Swimming for fitness (part 3). Dive in!

I swam before work this morning, it felt fab to be up and swimming again. 1km crawl in 25 mins. I'm happy with that.

Swam last night,it was a real effort to make myself go so only 800m but I had to renew my membership or lose it so I’ve signed up for another 6mths and therefore have to go 6x a month to make it pay.

Thank you for that, origin, I’ll bear that in mind. I’m going to remember it for the next time I’m feeling a bit aprehensive.
Like you, I find that exercising whilst on my period helps with the cramps, seems to go faster as well.

flamingo, I got withdrawal symptoms after a week 😂. Enjoy tomorrow (and your new floor :) )

I'm feeling swim deprived. A two week cold and return to work after the break had messed up all my routines.
Tomorrow I must swim- I've no shower or loo at home due to a new floor going into my bathroom so the pool is my sanctuary. I'm not going to use the pool as a loo obv but I will get to use their loos and showers :)
I know I'll get my mojo back after a single 1km swim.

@8FencingWire my understanding is that period flow somehow slows or the water stops it up (what?) when you're in water. Think of when you're in the bath during your period - it doesn't seem to flow out so much. Yeah...that's my scientific explanation! So you should be ok even on quite heavy days.

I use a mooncup. I find sport really helps with cramps.

Anyway, I'm still managing my 1k a week. Doing the swimathon end of March with 4 others I.e. 1k each.

Also The Open Water Swim posse got pissed together the other night and we are all going to try and do some OWS this year. We did quite a few in 2017 but circumstances got in the way last year.

Right, I went, for only 15 mins but I did it. I felt uneasy leaving my DD for some reason, I’m normally fine with it, tonight it felt..not right to be out for too long.
But I feel much better for it and I really belted it, my joints feel much better for it :)
lljk, never tried the mooncup, I’m not sure why.
I was tempted to go out to reception and buy replacements, but that would have been pricey, so I resisted 🤣.

I've done that... left a cozzie & goggles & other necessaries out of the bag. Only discovered upon arrival. Arrgggh.
On the rag time: I have a mooncup . I'm light & brief, anyway.

Bottom line is I haven’t swam once this week and I’m getting withdrawal symptoms.

I went to the pool, stripped and realised I forgot my swimming costume at home🤬. Then it snowed and rained and I didn’t dare drive the car, the roads were shocking. Then my period came and it’s heavy enough to make me worried about being in the pool. Sorry for the TMI. But what do you guys do? Is it ok to just use a tampon and then go for it (when it’s quite heavy I mean)? Am I being a wuss?

Went for a swim yah! But ugh it was busy & choppy in the pool with all the January folk I should have gone to my usual pool not my DDs training one.

Ooh I like a good book Megthehen I will see if the library have it. Went for a run at lunchtime as sun was out so not sure if I’ll swim later.

It can be hard to motivate yourself sometimes. Read a very inspirational swimming book recently "Swell - a waterbiography". Might help get your swimming mojo back? Swimming with small children is hard..I always want to break away and do my own thing.....
now I can. So pleased I didn't give up...35 years of regular swimming and still going strong

Uhhhhh haven’t been in the pool for 2 wks and only had 1.5swins this month the 0.5was Swim with my youngest so a slow 10L and watching her dive n somersault. Can’t find my swim mojo all feels too cold & wet will try to make myself go tonight. Have been running lots though so my body really needs the cross training.

I’ve got a Suunto Spartan wrist HR. I wanted a multi sport watch and I did not want to spend $$$ on a Garmin Fenix. It’s got great GPS and has been brilliant in the open water. But I can’t get the bloody thing to time pool laps properly!!! Very frustrating. I’m sure there must be an easy way though.

Finally got back in the pool today felt a bit of a push to get to 1km after two weeks not having a proper swim.

Thread newbie: I've signed up to a 5k swim (pool) in late march, to force me to train. I am pretty happy doing 2.5k in a river with no training (though not quick!) but the furthest I've ever swum is 2 miles so this is still gonna be a challenge for me. I'm not fast by any stretch of the imagination: I've classes myself as medium/slow for the swimathon, so hopefully that will be okay.

Do you think 2 swims a week til the end of march will be okay? I will try to do one other fitness class too, and I walk at least an hour a day so my underlying fitness isn't catastrophic.

I can see I'm gonna need to do some sort of HIIT type of thing to get my fitness levels up, but I don't know much about it. Has anyone got any sites they'd recommend to use for a training plan?

Also, do people find their swimming fitness trackers worthwhile? I've got a Fitbit which I like but it's not suitable for swimming.

Anyway, only been to the pool once this week that I can remember. I just could not bring myself to do it. I’m slowly getting back into it. Managed to do my set and enjoyed it :)

running, before you know it it won’t be as hard anymore! Enjoy!
minnie, you’ve done really well to manage 32 with no goggles, I would hate it!

jewel, I just got myself a fitbit flex 2, it was on offer on Amazon £39. I tried it today, it records the lenghts in km, you have to program in the length of your own pool :) it recorded it accurately as far as I can tell :)

ski, hope you feel better soon

Sorry if I missed it in thread but can you share what gadgets or gizmos have been a game changer for you. I swim about 40mins (front crawl and backstroke) three times a week. No idea how many lengths as I lose count. Sometimes I am in the zone other times I find it boring.

Missing my swims had over a week out the pool wth a virus and now just clearing the cough. Should be able to go Monday or Tuesday I hope.

Ok; new swimming costume purchased! I did 8 lengths in 20 mins. 4 one after the other, then the others much slower, with a rest. But it was after a stretch class so I can’t complain, I was already tired!!

Going to try and get to the pool with the kids this weekend because I’ve signed me and my eldest up for the swimathon at the end of March :)

Hmm. Maybe I should move to Australia.
I forgot my goggles yesterday so only managed 32 lengths before my eyes had had enough.

Dawn swim will be beautiful. You can definitely get them in here as all the pools open at 5.30am. Most of them at shut by 8pm though. They love the early morning over here, it took a bit of getting used to.

@Minniemountain - can recommend the Epic Swims if you're looking for a swim in the lake district but if the date for the Great North Swim doesn't suit (people I know who've done both say the Epic swims are much better)