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Cr@p Swimmers R Us
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Good news on the O/W front DD.
Not been swimming all week hurt my shoulder last Sunday, went up this morning to give it a small workout as I have a 3.6KM O/W swim in the morning, so did 1500m all seemed fine.
It would appear in the week that I havent been up there some of the more senior swimmers seemed to have invented a new game that only seems to be played in the middle lane that I swim in!
It must be called something like 'float around aimlessly like a fucking starfish and get in everyone elses way whilst not getting your face wet'
It did kind of restirct the small lane to an even smaller lane when the starfish people passed each other in the middle of the lane, might see if I can adopt this pattern of swimming for the Ironman as it doesnt seem to take alot of energy to perform
I have had a couple of very strange conversations in the pool this week:
On Saturday, an older woman told me that I am "a pleasure to swim next to" as, apparently, I don't splash and I swim in a straight line
On Wednesday, a guy that I see quite a lot at the pool , but he is usually coming in when I get out, was in early as was swimming next to me. The pool was very busy so he got out and went to the sauna. In the changing rooms after I got out he was saying that he doesn't like it when the pool is so busy but it's ok for a "seasoned swimmer" like me. He wondered why I burst out laughing ehen he said that and I had to explain that I only learned to swim in August last year.
I do love this thread.....its bliddy hilarious at times.
RC that really made me chuckle.....I am sensing a little bit of lane rage going on!
DD....your swimming is obviously coming along bliddy brilliantly you seasoned swimmer you.
I got to the pool today with the intention of practising this push on my stroke, with the pull bouy! Would have helped if I had remembered the bliddy pull bouy!
Useless woman that I am....so that wasn't a good start. On a positive note however, I am sure there is not sooooo much of a pause in my stroke as there was.....I seem to be getting this rhythm thing going a bit better. Not consistantly but it's definitely better. Just need to get some oomph in that push through.
Couldnt be arsed with the lane rage Saffers, it was rather amusing watching the silly bastards trying to invent a new stroke (the starfish stroke).
When they eventually caught each other up, and they did as one starfish was a bit quicker than the other, Im sure they were comparing notes on where is the best poit in the lane to create starfish city and disrupt the karma of the clockwise orientation swimming that was going on.
But the sun was shining, shoulder felt good, start to taper next week and feel really good at the moment so I went with the flow this morning, you never know next week I might just try this starfish stroke to see what its all about
No swim training tonight - Kathrin sent out an email saying as not many people are about this week and most of us have races this weekend, tonight is cancelled, see you all on Monday.
Hmmmm- wonder if me and Schmunks can play at Starfish tomorrow morning at Datchet lake? That will confuse Barley nicely.
I'm so pleased to be at the stage now where I actually look forward to OW swimming. Hope I still think that after tomorrow cos I'm attempting the big 750m loop for the first time.
LN - thanks for the info on S4T. Hope your session goes well. Interesting that your first one didn't help much and at £60 thats an expensive assessment. But I suppose its important to know what you are doing right and wrong.
Rodeo - your sessions must be a bit frustrating but you always make them sound hilarious. Perhaps you should write a book, make your fortune, then buy your own pool/lake so you don't have to share it with any dry-haired, timewasting mofos!
Welcome back Ninja.
It was interesting to note all the different styles of FC at the lake today, including the twat who came straight at me because he wasn't sighting.
The Starfish clan,
incredible sight, Im sure he walks in the shallow end but maintains the arm movement but he still manages to propell himself up and down the pool 
The bloke that tries to swim breastroke whilst in a upright position
The old gell that likes to swim backstroke but actually swims over the lane dividers into the slow lane and doesnt seem to notice she had changed lanes
Some mornings it makes my day but it is difficult to swim whilst laughing and smiling as the bloody goggles leak.
Ahh thats what the starfish minibus was in the carpark for, obviously the tour bus they use to attend different venues
That made me laugh!
Soup, could it be mild panics? Are you very nervous or aprehensive in the open water just a thought.
RC and wolfy - I fear you may be right. I am nervous and today I tackled the full 750m lap for the first time. The worry is that I have a mile swim next Saturday at Victoria dock. I might have to be pulled out by safety canoes too - although I plan to start off doing breast stroke and just taking it slow. Its not a race so I have the luxury of taking my time. I'll try and get another practice session in before then but I'm going away on Weds and Thurs which only leaves Friday morning. Thanks for your comments - its very helpful.
can you get into the water well before the start?
if so, you might find that just spending some time in the water and putting your face in for a bit and then just having a bit of a splash around helps you to relax. its very common to get a weird panicy out of breath kind of thing when you first start open water swimming.
Soupy, this may be a stoopid question, but if you have asthma, do you take blue inhaler before you swim? If you're still short of breath (and it's eased by just getting out of water I would assume it's post likely to be panic).
That said it must be pretty scary when you do get like that... possibly a self fulfilling prophecy... i.e. you panic that upsets stoke/buyancy therefore making everything harder and tiring you out?
I reckon your plan for the docks is spot on, just take it nice and steady, the wetsuit will let you float for ages if you need a rest too!
