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Good going!
Probably backstroke feels better as you get more air, but it's not nearly as relaxing (for me) as free, now that I've mastered the technique (which took me 2 yrs).
It also took me almost 2 yrs to not get cramps anymore, that's normal.
How about taking a freestyle class just for enjoyment?
I was gonig very, very easy on Sat in one lane and was able to keep up with a guy with paddles on!! (which means either he too, was going very very easy, or he suçked :-) )
Good on you for getting back into the pool.
I've been swimming for just over 2 years and I still sometimes get cramps in my calf or foot arch. It's usually late in a swim and doesn't last long. I've learned to swim through it.
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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
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Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
:)Thx for the encouragement and the feedback about the cramps. When I got the cramp kickboarding, that's when I took them off and backstroked a while instead until it passed. Then, back on again.
Also, that is an excellent point about the backstroke! I never thought about it that way. I have asthma. This is one reason one of my docs has always wanted me to swim. Something about it being good for asthma people...
But, I find it hard to coordinate my breathing pattern and stroke without getting winded in a weird way. I do take my inhailer as a preventative before any type of cardio. With my head being out of the water for backstroke, I don't have to think about any of that.
When I had lessons as child, I was shown the general technique for breathing etc. But, that would be one basic thing I think a paid lesson could benefit me. It's like I can't keep enough wind sucked inside of me between breaths and strokes.
It's always bothered me that I haven't been able to get it. I've never told anyone:o I stop the stroke because I can't breath (out of the water too, aka getting an asthma attack, pretty silly secret I know:rolleyes:).
The lady I was sharing the lane with was so graceful. I couldn't help but watch her in awe. A goal to work towards for me:cool:.
1500m today. Trying to swim twice a week but it sure is hard to go when I'm so tired after work...
Miranda: I find swimming to be an endlessly refining sport. There's always something you can tweak to make things work better.
As for breathing, that will take time and just keep practising. One thing you might want to try is, outside the water, stand with your hands up. Put them together and have them tuck around your ears. You want to tuck your chin in, and imagine a string coming out the top of your head pulling you. If you don't tuck your chin, your face isn't streamlined with the body and you end up getting more of a drag.
And when breathing, you don't have to move your head/face, just imagine you're a log and roll. Lengthen your arm and just roll over half way to get a breath. Freestyle and backstroke is a lot about roll, but your head shouldn't move. One good drill to do to get used to the roll is doing 3 strokes free, 4 strokes back. So, as you finish your third free stroke, roll onto your back, and after your 4th back stroke, roll onto your front. You can do that 2 and 2 as well. It might be dizzying at first, though!
And for backstroke, be sure to tilt your head back slightly, that will bring your butt and legs up. My favourite stroke is backstroke, too, it's so natural for me and I can keep up with everyone else's freestyle. My coach even said I should do the tri doing backstroke! (a joke, of course, but one I contemplated!)
[QUOTE=Miranda;396683] I've been told many times I should swim as a great cross training that's non-impactive.
YOu can do acuathlons, bike and swim!
Thanks, badger... that was great advice! The specifics really help. I need that.Quote:
Originally Posted by badger
When I backstroked today, I made a point to tilt my head back. It did indeed help straighten me out.
I chickened out on freestyle today. I did not realize about the rolling. That would be so much better for me overall.
I have degenerative disk disease in my back and neck. That's one reason the docs like the swimming (non impactive stress on the disks). But, I could never figure out how to not crank my head to breath and irritate my disk that's a problem in the cervical spine.
Now, I know better:cool:.
Btw, that is a really good drill about switching up strokes... hopefully even being humble I can sort it out;):).
[QUOTE=tribogota;397880]NOW, you have me fired up:D...Quote:
Originally Posted by Miranda
I have always wondered that. I had heard of the bike and run only. But not the swim and bike. I asked a tri acuaint in passing and she just mentioned doing like a relay. Someone else run, me bike/swim, etc. If there is such a beast.
Check back with me another time:rolleyes:, I'll be hiding under my bed at those words:eek::o.
Well... despite my fears, that would indeed be quite an accomplishment. From the little girl who could barely swim well enough to get out of the deep end once off the diving board. Hmmm... I'll have to research.
Thx :)
EDIT: Off to my research already:p...
