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I'm on track for my 4 swims/week.
We did 500m w/u then 200m kick. 4x50, 1x 100, 1x200 rest in btwn each then again. I can't remember the rest..
I'm going to join the local Aussie Masters Swim group now that i can swim & kick. I also want to purchase a book I saw that details all different types of sets but can't remember the title. I'd have to wander to a few book shops.
C
Over on Beginner Triathlete I've challenged myself to swim 16,000m in January. Today I swam the first 2000m:
1000m in 20:47 (2:04.7/100m)
400m in 8:25 (2:04.25/100)
300m in 6:22 (2:07.33/100)
200m in 4:06 (2:03/100)
100m in 1:55
I'm stoked that I did the last 100m in under 2min! Negative splits rock!
Today's swim marks the first time I've done a workout with most of the swimming done as bilateral breathing: about 2-3 out of every 4 lengths during the first 1000m and the entire second 1000m. I felt faster and smoother stroking this way. I think I've passed the point of no return :)
CC - you are an inspiration!
All the troubles and all the healing from 2007... the healing that continues this year... and here you are swimming like... well... like a really good swimming thing (I was never that hot on similies! :p )
Just remember you love cycling! You have to make room for the bike when you can hop back on it - don't let swimming cheat you!
(Oh no... I think we're losing CC! CC... come back... we love you and your bike!)
MD... I have no idea what half your post means :rolleyes: (I am not a swimmer or a triathelete) but it sounds like I should be well impressed, so I am) Spesh with 100m in under 2mins - that sounds fast (and a heckuva lot faster than me!!!)
Well starting next week I'll be swimming with a group Tuesday and Friday mornings.
I have finally given in to the idea that I can't train for an Ironman and get all my workouts in, just training in the evening and on the weekends.
So I'm going to buckle down and start getting up at 5:30 AM to swim at 6:00 AM. *Pained look on her face.*
I keep reminding myself it's all for a good cause... to cross the finish line.
Otherwise, my swimming is solid. I can't wait to see my times drop some more once I train twice a week.
Last night I timed the following:
2x400- Each 400 I completed in 6:30
2x300- Each 300 I completed in 5:00
4x100- Each 100 I completed in 1:35/38
Please keep in mind though that I was a competitive swimmer in High School. Swimming is the ONLY thing I do right.
I can't seem to get myself over to the pool to save my life. Your workout looks good and I just might take it with me....one of these days.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
Quote:
Originally Posted by KSH
Wow.
keep going...
my gods, I really had to try to get a 100 in under 2:00
Well, I wouldn't consider myself a "normal" person in the pool since I have been a competitive swimmer. I have been swimming for a good 20 years... and I made sure to keep up with my skill after I was out of High School.Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
Most people swim 100 in 2:00 minutes and if you can get it below that, you are doing great. Especially if you haven't had any personalized coaching.
I personally think swimming is the hardest of the 3 disciplines to pick up. You can't fake form in swimming. I am amazed at people who can barely swim and who take up doing tri's. That's hard in my book!
I'm doing a swimming challenge on Beginner Athlete as well this month with a goal of 10,000 yards. I'm at 5,700 yards so far and have almost 3 weeks left this month. I made a modest goal because at the beginning of the month I was still not feeling like I was a "swimmer," but something just happened in one of my sessions (OK, the something was my GF who is a coach, not for swimming, but still the coach mentality, who pushed me to do 150 more which pushed me past what I had ever swam in a workout before). Something just clicked and I can just swim now. I'm not sure what happened, but I found a rhythm which allowed me to just keep going and going. Now I just love swimming and have to force myself to stop so I don't injure myself!
I really drew the joker today.
back to practice after skipping for 6 weeks and he does a 1K TT. Yikes. I almost got sick to the stomach.
This is in the 25 meter pool: 1:45 for the first 100, 9 someting for 500 and 20 something for 1000.
Not so bad after all eh?
I actually woke up at 5:30 AM to swim this morning. Shocking for me!
I joined a tri team and they swim Tues and Fri AM 6-7.
So we did around 2100 meters. It was nice to swim in a group, and to get my workout done early... I just hate not being able to get 3000+ meters in, in the morning. Not enough time. Since we have to stop and wait for the group, etc.
We did a threshold/pacing set today. Eeeeeeek
W-up
11 x 100 @ 1:38 to 1:40 on 1:55 interval
100 easy
4 x 200 on 3:50 interval, first two were 3:23, 3rd was 3:32, 4th 3:27.
Looks like the wheels kinda of fell off the bus towards the end there.
I swear my arms are about to fall off.
We're getting ready for a masters club 1 hour challenge. As many club members as we can enlist swim for 1 hour each and we add up all the mileage. Then I don't know how they compare clubs but it's a state wide thing.:cool:
What does the "on X:XX interval" mean? I can't swim that fast!Quote:
Originally Posted by Wahine
That means that if I'm swimming 100m on 1:55, and I started to swim at 0:00 on the clock, I would have to start my next 100 at 1:55 on the clock, the next send off would be 3:50 and so on, regardless of what my actual swim time was. So the faster you swim, the more rest you get. Because I was swimming 1:40 ish pace, I was getting about 15 seconds rest between intervals. It's a good way to encourage people to keep the effort level up.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
Hey Wahine, our Masters team is doing the 1-hr Postal Challenge too! I'm not a registered member of USMS but I'll probably do it just the same, only my distance won't count towards the club total. I'll try and remember to post my distance!
K.
