Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Health & Fitness => Topic started by: Flying_Monkey on 02 February, 2011, 08:02:52 pm
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I don't know how many triatheletes or swimmers there are here. However, I am not one of you, and I am not one of you because I tend to sink rather than swim. Okay, that's not entirely fair, I can do a few lengths, but I am no kind of swimmer.
However I may be joining you, since I have just agreed to do a 36-hour charity triathalon marathon (2hrs, 2hrs running, 2hrs biking, for 36 hours or until you drop!) in June. I am getting swimming lessons - starting next week - with a lovely women who swims across Lake Ontario for a hobby (Lake Ontario is big BTW - take a look) .
Any tips on other kinds of exercises that will help me, and preferebly not hinder or even assist my running and cycling training, I am all ears...
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I too swim like the proverbial brick, so am also hoping for words of wisdom from the YACF cognoscenti.
As a first step I've bought a Total Immersion book which arrived today, so off for a brew and a browse ...
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Yo, cognoscenti, where are you? :-\
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9 pages here:
Learning to swim/improving swimming (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7480.120)
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Lessons start Wednesday at 12 noon. I am slightly worried!
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brilliant! Google for the swimsmooth animation and total immersion videos on youtube.
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9 pages here:
Learning to swim/improving swimming (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7480.120)
Will be perusing... thanks.
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Well that was awesome! I did various strokes observed by my superb coach, who then both built up my confidence by telling me that there would be no problem with me doing this event and that my swimming was at a much hihger level than I had thought, and then proceeded to take apart everything I was doing and start to put it right. I enjoyed it immensely, not least because she was a profoundly competent person yet quite without egotism. What's more, I can swim and, it turns out, I can swim well enough to enjoy it and to take it more seriously!
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Excellent!
I managed 500m in around 12 minutes last night. Thought I was good til I remembered that the world record for 1500m is under 15 minutes IIRC.
Still, this does make my 35minute target for 1500m seem less out of reach since I'd already done over 2h of exercise yesterday.
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am absolutely loving my swimming at the moment, before christmas (and flu followed by bronchitis) I was just hitting a mile in 30 minutes, I'm aiming to get back to where I was at school with 1500m under 25 mins!
for me, it's all technique... when it's going well, it doesnt feel like work at all. My focus at the moment is trying to start each stroke from the core (I would say 'abs' but it more 'belly') rather than my hand, and to stop stopping myself by pointing my fingers up at the front of the stroke. It's quite like rowing, where a good crew goes faster because they dont slow down so much between strokes rather than working any harder.
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The best piece of advice I was ever given was by my personal coach who said to keep my legs tight like I was standing on tip toe. Made a huge difference.
Sam
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Woo! Around 10 minutes for 500m tonight.
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I'm in a similar position, just jumped back in the pool after 20+ years.
Went over to tritalk and they recommended swimsmooth too.. and to keep practising
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Apparently my big problem is that I try to do to much. I just need to relax, do less and glide.
BTW, just to give you a picture of how awesome my coach is, she recently did 80km nonstop... butterfly! :o
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I've seen butterfly done gracefully. My attempt is not.
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I've seen butterfly done gracefully. My attempt is not.
My butterfly is okay, although I am nearer to 80m than 80km right now. It's actually breaststroke that I am having most problems with... I'll get it eventually, I am just having to physically stop myself moving my arms to much at the moment!
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Next week I have a bit more time as it is 'reading week' (I have no teaching), therefore I cna be more flexible and my training timetable looks like this:
Sunday: 2 hour static cycling followed by 10km run (early morning).
Monday: 1 hour swimming (endurance), followed by 1 hour static cycling (lunchtime).
Tuesday: Nothing except weights and core strengthening (evening)
Wednesday: 1 hour swimming (technique lesson) (lunchtime).
Thursday: 10km run (speed) (early morning)
Friday: 1 hour swimming (endurance), followed by 1 hour static cycling (lunchtime).
Saturday: 15km run (early morning). Weights and core strengthening (evening)
Given that what I have to do in work changes quite regularly, I will have to construct schedules week by week. I'll be able to get more cycling in once the snow and ice disappears.
