Swimmers unite!

I've used earplugs, when I was going through a phase of recurrent ear infections (it was probably a single infection which never completely cleared up, because I kept going back swimming too soon.) It did take me a little while to get used to them, and when I was doing aquafit, I tended to wear only one in in the troublesome ear.

My earplugs are from Boots, and they're a bit like this, though not exactly - www.allearplugs.com/images/product/main/Pluggerz-Swim-Ear-Plugs.jpg

If you google "swimming earplugs", there's a far greater range available than I ever imagined. I suspect if you've not got on with them previously, it's probably because you haven't found the type which suits you yet.

I do sympathise - I get it occasionally, and hate the feeling (I have the snoring DH too, but that's another thread!)

I think I might have to try some - but I have tried ear plugs at night (DH's 'breathing' (like a herd of pigs)) and I find them odd.

You can get special swimming ear plugs - my DH has this problem and tried them but they didn't fit his ears.

Water in the bloody ears! Who has the answer?

Some swims I get no water in my ears at all - others it seems to ruch in & stay all swim. As it did today & there is still a wee bit left in my ear that I just can't seem to get out, even with lying on my side for a while.

Has anyone got any tips or advice?

Great to hear of other swimathoners. Just find that as well as being a great cause, I have more motivation to go regularly.

Quite inspiring to hear of how you have built up your stamina Kaizen, that is a hell of a lot of swimming. I would love to be swimming for longer (currently swimming 1km 3xweek) and hearing how you have approached it makes my aim of swimming twice as long per session quite doable.

Swam in a 33.3m pool today rather than my usual 25m one. Quite a different experience, think I found it easier overall, although that may have been to do with going during the day and having the whole lane to myself...

I use a garmin swim watch which is quite good, but same problem of needing to stop and look at it.

I tend to swim for a certain amount of time then upload the data when I get home

There are always those who maintain that swimming makes you fat, it's not been my experience.
However owing to 'aquadynamics' having extra body fat doesn't hinder (and can help) performance as much as it does on land

For me one of the great things about swimming is that the water keeps you cool so for any given level of exertion (as compared to exercising out of water) your heart rate is lower and it feels more comfortable.

Oh, I haven't been at all this last few days due to feeling rotten. I do miss it.
I love the total immersion videos :). Watching one I learnt to do 11 breastrokes per lenght, I go really long and really lazy, i glide for a couple of seconds before I strike again.
It's pure poetry watching those swimmers :)

I have watched all the Total Immersion videos with interest and today tried to slow down my stroke and concentrate more on the pull and it did feel like I was getting through the water a bit easier so much so that I did 100 lengths in the hour I was there. I have only swam that far in one go before at the last 2 Swimathons!

I can't remember who mentioned this year's Swimathon down thread but I've taken the plunge and have signed up for the 5k this year. DD (who's 9) is swimming the 1.5k distance - but she swims for our local club so already clocks up the lengths during her training sessions

I don't know a lot really as it's my first year swimming properly. I don't do fast 'sets' as the others in the pool do as I'm too lazy and don't like struggling to go fast. If my stroke count goes up then I stop and have a strop - so I stop a lot! Then I start again, try and hold the stroke and not flail and pull. I'm not much slower than the tri blokes doing their fast sets but I can maintain a steady pace for longer. But that's my aim, whereas there aim is fast up to a mile swims.

I cant see me getting to racing standard but I can see that yours is the better approach.
I may try fit in a short swim once a week after a heavy leg training session in the gym, then I should be too tired to want to overdo it in the pool.

It's the post swimming euphoria that I'm really after and I'm not sure if weight training followed by a short swim will deliver the same 'hit' as a long swim

Yep- But first sport I've ever been sensible in!!

Over a year I went from 1km per week to a couple of times a week, then 3 times, then 2 x1km +1 long swim of a mile(!!) then 2x65, up to 100 3 times a week and now I'll do two one hour faster sessions and one 3 hour one until April. Not sure after that as I've got two shorter sea races of 1 mile and 2.5 in the summer. I do a lot of core work as well and upper body training, and yoga but I don't have family pressures so I can fit it all in at present.

It sounds as if you also built up to it...I went from no swimming at all for about 7 years to 100+ lengths per session 3x per week, obviously a dumb idea

Touch wood- no problems yet. I'm trying to use my core and kick to move, rather than pulling but it's not easy yet. I used to get neck ache as I lifted my head too much but I finally learnt to 'drop it' a few weeks ago and rest it in the water instead of holding it. I can now sort of go all relaxed when I get tired but I mainly just try and streamline and reduce drag. To be honest, I think your body just gets used to 'holding' a swimming position after a while, and this time last year I was only doing 1km.

400 lengths Kaisen, wowser I'm in awe!

the most I've swum is 130, you must be a very efficient swimmer...do you not have any shoulder/neck problems from so much front crawl?

Suzanne that video is amazing - the underwater shots of her body moving are so graceful and makes me want to learn breastroke now...

I did my first 3 hour, 400 length, 6 mile extravaganza on sunday - i was thinking "whoo-hoo- look at me effortlessly gliding along" then i realised i'd only done 6 lengths. i was okayish for 250 (ive done 200 before) and i did it in blocks of 50 lengths with a 1 minute break in between each set. I had to give myself a positive talking to at 300 and the last 50 were bloody awful. i had 2 energy gels, one banana, and very wrinkled fingers at the end. Problem is i've got to do it every weekend now and it takes up half the day - i'm bribing myself with a kebab next weekend. I swam with two nice women at one point though, and shamelessly asked if i could 'draft' them for a few easy lengths

Hello swimmers! :o
this is one of my favourite swimming video's

I'm a lapsed swimmer, I was going 3 x per week in the summer but front crawl was giving me shoulder problems and interfering with my strength training.
I know I should work on my technique, mastering bi lateral breathing would be a start.

I've been thinking about getting back to it, even if I just focus on breast stroke swimming is so therapeutic.

Am determined to try to swim like him when I go, later this morning!

for that, Kaizen - really inspirational.

Had a lovely swim this morning - either 50 or 54 lengths (I kept loosing count). For the first 10 my lane was empty. Then a lady got in who was exactly the same speed as me. It was perfect we were equidistant from each other for my next 20 lengths.

As the pool got busier two other ladies ended up in the same lane as me and my swimming clone. They were slower but extremely polite and let people overtake as necessary.

Perfect!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiNkAMU8syI

As a contrast and cos am a geek this is a clip of Jodie Swallow the ironman champ - she does 90 strokes per minute, which is unbelievable fast over two miles. I really don't like this stroke and I don't like swimming with 'swingers' like that (unfortunate name!!). My aim is to be as fast but smooth.....but it took the other guy on the vid four hours per night (10pm-2am) four nights a week of practice with a video camera constantly correcting each nuance of his stroke to be named 'most elegant swimmer in the world' on you tube. Think I'm destined to be a slightly reformed 'Arnie' - google 'SwimSmooth swimmer types' is you want to see if you fit swimmer 'type' - they are quite good.

arsiticat sorry about your pool- hope it's a quick fix.