Swimming

Is this a situation of just going swimming and slowly improving and gaining some stamina and technique?

http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html worked for me although I had to start with http://ruthkazez.com/Zeroto1milePreamble/pre-zero.html

Unless you want to race technique isn't so important. You'll get pretty fit even if you are slower than other people around you who may well be using less energy but going faster. If your objective is to get fitter just swim as well as you can as much as you can.
If you haven't done much lately just do enough to get you tired, and so you feel just a bit achy the next day. (but not sore)
Work up to 45 minutes steady swimming a couple of times a week. That will keep you pretty fit. If you get really keen concentrate on swimming smoothly as in that video @greenbank just posted or ask a better swimmer for some advice.

Thanks folks, some useful things to look into this evening. It's mostly fitness and fun that I'd be interested in doing it all really. I also live close to London Fields Lido and never use it but quite like the idea of popping there for a swim through the week. Was having short swims a couple of years ago for physio after I hurt my leg whilst snowboarding and found that I enjoyed it though always felt tired very quickly. Will plan to get to the baths near my work on some lunch breaks next week then and will just try to get some routine to it.

always felt tired very quickly.

That's because it is such a good exercise!

always felt tired very quickly.

That's because it is such a good exercise!

Wouldn't agree with that.
Swimming is hard work if you're not very good at it.
I know because I'm formerly not very good and currently alright.

But if you're tiring extremely quickly it's most likely not because you're tiring your muscles, and more down to poor or rushed breathing.
It's not really like running where you can just work up from couch to 5k (or, say, 1k for
swimming). You need a few pointers on how and when to breath and a bit of technique, then
that'll stop you feeling like you're rushing every length just to get a moment of respite and a lungful of air.

@ric_a5
If you're near London Fields then maybe get in touch with London Fields Triathlon. Looks like they do club swims there and technique sessions nearby too.

You wont be out of your league, they're only triathletes so they'll be lousy swimmers anyway. (I say this as a triathlete)

5c at Parliament hill today. I never imagined I'd be able to swim in water this cold when I started in the summer but now I can't wait until it gets even colder.
I enjoy it almost as much as when I used to do the track league.

Swimming watches that sync to Strava. Any recommendations? Looking for something on the cheaper side.

Lovely few days swimming in Devon. The sea is surprisingly warm at about 10c. Hope Cove has been my favourite so far, New Year's day swim with lots of naked people 🤣

I have a Garmin Fenix 5x which I'm very happy with but it fails on the cheaper side.

For me having something I always wear that does everything was important as previously I'd find myself at the pool/pond/etc but forgotten my watch too often.

Sounds fantastic. I miss the big pool :(

Haven't managed to get in since Xmas Eve - about 5 degrees in Shadwell Lido then - hope to get to the sea in January...

Marathon Swims entry has opened: http://www.marathonswims.com/

Prices seem down on last year (but still expensive, £90 for the 10k swim).

Have entered the 10k again and will aim not to be ill in the build up to it this time.

I am thinking of entering the dart 10k. Does anyone have any experience of this and a training plan they can point me in the direction of.
Cheers

I think it is sold out this year so you have plenty of time to train.

Charity places will still be available.

I’m using a forerunner 235.

Perfectly happy with it

Bollox so it is 😞 thats a bit of a bummer

Yes all is not lost thanks

https://www.levelwater.org/fundraising

Some nice events here

The Jubilee River Swim (https://www.mysportingtimes.com/showevent?eventid=379) and Thames Marathon (https://henleyswim.com/events/thames-marathon/) both look interesting and have places.

Excellent. I entered the dart 10k for the Sunday. Hopefully I won't live to regret it. New year new challenge and all that

More on Shadwell Lido, with some interesting info I didn't know:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/coroners-warning-to-east-london-council-after-swimmers-death-in-dock-a4327116.html

The water is full of machinery from its time as a working dock.

The key words are '30ft-deep basin' - there's shedloads of crap down there, but you'd need to be scuba diving to reach any machinery - you won't break your neck on a crane jumping off the side. The problem is (usually, don't want to finger this unfortunate individual) kids coming down in the summer, drinking/toking all day and then jumping in to cool off. There's always an element of peer pressure, and the weakest swimmer is often the one that doesn't come back up. When I was there this summer, some pissed-up prick climbed the road bridge and jumped 30 ft into the water by the canoeing club. That kind of foolhardiness can easily be fatal.

I try to be at least cognisant of the risks I'm taking diving into cold, murky water with no-one watching out and do try to mitigate them. Still not fooling myself that it's totally safe.

There's always an element of peer pressure, and the weakest swimmer is often the one that doesn't come back up.

Talking to the lifeguards at the ponds on the Heath, that's the typical swimmer they pull out.

Indeed. People are unaware of the dangers of cold water shock and just because it might be a hot June day where the temperature hits 25C, the Hampstead ponds can still be under 15c. Acclimatisation is a wonderful thing and shows how the body adapts to constant exposure to stresses. But being pissed up and stoned on a summers day isn't going to help.

Oh BTW I wanted to ask, is this your doing?
http://www.jellybaby.net/ponds.html

If so I love you and do you compile the data yourself or is there an API (I doubt that somehow) :D