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If there's a place near you that can film your stroke - ideally in an endless pool - this is an amazing way to improve your technique. It really makes a world of difference, and technique in swimming is a force multiplier, much more so than in the other two disciplines.
SwimforTri in London do filmed sessions in their endless pool, either one-on-one or in small groups if you want to share with a friend. Very handy.
Other advice would be to join the Tri group of your local running or cycling club, which probably has coached sessions. Serpentine RC has three or four weekly sessions, mostly focused on yardage, but with drills and some technique pointers as well. It's easier to motivate yourself to swim two miles with a group than on your own...
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Other advice would be to join the Tri group of your local running or cycling club, which probably has coached sessions. Serpentine RC has three or four weekly sessions, mostly focused on yardage, but with drills and some technique pointers as well. It's easier to motivate yourself to swim two miles with a group than on your own...
I think my swimming coaching set-up is the best I could hope for. I get an hour a week with one of the best endurance swimmers in the world ever - I am not joking: Vicki Keith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicki_Keith). I'm not a very 'groupy' kind of person, but I will perhaps join a tri club after I have done this thing, if I decide that tri is something I want to do more of. We do have one in my town (which is a long way from London BTW ;) )
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Rather than keep this thread going forever, I have started a training blog here: Tri Till I Cry | the training diary of a reluctant triathlete (http://tritillicry.wordpress.com/)
It's partly for me, partly for anyone who is interested - and I really welcome helpful comments etc. - and partly for fundraising as I get nearer the time.
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Just a brief update on the swimming. I did 60 lengths (1500m) in 50 minutes today, and comfortably - I felt like I could have done it all over again (which of course I will have to come the end of June!). Which might not sound that great to experienced swimmers, but to me after just over two weeks since I started swimming properly this was very much 'woo-hoo!'
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Brilliant, well done - an inspiration to me!
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Brilliant, well done - an inspiration to me!
I've never been an inspiration before! Thanks...
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It took me a long time after adult swimming lessons (about 10 years) before I was able to do 1500m freestyle. Just could not maintain it for long enough.
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It took me a long time after adult swimming lessons (about 10 years) before I was able to do 1500m freestyle. Just could not maintain it for long enough.
Well my first 1500m was a mixture of strokes. After my lesson today though (form, control... and tumble-turns - awesome!), I have been told to make my next few sessions just continuous controlled freestyle, preferably with tumble turns. We'll see how far I get...
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Ah, same routine as I went through. I built up by doing odd/even freestyle/breast stroke then 2:1 ratio and then 100% free once I was comfortable with 2:1.
Tonight I went for it on 500m, and it was around 9-10 minutes. Oxygen debt kicked in by about 12 lengths in. Getting faster though. I really should learn how to turn properly.
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Tumble-turning is fun once you realise that you have to breathe out through your nose all the time you are doing it. A nosefull of water is a very good teacher.
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Tumble-turning is fun once you realise that you have to breathe out through your nose all the time you are doing it. A nosefull of water is a very good teacher.
Nose clips ftw. :)
My problem is finding my head at the bottom of the pool and my feet in the air. Doing that makes me slower than just touching and turning.
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i can never end up with both arms facing forward - normally finish with one down by my side.... Not ideal, but it seems to work.
I cant wait for the lakes to warm up a bit so I can get back in the wetsuit. Swam dodging is amazing and, once you get your head round it and stop panicing, makes swimming so much more fun.
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Swans? :hand:
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Swans? :hand:
no, it's fantastic at their level - the swim from the Mill up towards granchester (round dead-mans corner :) ) is absolutely beautiful. Swans ignore you completely [so far]
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It took me a long time after adult swimming lessons (about 10 years) before I was able to do 1500m freestyle. Just could not maintain it for long enough.
I'm afraid I am going to have to beat you by 9 years and 11 months here... 8)
Today I did my first entirely freestyle endurance session and did 70 lengths (1750m) freestyle in 55 minutes (they chuck us out of the pool for aquarobics after 55 minutes), with tumble-turns, which, while not always perfectly executed, were getting pretty good by the end.
