Yeah, don't stress about the time. If you can swim that distance already, you're well ahead of most. Speed will come, but it's going to take some proper technique training. It's worth paying for some private lessons just to get some feedback. It shouldn't cost more than $20-$30 for a half hour to an hour session.
Best of luck to you.

it's not fast but the fact you can swim 2000 metres puts you a long way ahead of most. For comparisons sake, I did 1700m last week in around 32 minutes. I don't consider myself a strong swimmer. If I can do 2 minute 100's in a race it gets me out of the water in the top 10% (keeping in mind I'm in 45-49 AG). If I push and do 1.45 min 100's I'll be in the first couple of people.

Keep swimming your 2000 metres and add in some speed sessions or intervals. You'll get faster, it may just take a little while.

/k

It sounds like your form could use some work, but your fitness is there. I would avoid trying to do 2000 meter sets for a while if I were you. Right now the most important thing for you should be to try to figure out a proper swimming form. Try to find a swimming coach to help you get your form correct before you swim for miles on end. All you will be doing is teaching your body how to swim with not the best form.

I would suggest getting a coach to help you out for a few times so you can get your from corrected. You can then swim on your own for a little while, but have your coach check back on you from time to time to make sure you have not picked up any dirty habits. Remember the more tired you get the more your form will suffer, so don't hammer out long sets right away. keep them shorter to make sure you keep proper form so you can develop the muscle memory.

Thanks everyone. I've been swimming now three times a week for about five weeks. I'm also reading Laughlin's "Triathlon Swimming Made Easy." Over the course of the five weeks, I've dropped down to 21-22 SPL and I can swim all day (I was doing 3 1/2 hour runs over the summer until my knee died on me), but my lap times have been stagnant for the last several weeks. I'm really frustrated because I can read about balance and lengthening my stroke and all the rest, but it's so hard to know what I'm actually doing (we all have this picture in our mind that probably has very little relation to reality).

I was thinking about springing for a coach, and there are several people who suggested this. I guess I need to find an instructor who has some understanding of tri-swimming. I can ask at the YMCA if they keep some sort of list of swim instructors.

I want to think that just swimming will make me faster, because that's something that even a knucklehead like me can do. Maybe I just haven't given it enough time and maybe I will start getting faster if I just keep at it. I guess I was momentarily frustrated to have made such dramatic improvement in efficiency (you should have seen my SPL when I first hopped into a pool five weeks ago), but my lap times have barely budged over the period that I've been at it.

What do you guys think about swim toys? Laughlin really poo poos the use of bouys and kickboards and paddles. Since I don't have any base of knowledge to make up my own mind and since people seem to like Laughlin's books, I've not invested in any swim toys. Do you guys use them regularly?

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and suggestions, and I'm sorry to have voiced my frustration. I guess that I know if I had just started running or riding, I would have seen tremendous improvement in my speed over this period. That my lap times really have been flat for so long (despite the improvements in efficiency) makes me think that I'm doing something horribly wrong.

Dave

Speed will come with improved technique and improved technique comes with time: instruction, drills, sets, etc. Just banging out laps can get frustrating, so as mentioned, getting a coach for a few lessons would be the next logical step. Better yet, search out a masters swim group in your area and join the group. http://www.usms.org/lmsc/

Drills and sets are set-up to improve technique, not necessarilly to make you faster-- faster comes with improved technique. It's one of those Catch 22 things. RV has a tag line on his posts, "Slow is smooth; smooth is fast" and it couldn't be truer.

I'm a big fan of pool toys, I like buoys and fins too;). Pull buoys are going to help you execute certain drills better and give you a better sense of what it feels like to be balanced in the water. They also work shoulders and upper body for more strength/power. Fins help to develop a stronger kick, try doing 50yd superman drills on your back--your hammies will let you know they've been worked. They can also help to keep your legs from dropping on catch-up drills. Some people view pool toys as a crutch, but I've always found them to be a valuable training tool when used properly.

Hang in there and keep swimming.

This e-book has great drills to first work on position and then propulsion.
It has embedded videos to illustrate the form etc.
It is free from Endurance Nation. It has really helped me.

http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/2008/free-endurance-nation-swim-clini...

I actually have no idea what my lap times are. I just started swimming this month, so I'm still kinda working on the "don't drown" part. My best time yet was yesterday when I did just over 1100 meters in 40 minutes (not all at once). Before that my best was like 700 meters in 45 minutes (with lots of "oh crap I'm drowning" moments). I'm pretty jealous of 2000 meters.

*EDIT* - here's my entire swimming history:

so 2:30-2:40/100m is WAY ahead of me :-)

At this point. time is relative. In a pool you swim slower than in the open water. All of the turning and the fact that you will be wearing a wetsuit in the race. For novice swimmers the wetsuit will make a huge difference because it corrects poor body position which I imagine you have (this means your legs/butt are sinking.) This is your first priority to fix, and when you do, your times will drop dramatically!! So don't worry about time, and just keep plugging away at your drills and technique and it will come!

Thanks everyone (sorry for the dalay in getting back to everyone, but I was out of town for the holiday weekend). Anyway, I have started putting out feelers (via the local triathlon club) for recommendations for a swim instructor. The last time that I did any triathlon racing (way back in the late 80s), I was content to just be the last one from the water and then make up ground the entire rest of the race. I'm now too old to just surrender the field right from the blocks and then try to make it all up later. :-) I dread hearing the comments that an instructor will make after seeing my slow motion slapping at the water, but I guess I won't get any better if I don't swallow my pride.

Dave

There are some factors that could allow you to swim faster in open water. If you're in the ocean, salt water provides buoyancy. A wetsuit also provides buoyancy. Having to turn in a pool will slow you down (or at least most people).

However, if you're not swimming in salt water, not wearing a wetsuit, and can't hold a straight line, you're probably going to be slower. You can't choose the type of water but you can get a wetsuit and learn to spot.