I'm wondering if I'm capable of a triathon
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thebeatcatcher posted 2 years ago.
swimming is the only one i have experience with, so i'll try to give some advice.
working on drills is not necessarily going to build up your endurance, just improve your technique. give it some time. keep doing intervals, like 8x50 or something with a long rest period between each, and work up from there. just give it some time.
however, don't practice bad technique, if you are getting tired and losing your form, stop. just come back to it later.
if you need to work on your kick, get a kickboard. maybe alternate 50's kick/swim, it might give your arms more of a break enabling you to do more without tiring so fast.
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JamieM posted 2 years ago.
Yeah, that's where I was at the beginning of the year. Couldn;t swim a lap without getting winded. A few months and a few lessons later and I'm doing much better. And I can assure you that you are no more uncoordinated than I am.
The TI book and DVD are good but I don't think you can beat having someone watch you swim. You may want to consider some lessons. I took a set of group lessons at the local Y and they were a great tool for improving my swimming.
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christri25 posted 2 years ago.
can you get a local swim coach or join a masters group. although if your masters group was anything like the masters group in south tampa that may be difficult since those swimmers were pretty arrogant and had ego's that could not even fit in the pool. try to find some local help though.
Chris
``It's not as if I'm going to sit around and be a fat slob,''
Lance Armstrong 2005
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Tikal Dog posted 2 years ago.
I agree. TI helps in technique but not in endurance.
Endurance comes with training and training.
If you have a HR monitor that you can bring to the pool you should try and build your swimming base by not going higher than your max aerobic hear rate. Doesn't matter if you stop a million times, slowly you'll get better. But don't go anaerobic.
Hyperactive Trifueler!!!! (I refuse to let the status go :p)
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triNick posted 2 years ago.
I'm proud of you for trying for at least trying, even going out and trying out TI on your own, that's a major step.
Swimming is easy for me, but learning how to run properly or learning to run long distances was a real pain, so I can relate. If it wasn't one thing, it was another in achieving the proper form. I can't say I'm fast runner, but I can say that I have improved.
My suggestion would be to find a local master swim coach. United States Masters Swimming I swim with a Masters coach and we have all levels of swimmers in our practices. He doesn't ignore the entry leve swimmers in our practices. TI also has coaches that can help you, the put on seminars or do private/group lessons.
Don't give up, keep it going... like the IM motto says "Anything is possible"
TRImapper.com - visual triathlon finder
TRIJUICE.com - triathlon resource blog
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trithis04 posted 2 years ago.
It's just a matter of continuing to put the laps in! Heed the above advice, the laps won't do as much good if you execute them with poor form. Seek some coaching, someone that can help with not only tech., but also customize workouts to build your endurance.
[FONT=Impact]-Jason
"Fatigue will make cowards of us all!"
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JamieM posted 2 years ago.
Any chance the more experienced swimmers would like to provide samples of workouts for us new swimmers?
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thebeatcatcher posted 2 years ago.
JamieM;56484 wrote:
Any chance the more experienced swimmers would like to provide samples of workouts for us new swimmers?
it all depends on where you're at. here's one simple workout idea to start: start out with a nice easy warmup. it can be anywhere from 50-200 yds, depending on your level. then do repeats, like in running. between 4 or 8 repeats of distances anywhere from 25 to 100 yds. take like 20-40 secs rest (more for longer distances). for now just go easy and concentrate on keeping your form. try to keep the repeats the same pace and HR stable. if you are really struggling, take a full recovery between each one. do a short cool down and you're golden.
set a goal of doing a 1000 yd TOTAL workout (not continuously, but including repeats or "sets" and warmup/cooldown) it's a good beginning benchmark.
work at doing the repeats faster or with less effort, then gradually bump up the distances and/or shorten your rest.
you really have to put in some yardage to build up your endurance.
keep your stroke long and stretched out, look forward and straight, get the hips up, and don't look up at the ceiling when breathing, just sideways.
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tri-ac posted 2 years ago.
http://www.trinewbies.com/Article2.asp?ArticleID=89
tri-newbies has a variety of (really basic) workouts that vary in total distance
click under "tri training" and then "swim workouts" for other distances
[but then come back here for a cooler forum...]