However, I am sore now. Plus it will take me a very long time to be as fast as you are, if indeed I ever manage speeds like that - although being chased by swans might do it!
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Managed to get time to do a longer swim yesterday, in fact my longest yet by far: 100 lengths (2.5km) non-stop freestyle in 1hr 20. I am trying to swim slower and more efficiently, but I was absolutely f*cked for a few minutes when I got out of the pool, in fact I thought I was going to faint. I think I have to eat more in the mornings if I am going to do a longer one.
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excellent!! how do you keep count? I always get lost after about a dozen..
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It took me a long time after adult swimming lessons (about 10 years) before I was able to do 1500m freestyle. Just could not maintain it for long enough.
I'm afraid I am going to have to beat you by 9 years and 11 months here... 8)
Today I did my first entirely freestyle endurance session and did 70 lengths (1750m) freestyle in 55 minutes (they chuck us out of the pool for aquarobics after 55 minutes), with tumble-turns, which, while not always perfectly executed, were getting pretty good by the end.
However, I am sore now. Plus it will take me a very long time to be as fast as you are, if indeed I ever manage speeds like that - although being chased by swans might do it!
This was going from not being able to swim more than about 10m. From being able to swim 1 length breast stroke to 100 lengths breast stroke was about 2 weeks.
But I never really got into crawl until fairly recently. Pacing was always the issue.
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I've seen butterfly done gracefully. My attempt is not.
I regularly came last in the butterfly events in the yearly swimming galas at secondary school. I won every one of them though as the other 5 people would always be disqualified. I was the only one that could hold it together to do 50m or 100m butterfly.
(Years of swimming coaching and practice might have had something to do with it though...)
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Managed to get time to do a longer swim yesterday, in fact my longest yet by far: 100 lengths (2.5km) non-stop freestyle in 1hr 20.
Well done. That's good going.
I really want to get back into the habit of going for a swim before work myself, but I find it hard to get up early enough. Sigh.
d.
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33 minutes. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-X :-X :sick:
I had a stitch for the final 500m.
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Unfortunately I have now come down with an evil cold, courtesy of my son. I was feeling things weren't 100% when I did my 100 lengths. Now I am shivery and my nose is running and my throat is sore...
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Unfortunately I have now come down with an evil cold, courtesy of my son. I was feeling things weren't 100% when I did my 100 lengths. Now I am shivery and my nose is running and my throat is sore...
That's bad timing. I clearly am copying you as 24h after the 1500m PB reported on Wednesday I'm throwing up in a dark corner of a train station car park.
GWS and don't rush back to the same effort level. I'm recovered now but very heavy legged.
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Unfortunately I have now come down with an evil cold, courtesy of my son. I was feeling things weren't 100% when I did my 100 lengths. Now I am shivery and my nose is running and my throat is sore...
That's bad timing. I clearly am copying you as 24h after the 1500m PB reported on Wednesday I'm throwing up in a dark corner of a train station car park.
GWS and don't rush back to the same effort level. I'm recovered now but very heavy legged.
I have been taking it very easy. My lungs are almost back to normal, so I think I will go for a run today, and swim again tomorrow for the first time in a week. Annoying, but there's nothing worse that rushing back to training too early and injuring yourself.
Hope you are similarly recovered!
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Managed to get up in time for a good brisk 60 lengths this morning. 1.5km in about 35 minutes. Pretty pleased with that. Would have happily carried on but had a train to catch. I did consider just carrying on anyway and being late for work, and might do that another day - there are certain days of the week I could get away with it, but not today, alas. Shame the pool doesn't open earlier, really.
I do alternate lengths of breaststroke and crawl. I used to be able to do that kind of distance wholly crawl but not at current levels of fitness. Maybe if I can make a habit of this, I'll get fit enough to do it all crawl, then I might have time to fit in 80 lengths.
Might also shave off a bit of time if I can learn to tumble-turn as well, though I'm not sure tumble-turns are allowed in morning lanes - it can get quite congested.
Mike - I lose count by around 30, so if I have time, I'll do a couple of extra lengths, just in case I've over-counted. Though sometimes I suspect I under-count. So when I say I've done 60 lengths, it could actually be anything from 56-64...
d.
