Catch a wave...Or the swimming thread

[crazycanuck]

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..

[Kimmyt]

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.

[limewave]

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!

[alpinerabbit]

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

[crazycanuck]

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

[Nav]

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.

[Wahine]

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.

[Jolt]

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!

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!

[kelownagirl]

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?

[Wahine]

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.

[kelownagirl]

Thanks Wahine and you have NO idea how amazing it is. Most people cannot believe I'm even willing to go in the water. I've always been known as the girl you do NOT push off the air mattress or she cries.... I am feeling really good about my swimming although I know I have lots to learn and a long way to go. I am actually starting to enjoy it too.

[HillSlugger]

What do you count as a stroke, every arm or every one side?

[kelownagirl]

I was counting every stroke, left or right.

[HillSlugger]

I haven't paid attention recently, but last I did, counting every arm stroke I do about the same as you.

[alpinerabbit]

In a 25m Pool I can do between 20 and 15 strokes depending on speed. 1:45 on 100, or 45sec on 50 is my sprint speed (I've been at it for a year).

So KG, you are progressing really fast. In addition to being perfectionist on those isolation exercises, just concentrate on the glide phase - after your hand has entered the water, and the push - before it exits.