Swimming

I've started swimming this year because I thought it was a good idea.

To help me I'm giving http://www.swimsmooth.com/ a go. But I think I will need some actual coaching sessions.

Just did 1k tonight which is 2.5k for the week

Good work.

Watching videos is one thing but coaching is the only way you'll know what parts of your stroke you need to work on. Still haven't sorted that out for myself, but I'll focus on that later on in the year.

Didn't find the groove on Friday so only did 1.1k, need to get back to bashing out 3k on a Wednesday and ~5k on a Friday.

Well, that was a big wake-up call in the lido this am. Water down to 3 degrees, not frozen over, but puddles of ice on the side, and, though it's just a couple of degrees colder than the sea, those degrees make a big difference. Could only last 10 minutes, and even then was such a state on the train to work I couldn't hold a copy of the Metro still enough to read.

Would like to be doing up to 20-25 mins in that temperature. Got a long way to go...

Does anyone have any reccos for waterproof headphones/mp3?

I'm getting better - 1k on Saturday but only managed 2 swims as a busy week. Going to try and get 3 1k+ swims in this week

Wouldn't have thought earphones in a public session would be allowed, on the basis that anything that increases the chance of not paying attention and crashing is a bad thing!

I used to train 18 hours a week when I used to swim for Stockport Metro, before I realised I wasn't going to make any cut for nationals, I always enjoyed the serene quiet of training. Dunno why anyone would want to listen to music?

Lots of people at the lido wear them

Horses for courses innit

Depends on how busy it is. On a Friday morning when I train there's generally only two, rarely three, all about the same speed in the fast lane, and all the lanes are double width.

I used to listen to headphones when cycling and running but prefer listening to nature now. One less thing to have to faff with too.

Probably repost, but this just popped up on my FB wall.

Etiquette of lane swimming:

http://loneswimmer.com/2011/02/15/lane-swimming-etiquette/

The key one for me is missing.. The perfect time to start a length is never when someone else in the same lane is about to complete one next to you. It's not tag team deal. Drives me nuts and x 10 if the other person has just got in the pool and is already only 2 lengths away from taking their first stand against the wall break.

Booked a swimming lesson.

Will be funny to see just how much they pull my technique to pieces. Last bit of coaching I had was over 25 years ago (when they still taught things like thumb entry). I've watched enough videos to adjust my technique but it'll really help to have someone watch me and tell me what to do/change.

How does that work if there's a fast swimmer in the meduim lane then, should they still get right of way? I often find myself the fastest in one lane but the slowest in the next up so where should I swim?

Get faster so you aren't the slowest in the medium lane!

Seriously though when I was between lanes I'd pick the quieter of the two, and if in te fast lane keep an eye out for people leaving the medium lane and move down there or if there was an increase in the fast lane and you're still the slowest move down.

The reality is that if you're still improving it will only be a phase and you won't have the problem for too long!

I had my first adult swim lesson a couple of weeks ago - was really useful to both be able to ask questions about my technique and have a few small pointers on things to improve has probably speeded me up by a couple of seconds per 100m

I think lessons are a better option than a clinic - people always seem to come away with far too much to think about to be able to make any meaningful change!

Swimming lesson last week was good. Gave me a few useful pointers to start with:-

• Need to tuck the chin down against the chest a bit tighter, wasn't far off this but that could be a little bit extra free distance with each glide
  
• Slow the stroke down, start the pull when the other hand is just entering the water - again, not gliding enough
  
• Stretch forwards and up slightly after the hand goes in before the catch, was not maximising the pull length
  
• Position of hands during the catch and pull, I was too flat at the start/end of the stroke, just focus on pushing as much water as possible behind me
  
  

Trying to remember to do all of that in one go is hard, hoping to split it up into a few separate drills and hopefully get my endurance (pull only) pace down from 1m55/100m to 1m45/100m.

He also recommended kick only drills for 5 or 10 minutes at a time to build up leg strength. Luckily I can do these whilst my daughter is having her lesson as there's only a small part of the pool free when the instructors are using all of the lanes so it makes doing full lengths impossible. My kick only is also painfully slow (3min/100m).

Also need to do some stretches to get flexibility back in my ankles (too much running/cycling/5-a-side) to make the kick more efficient.

Had a lovely swim in Loch Duddingston last night, out the back of Arthur's Seat (in E'burgh with work, so did a run/swim from the hotel). Beautiful weather up here, the loch's only 9ft deep, so really warm already and nothing around but swans, geese and ducks. Perfect evening, looking forward to getting back to the Swimmer event on Saturday.

Just got an email to say I have a ballot place for Swim Serpentine.

1 mile swim in September, the week after IM Wales.

Didn't enter Swim Serpentine in time but they've extended the deadline twice so I guess I'll sign up.

Cycling down to Shepperton Lake on Monday afternoon for first open water swim. Looking forward to reminding myself how to swim in open water, and to try on a few wetsuits.

2x400m laps. Didn't drown. Didn't swallow too much duck poo.

So bloody hot at 6pm in a wetsuit but that made it even more lovely to get into the water (21.2 deg C!)

Handy 45km of riding too to get there/back.

Went again, another 45km of cycling plus 2.1km of swimming. Enjoying this. 25 deg C water temperature today.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1264775435

First two laps (750m and then a 400m lap) and it wasn't clicking; kept on starting off too fast and then feeling like I needed to have a breather.

Got it right on the 3rd lap (750m) though, hardly any time stopped and heart rate a chunk lower.

Still need to work on my sighting but getting into the rhythm of doing it every 12 strokes / 3 breaths.

New wetsuit worked a treat. Would have pushed on for another lap or two but didn't want to knacker myself out with a weekend full of cycling ahead (plus a long drive up to Cheshire and back).

Fucking Loving sea swimming. At the 8 knot bouys. Between them the sea and you, nothing else

Loving the river swimming here. Current is just a bit slower than me so I can swim upstream for a while whilst the dogs sit on the bank / bark at me. I don't get very far.
Some days though I just swim downstream and feel like a proper pro rocketing along with the ducks and stuff.

Yeah! You know that river swimming you've been doing for thirty years Ade? Dey call day Wild swimming now . Dey got books and ting

ppl,

anybody fancy an over-the-fence gathering pre Norths one Tuesday evening soon at the Men/Women's Bathing Pond at Hampstead Heath?

was delightful being there on Tuesday, but would be better with forum-mongers for company (!), and for shared bag-watching.. so pls post in the Norths thread if this appeals at all!