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citoyen: that seems pretty quick for alternating front crawl / breast stroke (though there are plenty people that are faster at breast stroke than I am at crawl). What sort of time have you done crawl only?
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citoyen: that seems pretty quick for alternating front crawl / breast stroke (though there are plenty people that are faster at breast stroke than I am at crawl). What sort of time have you done crawl only?
My breaststroke is respectably quick. It's certainly faster than the epileptic windmill impression that passes for crawl from some of the plodding old duffers I see regularly at the local pool.
There are a few among the regular crowd who are quicker than me, though - there's a trio I've christened Phelps, Foster and Adlington. I went again this morning and again did 60 lengths in about the same time. And I had a good opportunity to assess my speed because I found myself swimming just behind Foster for a while. It turns out my crawl just about matches his - mine might even be slightly quicker - and I only lose a couple of seconds per length to his crawl when I'm on breaststroke. Phelps and Adlington are both considerably quicker than me.
I'm not a thrasher - I think my technique is quite good on the whole - a legacy of when I was in a swimming club many years ago. I would like someone to assess my technique properly, though - I've probably picked up a few bad habits over the years.
d.
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It does seem quick, but as you say, you used to be a club swimmer. I am meant to be training for endurance not speed, so I am trying to ignore the times you guys post!
I did 100 lengths (2.5km) again on Thursday, but this time I mixed it up with 40 freestyle (in about 30 minutes), followed by 20 breaststroke and 20 backstroke in just over 35 minutes, and finally 20 freestyle in just under 15 minutes. It was actually a slower 20 freestyle until I decided to pick it up for the last few lengths. I didn't feel in any way like I did the last time I swam 100 - I reckon that must have been the oncoming illness which has all gone now.
This week I have to go to Berlin. Luckily the city is full of excellent public pools!
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It does seem quick, but as you say, you used to be a club swimmer. I am meant to be training for endurance not speed, so I am trying to ignore the times you guys post!
If I upped my distance to 100 lengths, I'd have to slow down considerably...
Tbh, the main benefits I got out of club swimming were technique and stamina rather than speed - training three times a week meant I was very fit, but I was always a long way from being good enough to be allowed to compete. And it was a very long time ago.
d.
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Woo-hoo! Today I managed both 80 lengths (2km) in 45 minutes and a total of 120 lengths (3km) overall - both for the first time! I am very happy and I don't hurt either.
This is all down to learning to use my legs properly in this week's lesson on Tuesday...
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:thumbsup:
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excellent!! how do you keep count? I always get lost after about a dozen..
I bought myself one of these http://www.swimovate.com/ (http://www.swimovate.com/) because I can't keep count, and if I wanted to be able to compare times reliably. There's a bit of a grudge match going on with Mrs J. The key difference being, she can swim, and I'm like Huffy the chuffy puffy tugboat (down to where the river meets the sea. Toot! Toot!)
I'll say this for swimming though. It's great in one's later middle age, to take up a sport at which one is really really crap. That way there's scope for improvement!
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Did another 60 lengths this morning. At least, I think it was 60 lengths. Completely lost track by the time I'd done about 20, so just kept going until I'd been in the pool long enough to have done about 60...
I might have to get one of those Swimovate things - does it really work?
d.
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Really works, provided you stick to one stroke.
Actually, it seems to get the lengths right even if you just kick, but the blurb says not. You're supposed to pause it.
The stroke-counting is self-consistent, but doesn't agree with my counting. Probably counts pushing off as a stroke, and the glide at the end of the length.
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I don't find a problem with keeping count, indeed the counting is an essential part of not getting bored for me!
Yesteday, I did 20 lengths of various kinds of specific training (flippers and no arms, just feet and no arms, fast backstroke, breaststroke form, freestyle intervals), and then did a controlled 80 lengths freestyle (in 55 minutes this time, because I was deliberately not aiming at speed but at a pace I might be able to sustain for longer).
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Really works, provided you stick to one stroke.
Actually, it seems to get the lengths right even if you just kick, but the blurb says not. You're supposed to pause it.
