimming lessons don't count, they aren't that specialized).  Why take breaks from improving?  Like anything else, whether it be swimming, jogging, weight lifting, or other exercise, no one can simply improve day over day, week over week, month over month, and year over year forever.  Beyond the increased risk of injury comes the limits of returns.  Once muscle, lung capacity, and the rest, have been improved to some point, the body might well begin to deteriorate if pushed further.  Once the body has acclimated to the new muscle and other improvements, then another round of improvement may go forward.

Two weeks of swimming has made me a professional, don't you know!  :p  Some of what I do know, however, is borrowed from the past.  It isn't complete, it probably wasn't perfect back then, but it was rather ingrained.  As I read things now, much of what I knew is coming back.  I don't see any glaring mistakes, but my memory isn't complete and is rather general, mostly, too.  I am looking forward to getting the okay, should it happen, from the doctor to begin lifting weights again.  Most likely I would fit that in Wednesdays.  In the warmer months, when I can do it here at home, I might try to get that to twice a week.  I have some doubts about doing it three times a week.  Then again, that might have been pushing it.

It still amazes me that no matter how technical, well done, or true a paper is on the subject, the best advice regarding improving whatever it is you wish to improve is "just keep swimming".  Oh, I suppose I knew that.  I was just hoping for a word of power or three that might allow me to jump the hurdle, getting from struggling on a dozen or score of laps to pushing a mile under my arm in the same time period, overnight.  Nope...  one week, one day, one lap or half lap as the case often still is, at a time.  Oh, I'll get to some distance again.  I'll get some speed back.  I'll improve in all ways and in general.  It just won't be tomorrow, well, not quite literally.

Did someone say lunch!  I think so, though my belly has been known to use a form of ventriloquism on me before.  Lunch it is!  Hmm, but what?  Never mind, I'll figure that out on the way.  Good day.