Swimmers unite!

[aristocat]

Any swimmers still here?

There were quite a few of us last year, just wondered if you are still here. I still go 3 or 4 times a week and love it :)

I stroke count in each length too and I try and work on one focal point for each length - at the moment it's releasing my head for 20 lengths, breathing early for 20, exhaling fully underwater, hand entry, kick timing etc etc etc I've got a lot to work on. My teacher recommends one or two things per session, then your muscle memory starts to do it automatically.
I also stop when it gets hard and my stroke falls apart, as otherwise that imprints bad habits - doesn't matter how few lengths I've done. Or sometimes I sit in the spa for a bit then try again. Ebearhug I think it's meditative too! and I really miss it if I don't go for a couple of days

Forgot- good luck for Sunday legs!

I swim! I do 3km, twice a week, at the moment (takes about 1.5 hours). A mix of front crawl, back crawl, side stroke and breast stroke. I'm working on speeding up my breast stroke, and learning to breathe bi-laterally.

The pool I use has a scheme called 'Swimfit plus', where you pay an extra £1 for your session, get a special wristband, and then you get coaching from someone on the side. So worth it! You just get little tips, to say how you could improve.

Hello all!
Another swimmer here, I also do total immersion, suits my lazy nature .

What I tend to do is warm up 10 lengths, I start fast for the first two and gradually slow down and the last 4 I do fast again. During the last 4 I focus on 'what hurts' or feels uncomfortable and then spend another 10 lengths focusing on that. Then I do a medley:2lenghts of each stroke, one slow, one fast, I don't do butterfly. I do 5 sets.
My fav stroke is backstroke, so my wind down is 4 backstrokes, another 6 lengths on front crawl and then out.

I'm not bored, I find it deeply relaxing, I can think unintrerupted for an hour or so. But can I ask about your sets, do you chop and change? Do you have a 'structure'? I've done mine for so long I don't know where to begin to change it a bit.

Do any of you do dry swimming? Sometimes I swim in my mind before going to bed, not something I'll readily admit in RL, but this has helped with spatial awareness in water, in my mind I know 'how' to do it properly, does that make sense?

I can just about tumble turn, I can do it ok-ish, but not when it is busy, however, it doesn't come naturally and it does slow me down, so much to think about! :)

PS: when I say fast, I don't mean speedy, I mean just really kicking and pulling properly hard.

I swim in my mind as well. Glad to know I am not alone.

My swimming teacher massively encourages swimming in your head, as well as walking through strokes on land which makes you look a complete plonker so best done with no-one around...

I was lying on my floor at home last week practising my arm rotation - cat was a bit bemused. There are some good 'dry land' breathing and arms drills on you tube too. I find imaging what I want to look like in the water helps, especially when streamlining (tho I do tend to swim with my legs apart apparently - not very elegant

I don't really do sets at the moment, I do three 2.5km swims a week, one 5k, and some other bits and bobs on technique. I'm fairly quick, but not as quick as when I was more of a 'churner', but it's a lot easier now to go further. I want a fairly effortless stroke to take me across the channel in a few years (gulp)

I find it it bloody frustrating sometimes, change one thing and everything changes. It's the only sport where just pushing harder doesn't work!

Some good ideas for technique on this thread, thanks all (goes off to scare the cat) Still can't do tumble turns. Which brings me to ask all you tumblers - how do you see who is coming up behind you if they are faster so you can give way? (or are you all so fast that you don't have to? ) Doesn't happen often that I'm faster than someone who tumbles, but it did today and there was no way he could see me. I'm reluctant to toe tickle people I don't know!!!

Thanks for the good luck vibes kaizen and aristo! Think I'll need it as the forecast is for wind (and rain, though that's fine). Was pretty rough 2 years ago and I struggled but finished. If it's rougher than that I'll probably downgrade to the shorter race. Eek!
aristo it's not a triathlon, haven't done one of those for a while now (am really crap at running). It's here, one in a series of summer ocean swims across the country. My DD2 is doing the kids' swim too (200m) which is great - she did it last year too.

kaizen are you really going to swim the channel? How far is that - around 40km? Do you do open water swimming as well as pool swimming?

kelpeed have you thought about joining a swim fit class if there is one near you to counter the boredom? I go to a weekly one which is great, lots of mums like me go (and the faster triathlon blokes go in the faster lane next door). It's very social and there's a lot of variety in the workouts (endurance, speed, drills) which I sometimes try on my own. Not so much technique driven but there are others in my area which are focused towards technique or endurance.

hello everyone, can I join you? I swim twice a week - about 1k usually. I mostly do breaststroke, with a few lengths of crawl and backstroke to break it up. I would really love to improve my crawl - I am just finishing a PhD and should have more time on my hands afterwards, and am thinking of doing a sprint triathlon this summer, and would like to be able to do it all in crawl (can only do 50m at a time at the mo). So thanks for the suggestions and links up thread. Definitely want some coaching when the PhD madness is over.