The stroke-counting is self-consistent, but doesn't agree with my counting. Probably counts pushing off as a stroke, and the glide at the end of the length.
After re-reading Citoyen's post, I re-checked yesterday. It does get the number of lengths right even alternating crawl and breast-stroke. Didn't check stroke counts. It's all done with accelerometers, apparently. And magic.
Without it, I'd never know how many lengths I'd done, beyond about 20. I certainly can't think about technique and counting at the same time, maybe not even on the same day.
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OK, definitely getting one of them. I could have done with it this morning - as I'm off work this week, there were no time constraints, so aimed for 100 lengths...
Not sure how many lengths I actually did. Once I'd counted 100, I did six more - a) just to make sure, in case I'd over-counted, and b) to round off my time in the pool to exactly an hour. Pretty pleased with that.
I've never really considered stroke count before but I did this morning. On crawl, I was averaging around 20 strokes per length, but with quite a lot of variation, which suggests my technique is perhaps not as good as I thought. That's interesting. Thing is, I don't really know what I should be aiming for, what counts as a good number of strokes per length, whether a higher or lower number is better...
d.
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I tried doing batches of 8 strokes today, so seven crawl then one very slow breast stroke, then spent all eight lengths counting which batch of 8 I was on. It seemed to work, and I enjoyed my 80 lengths, but like JJ I found it hard to think about what I was actually doing...
will get a counting watch.
(and for the record, 80 'mixed' lengths = 45 minutes, 17 or 18 strokes a length)
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<SNIP> what counts as a good number of strokes per length, whether a higher or lower number is better...
As far as I can make out, there are two schools of thought. Swimsmooth: there is an ideal for you, depending on you current standard and on how long your arms are, and Total Immersion: the lower the better. Aim for zero.
I suspect that for most of us, they amount to the same thing - a lot less than I'm doing now.
I spit on you and your 17 strokes. Love Chuffy-The-Huffy-Puffy-Tugboat
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140 lengths (3.5km) non-stop freestyle yesterday in 1 hour 40. I can swim 80 lengths (2km) in under 45 minutes now, but I am trying to swim more efficiently and slower, and this felt great. I would have done a full two hours, and could have done, but I started too late due to things I had to do at work. The training is really going well, and I feel pretty happy.
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Very impressive, FM. Well done.
d.
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Very impressive, FM. Well done.
Thanks. I want to be able to do 4km in two hours by the end of this month. I guess I could already do that, but I just haven't yet, and it's more important that I can swim for two hours at a time (for the this tri challenge I am doing) than if I can swim 'x' km in 2 hours.
I have now entered my first actual competitive triathlon, which will be a month after this challenge. So in July I can start working on my speed over 2km, and start swimming in open water (because the tri's swim is 2km in Lake Ontario).
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Well, I've done 2 hours non-stop now for the first time, but I was told by my coach not to push the distances/speed, simply because that's not necessary for this event.
And she's right, 2 hours at a relaxed pace (not quite sure how long, but probably just over 3km), mixing the strokes every half an hour, is relatively easy. It feels like I could do it forever.
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Now TTYC is over, I am switching my training to doing 2km as fast as possible (for my local triathlon at the end on the month). Currently doing it in 48 minutes. I want to be able to get down to under 45 or as near to 40 as possible.
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This thread's been dormant a while. Time to wake it up I think.
Is anyone else doing the Henley Swim this weekend? Wish me luck. I'm absolutely carping myself.
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Good luck! I've had no time for swimming.
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good luck - should be plenty of stream.. (will they change direction if it gets too much? that'd be a result!)
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Good luck!
(Er... what is the Henley swim?)
d.
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It would have been a swim up the Henley regatta course. The cancellation came too late to stop us driving over there, and the wife and kids hearts were set on camping so we had to.
She rode back as training for her forthcoming half-cow. I took the kids for a walk around the regatta site. "Look son. Here's where Dad didn't swim, and here's where he doesn't row any more. Here's a club where he doesn't know anyone any more. Aren't you proud?" Ah nostalgia! ::-)
Apparently the issue was that the environment agency were warning not to take unpowered vessels out, which made it hard to have safety kayaks. TBF, the stream was giving the rowers a few issues at the pontoons and at the crossing points, so it was cracking along. At my speed I might never have finished.