When I googled that term it came back swim and run. When I found this page, it list it as "aquabike" (states for injured athletes that can no longer run). Hmm, interesting! Linky below...
http://www.usatriathlon.org/content/index/60
I've been making the pool twice a week thus far. I figured out the distance with the pool length and laps. Each time I've done a little over a half mile.
The pool has a record keeping box for the swimmers to log their laps. I officially started myself a card:).
At the end of the year, they post the swimmers accomplishments. I think it will help with my motivation to stick with the pool. It will be interesting how far I've swam by the end of the year!
I thought I had posted this but in my frozen January brain I don't think I did. Fogive me if it is redundant.
As I mentioned before I swim in the morning w/ Dagny Knudson. ANYWAY since she was at the PanPacifics in Guam in Jan and broke records and won many golds she is now being touted as the fastest under 17 female swimmer in the WORLD ! ! !
Last week a trainer from USA swimming in Colorado springs came up to see how she was training and what she was doing differently to drop that many seconds.
. . . . . and to think I choke on the water she swims in :o
Anyone ever had an allergic reaction after swimming?
The last two times I went this week, I began sneezing and had itchy watery eyes and nose for about 16 hours after. The first time I thought I was getting a cold but it disappeared the next day. The second time I made the connection to the pool. I called the YMCA to see if they'd changed chemicals or anything and they admitted they were having some trouble with the chlorine dispenser. This last bout was enough to make me think twice about going back but I have to. I may call first before I go. Hope it's not a lasting thing. Has it happened to anyone else??
I always get the sneezies after swimming and can taste the chlorine as it drains. I use a sinus rinse/wash afterward and it really helps. My skin itches, my eyes itch, my whole sinus/nasal passages itch. The sinus rinse makes a big difference to the sneezing and dried out feeling - it feels like everything sticks in my sinuses and bothers them, until I rinse at what point I swear the saline stuff goes in but doesn't all come out (I MUST be really dried out). At this point, I swim twice a week at most, which is enough for me, even if it's not "to plan" (3x/week).Quote:
Originally Posted by kelownagirl
Didn't think to ask if they could adjust the chemical level. Family swim and swim team and all the fitness classes are done in the same pool, so I guess they are worried about germies.
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Originally Posted by colby
Thanks for the feedback - I'm going to try the rinse next time. I had a good shower and washed and conditioned my hair and hubby said I still smelled like chlorine that night.
I've been swimming at this pool for a year and have never had the problem. That's why I asked them if they had changed anything.
KG - I had the same problem last week after my swim, I hopped into the nearby hot tub and after the initial "ahhhhhhh moment" I realized the chemicals were way off...it was like stewing in a chlorine pot. I felt like crap when I got home, I took a hot shower, washed my hair, and used a ton of saline nasal spray to rinse my sinuses. Nothing like having the thing we do to stay fit & healthy make us feel cruddy.
I always have a problem with chlorine. I used to take a pre-emptive antihistamine before swimming but then I started using a nose plug and that takes care of it most of the time.
I'm pretty sure I smell like chlorine almost always.
*lightbulb moment* Well that makes sense to me now, I use a mask and snorkel right now to swim laps (my PT doesn't want me twisting to breathe yet), I don't have any problems with chlorine now...just when I try to go without the mask or sit in the hot tub.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wahine
OK I am wierd - I love the smell of swimming pools and chlorine on my skin :p
But i do hate what it does to my eyes, nose, skin, breathing etc etc etc
I hated swimming at our Y pool and wouldn't go into the hot tub - I felt I had to wear goggles just for the hot tub.
This last month, however, they put out an announcement that it wasn't the chlorine that was the problem but the gases created when the chlorine was killing the bacteria :confused:
Anyway they added something to neutralize it and what ever they did made a huge difference.
I wear a nose plug because if I don't my sinuses always bother me
And one more thing
I swam in a pool this summer that was a saline pool. They used salt water instead of chlorinated water. It wasn't as salty as the ocean but was great to swim in. Apparently no need for goggles and your suit isn't destroyed in 3 months. I wish other places would try that!