I don't do dry swimming or swimming in my head. Maybe I should.

I do 3kms at the moment - 2100ms of 100m side stroke, 100m front crawl, 100m back stroke (so 700m each), then 600m of breast stroke (I am slow at this, so I change lanes), then 300m of working on bilateral breathing with my crawl (at the moment).

I am not sure it makes sense to keep changing strokes, but it helps me keep track of my laps.

legspinner - your race sounds exciting! Was going to say I like it rough but you know what I mean!! I haven't taken any big steps towards swimming the channel (like booking a pilot boat) as I wanted to have a good season of sea swimming first - my friends (aka 'support crew') seem to think its just a piss up boat to France tho. It's 22 miles, but the conditions make it very difficult - can take up to 18 hours if tides are bad.

I wanted a sporting challenge that would stretch me to the end before I die and I'm a strong hefty northern lass so I thought it would suit. I'm fed up of being overtaken by skinny runners and cyclists, and I think women make bloody good swimmers.

I'm off to Mallorca in April on a long distance sea swimming training holiday, hence the amount of time in the pool at the moment. I do go in the sea without a wetsuit every week but it's bloody freezing and none of my miserable friends will come in

I really envy you guys who do all the strokes - it's supposed to be really good for avoiding injuries. Anyone do butterfly? That would be impressive in our pool

Can I join you? I only really swim once a week as that's when I can get to the pool at a time when it's not booked by a club. I'm a plodder really, I spend about an hour in the pool and manage roughly 1.5km in that time. I do mostly breaststroke but quite like backstroke too and really have to force myself to do any front crawl.

I got a waterproof mp3 player for Christmas, just a cheap one from Amazon, and it's brilliant! It feels very odd to be able to listen to music under the water and actually my ears fill up with water around the earphones sometimes but I think it's my favourite Christmas present, maybe tying with the new properly fitting, supportive swimming costume.

Come on in AntiJam - I get a bit over-excited when I meet other swimmers as all I get in the gym is how "boring" swimming is, and how it's not a 'real' workout as it's too easy. Yeah, right

Is it just me? I can't find any prices at all on that Art of Swimming site. I've been clicking round fruitlessly for ages.

anatana if you click on the course date or name as listed it takes you to another window with the prices- so the 2nd February front crawl one is £175 - I'm on an ipad so maybe your thing doesn't work (that's tech-speak for you)

Thanks, kaizen! Yeah, I've got popups etc blocked, alas.

What a good thread.
Used to swim a lot before the dc, but have got back into it last year. Usually manage 30-40l and am doing the 2.5km swimathon in March.
Thanks for the links, will have a good look at those later. I love the peace I get in the pool and find my brain really can switch off. Execept when it is too busy and I find myself inwardly raging at people in the wrong lane for their ability.

Have found it hard this winter as I had a cough and sinus thing that dragged on through November and December, so didn't go for about 6 weeks. How do other people keep going through the winter months? Am wary of spreading things about or making things worse for myself, but if I only went when I was feeling 100%, I would only go for about 3 swims in winter!
Am going this morning and tomorrow - can't wait.

it's not a 'real' workout as it's too easy.

That's just people who don't really know about swimming talking. I also noticed the men who came to our aquafit class stopped taking the piss so much afterwards. It can be easy, but if you put in the effort, it's definitely a good workout.

Going it can be a chore to get to the pool if it is snowing or icy, but once I am there it is fine. If the weather is really awful then I will give my swim a miss but that makes me feel guilty too

I only swim breaststroke, I used to do combination of breast and back but a while ago I was having dizzy spells and had to stop swimming backwards as it made me feel so bad. Fortunately the dizziness has gone but I don't want to tempt fate so continue with breaststroke.
I try to tumble turn but it makes my head fuzzy, at my DCs who do it with ease!

re. the cold thing, I wouldn't go if I was full of cold, but surely that's what the chlorine's for? I don't mean that I think it's OK if you've got a raging infection, but lots of things are infectious before you get symptoms? (And actually, since I started swimming and running regularly I've actually been ill much less - don't know if that's coincidence or something to do with being fitter.) People in the wrong lane - my pet hate too. I find it just as stressful having someone fast behind me as being stuck behind someone slow. I'm quite lucky because I can often go during the day when it's much quieter - absolutely bliss is having a lane to yourself!

absolutely bliss is having a lane to yourself! Oh yes! I like to have a pool where I'm not the only person in, but I am the only person in my lane.

Hi Can I join in please. Used to swim and scuba dive alot. Now just swim for fun. Have booked a swimming holiday to Turkey in the summer so need to get swim fit to get the most out of it. I go to a swim for class which puts me through my paces. Just need to find the time for a long swim to build up my endurance.