Dunno if I can make the re-match though, as that's the day of Mrs J's half-cow. Time to speak to some of the kids godmothers I think.
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It got cancelled/postponed because of the stream conditions. Strangely, the swim section of the Marlow half-ironman, also taking place on The Thames a few miles away, is still going ahead.
I think most of "the stream" was on the Henley-Marlow road.
(Why on earth did we ride to Henley for coffee when there was a Tri AND a Sportive thru there? :facepalm: )
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Went for a swim this morning for the first time since... well, according to my records, it's the first time since November - crikey, didn't realise it was that long. I've been so focused on racking up the cycling miles that I've let it go completely. And because I've lost so much weight since the last time I went swimming, my arms have pretty much atrophied - I have absolutely no strength at all! I could really feel the resistance of the water against my arms.
:(
d.
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Wow, FM's got an amazing coach!
Had to mention that, however reading about the Henley swim being cancelled because of fast flowing water made me think of http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10893835 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10893835) ahh, for a warm sunny summer's day and cool fresh mountain water!
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After 1 visit to a swimming pool in over 20 years i had a go this evening.
22 * 25m laps alternating between freestyle and breastroke in about 25 minutes.
Plenty of recovery time between each lap and felt OK. Want to see what my knees
are like over the next few days before pushing it.
Primary goal is to keep steady weight loss over the winter so i dont balloon like
last winter when i didnt get out on the bike so much.
Anyone know a decent free calorie counter for swimming that doesnt over exagerate
the calorie count. I just checked some from a quick google and they have massive variation.
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34 laps of breaststroke last night in 30 minutes takin it easy. Will try for 40 laps in sets of 4 and then use any extra time for a stab at 1500m next week.
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It would be helpful if those of you talking about the number of lengths you are doing would say what length the pool is. ;D
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Sorry my 2 posts are consecutive and the first states 25m :)
Promise any mention of laps will include length. Fnarr.
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Swimming is a great way to bond with your toddler and to keep them happy and there is another psychological benefit to this. Many people feel relaxation after swimming. Swimming Exercise is effect on legs and hands so never faced any problem.
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I'm easing myself back into swimming after not doing any fitness swimming for several years.
Unfortunately I can't remember how quickly I used to do my normal session (72x25m), but I don't think I'm too far over it now after my third session (I'm going swimming once per week at the moment).
I'm slowly shifting the balance from nearly all breaststroke to include more front crawl each week... I did this week's set in 41 minutes, with roughly a 2:1 ratio of breast stroke to crawl. (I don't do tumble turns, so it's doubtless a bit slow).
ISwimming does seem to have kick started my weight loss though ... although it could be coincidental (I made a number of other changes at the same time, so it's hard to determine which is the dominant factor - however, since all of the changes are habits for the better, I'm giving them all credit for the loss at the moment!)
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I've entered the Great Swim, Windermere 9th June.
Is anyone else seriously swimming? Done it before?
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I've renewed my membership at the local sports centre and have been a few times. I need to build it into a routine though.
I've seen these people whilst walking to a dockside restaurant. It looks far too cold ! https://www.livpost.co.uk/p/move-over-st-tropez-princes-dock
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Lovely other ½ bought me some 'smart goggles' for christmas, they project your speed and stroke rate on the inside of the right eye so you can get feedback as you go along - plus other stuff like head angle, heart rate and such. They work surprisingly well.
On the plus side, I'm already going at least 10 seconds quicker per 100m in a normal session in just 3 weeks of wearing them. On the downside, seeing your speed slowly dripping away as you get tired and bored, and having to work so much harder to hold it has stripped any joy out of just swimming. Hey ho.
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I've entered the Great Swim, Windermere 9th June.
Is anyone else seriously swimming? Done it before?
I seem to have volunteered for a 24-hour outdoor charity swim, not the entire 24 hours, three one-hour slots in a team of eight. It seemed a better idea when I had a drink in my hand, admittedly. I have a couple of months to rue my foolishness and hope the bloody water warms up.
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Lovely other ½ bought me some 'smart goggles' for christmas, they project your speed and stroke rate on the inside of the right eye so you can get feedback as you go along - plus other stuff like head angle, heart rate and such. They work surprisingly well.
On the plus side, I'm already going at least 10 seconds quicker per 100m in a normal session in just 3 weeks of wearing them. On the downside, seeing your speed slowly dripping away as you get tired and bored, and having to work so much harder to hold it has stripped any joy out of just swimming. Hey ho.
Ew; can't decide if I'd like that! Can you wear them once per week as a training drill, and enjoy the other sessions more?
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I've entered the Great Swim, Windermere 9th June.
Is anyone else seriously swimming? Done it before?
I seem to have volunteered for a 24-hour outdoor charity swim, not the entire 24 hours, three one-hour slots in a team of eight. It seemed a better idea when I had a drink in my hand, admittedly. I have a couple of months to rue my foolishness and hope the bloody water warms up.
Is that the Level Water thing? I'm waiting to see if there's a team who'll have me, which lake will you be at? I've stopped pretending I'm hardy enough for just a cozzie and its indoors over the winter and a wetsuit for the summer. Love a heated lido though...
I'm mostly aiming for Coniston End to End this year.
And because I didn't fancy swimming for 5 hours I'm having lessons. I want to shave 20% off my pace- which would sound ridiculous except that it's quite a slow base to start from.
Lovely other ½ bought me some 'smart goggles' for christmas, they project your speed and stroke rate on the inside of the right eye so you can get feedback as you go along - plus other stuff like head angle, heart rate and such. They work surprisingly well.
On the plus side, I'm already going at least 10 seconds quicker per 100m in a normal session in just 3 weeks of wearing them. On the downside, seeing your speed slowly dripping away as you get tired and bored, and having to work so much harder to hold it has stripped any joy out of just swimming. Hey ho.
I'm using the excuse that I need prescription goggles to avoid the tech-lust.
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It is the Level Water thing at Shepperton Lake. It might have to be a wetsuit, I hate the cold, and have also not swum outdoors for an age. I'm singularly ill-equipped for this venture.
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I'm mostly aiming for Coniston End to End this year.
:o
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Coniston is 5.25miles. About double my current longest swim. What could possibly go wrong?
First proper lesson since I was about 11, yesterday.
My coach is a nagging witch :thumbsup:
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Lovely other ½ bought me some 'smart goggles' for christmas, they project your speed and stroke rate on the inside of the right eye so you can get feedback as you go along - plus other stuff like head angle, heart rate and such. They work surprisingly well.
Are you still getting on with them three months later?
I went for my first swim for a long time this morning. Going to try to get back into the regular habit. If I do, then I will be able to justify to myself the investment in some kind of tech to measure my distances - because I'm really crap at counting lengths. I mean, I think I did 30 lengths this morning but it could in fact be anywhere between 28 and 34 lengths. And when it's a 50m pool, that adds up to a significant difference. Not that it really matters, I just like having numbers to put on Strava.
Anyway, I'm interested in smart goggles as an option. Or some other fitness tracking device that works in water, if anyone has any recommendations - my Garmin FR620 is not really any good in water, only useful for measuring time not distance.
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The newer Garmin watches have a pool swim option which is really good at counting lengths.
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Are you still getting on with them three months later?
I went for my first swim for a long time this morning. Going to try to get back into the regular habit. If I do, then I will be able to justify to myself the investment in some kind of tech to measure my distances - because I'm really crap at counting lengths. I mean, I think I did 30 lengths this morning but it could in fact be anywhere between 28 and 34 lengths. And when it's a 50m pool, that adds up to a significant difference. Not that it really matters, I just like having numbers to put on Strava.