I had a rubbish OW session this morning, was really wheezy & kept coughing, left the lake feeling really disheartened (I've got a 1mile race on the 11th). However I'm still a bit wheezy 7 hours later so I think I may be coming down with something
I've also given myself a talking too.... I didn't expect to be able to ride the road bike (after transferring from mtb) in 3 sessions, so why am I beating myself up about struggling to swim in a wetsuit after 3 sessions?!
Becky, you are so right in that we expect to be good at something straight off. Today was my 4th OW session and compared to my first when I couldn't even do crawl and struggled to swim 200m I've come on in leaps and bounds. It was a bit cold back then though (May). I used to have an inhaler but lost it and haven't needed one for 3 years now. My asthma stopped after 25 years when I started running.
Hope you get better soon. Wheezing is horrid.
*numpty alert*
(Sound of sirens and all that crap)
Right - I want to learn bilateral breathing. I currently breathe every four strokes and even I am not so stupid that I can't appreciate that three is better if I can learn to do it to the right!
I am left handed and HATE lifting my head out to the right. I don't even roll in the same way to take a breath as I do when I breathe to the left! I look like a dolphin coming up for air on the right! My head comes out forwards and the water shoots straight up my nose!
Advice gratefully received. Only good news is that I appear to have speeded up considerably and have gained a bit of confidence in the water now. I no longer fear I might die at any moment!
If you can only breathe one side then breathe every time you turn to that side. Watch a video of some good swimmers on YouTube and you'll see how often they breathe.
As for learning how to breathe both sides, start by trying to even out your stroke so it's the same each side. Focus on how much you're rotating so it's the same amount each side.
LB - I am not an expert so hope someone else (like UIW) comes along and points you properly in the right direction but....
I read this bit.....
...and my first thought was that you turn your head to the side, not lift it out. Check this out from the swim smooth site to see what you should be doing.
The only other thing I can suggest is holding a kick board with your left arm, and stroking with your right. When your arm is under the water and you are creating the 'bow wave', turn your head to the right and inhale. Exhale on the next stroke.
Rinse and repeat
PS. Having just read the Swim Smooth section on bilateral breathing, I found this very interesting
What Is Bilateral Breathing?
Bilateral is swimming jargon for breathing to both sides, left and right. Classically this is done every 3 strokes (counting both arms) so your breathing alternates from side to side. But equally it could be done every 5 or even 7 strokes.
Actually anything that involves swapping sides is bilateral. So breathing 2 or 3 times to one side then swapping to the other side is bilateral. Or even breathing a whole length of the pool to the left then swapping to the right side for the next lap.
The only important thing is that you breathe regularly to both sides.
Ooh thanks Schmunkles! I get to perv at Mr Swim smooth once more!
Do you know -the most helpful thing I've found in swimming is being videoed during my tri? I can see what I'm crap at and what I can do naturally. Plum says I have rubbish legs (I do) and its uselful to see what they DO.
Its just asking to video in a pool is the same as saying "I am a paedo" these days and its driving me MAD!!!
I'm finding that my stroke's better in the lake than it is in the pool - is that weird? Maybe it's due to having a clear 100M and plenty of space. I also did some breast stroke t'other day and it was a lot more efficient than in the pool + I didn't have the pinging in my left foot I sometimes get with breast stroke.
Re Rotation and bilateral breathing.
Couple of drills that will help:
Torpedo (think it's called torpedeo): arms by side, propel forward by kick only. Rotate body from side to side. This is quite difficult to do, beginners may need fins. However good form is more relevant than making rapid forward progtress.
6-3-6 drill (or 6-1-6): This was dscribed some time ago on the thread.
Single arm drill: ditto
Zipper drill also helps rotation.
Copule of othr things to remember. HIgh elbow in the catch. If you drop your elbow it makes it harder to turn to breathe and means you you lift head - which in turn make sit more likelt that you will drop the elbow as there is a tendancy to lever against something in order to lift head.
*drool* He wasn't called the Thorpedo for nothing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDpxZyUYvqU
I've been videod twice while swimming both during coached swim weekends.
I would say the most useful thing that has helped me swim better is understanding drills and regulalry practising them.
Drills lead you to swim the right way. You dont need to see what you are doing wrong in order, in order to perform drills properly.
There was a post by Melli about a year ago. She described how she did some simple drills, regulalry practised them. And inproved her swimming. Almost no-one here follows that example, and I think more posters here should.
The first advice that gets trotted out here is one to one coaching. Not necesary, get in the pool, do the drills and practice regularly.
I virtually gave up in the pool this morning. I dragged myself through to 1000m, but I really couldn't be arsed at all. It's probably more psycological than physical, but I just couldn't get motivated to put any effort in to going faster. It might be time to expose the world to me in a pair of these.
Hi Bos - it's good to have a kick up the @rse re: drills, although it's impossible for me to do them at the public pool - it's just far too busy, but I should be able to do them at the lake.
Ninja I agree. *Drools*
Are you in these at the moment Intermanaut?