swimming for fitness

I have pretty much read most of this thread at this stage - really curious about the Total Immersion courses. I'll keep this in mind I think, it sounds fantastic. Might be a birthday present to myself.

Impressive time SingingAvocado!

Yippee Face!

1716m in 34:45 (52 (oops – meant to do 50) x 33m lengths) this morning. Pleased with that. I find my third length the worst!

It really is

So great for clearing the mind too ....I'm normally an avid weight trainer, that's my "thing", but I'm going to keep space in my week for swimming for sure, its been great (in a tough kinda way)

Hooray!!!

Nice one!

You found out what The Zone™ Is now then? It's like heaven in a pool!

Well done Hissy, that's far!

Well I'm just back in the door and it was a transformative session! I concentrated on 2 things - slowing down and relaxing my neck to allow my head rest in the water. The difference was amazing! In fairness we were doing 75s tonight mostly, on 1.45 and I actually managed 8 sets and didn't feel like gasping at all! I found at the end of a set I noticed I was getting tired and I'd automatically tense up and start rushing for the end ...but anytime this happened, I'd relax my neck & shoulders and slooow down. I felt like I could have just swam and swam. What a difference! I think the 75s suit me a lot more at the moment but we did a few 100s at the end and even they were more manageable.

I can honestly say I really really enjoyed that. :)

I did feel like I wanted to die about 600m still tho!

2100m done today

By the way Face and did a few sets of 100s with a gap, I made it to 3 consecutive sets at about 2.20. Then I did 4x 100m, not sure of the interval but good grief it was hard.

Trust me, 2.10 x 4 even with a 50s is tough. I think you should definitely do some lane sessions, just get yourself used to doing 4x 100m, you can up the speed when you're ready

I had a good session today. I think I'm "back" 2100m in just over an hour!

I've started to do half an hour's gym before a swim... in theory to strengthen my legs. In practice it exhausts me!

Did 1 K today and felt wonderful - leisurely, because of 2 weeks' out of the pool due to cold/UTI/life.

God I love swimming!

1K done at lunch time. Feeling zonked out actually. Meh.

I thought that was the case, usually rest isn't included in a 100m time

I am sure you were knackered... I'd be too!! I'm going tonight, need to get some distance under the belt!

Thanks Hissy - though just so I'm clear, that 2.10 doesn't include rest . We were doing 100m on 3.00 .... including 50 seconds rest! And I was still knackered!!

Good idea about going to a regular lanes session. That might give me the bit of headspace to practice off the clock as such.

Face switching strokes to keep going is exactly how you can build your stamina. the 50s breather is a good space, I think you are expecting a little too much of yourself so early on. Go the pace you can achieve to do the distance. Don't worry about what the others are doing, block em out. They have their swim, you have yours.

These are tough segments. 2.10 pace is what I do when I have had a 100m back stroke 'rest' - Although i have kinda 'cracked' the backstroke technique now so pull better and faster and find that I don't actually recover as much as i used to when I was more leisurely, so find myself in a hellish no mans land at times struggling to know what stroke to take to keep going.

Can you take yourself to a lanes session somewhere and just spend the time to analyse what you are doing? forget the stopwatch just work on being comfortable for the distance. Be conscious of where you are spending energy, and see if you can tweak it to conserve it and go for longer.

Once you have the distance, you can work on speed.

Thats what I did, worked on technique and it paid off. I know a few on the FB group do the same from time to time and it makes such a difference. Helps us stay in love with swimming too.

Thanks Hissy, I'll try that tonight.

I have no idea what my kick rate is! I don't think i go hell for leather, I would probably rely more on my arms and the legs come secondary. How do I know if I do 2 beat/3 beat?

Singing, I do always try to exhale completely, not always easy especially when I have to breath on 2 strokes rather than 3 as I get more tired, I think the problem just perpetuates at that stage, I just end up gasping. I have been known to switch strokes mid-length and back again, just for the rest :D

Face, slow down to go faster...

Take it steady and the last leg will get easier, do you just kick, or do you do 2 beat/3 beat etc kick?

If you work the legs slightly less, you'll conserve more energy

Relax the head, let the water hold it. Don't force it down.

It takes practice, try some push and glides and completely relax and hang the head, body and arms/legs

I struggled today. Managed 600 oncentrating on going slowly but keeping my head down but it was hard work.

Can you ask your coach for advice, Face? I'm sure it will get easier. Are you doing really good exhaling in the water? You probably are if you are an experience waterpolo player but it was a bit of a revelation to me when I stopped holding my breath! You can spend the whole time your face is to the side taking in air instead of getting rid of some first! I've not had swimming lessons / coaching since childhood so had forgotten that you won't be able to change stroke at whim!

Thanks guys.

The coach last night was having us focus on maintaining pace through the sets, and it was the 2.10 pace (which by reading here is slow enough to begin with!!) which was manageable at the start was a REAL struggle by the 3rd set. I wouldn't mind but we had a 50 sec rest between sets too so that should have been plenty. Usually breaking the sets up with BS would help but I can't really when following their training plan during the sessions.

Welcome Face. I alternate front crawl / backstroke and use the backstroke length to catch my breath. Maybe you can do that for a bit? Agree with Rights that slowing down to get your breathlessness under control first is a good move, then gradually speed up. It will improve over time!

Maybe I'm not brave enough! I felt for the woman who was asked to leave the fast lane (I'd have been if it was me!) so maybe I was afraid to have a word with the slow person in my lane because of that! But you are right Rights that it is probably better if someone has a kind word. I just said it was no trouble when she apologised, holding my tongue! Rules would be a great idea. When I first started swimming at the leisure centre last year I was very confused and ended up asking the lifeguard to explain all the lanes etc. to me.

If this was me with my running, I would slow right down, that's all.
It sounds like you've still got the technique and physical strength, but have lost some cardiovascular fitness. Best way to get that back is 'time on feet', or I guess 'time in pool', just slowing it right down to build endurance.

Welcome!

I've just found this forum and would love your advice/reassurance.

Have signed up for a 'swim a mile' challenge in March. I can swim (used to be in college waterpolo team) - but i struggle with my endurance big time. I've joined up with a masters swim coaching group twice a week for an hour each, we are covering between 1500 and 1650m per session. I'm on my 3rd week in.

I struggle big time with the FC. I've strong arms, a reasonably good technique (only some small tweaks offered by the coach) - can do bilateral breathing, usually on the 3rd stroke. But I find even doing 4*100 front crawl, I'm DYING by the 3rd set and it's a real struggle. I don't even think it's my arms/legs but I just feel like I can't get enough air in. I'm breathing out as fully as I can before rotating to breath in, but by length 4 of a set, I'm breathing every 2 strokes trying to get enough O2. I'm hitting 2.10 for 100m on average but really struggle to keep up that pace after the 2nd set or 3rd set of 100 and start slowing down.

Is this normal when starting out again? I have noticed a bit of an improvement from the 1st week, but where should I be going from here? My goal is to do the mile more or less non stop but I feel that is completely un-achievable at the moment!

Thanks :)

singing I would happily speak to someone if I thought they were in the wrong lane. I'd do so politely, unless they seemed like an arrogant tosser!

I'd like to think (that as a newbie myself) that if I got the lane etiquette wrong someone would have a kind word with me.

Maybe it would be useful for pools to put up the rules actually.

Free lane obvs.