swimming for fitness

[HoppityFrogs]

I've started swimming to get fit, does anybody else swim for fit? Can we encourage each other?

Well done Shotgun.

I'm not quite there yet! I ducked out of going swimming this morning as my ear still hurts and it is probably daft to have it submerged in water for half an hour. I'll be back on Monday for the next early morning swim opening. We are putting up our Christmas tree on Saturday so everyone is looking forward to that and forgetting to sniff quite so much!

Dd and I just finished the aspire swim (started in September)...3 sessions per week of 1 km...its amazing how quickly you build up stamina if you go that after!!

We had last lesson of the term yesterday and after warm up we did butterfly just a couple of lengths then some legs only on front then on back. The rest of the lesson was relaxing skulling, however we ended up doing a bit of syncro sculling. 3 of us with toes together in the middle and we rotated in a circle. well the other 2 did and i somehow driffted away, but it was fun.
I was good and went by myself this morning for an hour. Pool was lovely and empty so i just swam for an hour to some nice cheesy Kenny Rogers, lovely and relaxing

Sadly then managed to smash the screen of my lovely new s7edge phone, but thankfully insured as it turns out it is over £300 to repair

Went to the open session created due to the adult lesson having ended for Christmas

I should have swum on Monday, but bottled it (yes I do have to overcome the issues around the busy pool)

Christmas do on Wednesday meant no excuses and a desperate neeeeed to get back in

The girls couldn't make it, so it was just me from my class there, a couple from the beginners and early intermediate tho, which was nice

I did pleasantries and got on with it.

Decided I was going to alternate 100s front crawl/backstroke to get me out of the Hell Zone and it worked

The 6th 100m was a tad easier, 700m better still. Carried on with alternating 100s front and back, stopping only for noseclip placement and a swig of fluid

Did the last 650m front crawl, all in the zone.

I swam my first continuous mile!

#Chuffed

Blimey Hissy that's fantastic - well done! You must feel so proud - great achievement!

Hissy, well dont
Yesterday, I was lazy and did the odd length front crawl and backstroke but was mostly breaststroke. I really dont think i could do 650 front crawl, the most i have done is about 20 lengths.

sorry well done not we dont

Well done Hissy. MILE!!

Bad news about your phone Bruffin. Breastroke still counts, of course!

There is the aerobic phase and the anaerobic phase

It takes about 10mins of exercise for your body to transfer from one state to the other.

So, bruffin if you can get yourself swimming in any stroke you like to about 500m or thereabouts, your body will take you to a place where every stroke is like silk, you don't struggle against the water, you swim steady, smooth and slow and even

It's Swimming Nirvana, but you have to swim through hell/well grim waters to get there..

Honest. Try it!

I can't do 650m front crawl from cold! I need to get into the zone to do it.

Once you're in the zone you want to swim for ever, and can... it's just about how much time you have and when the lifeguards need to go home... :)

I can swim the whole hour of breastroke without stopping,i dont put my feet down at all unless someone is in the way. I average around 45 seconds a length so probably am doing around 70 lengths in my hour. Im in the zone with my music. I am getting a misfit ray for xmas so will know how many lengths after that.
I can do 18 lengths warm up no problem (6 of each),i think its a bit pschological when it comes to overarm. I know how to breath properly on overarm and my style is smooth ie no excess splashing. Usually breathe on 5 or 7, but the thought of doing more than 6 or 8 lengths scares me, so i take the easy way out and just do breaststroke which i can do all day, throwing in an overarm up and a backstroke on the way back, every so often.

Be careful of breaststroke unless you're doing the whip kick, the old frog leg kick puts too much strain on joints and does more damage than good

It's potentially not as aerobic an exercise

i am doing a whip kick and not really drifting a long. If anything ive damaged my shoulder with overarm or backstroke recently as it is crunchy and painful when i rotate it at the moment.

Breath every 3.

5 or 7 is too much build up of carbon dioxide

Must look into that whip kick; I mainly try to avoid the habitual screw kick I've always had. I've had a painful/crunchy shoulder for years Bruffin,and thought I'd never swim crawl again, but weight-training has really sorted it out. In fact, I did 500m crawl from cold yesterday, resting every 100 as per the 1 mile programme. Interesting about the 'zone' Hissy, I definitely felt I could go on but ran out of time - will have to start getting up earlier and do the red-eyed shift!

Definitely breathe every 3 strokes; I'd panic if I did any less than that.

Whip Kick: It's infernal

That's the official advertising slogan. Honest 😇

I don't even HAVE breaststroke in my sessions, because I'm not good enough yet. Haven't got the arms and legs working together well enough. We swim it in our lessons though.

I said I'd get myself the Garmin Swim watch, when I had swum my first continuous mile.

My pool mate, which was £14 from eBay, now has cellotape holding the strap together, but the idea that no, I had to earn the upgrade was even more evident the more tatty the tape becomes (you can just see it in the pic)

So I've agreed to let my lovely man get it for me at Christmas, he got it yesterday apparently.

And it looks like I'll need it.. next challenge is the Aspire Channel Swim - Swim the channel in your pool. Ideally over 3 months, but you can set it over a longer period if you want to.

900m yesterday.

I've been so busy with work I am only swimming once a week, weanh. Hopefully get some extra sessions in over Xmas break. And last time there no charged-up swimtags to use. Plus I have a cold so am 50:50 should I go today or not. Hmmph!!

1600m today

Isn't it funny the things people say?

Showering and one woman asked how many lengths I had done, I said 64, 1600m.

Conversation continues between me and her and another woman

Eventually other woman says "you must be quite fit then, actually"

I've also had "good grief, all this swimming and you'll be fitter than ME!!"

From someone who DOESN'T swim 10k a month...

Is it because I is not a size 8?

I'd NEVER say that to anyone! I'd say well done and that's amazing. It's what I say to all my swim friends all skinnier than me, some of whom not as able as I am, some of whom are better than me..

Over sensitive much? Or is it the life time of crappy comments from my dad (who I shall be seeing next week for the first time in 2 yrs)

That time of the week again!

Ha ha ha ha

I usually swim 3-4 times a week but have had flu / a very nasty virus for the past fortnight.
All the gastric symptoms are gone & I'm no longer infectious, but I still have the remnants of a heavy cold.
What do most swimmers do when they have a cold ? Wait until the cold is completely cleared up before swimming again?
Can't fully breathe through my nose yet !
TIA

I have a cold, I went swimming yesterday during which I felt strong, absolutely fine. Not ill at all. Went my usual speed/distance.

Felt like I could have swam an extra half hour. Had a coughing fit 1 minute after I got out of shower, mind!

Thanks llijkk; that's encouraging!