Swimming for fitness (part 3). Dive in!

Arsenicinthesugarbowl, I was like you with front crawl, then I discovered Total Immersion and have never looked back. I'm slow - who cares ? I can go on for ages, length after length, so much so that I'm saving up to spend a week in the Med at a total immersion camp.

It was a total game changer for me. And it's impacted my breaststroke favourably too.

Ooh, I’ve found my people! I’ve just started tri club swimming again after a long break. I’ve kept up varying amounts of recreational swimming and after 2 hour long sessions I ventured into the 1.5hr one in the 50m pool, I’m so proud of myself for lasting to the end - 3500m that’s more than I’ve done in one go in over 10 years!!

Everyone gets up super early here. Most pools open at 5.30am and they’ll be chockers at that time. Most people are tucked up in bed at 8pm! Makes it difficult getting a 1-1.5 hour swim in after DH comes home from work at 6.30ish.

I'm all over the place with times at the moment, but forcing myself to switch to evenings. DH will be returning to work soon and I won't have the luxury of the slightly longer work day to go on my lunch break. I'd been working 8:30-5 and taking an hour to go swim, then eat lunch. But I'll have to do 8;30-4:30 to manage kid pick up from nursery and after school club. Will go tonight. My pool is dead quiet after 8 pm.

8pm?! That's no good. I often go at 9.30pm (night owl).

3k done tonight. My pool closes at 8pm but they start shutting up shop at 7.35, which is annoying.

I’ve been workin hard on my major faults - trying to rotate more, so I can engage the larger muscle groups; getting a nice bent arm catch (aiming for about 120 degrees) so I don’t push down on the water; and not dropping my leading arm when I breathe (I can do this on the right side but still notice a weak spot on the left).

I had shoulder pain during my first year of swimming and I think it was mainly due to the straight arm catch. I haven’t had any pain for a while now. Getting the right technique is everything, especially if you are swimming longer distances.

Oh shame re. the private lesson - £60 seems a huge amount. Ours are about £18 for 30 minutes privately but actually it's more fun to have a group one. It's also the cheapest way to access the pool very randomly - forgive me if I've gone on about this before - £31 for a monthly swim only membership, £41 for a gym/classes/swim membership or £22 for half an hour lesson a week and anytime access to the pool - go figure.

I am seriously looking at the 5km swimathon - is that crazy? I already know I can do 2km albeit very slowly so for it to be any sort of challenge it would need to be the 5km swim. However, there appears to be a cut off of 3 hours. It takes me 1 hour and 2 minutes to do 2km (see told you it was slow) - allowing for tiredness etc that should still be doable? Plus I have three months of training.

I'd love some lessons. Private ones are £60 for 30 mins. Ermm no, but I can't get to the group ones.

Do it! Do it! Do it!

Well, after seeing Frog's post about the swimathon I'm seriously contemplating entering the 2.5km...

Second swimming lesson last night - I'm really enjoying them. Would thoroughly recommend it for motivation and technique

coffee believe me I feel wobbly at the thought of it too!!! I have a big birthday this year and an Olympic distance triathlon is my reaction to it . I've swam in a lake before but no more than 500m. So this is a big step up. Open water swim sessions with the tri club don't start till May so I have to nail it in the pool by then.

I'm aiming to go on Thursday morning - if I post it here I have to go

Well done coffee. When are you next planning on swimming?

Also - thanks for the encouragement upthread! 🙂

Pleased to report I hauled my butt down to the pool this morning and did 1km breaststroke in a shade under 27 minutes. I'm pretty happy with that as the pool was crowded, so couldn't quite go the pace I wanted to at all times.

Bee - I feel quite wobbly at the thought of a 1500m lake swim! You're amazing to be contemplating it!

Second lesson tonight. Haven't done much this week at all as have been stymied by working away and then three nights (and therefore too knackered in the morning/day) of ill children. I will get back to it.....

bee - you'll be fine!

Thank you singing I like your optimism that I'll even get there

Cheering you for your triathlon already Bee! Welcome Sugarbowl and Froglet. Never done the Swimathon …

Well done sands. You will soon feel the benefit (maybe not today though!).

Thanks Theorig it’s so great to hear how others have progressed. That’s exactly what I do. Thrashing about like crazy! I’ve a way to go but I’ll persevere-and slow down!

Ooh this thread got busy!

Hello swimmers, I'm back again! I've just got back swimming after a couple of months off hibernating I was a bit worried I'd have forgotten how to do front crawl (leant from scratch this time last year, took me a long long time to string two lengths together). But it was fine, I did a 30 min and a 45 min session this week.

My aim don't laugh is to complete another triathlon in June. The swim is 1500m in a lake I'm gonna need some support!!

Frog with running, the suggestions are mix it up, some shorter, faster sessions, some longer slower ones. That might be worth a go?

PS rights ran intervals yesterday. Knacked today!!!

sugarbowl I was you a couple of years ago.
I could do one (25m) length of crawl super fast and then have to flop on the side like a beached walrus.
Turns out that (unlike running) the harder you try in swimming, the slower you go and the more knackered you get. I learned to calm the fuck down, focus on my breathing and then just went 2 or 3 times a week.

I've just put a shout out on my running club FB page to round up all the swimmers for the swimathon.

Just found this thread! I can do a length of front crawl and then collapse exhausted at the end. I’ve bitten the bullet and started lessons and I need to slow right down and practice some drills! My ambition is to swim up and down smooth and steady for 30 minutes. I’ve certainly a way to go but I’m enjoying the challenge. Making myself “long” in the water has already helped-and now I need to work on turning from side to side instead of laying on my front . Very inspiring reading the swimming skills and ambitions here!