Catch a wave...Or the swimming thread

Swimming - day 3. I am so excited that the swimming thing is working out for me! I certainly have LOTS to work on but apparently I am managing to avoid many of the 'typical' issues that beginning swimmers deal with. I have a good kick, and my breathing is getting under control quite quickly (although this is certainly my biggest challenge), and today we worked more on my stroke and it seems I do the 's' curve thingy (whatever that is) naturally so he didn't have to make me correct that. Anyway, I am so excited that I have SOME sort of natural ability in an area that has always terrified me.

The best news is that he said he thinks I can definitely do a triathlon and he recommended I join the masters swim club after this lesson set is over rather than spend more money on private lessons. Yee haw!

You mean you guys are actually swimming? I haven't swam since September. Let's see...(scheming in my head) my IM is late November...so that means I can start swimming in about June...;)
I hate the water when it's cold. I just can't drag myself to the pool to get wet in the cold gym. I'm such a weenie...:( Nice to see others are braving it and getting in their pool time. I want to be you.

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

I hate the water when it's cold. I just can't drag myself to the pool to get wet in the cold gym. I'm such a weenie...:( Nice to see others are braving it and getting in their pool time. I want to be you.

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OH! I HATE COLD WATER! Hate it. It's all I can do to get in a pool that has water that's cold.

I stopped swimming at one gym because the water was just too cold. I thought I was a whimp... but even this guy we know who was a Marine and is hardcore (rides when it's 20 degrees)... stopped going to that gym because of the pool being too cold.

I have joined a tri team just so I can swim with them in a WARM pool. I pick my pools based on water temperature.

I had an awesome swim today! I did a ladder down from 600m to 100m. It's only the second time I've done 2100m in a session, but the amazing thing is that I did the entire session at a pace just under 2 minutes per 100m! I did the final 100m in 1:47! Except for this final set I never felt like I was pushing it very hard. For me, this is huge! :D:D:D

I went to the pool alone today and worked on the things my coach had suggested. I did about 30 lengths in the half hour I was there. I timed myself a few times as well and did one length in 25-30 seconds. I didn't rush when I turned around so my 50m time was about 1:00-1:05. Trouble is, I can't swim more than two lengths in a row without taking a break to catch my breath. :)

Can anyone tell me what kind of time I should be working toward?

Honestly KG, that's actually really good for someone who just startedswimming again. If you can comfortably get your 50m time under 1 min, you're golden.

Well that's good news! Too bad the tri's not a 50m swim eh? If only they had stopping places every 50 m in the lake....

It'll be no time before you're able to string those 50's together. I actually swim better in open water than I do at the pool.

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

Trouble is, I can't swim more than two lengths in a row without taking a break to catch my breath. :)
Can anyone tell me what kind of time I should be working toward?

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I think for now, aim to not get out of breath. It will come. It is all about technique... Be perfectionist first.
Then think about times.

KG-I agree with AP & wahine..work on technique first. Even if you have to slow down & think about how you breathe or move etc then it's fine.

When I first started swimming with our group, my freestlye was crap as I wasn't pulling the water with my right arm/side & it often floated outwards. (it's hard to describe-i know the movement but can't describe it) It took me 1yr or so to work on it;s much better now.

Oddly enough..having to swim with a pull buoy for a month or so actually helped. I may have hated it but I actually had to think about or force myself to think about what my arms were doing.

Another thing about swimming is core strength...

Rambles from the crazy side..:o

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Oddly enough..having to swim with a pull buoy for a month or so actually helped. I may have hated it but I actually had to think about or force myself to think about what my arms were doing.

Rambles from the crazy side..:o

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That's a really great suggestion for new swimmers. By using a pull buoy between your legs... your legs float and you don't have to think about kicking or what your legs are doing. It allows you to focus on your stroke.

I think more new swimmers should try it to get their stroke down.

Just not too often so you don't depend on it for your balance.


Hey - I swam another 1:45 on 100 meters in the 50 meter pool. I'm quite happy.

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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

I think for now, aim to not get out of breath. It will come. It is all about technique... Be perfectionist first.
Then think about times.

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You betcha. I am trying to go slow and steady and do everything right. I just wanted to time myself on a couple laps so I could get an idea of where I'm at in the big picture and even then I was not trying to go fast per se, I was trying to swim 'good'. :D:D

And "pull buoy" - is that what you call that little float thingy (hourglass shaped in a way) that you put between your knees? My coach had me use one a few times to work on my stroke. Nice to know what's it's called.

I contacted the Swim Club and will probably start the week after next. Something else to be nervous about.... :eek::eek::o

KG- regarding breath- it might be waaaay elementary for you, but what my coach is having me do is 180s- start on your stomach, just kick until you need breath, then use the arm on your 'breathing side' (if you have one you prefer) to roll you to your back, maintain the chin-slightly-tucked, mouth-and-nose parallel to water head position, breathe as needed, then use the same arm to roll you onto your belly again, maintaining the same stiff-neck pose. Opposite arm (since I breathe left and thus stroke left, this would be my right) stays straight 'ahead' while you're on your back. Teaches balance and breathing rhythm, but also can be handy to just catch your breath while maintaining a focus on your kick. A variation I'll be drilling into myself tomorrow is the 4-stroke 180, which is the above, only you start on your stomach, four 'front crawl' strokes, then on your 'breath' stroke, flip onto your back again and breathe.

The next drill we do is the 'fingertip drag'. Elbow up, drag fingertips across the water's surface with your head down (facing the bottom of the pool) like The Thing water skiing. :)

Hope that helps.
I get to go drown myself tomorrow, I'll tell y'all how it goes.
Really straining my quads. Geez.

Thanks Kit - we did do some of that when I started and it did help. Now my focus is on trying to 'coordinate' my breathing with my stroke. Most of the time it's the right time/speed, but sometimes, I breathe too late (my arm is already entering the water) or too slow (my stroke 'stalls' for a moment while I breathe).

I did the finger tip dragging drill on Monday! I did it for about 10m then kept forgetting. At that point he stopped me and said, I wasn't doing it, but I was now lifting my elbow the way I was supposed to so it was all good.

Sometimes, I think it might be better if he just told me what he wanted me to do instead of getting me to do the 'overcompensation' drill. :o

My hip flexors kill me when I'm swimming.

I didn't go swimming today. My lessons are over and I feel super tired and needed a day off today.