Oooooooooo, FUN!! Can't wait to see how you do!
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.
OH! I HATE COLD WATER! Hate it. It's all I can do to get in a pool that has water that's cold.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
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.
I think for now, aim to not get out of breath. It will come. It is all about technique... Be perfectionist first.Quote:
Originally Posted by kelownagirl
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
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycanuck
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.
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:DQuote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
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.
I went swimming this morning & did fairly well. I'm getting the leg power back as the kicking drills seemed easier :)
With our main set where we do a 300 (slow, medium then fast) x3 I had to really think about how I was swimming. Not because my stroke was way off but because of how it feels on my left side. I'd love to go fast but not if it bothers me. Whilst doing the set I had this sudden thought about breathing out when under the water..it seemed to relieve the pressure on the left.
I'm also pondering changing the normal side I breathe out on to see if it helps.
Random thoughts from the crazy one..
I love swimming I just want to get back to being a bit faster..
CC, good on the breathing out while under water. I found when I hold my breath (which is what I used to do) under water I would have to squeeze a whole exhale/inhale in when I rotated my head to breathe. It led to my heart rate speeding up and hyperventilating type of problems as well as some tense neck muscles. Now I blow a nice steady stream of bubbles until I take my head out of the water to breathe. It's very relaxing on long distances.
Last night we had our 1-hr swim. I was wiffling about whether or not to do it, because my ankle is still very tender to the touch and I can't point it or flex it too extremely. But it supports weight very well and doesn't feel much worse than when I did my August tri, so I decided to hop in the water and take a quick 50 to see how it felt.
It didn't feel good to kick, but the thing about long distance swimming is that you don't necessarily need to kick alot, esp. if you're not going for speed. So I decided to do the swim.
Overall I felt pretty happy with my times. All my splits were within 4 seconds of each other, and I was pretty steady on a 2:00/100yd pace. And to think, that was my time with only kicking with one leg or not at all! Overall the swim felt okay, it was just a little boring. And I couldn't for the life of me think of what the capitol of New Jersey was! Eesh. I have to think of better things to entertain myself than to name states/capitols, esp. since I'm geographically challenged!
K.
I'm so excited I can finally "dive-in" on the swimming thread.
I'm so impressed by everyone's workouts! I can't wait to read more.
My background with swimming: I was on swim team in my Junior High years. And I was TERRIBLE! Always the last one out of the pool. I used to cry about it a lot. So, I finally gave it up.
Now, I'm interested in doing tri's. I did my first one last summer with only a handful of open water swim practices. And I was among the last few out of the water. I'm determined to improve my swimming and work on my fears (I'm scared of lake water--which doesn't help keep the heart rate down).
My goal for the first few weeks is to just be in the water swimming for 30 minutes and to work on form. I've got the bilateral breathing down, but my butt keeps sinking every time I take a breath. Any tips on keeping my hips up would be great.
Thanks!
The classic float exercises that I and others have pointed out in other freds. I mean threads.
such as
http://www.svl.ch/basic_drills.html
Hey Kimmy..It was just pure fluke that I decided to breathe out a bit more than i normally do.! I don't think i hold my breath when i'm swimming. I think because i was only able to swim a certain way after my crash that I had to start thinking about how I swam/swim. Perhaps having to use the pull bouy for a month wasn't such a bad tihng..
I have a few more swims planned for the weekend :D
Hello All!
Does anyone here ever get mild soreness on the fronts of their feet from swimming (i.e. kicking)? It's not from my anterior tibialis muscle because I was poking around on it and it's fine.
My husband and I have also just started doing flip turns, and I'm wondering if the push off might be causing it (although how that would affect the front...?).
crazycanuck, you've got great taste in music.
The tendons on the front of the ankle can get sore from kicking, especially if you're using full sized flippers a lot. I don't thing the flip turns will affect them much unless you're increasing your kicking to take you into the wall faster. The problem is worse for people who have hypermobile (loosey goosey) ankles.
As far as your derriere sinking when you take a breath, are you lifting your head (rather than just turning it to the side)? That's one thing that could cause this problem. Another could be if you stop kicking when you breathe. Without seeing your stroke, I can't really help any more than that. I was on swim team for a number of years and have also taught swimming lessons, so the possibilities I suggested are just based on my experience. BTW, as far as your experiences on swim team, I was pretty much the same way!!! Speed was never my strong point; my form was fine but I was just slow!Quote:
Originally Posted by limewave
Whoo hoo, I swam 100m without stopping today! I felt tired after 30 minutes but rested for a bit and then went back in and did better! Suddenly I seemed to get into a rhythm and felt less tired. Overall I did about 1100m or more and swam for 40 minutes - 250m of kicking with the board, 250m with the fins, and the rest regular freestyle. I could have gone longer but DH came to pick me up.
Today I counted my strokes per 25m length and I seem to do about 24 strokes at 30 seconds per length. Can someone give me some feedback on that? I have no idea what to work toward. I am not trying to swim faster, I just want to work on technique and swimming smoothly. I think I read that you want to try to do fewer strokes though, right? So what would be a reasonable goal?
You're doing really well KG. The biggest thing for you will be swimming longer, getting the endurance to swim 500m straight eventually.
To give you some feedback; I swim about 18 to 20 strokes per length at tempo, I can get that down to 15 if I really slow down and stretch out. I'll swim 25 in 25 sec at a comfortable pace. But really 30 sec is very good and you should focus on endurance. It's amazing that you're doing so well since you just started with it all.:D:D:cool: