How to go further?
2285
Member
2291 days
Tribro posted 2 years ago.
Awesome man, keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing your story.
477
Member
1208 days
geochuck posted 2 years ago.
There is always a tomorrow. I am going to the pool tomorrow after my knee surgery 4 weeks ago. I will be setting my goals after my first swim. Once I know how many laps I can I do. I was swimming about 2000m a day before the operation I am sure I will be able to do a very slow 2000m. I know through past experience that it will take me about six weeks before I can start to work hard and I know It will even take longer to use my leg for pushoffs.
I hope to be able to set records for my age group in the World Master Swimming Champs in the summer. However it will only be in 2 events, 50m fly and 50m free. But you never know if I can handle the yurns I may race in all of the events.
131
Member
1062 days
bigdogtwo posted 2 years ago.
Good job.
In my experience, once you start swimming longer distances you start battling boredom. Unlike running or biking there is nothing really to look at and no one to talk to and no music to listen to.
So, what I do to battle boredom: (1) even on a long slow distance swim, keep track of time intervals, (2) on each lap have a focus to work to improve, (3) break up swims with different lengths an intensities.
For example, yesterday was a long slow distance day, I swam 3000 yrds without stopping. I kept track of my time for every 250yrds and tried to keep my time between 3:55 - 4:00 for each 250. Each 50 I would change my focus. One 50 I would work on high elbows. The next, I would focus on my catch. Next, keeping my reaching hand slightly pointed down. Next, powering with my hips. Next, picturing a laser beam out the top of my head and not lifting my head to breathe. You get the picture.
When I'm not doing long slow distance, I'll break things up. Like 5X125 with the following stroke counts: 13 - 14 - 15 -16 - 17, and then 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 -13, and so on. And then throw in 4X100 on 2:00 and then 8X50 on 1:00. Etc.
All these drills and focus work to improve technique and efficiency and power as well.
126
Member
1151 days
rob6118 posted 2 years ago.
Set a personal best today and swam 28 laps continuously. (1400 meters). First 8 laps of the mile I swam entirely too fast, and my muscles were sore from yesterday's mile. After lap #8 though I fell into the grove and once again aiming for 3 became 28.
I actually noticed that I need about half the air I thought I needed. So I tried to not gulp in as much air. Seemed to help getting the air in my stomach which normally makes an hour of swimming rather uncomfortable. I also started getting bored which I thought was really good because it meant the act of breathing and swimming was becoming easier. It just meant that I tried putting all that additional focus into my technique.
All in all though I was pretty disappointed to see that all that effort yielded a personal best time on a mile swim, but only of 43 minutes. I was hoping it'd break me at least below 40...
Can I get an idea of where I sit at from you guys as far as a relatively beginner (at least in competitive) swimmer. Is 40 horrible? What would be a realistic goal for my first half ironman in May for mile pace?
Supposedly the olympic qualifying time for 1500m is 15 minutes. And supposedly a 'good' time for 1600m is sub 25 minutes? That's just a little discouraging. Almost a full twice as fast. Oh well I suppose using the running comparison, when I was at my absolutely worse shape (and in high altitude) I was running 9 minute miles (and my PR is just under 5) so maybe 25 mins is at least possible. Maybe please, just a little hope?
613
Member
1018 days
deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
Don't worry about times yet. It sounds like you're extending your range right now and once you become comfortable with this distance, then you can start working on speed.
Familiarity with this distance will lead to comfort and comfort leads to confidence and confidence leads to unleashing more effort and unleashing more effort will lead to faster times. It will all come together - just keep doing what you're doing and things will inevitably improve.
The only thing you need to do is to not give up.
2595
Member
1233 days
Anton posted 2 years ago.
I'm with deepblue..don't worry about your time right now...get smooth,get your breathing right,get endurance and then worry about speed.
You can't look at Olympic qual times and use that as a gauge for yourself. I've met some olympic swimmers...they started at age 5. They swim thousands of meters a day, often two a days.
Better if you have to look at other peoples times...look at tri results,in your age group.
For your first HIM, have goals, but on race morning let go of all those expectations and just have fun...then let those times be a guide to how you would like to improve.
Patience, padwan,patience.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
131
Member
1062 days
bigdogtwo posted 2 years ago.
Swimming faster takes a lot of hard work. I've heard it said that it's 80% form and 20% conditioning. I'd agree with that. Getting in better swimming shape will take you only so far. At some point you will need to get instruction from a coach.
Reading Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin and watching the Freestyle Made Easy DVD was a great help for me. I then got a TI Certified coach who helped further. I was able to take nearly 7 minutes off my 1500 time.
I posted a thread a while ago about finally getting to the point where swimming didn't involve gasping for air and I finally was starting to feel something other then incredibly slow. One of my questions though was how people went lap after lap w/o stopping. I could at best do an entire lap without stopping.
Today I discovered that swimming is in someways a lot like running. When I first started getting into sports seriously in High School I discovered that there was this magical point at around a mile and a half that before I passed that point felt like an eternity, but once I ran that far I no longer cared if I ran 2 miles or 6. I was in the grove. Today I had gotten to the point where I was swimming two laps no problem and decided to go for three. Well the first time I swam 3 laps in a row it actually turned into 8 laps. And then I only stopped because I wanted to.
So apparently the key is just as was mentioned by a fellow triathlete. When I asked how it's done, they responded with you will never know unless you try. It was a rewarding feeling to make that progression. And I look foward to tomorrow's swim and trying to go a half mile (16 laps w/o stopping). Who knows maybe I'll go the full mile no problem.
Now if only I can come to grips that I have to drop my 7 min pace miles down to sub 5 min miles for a half marathon distance :(. I love this sport, its always rewarding, and always is challenging. I guess they go hand in hand.
Rob