Swimmers unite!

Oooh a swimming thread!

I've been doing lengths at our local pool since August. It's an old BIG pool so each length is nearly 50 metres. I can do 1 k if I get in earlier enough in the hour long session. Mostly do 16-18 lengths rather than 22. I do sort of breast stroke - breast stroke arms and simple kicking legs. Tbh swimming is such a miracle for me - only something I did in my mid thirties having been scared of deep water before that - that it does not bother me one jot how I look.

Sauce I am not up to your level of swimming & never was - old gimmer here.

But when I started swimming again in January 12 lengths was finishing me off. Now I can do 40 with out much pain.

It's amazing how quickly it comes back.

Am off for some Turkish sea swimming soon - water temp is 20C - I can't wait.

I love sea swimming more than almost anything in this life. There's only one thing better, IMHO!!

Inspired by you all on this thread I went for a swim this morning - I would like to take back all my "I can swim for 45 minutes no problem"

I had toe cramp and just about managed 35 minutes and was doing breast stroke most of the time. Seems I'm not nearly as capable as I thought.

Thank you Kaizen . I like idea of attempting a power session.

I also seem to have most of the swimming pool leaking into my pants. Post baby swimming is a whole new experience

I wouldn't be that intense - I used to be fast swimmer - now I might do every 4th length at a speedier pace - front crawl. Otherwise an easy going breast stroke. I can't run to save my life - ten minutes max! - but I could do breast stroke for 45 minutes without a problem.

Swimming for an hour is quite a long time and depends how intense you do it sauce so you could do a 'power' session, which would get you out of breath (and make the hour seem a long time ) or steady speed, or just have a nice swim or pootle about. See how far you go and then use that as a baseline. Top class swimmer would do about 3 miles...192 lengths....

You lot are the motivation I need. I love swimming but getting to do it is a problem. I've found a gym with a crèche so can do 2 hours a week. How far would you swim in am hour?

Hi Always - water temperature should be about 18 degrees, so you should be fine in a costume if you've been in Windemere, but you could take a rash vest. Depends on your acclimatisation and body fat. I've just been to Mallorca in April and it was 14 degrees - chilly but doable

Hi ladies. Haven't posted for a while, but I've been swimming lots. Tried Windermere last week. Damn it was cold, but at least I did it! Swam 2 miles in the pool for the first time yesterday in preparation for the Great North Swim. Achy in places I never dreamed of this morning!

As part of the training for the Great North, I need to keep swimming on holiday the first week of June. We're going to Santo Tomas in Menorca. Will the sea be warm enough for just wearing a normal costume, or will I need a rash vest or something more thermal? Anyone got any experience?

Oooh found a thread I want to play on - havent read it all but thought Id introduce myself!
I used to be really in to all my classes, yoga, bodypump etc. I suffered a knee injury last year and havent been able to do any of them since beginning of Dec. So I have swum. And swum and swum.
I go 4-5 times a week and just 3 months ago thought I was superwoman for doing 100 in a week haha, now I do that twice a week and between 40-80 on the other days.
I dont have any long term goals, just to keep swimming. I used to find 10 boring but now I can switch off and go for an hour without thinking.
Thankfully our pool has signed up to swimtag, I know I can do 40ish in 30 mins, a mile in 48ish mins etc etc so I just swim for a set amount of time then check in online to see what Ive done. You get graphs and everything which my inner geek just luuuuurrrrrrrves! Anyone else got this?!?!

Hi all, can I join you? I've been swimming every weekday since January, 1k a time, not particularly fast but I feel fantastic and really miss it on the odd occasion I can't make it to the pool.

Nice to see some fellow water babies on here!

Kaizen - that sound like it will be fun. DD and I are off up to Glasgow next weekend to take part in a masterclass with Keri-Anne Payne - and we get to see some of the finals of the British Championships too!

Cheers Dili - I'll think about when i was in the remedial swimming group in primary school with the nasty swimming teacher. This time last year i was swmming a crap, tiring kilometre of half breastroke and half frontcrawl.

I've had to pack my thermals, woolly hat, thick socks, gloves for sitting in the boat after swimming - I'll be able to post some glamourous swimming photos afterwards

Good luck Kaizen, you are such an inspiration!
Have fun and look forward to hear all about it when you get back.

