Swimming for fitness (part 3). Dive in!

I was really tired this morning and almost skipped the swim but thought I'd just go and enjoy a few lengths, it doesn't matter how many I do. And then did my usual amount! It was so lovely I had a lane to myself to begin with. I still get anxious about lane etiquette as it fills up though.

I'm tired now but in an achey way and feel so much better for the swim.

There was a much older woman getting changed near me and her body was amazing! I tried not to look but her face looked older but her body was great. I am currently about double her size (!!) But I thought it's worth keeping this up if I can look and swim like her in older age!!

Have you tried the pigeon pose or piroformus stretch lying on your back nora ? I suffer a lot with it so stretch nearly every day to keep issues in check. Hope Physio can help.

Yay! I managed to get to the pool before work today for the first time since last summer. It felt great- I got the endorphin rush and rode on it all day and got loads done.
But, my butt hurts, the muscle in my left buttock (glute or pirifomis, I'm not sure) and it hurts a lot. I swim regularly so I'm not sure if swimming has caused it but I'm so fed up, I only just got rid of similar pain on the right side after two years of pain and then one day an acupuncture needle went in and pinged our and the pain disappeared with the needle. So off to the physio I go again. But I'm going to carry on swimming despite the pain and hope it's not connected.

Must feel good to be back in water, rights. Enjoy the hat shopping!

Hoorah! She swims.
Felt so good to get back into it. 1K 25mins.
My regular swim hat got torn, its replacement has been sent with my younger son for school swim lessons, leaving me with the crappy swimathon one which pops off my head. It's a trial I tell you.

Gonna get a Wonderwoman one I think.

I've definitely improved! I didn't use to be able to comfortably do 1k. Now that's what I set to do - I've gone from 40mins to 36.... still not fast but it shows I must be getting a bit fitter!

I have not swum for ages, but am going TODAY. So there.
My babysitter older son comes back from Uni soon so I'll be able to get out early morning or late evening if he's around.

Hello looking
Everyone welcome in the MN pool (just no lane hogging please!).
Your fitness already has improved if you are finding it easier to swim than you were 2 weeks ago. Well done.
I think any exercise will improve your fitness, but I know what you mean, BS can be less strenuous than FC.

I am afraid I can't advise on how to learn how to FC. Could you have a few 1-1 lessons?

Well done looking! I'm only up to 1k so far!

Can I join you all please?

Recently back into swimming. First couple of weeks nearly killed me but I'm up to 1000-1500m now with ease. However, it's all breaststroke only and I don't think my fitness will improve!

How do I move my technique to front crawl to pick up some speed and fitness?!

Hats off to you for turning up and getting in the pool corrigans! Hope the evening crowd is better paced I wouldn’t have gone through the door being too intimidated.

I had good quiet swim last night only shared the lane with one other lady so it was very civilised

Enjoying hearing about everyone's swims. I tried out a new squad last week. I really rate squad training as its great to have some company and doing intervals is the best way to improve fitness imo. Only this squad was something else... turns out there are a lot of ex state champs and even an couple of ex-Olympians. I was by far the slowest there and managed to cling on for dear life. Apparently the evening crew are a bit less elite, so I might join that one instead.

Ive picked up quite abit from you tube vids scaredpad but my oldest DD swims 3-4x a week with a club and she’s good observer so I asked her to watch me. She’s spotted my head angle that the coach hadn’t and I felt it make difference straight away I put it into pratice at the weekend as I did a pool based Tri and was 5th in the swim in my cat massive improvement on being nearly last 6mths ago so I’m really pleased swimming consistently over the winter has really paid off .

Swimming solo - I do like a nice quiet pool. The ladies who swim in the sea solo near me I’ve noticed tow a floating thing behind them is that an option? It’s a marker & a cling to float if u get cramp.

Wow skigirl your daughter sounds amazing!

I'd love some coaching sessions when I've list a bit of weight/ speed up a bit myself. There is a coached adult swim at my leisure centre but I think currently they're likely to all be faster than me!!

I really wouldn't swim solo but im v risk adverse. It's highly unlikely you had a random fit/ got bad cramp/migraine /something mid swim but if it ever happened you wouldn't want to be on your own.

Glad you're back excerising, rights. Must feel good?

1.5km this morning done. BUT my swim buddy is leaving. What are people's thoughts on solo swimming? The pool is deep both ends - so no putting feet down, and no life guard. There is a cleaner/ maintenance person there most of the time, and it is on the path to the back door of the gym, so people about, but they can't necessarily swim. It's an open air pool. Thoughts about swimming on my own?

Managed a short swim on Fri night. Didn't count lengths as I decided to just swim consistently for as long as I had available, just over 20 min in the end. Felt good. :) :) Love swimming.

That’s good rights hope the lake swimming goes well. I’d like to try that.

Had a good swim with my DD 11yr tonight she was giving me a couple of good F.C. coaching tips on lifting my head up abit and I need to sort out my lazy left arm. She spotted more things in 10mins than the coaching sessions I’ve been trying out the last few weeks!

My creatine kinase levels are FINE after a week off exercise. Bring It On!

Hoorah. I might be swimming in a lake tomorrow evening and I might be signing up for a swim along the River Cam (hopefully WITH the current!) in July.

That’s an impressive swimsuit avocado! Mine only seem to last 3-4mths. Super fast swim too with the backstroke. Swimming seems to be such small incremental changes in speed...I know I’m getting faster but it doesn’t feel like it when I see folk power past me with their smooth F.C.. yet at the beginners coaching sess I’m going past alot of others so I know it’s getting there abit slowly. I should be kinda to my o/w body i am going longer though in the pool so stamina has massively upped.

tizwoz I've put Vaseline on bits that rub and that seems to have sorted that out. I got a new swimsuit this week too but it is identical to my old one so nobody but me knows! The elastic had started to go on the old one but it had done me nearly 2 years of swimming 3 times a week.

I bought a new swimsuit, felt fine trying ob in the shop but as soon as I got horizontal in the pool found a seam rubbed in an awkward place. Luckily it was relatively cheap but back to looking for a replacement. 2.1km this morning

Hi SkiGirl – my DD is writing SATs too. Welcome butterflies (sounds like you are doing great) and welcome back Pixie. Did an amazing (for me!) time today. 62 lengths / 2046m in 38m02s, about a minute faster than usual. I realised that I've finally managed to shave some time off backstroke. I alternate backstroke with crawl and usually the backstroke length takes about 3s longer than crawl but today it was taking about 1s longer. Not sure what has changed or whether I will ever be able to repeat this feat!

Ooh I will try the shampoo truck although not in time for tonight's swim.

I'm finding myself looking forwards to being able to get out for a swim. My house is turning into chaos (I'm not great at housewokr) and it's so good to escape it!

Ohh I may try the shampoo trick in my Google’s pixie well done on your Swimathon.

Welcome butterflies keeping trying and it will build up.

I had a lovely lane to myself tonight it was fab, did 1.1k before being kicked out as I got in a bit late. Tried a variation on my FC pull hinging more on the elbow under water but it seemed to make my shoulder hurt more instead of using the bigger lat muscles hmmm I know the underwater pull is the next key to me getting faster as the coach said my leg kick, head/breathing& arm recovery above the water look ok..I was googling you-tube last night for tips I will try again Thursday.