Cr@p Swimmers R Us

1308309311313314437

Comments

  • Thanks Becky - another set of drills for me to use.  The pool's so busy at the moment, I can't do any reasonable distance without having to stop or tread water behind people, so the swim drills might be something I can do in the meantime.  Anyway, off to lake tomorrow pre-work.  I don't expect that to be busy and I much prefer to do 100M stretches.  I've got a tri in July in a 20M pool.  image

    imageLOL Rodeo.  (Sorry, but it made me laugh image)

    Lots of great swimming on here - I feel left behind at the moment.

  • image Hmm it was rather amusing between the other 4 of us in the lane with looks between each other that just said "what the f--k is he doing?"

    Anyway a lovely evening spent in the duck pond for my weekly open water swim nice and refreshing. Arrived at said pond and the chap in charge asks me did I swim last week?..Yes ...Did you get a rash/itchy patches over your neck he asks? ..er no I reply..why?

    Oh we think there is something in the weeds he just happened to drop in the safety briefing! So try and avoid the the weeds to be sure image. So route around the buoys 250m x 6 = 1500m.

    New sport of weed dodging open water swim lap around the buoys = 500m made for an interesting swim anyway image

  • RC..don't you just hate it when someone just floats along! image  Happened today.....3 lanes, 1 person in each....I usually head for the medium but a slower person in that one so thought I would head to the fast......even slower person in that one. image I did look at the lifeguard and debated whether asking him to move the fella but got in and he got out after a couple of my lengthsimage Thank goodness.

    Then I seemed to have all the lanes to myself for the majority of my swim.  Very rare indeed.  Half term here so that's obviously the time to go.

    I haven't swam for a couple of weeks for various excuses image so I headed there with the aim of swimming for an hour and just get my head back into it.  It was nice to swim without the tri club pressure and I actually enjoyed it.  Tried to time myself for 1600m but the only way I can keep count is to stop every 10 lengths and have a drink, which I did sooooooooo I think the 1600m took about 54 mins......I have not a clue whether that is embarrassingly slow but I'm thinking 30sec break every 10m brings it down nearer the 50mins.....something to improve on anyway.

    A little bit of me (a very little bit) wishes I was doing the swim too at Bala imageimage  I will probably be grateful I am not on the day though.image

  • I had a go at intervals this morning.  200m warm-up, then 7x50m fast, 50m slow, with 100m warm-down.  For me, "fast" is between 50s and 1m for a 50m length. "Slow" is just about staying close enough to the air that I can breathe.

    Why do middle-aged women cruise down the middle of the pool chatting, and then give you "The Look" if you dare to create a splash as you go by?

  • Anyone on here got any tips for increasing endurance?  I already do intervals at tri club and at the public pool (where I can't really swim up and down endlessly due to human obstructions).  I've got a free session on Monday at a quiet private pool so I may be able to do a fair bit there and there's the lake where I can do 100M laps.

    I've signed up for a tri in July and will have to do 20 laps of a 20M pool.  I'm a bit concerned I won't be able to keep going.  What's the etiquette for having a little rest?

    I'm going to the lake tonight and if I can do 4 laps (400M) there'll be no excuse for not doing it at the tri really will there? image

    Just want tips on what percentage to increase by each time etc etc.

    Thanks!

  • M.ister WM.ister W ✭✭✭

    Increase endurance in the same way as you do for running - swim more and longer at an easier pace without stopping.  If you've got a quiet session next week it's a perfect opportunity to try 400m non-stop.  Just take it easy from the start.  if you're feeling good by 200m you can increase the pace a bit.

  • Thanks Mr W - I thought it might be the same principle. 
  • @Parklife - I got it in my head that Wednesday's run was going to be 1000m non-stop, a big step up from my previous best of 300m.  I managed it in just under 30 minutes, and only paused twice to let the water drain from my goggles.  It wasn't particularly fast, but I went at a pace I knew I could maintain until the last 50m length, when I realised I have 1m18s to get in under 30 minutes.

    Just give 400m a go - nothing to lose, is there?

  • Thanks for the encouragement Inter.  I'm off to try it in the lake in an hour then in the small pool on Monday.
  • @Parklife - cool.  When I said "nothing to lose, is there?" I was taking it for granted that you won't drown, by the way.
  • image  There is a very easy on the eye lifeguard at the lake, image

  • M.ister WM.ister W ✭✭✭

    http://renegade-cruisers.net/bb/images/smilies/rofl.gif

    Of course that will look terribly insensitive if she does drown image

  • Sorry to disappoint but I survived.  T'was busy on such a lovely evening but still plenty of room to swim.  I did a mix of breast stroke and FC because I don't know how to sight and kept going a little off course.  Do I just sneak a look forward when breathing to the side?
  • Well I managed a tri of sorts today... 80 lengths this am, then spin class tonight, then sprint intervals in the gym image Getting there image Just need to join em up now image
  • M.ister WM.ister W ✭✭✭

    Sighting..... the idea is to get a quick glimpse of what's ahead without disrupting your stroke.  Turn your head to take a breath then as your arm comes over quickly turn your head so you're facing forward then stick it back in the water.