I'm off to Mallorca tomorrow on my long-distance swim training camp- its pouring down here today so can't wait to get some sun and away from following the black line down the pool.

I'm a bit apprehensive about it being cold in the water and not being able to keep up but I keep telling myself I don't think i could have done anymore training so I'm just going to relax and see how it goes - we've got some impressive long-distance swim coaches (particularly the female ones) so I'm hoping to be inspired - I've packed my porridge as instructed and I'll bring back some training tips

Ages ago I had a 1-1 session & was also knackered at the end of it.

However, I practiced what I had been taught & it really helped & I improved quite fast.

Just had my first swim for a week - I strained a calf muscle really badly & had to rest up. Could only do half my normal swim. It's amazing how quickly you lose it!

I had my first 1-1 coaching session today and it was brilliant!

I've been spending the past few weeks trying to increase number of lengths but after today I realise it's all about quality not quantity.

I couldn't believe the difference in my stroke after just one session but it was bloody knackering

Just one length completely wore me out whereas last week I was managing a mile of front crawl. Feels like I have taken a step back in a way and anxious about getting back in tomorrow but onwards and upwards

That pool makes my hands sweat just looking at it!! I'd be a wuss.

nothing to do with MN - but shall we meet up for a swim here
blog.asiantown.net/-/21111/most-dangerous-pool-in-the-world-pics

thought I would do a few lengths tonight as DD was at the pool with Brownies, but I could barely do 10 and my arms are now aching like crazy!

Well done Dizzy - great time and a finishing sprint!!

caper - I've never even tried butterfly - always been too embarrassed but a bloke recently swam the channel doing it so he might have some tips

This is a geek alert - I have geek-weeks where i spend a lot of time reading swim forums, watching videos. This week I've been using my tempo trainer. It's a bleeper that you put under your hat and it bleeps at set intervals so you can take a stroke

www.swimswam.com/the-nitty-gritty-of-stroke-rate-tempo-trainer-pro

So I was trying to find my 'cruising speed', a speed that i could keep up for a long time at 19 strokes per length with little effort. So i swam 100 relaxed lengths and then matched it to the tempo - I think it was a stroke every 1.8 seconds. Now I might use the TT under my hat when I do bigger swims so I don't panic and start windmilling and get knackered.

They are good for increasing your stroke rate (and speed) but you are supposed to slow the tempo if your stroke per length increases massively as this indicates your stroke has broken down. You can also check your balance in your stroke by slowing the tempo to 2.00 seconds per stroke or something (mine is a bit crap). This also looks a bit odd if you are swimming in a lane as your arms tends to hang in the air while you wobble. It's quite relaxing though.

Finally, you can do pyramid training, where you set it at a reasonably fast tempo and go slower then fast again over either 25, 50 or 100 metres. So set the tempo at something like 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 then 1.55, 1.5, 1.45, 1.4, 1.35, 1.3 - you might find you take fewer strokes on the last 1.3 than the first as the slower ones you have done will have reset your brain to take longer strokes.

THe idea eventually is to have various 'gears' you can use when swimming different distances but I'm a long way off that yet.

Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there as they can be 'fun' to play around with and make the lengths go by quicker. I've just learned to change the digits on mine through my hat instead of taking it out...

Anyone have any tips for doing butterfly? We had to do some at swim club tonight and I really struggled!!

Dizzy, congratulations, both for you and your DD's achievements! You are an inspiration :)

I completed my Swimathon this morning. 5k in 1:58.55 I still can't believe I got under the 2 hours!!! My arms are a bit heavy so I trying to remember to keep stretching them out.

It was tough between 130-140 and my triceps were starting to get sore, but after that the lengths seemed to whizz along with 20 to go where I lost count so wasn't sure how many I had left.

DH told me there was 2 mins remaining for me to get under the 2 hours, and as I thought there were only 2 to go wasn't overly worried, but when I had finished them I had made a mistake and had my last to to swim. Cue panic as it takes me 30secs to swim a length so I started kicking and sprinted the last 2.

DH has just admitted that with 4 to go I still had 3 or 4 mins left but as he wanted to motivate frighten me he reduced the remaining time!

I am glad its done but I am going to keep on with swimming during the year so maybe next year will be even quicker!

Brilliant dizzy - well done DD!! Great time too