That's part of why I don't do the hot tub. The temperature makes them terrible breeding grounds for germs so they need to chlorine the life out of them :eek: It hurts my eyes. I perpetually smell like chlorine just from 2x swimming. I don't need the extra dose from the tub :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
Now that sounds fantastic!Quote:
Originally Posted by eclectic
I use the university facilities and one place has a hot tub and the other a dry sauna, I'm opting for the dry sauna these days...much nicer and cleaner, and waaay less smelly.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
Hmm..Does an outdoor pool make any difference? The pool our group swims are held is outside & I can't sense any chlorine smell...
I started having problems with my sinuses a couple of years ago so I started wearing a nose plug. It was horrible, it threw my rhythm off, but now I honestly can't swim without it.
I find I can stay underwater way longer, especially when kicking off doing backstroke, and very handy when you're getting winded and doing flip turns (when you don't have much umph left and you do flip turns water always went up my nose).
Our club swims outdoor from May-October, and yes, it's much better for chlorine. I think it dissipates in the air a lot quicker than in an enclosed space. But I also get grossed out knowing that seagulls poop in there...
Syndirelah That is quite the swim! let us know how it goes - especially the 100's on :40
you must swim a fast 100 to make it 3 x's on :40
Also that is a lot of yardage!
Pretty impressive !
It makes a big difference, the chlorine evaporates quickly and diffuses into the air and doesn't hang in the building. When I worked at outdoor pools we had to check the chlorine levels at least 4 times daily and adjust accordingly depending on the heat and sun.Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycanuck
I figured they were on 1:40 otherwise we would have seen you at the Olympics :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Syndirelah
I am not a good backstroker and can only do about 40 yds of fly on a good day but I like doing all the drills and mixing it up because it is a really good stretch for the arms and the core also it makes the session go faster and is more interesting. I have decided I am using swimming for recovery because in a tri it is the shortest distance and for the amount of effort needed to speed up vs benefit it isn't worth it. I need to work on my cycling and running a lot more! I just feel way better if I swim
I will never see 1:30 again :( good for you on the 1:25 !
The young pups I swim w/ go on 1:30 - I go on 2
Dagny (the young lady who trains in the morning while we are swimming) can do 16 100's and hold every one on 1:05 :eek:
Well it's been about 6 months since I've been swimming. Lap swimming that is. Between needing an off season & a healing tattoo I just didn't get to it.
Anywho, since it was raining today on top of ice I decided to swim rather then run so I headed to the local YMCA pool to finally get to that area of the tri training process. Swimming is my weakest area.
Good news is I haven't totally forgot what I'm doing, but I'm definitely very very rusty. Oh & the ladies locker-room has been remodeled (much much nicer).
I'm still recovering from a nasty cold so I took it easy and only went for about 750meters. I'd say it went fairly well. :D However, I am doing my best not to be intimidated to death by the 1.2 mile swim I will have to complete for the HIM.
Might try the same thing over tomorrow since I'll be in the area. We'll see how the muscles feel.
good job for getting in the pool! Aren't you glad we sent all the freezing rain your way? I hear you are supposed to get all the ice. We missed it (we have ice but not the .25 - .5 inch all over everything to break the trees, power lines etc. ) They have downgraded our snow to "only" about 6 inches - I guess it is better than 10, but over top of ice? ? ?? :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Urlea
Hasn't this been the most fun winter ever? ? ? I wonder if we will have school tomorrow - a lot of rural canceled today again - they will be in school in July!
unless our dear Govenor pardons some. :rolleyes:
And school getting out in July is a bad thing? (Unless you are a teacher.)
Just means less kiddos to try to navigate around when doing laps in the outdoor pool. :D
Going to try swimming at lunchtime starting this week... a friend of mine is building to a sprint distance starting from no swimming (more or less), so we're going to hit the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays around lunch. I may or may not swim the 3rd day depending on how complete my midweek workouts are - since she's starting from zero, her swim workouts are very short but also have walking the same day, so we'll see what we work out. My workouts are around 45 minutes right now.
I have managed to cut some time off my swimming, probably just by sticking with at least once or twice weekly workouts as consistently as I can. ;) My last 2500 yard swim was super-consistent at 1:50/100 - I mentally marked the time at 1000 and 2000 and then the end. I'm hoping I can carry it forward to longer distances - it's about 45 seconds per 100 off my IM swim time, or 20 minutes total so far. :eek: I don't feel very good at sprinting/shorter distances, so it's nice to feel good about something. Last year, my long swims, even at only 45 minutes, were good predictors for my IM swim - my IM swim was actually faster than my pool swims were and I wasted a bunch of effort getting sidetracked and frustrated.