Anyway, I'm interested in smart goggles as an option. Or some other fitness tracking device that works in water, if anyone has any recommendations - my Garmin FR620 is not really any good in water, only useful for measuring time not distance.
yes, still love them. They're *awful* for looking out of, it's not just that there's no peripheral vision, there are actually weird, occasional reflections of stuff happening in the other direction on the sides of the goggles which has taken some getting used to, but apart from that minor detail, they are brilliant. Having a realtime stroke rate, heart rate and speed is really good at keeping me consistent, and the coaching functions do seem to be working too and I'm averaging under 1.45 / 100m for the main part of the session, down from about 1.55/2.00 in December. Programming the workout before the swim is a bit too much of a faff beforehand to do every time but is quite nice to be told what to do without looking at the soggy bit of paper stuck to my drinks bottle!
They count much better than my 2 year old garmin too. Hardly ever miss a length compared to the garmin which undercounts a few every session. Mine are the Form goggles - this is the level of data you get on the app, from my Monday swim:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zwRGCjwluVkHoYtoZLmRE4WK4yx7E8HnQf0LD9LW8c8/edit?usp=sharing
(swim was 300 easy, 3x100 drills, 5 x 300, 100 easy, 4 x 25 hard, 2x100 easy).
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The newer Garmin watches have a pool swim option which is really good at counting lengths.
Mmmm, yes - I should probably ask my wife about this as she has one of the newer Forerunner watches and uses it for swimming.
yes, still love them. They're *awful* for looking out of, it's not just that there's no peripheral vision, there are actually weird, occasional reflections of stuff happening in the other direction on the sides of the goggles which has taken some getting used to, but apart from that minor detail, they are brilliant...
Good review, thanks. :thumbsup:
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Mmmm, yes - I should probably ask my wife about this as she has one of the newer Forerunner watches and uses it for swimming.
My wife is very intelligent. She suggested I simply press the lap button on my watch at the end of every two lengths. Of course! Seems so obvious now. Did it for this morning's swim. Worked a treat.
Might still look to upgrade my watch at some point anyway.
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I bought a Garmin watch to track my swimming. (Instinct2 - it does pool, open water & e-bike which is why I upgraded from the 735xt)
It's not actually that great at counting and the user error is shocking! I have lost count of the number of times I finish a set to find I'm still paused. They're also rubbish if you're doing drills - kick pulls are non existent and broken arrow/catchup can give false positives.
(If I'm counting I don't count numbers, I count letters. So the first 2 lengths are apple, then banana, cauliflower, daikon... Much less likely to lose track)
I'm averaging under 1.45 / 100m for the main part of the session, down from about 1.55/2.00 in December.
My swimming lessons have got me from 3:00 to 2:45. :-[
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I'm averaging under 1.45 / 100m for the main part of the session, down from about 1.55/2.00 in December.
My swimming lessons have got me from 3:00 to 2:45. :-[
My 100m splits today ranged from 2:53 to 3:36 (mostly breaststroke). I'm both out of practice and unfit. And clearly have no consistency (although some of the variation is down to congestion in the pool).
Was mulling over the idea of lessons to improve my technique.
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Interesting, I have wondered about lessons. I used to do lifesaving at school so could swim 2 miles or more even towing using backstroke/ sidestroke. Never really caught front crawl.
This last 10 days on holiday I have been following some videos on YT and really seen an improvement so may go for lessons once home. I may have to retire again to make time!
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I was in a swimming club in my youth. Was never good enough to be competitive but I did get drilled with good technique. I've lost a lot of that over the years and could do with some refreshers. And I never really did learn how to tumble turn properly.
Not bothered about improving performance as such, but swimming is more enjoyable if you can do it right.
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Anyway, I'm interested in smart goggles as an option. Or some other fitness tracking device that works in water, if anyone has any recommendations - my Garmin FR620 is not really any good in water, only useful for measuring time not distance.
Just been re-reading the early pages of this thread, from 2011. Back then, JJ recommended a Swimovate for counting lengths and though I liked the sound of it, I never got round to buying one.
My performance has definitely deteriorated since 2011. :-\
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I do a group lesson once a week. I'm in the bottom half speed wise but I'm not the worst. My technique isn't actually that bad, but teacher is definitely focused on getting faster in a pool (she's always nagging us to kick harder and taking advantage of the push off) whereas I want to swim easier, really,