        

    Alternatively, before you turn to breathe look up and forward then turn for your breath.

        

    Some people do it one way and some people do it the other.  They key thing is to make the look forward as quick as possible and not to disrupt your stroke.  You only need to sight often enough to keep you in a straight line.  That might be every 6 strokes, every 8 or if you're coming up to a turn every 4.  You also need something easily visible to sight on so you can spot it with just a quick look.  A huge orange buoy is handy but if there isn't one available then try something on the shore like a tree or building.

  • Sighting is what I struggled with most today in the lake.  It really did disrupt my stroke and was really annoying.  image   I did bs too for a bit because it.  Going to practice in the pool next week. 
  • Been gone for a few days down south. Heavy rain Tues-Thurs and we came back Friday! Anyway, managed a 3000m swim on Thursday in a freezing cold outdoor pool, in the rain! Friday eve back to outdoor pool swim training, Kathrin went easy on me as tomorrow is the club Oly.

    400m warmup
    400m (2 fist strokes Left, 2 fist strokes right, alternate arm normal).
    4 x 200m (25m flat out sprint/175m easy).
    400m cooldown breathing alternate 3rd and 4th strokes.

  • WOW UIW...3000m imageimage

    Spent the day at the beach with family and friends....one of which is my tri buddy so we sneaked our wetsuits along with us.image  Totally embarrassing my teenage daughter and her friend which is always a bonus.  It was my first time sea swimming and although it was bliddy hardwork and felt that I was getting nowhere at times, I did enjoy it.  Managed the sighting not too badly.....had to have my friend swim to my right as that is the way I breath and needed reassurance that I was not alone all that way from the shore.  45minutes swimming and felt like a good workout.

    Glad we swam fairly early as  a group of fellas turned up....looking rather fantabulous in my opinion!!  Hunks in wetsuits. image Hubby laughed as I wondered out loud whether they needed help with some lotion to ease on those wetsuits.......told him I was gonna ask which tri club they were cos I'm thinking of changing. image

  • You keep your hubby on his toes don't you Saffers? image

    I had a free diving less at the lake yesterday.  The diving instructor was lovely - v patient and encouraging.  I'd never learned properly before and I didn't find taking the plunge easy.  I flopped loads and had stinging thighs from it.  I think the cozzy saved me from having a stingy torso.  I got a few of them right and that felt good.  There was another man at the same level as me and a guy returning to diving after not having done it for years.  The instructor's doing to lend me a wetsuit next week.  That might help cut down on the pain.  My thighs are bruised today.

    Thanks for the sighting tips.  That's what I was doing instinctively so I'll continue with it. 

  • Saffers, my normal swim training distance is 3000 - 4000m. LJS always manages to swim one km more than me in the same time! He's much faster.
  • Jeez, how l0ng d0es it take y0u t0 swim that distance? image
  • I managed a nice, steady 2000m yesterday morning. Mostly with a pull buoy as I was supposed to be running 10 miles yesterday afternoon (didn't happen though!)

    I've entered one of the epic swims a week on Sunday , 500 metres in Derwentwater which should be fun image

  • M.ister WM.ister W ✭✭✭
    If you want some more OW swimming events then find the Outdoor Swimming Society (Google them).  If you join up you can join their group on Facebook and will get invitations to all sorts of OW swimming.  They're almost all casual/social events rather than races but they do them all over the country.
  • tri chick - about an hour and a quarter for 3km, I'm not very fast.
  • I went to the quiet pool today for a swim lesson but went an hour early to see if I could swim 400M straight off (20 lengths) as that's what I'll be doing at my sprint in July.  I managed it OK so that's given me the confidence to do it on the day.  image  Did some sprints after that until coach arrived.  He's v pleased with my stroke and is going to e-mail a couple of programmes to bring some speed into the 400M.  I'll only be hooking up with him again now if there's anything specific I need to work on.
  • Well done Parklife.....it's good to get that confidence booster before race day. image

    I have OW swim tonight.....if I can drag my sorry butt to the lake.

  • PS - it didn't take me an hour to swim the 400M image

    Saffers - I went to the lake again on Saturday - they recognise me now and just wave me in.  (See what I did there?)  Quite a few people have remarked at my lack of a wetsuit but I can't buy everything at once so it'll just have to wait.  The instructor's going to lend me one on Sat for diving lessons.  I'm impressed to see that there are a fair few harcore old biddies who go in sans wetsuit.  It's not just me.

  • Erm nt very fast??? It takes me an hr 2 do 80x20m... (1600m)... 1hr 15 t0 d0 3k is very fast t0 me!!! image
  • My OH does 4km to my 3. That's what I call fast.
  • Managed to get to the pool today.  Did a bit of that sprinting thing and a few drills.  1600m in all so feel fairly good.....still waiting for that speed to kick in though. image  Finding it a little disheartening that I don't feel that I am getting quicker and fed up with being told that my technique is good image It's no good having a good technique and being last in the bliddy race. image 
Sign In or Register to comment.