Adam
Tri-ac
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mdd posted 2 years ago.
jeffg;56464 wrote:
My swimming is causing me a lot of distress. I've been swimming for close to three months now. Around a month ago I got the Total Immersion DVD and worked through all the drills. I spent a month on these drills, four days a week. Today I tried to put everything together and actually swim and I'm still just as slow as before and can only swim around 50 yards before I have to stop for a breather. I did the drills with some of those fins, can't remember what they are called. It is the only way I could move doing the drills since my kick doesn't get me anywhere. Any suggestions? I have until May to get this stuff worked out. May is my first triathlon. I should be able to make up time on the bike and run but I need to get good enough at swimming to place close to mid pack. Right now I doubt I could do a sprint distance without drowning. Maybe I'm too uncoordinated to be a swimmer.
I would contact a local swim coach. Videos are great and can be very helpful but you need one on one coaching to get started. Even if it costs you some money, it will be the best investment you could ever make if you are serious about getting into Triathlon. If you like Total Immersion they have alot of coaches around the country in most major cities and the info is on their website. Otherwise just find a local swim coach and I am sure you can rent them for an hour or two especially this time of year.
Good luck!
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iron_girl posted 2 years ago.
Hello: I also think you should join a Masters group in your area. All the DVDs and books on swimming wont help much if you are not doing the drills correctly. You need some one with experience to watch you swim so he/she can point out to you what you are doing wrong. If you continue trying this alone all you will accomplish is to learn bad swimming habits. The first thing you need to do is learn to swim properly. Endurance will come later, after you master the technique. Swimming is one of the sports where technique is important, then comes biking and then running.
For me, swimming is easy but running........I had to learn to run but it was not as difficult as learning to swim, well at least for me.
go to the US Masters Swimming web site and there you can find a local group that you can join, they usually divide the group in beguiners, intermidiate and advance. Believe me, they are great and will welcome you and even if some of them have big egoes, don't let it bother you. You are there to learn and that is all that is to it. Good luck and keep us posted.
Maria.
"Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious Triumph, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spiritis who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not Victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt.
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jeffg posted 2 years ago.
Thanks for all the great advice. I am going to keep plugging away at it. Finding a coach or a masters swim team is a good idea, I just don't want to spend a bunch of money. I know a couple triatheletes, maybe I can enlist them to give me some pointers.
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Riverbrady posted 2 years ago.
My suggestion...look for a local swim coach, if you can someone who is familiar with coaching people doing triathlons. Even one or two sessions can do wonders. Personally I would see about one on one coaching before looking at masters programs...you get the individual attention you need, and you get it quickly while working on what you need to do to be a better swimmer. It'll be some of your best money spent.
The key is that they can see what's going on, outside your perspective: make corrections on technique, let you know if you're dropping your legs, not turning, etc.
TI is great, but it's often difficult to fully translate things to water, especially when you're inexperienced.
"Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."
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fittycent posted 2 years ago.
jeffg;56523 wrote:
Finding a coach or a masters swim team is a good idea, I just don't want to spend a bunch of money. I know a couple triatheletes, maybe I can enlist them to give me some pointers.
I hope I'm not beating a dead horse, but I'm gonna add my voice to the others about masters swimming. I just joined a club several weeks ago, and I feel like a fool for not having done it sooner. I hesitated for the same reason as you: I was being cheap. Before joining the club, I got "pointers" from all kinds of people, and all their advice combined isn't worth one practice at swim club.
Also, the people in the club are as friendly as can be. We've got everything from slowpokes to former collegiate swimmers and everyone's really nice.
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Riverbrady posted 2 years ago.
Would you rather spend a little extra money now to make something you're doing enjoyable, or save a little money now so you can either drop out later due to frustration and/or probably spend the money anyways.
One thing to note, by getting outside advice and becoming a better swimmer initially, you'll be better able to monitor yourself in the water and make the further self-omprovements later.
"Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."
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ggalvao posted 2 years ago.
MY advice is: get a coach. I didn't know how to swim and I learned how to do it and got to swim 1400+ yards per training session in 3 weeks with a coach! A coach will SEE what you are doing wrong much easier. It will pay off!
My Blog: http://ggalvao.trifuel.net/
My swimming is causing me a lot of distress. I've been swimming for close to three months now. Around a month ago I got the Total Immersion DVD and worked through all the drills. I spent a month on these drills, four days a week. Today I tried to put everything together and actually swim and I'm still just as slow as before and can only swim around 50 yards before I have to stop for a breather. I did the drills with some of those fins, can't remember what they are called. It is the only way I could move doing the drills since my kick doesn't get me anywhere. Any suggestions? I have until May to get this stuff worked out. May is my first triathlon. I should be able to make up time on the bike and run but I need to get good enough at swimming to place close to mid pack. Right now I doubt I could do a sprint distance without drowning. Maybe I'm too uncoordinated to be a swimmer.