I was REALLY punished by chlorine yesterday, ugh. I slept really poorly because I didn't give my sinuses enough time to drain after rinsing. The comments about outdoor pools being better reminded me that I didn't have these problems nearly as bad when I swam as a kid 5 days a week, but I was swimming outdoors. My worst problem was the chlorine in my hair, which I am really diligent about now. ;)
Cheers to everyone swimming, despite the icky chlorine ;)
I've heard it said that you can't win a triathlon in the swim but you can lose one there. Of the three events it's the shortest both on distance and time. While it may be hard to pick up speed in swimming it may be more important to become more efficient in swimming so that you use less energy and come out of the water feeling fresher for the bike.
I am a teacher :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Urlea
Exactly!Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
And Syndirelah Whoo hoo on the muscle! No batwings for you when you are an old lady!
My stroke is pretty efficient and I can go a long ways holding steady. I am not fast by any means (I did 1:50/100 on our 20 min steady pace swim, could have easily kept going so really didn't push like I should have) I would have to work REALLY REALLY hard to even try to drop 5 secs off 100 anymore so I figure 5x5 = 25 secs on a sprint. W/ work I can drop 3-5 minutes off on the run because right now I am a REALLY bad runner so way more room for improvement :p
Also cycling is a great place to drop time but that is so dependent on course terrain and around here WIND ! ! !
The first tri I did someone advised me to stay to the side and count to 5 before starting out so I miss the chaos at the beginning of the swim. I took the advice - counted and started - I will never do that again! I ended up passing everyone (love wetsuits) Starting last I was still 14th out of the water w/o even trying to push it.
Now the run . . . . . that was another story :rolleyes:
Another thought - If I was doing longer distance races like IM and HIM shaving a couple of secs off a hundred would add up if it didn't tire you out.
I feel slow :( in the pool these days :(. I don't want to be the turtle
*sigh*
I've been jealously reading everyone's training updates - and struggles - for a few months. Had not been in the pool since I took a TI workshop back in November, because I came down with the flu and had a chest cold that wouldn't clear up.
DH and I are on a long trip now, and landed in Indonesia last week. We found a hotel with a 40-meter pool! With the warmer climate I finally felt my chest loosening up and started working on my TI drills.
It felt great to be in the pool again. We're back on the road, so I don't know when I'll get to swim again, but it sure felt great to start up again.
Swim team practice ends on Tuesday!!! I can get back in the pool during the week.!!!!!!
YIPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I've got the flip turn down! woohoo!:D:D
Good for you! Now you will be cruising!Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
Are you on a pleasure trip or a work trip? - sounds very exciting and exotic either way. Keep us posted on where you are. I love to live vicariously through others travels (just let us know what strand you put it on)Quote:
Originally Posted by jocelynlf
Another trip to the pool today. :) Swam about 1 mile. My first attempt at doing so. Went really well.
CrazyCanuck I can identify with the turtle feeling.
There were a lot more people in the pool today, most of which were faster then me. Two of which were wearing swim-caps from the tris I did last year so I knew why they were swimming.
But keep up the good work! This is why we train to hopefully get faster and more efficient, right? :D
It's a pleasure trip, with the exception that DH is interviewing for a job here in Melbourne yesterday and today.Quote:
Originally Posted by eclectic
I've mentioned a bit about the trip in the Touring forum - there's a thread called "tanking economy and trip planning" that shootingstar started.
We're doing a round-the-world itinerary with Star Alliance -- it's actually only slightly more expensive than one or two round-trip international tickets, dpending on the mileage you choose, except you get multiple destinations up to a year. We've been saving up to do this for a while, and recently found ourselves both *ahem* "unencumbered by work commitments." So it seems like this is the ideal time to do a trip like this!
We started in Paris then flew to Singapore to use as a hub for other points in Asia. I already mentioned Indonesia, and next week we'll go to Taiwan to hang out with my extended family for a couple weeks. After that, New Zealand. A friend of mine recently suggested we might want to try going to the Phillipines as well, so we might add that on. We expect to be home late March.
People have been asking me to post pictures, so I think the easiest thing for me to do is edit down a selection when I get home and post them on their own separate thread. I'll let you know when I do that.