Swimming for fitness (part 2). Jump in!

[rightsofwomen]

We've filled up the first Swimming for fitness thread, so here is the new one.

Everyone welcome.

face I would treat it similarly to running, assuming you feel like you've done enough training? The week before the race just do one or two short sessions, don't push it too hard. Disclaimer: I only know about running up to half marathon distance so I'm hoping someone will come along and correct me if this advise is rubbish!

Good luck, I cannot even imagine being able to swim a mile yet!

Chickened out today and went for lunch with my DD instead. I MUST go tomorrow.

I think lunch with your DD must have been lovely best.

Get ye in the pool today though!

I've been a good girl and did 35 minutes lunchtime.

I am trying to learn to draft swim (behind someone just faster than me but I can keep up if I follow their bubbles). Fun, actually!

@Face... you can already swim 1600 in close to 40min, so the main thing is to go into the event as fresh as you can make yourself. This makes a huge difference for my running (tapering down).

I don't know what your usual schedule is, but I presume your big swim is on Saturday.
So Friday: do as little as possible day, but some stretches or light activity (gardening?) would be ok, keep yourself loose.

Thursday: either a slow shorter distance swim (make yourself swim short) or do a different sport fairly gently (like a barely aerobic 1 hr cycle ride). Just to keep your cardio ticking over.

Weds & before: pretty much as normal, but bias towards shorter/slower than fast/long work.

1K done early doors. Much more civilised than Monday. The people in my lane all knew the rules and seamlessly changed from up and down (when only 3 of us) to round and round (when the 4th person arrived), and people were waiting at the end when a faster person caught up with them. It's not hard!

Got in the zone.

Am away for work next week. The place does have a pool but I am not sure how big [adds finding out to list of things to do]

Went last night. Bloody hell it was hard work! i struggled and only got 1000m done.

the agoraphobia was off the charts and i am SO cross with myself about it. So OK, I went and got some done, but sheesh...

I also got hit a few times, once in a pressure point in the hand - still hurts and is slightly swollen, another couple of times where bloke and his dodgy stroke which was more like a roundhouse, bless him he did TRY not to hit me..

So I have to go back on thursday to get another chunk done and then have fun in the flames and shoots again at the weekend. I do need to slow down, and get myself calm and back in the zone.

I have also applied to join the Masters program, just waiting for an assessment session. it will help give me more sessions where I know people and the routine so will help me push back the fear stuff. Onwards and onwards.

Son has a rugby tour in Devon next month...I've already established that the local leisure centre is 20min walk away... and when the lanes sessions are :D

eh? Enough of the "only 1K". I know you have your goals, but take a step back and tell yourself that 1K is a really good swim and you fought your demons to do it. Be proud.

I didn't see the first thread but can I join? My (modest compared to you lot!) aims are to make it into the pool twice a week - more when I get better. One of those is for a swimming class that I have just signed up for. Hopefully will learn to be a much more graceful swimmer than I currently am!

Spose so rights, you have a point...

I was just so cross with myself at feeling so awful, I'm so fed up of it. I also don't think I'd eaten or hydrated enough, or perhaps the fear made me swim too fast, or it's time of the month today, that might have screwed it up. It just wasn't a good/enjoyable session, and I was glad when it was over

Fingers crossed I'll have a better time tomorrow. Night off with boyf today

Allegretto welcome! Please excuse my moaning, I'm not normally so negative!

I started lessons 2 years ago and have gone from nothing to mild obsession! It's such an addictive pastime! Infuriating sometimes, lots of hard work but amazingly healthy for us all in so many ways

We're here to cheer you on all the way! If you have any queries, please ask, cos any one of us has been where you are and might be able to offer a tweak that can help you get on.

Hello and welcome Allegretto Your username can give us speedy inspiration!

If your twice a week swimming is modest then so is mine because my resolution was to go twice a week. But I actually think I'm pretty brilliant for juggling work, kids, life etc and still managing to swim twice a week.

I've never had lessons, but have gone from really struggling to do more than a couple of lengths without feeling like I wanted to flop on the side and slowly die, to swimming 1K in just under 1/2hr non stop.
Purely down to the regularity of going and getting some brilliant tips from anyone who is willing to help (both on here and in RL).

Welcome Allegretto.

Just listening to last night's Archers and Jill and Carol are at a swimming class!

A few slowish people in my lane this morning. I tickled a few toes! But generally a good swim. 52 x 33m lengths in 34 mins.

Thats really good Singing Avocado, i just dont do speed. Allegretto i try to do twice a week with one lesson a week.

We had a butterfly lesson with flippers yesterday and i failed dismally. i can normally do it but couldnt get the rhythm yesterday. But one of the beginner swimmers who had never done butterfly did brilliantly and swam a whole length and looked like a pro doing it.
Realising its only 2 weeks from a swimathon i got up early this morning and swam for 2 hours non stop and did 134 lengths (3350m), thanks to Kenny Rogers,lots of happy music from the Trolls sound track and Messrs Boe and Ball to finish off.
My 5k is going to take 3 hour, so need to plan my music carefully

Hi Bruffin … and I don't do distance – can't imagine swimming for 2 hours! Very impressed. And I struggle to swim butterfly. Is the swimathon a sponsored event?

the swimathon
I do find it relaxing and i was out of the pool at 9am so it didnt take up too much of my day. I do find it relaxing swimming with music, and pool was relatively empty this morning. Was a little stiff when i got out of the pool. Mainly breastroke and maybe a 3rd overarm. I was also doing the breathing 1 in 4 as was talking to another teacher about it yesterday and i do find it a smoother swim over bilateral, breathing.
They have also changed butterfly by taking the keyhole out, so you just pull your arms straight underwater. I just struggled with butterfly as a whole yesterday, but wonder if it was because we did it in flippers.

Once this is over i want to go back to swimming an hour once or twice a week, plus my lesson.

Posted a few weeks ago about my anxiety regarding going swimming again (for first time in a year). I had planned on going sooner but I've been quite ill so delayed me somewhat.

Going now.

Swimming for the first time since Jan'16.

Let's see what I can do/can't do 😂

Thought I'd do something a bit different today and attempted a HIIT Workout.
5-10 minute warm up then swim as fast as possible for 1 length, recover for 1 length x 6. Then 2 lengths fast, 1 slow x 4, then 3 fast, 1 slow times 3. I didn't do very well on the 3 fast and my style went to pot but it was good fun. It's good as I only have 35 minutes so I need variety.

Managed 975meters.... sure I did 1000. Oh well, not bad imho.

User Well done! How did it feel?

Yippee Username you did amazingly. Big applause. Going for the first time is a really big step and your distance is something to be proud of. Well done (and when are you going again?)!

Thanks rights and avocado

It felt really good. I was surprised how easy it was tbh. Thankfully the pool was pretty much empty. But I just knuckled down and had fun with it.

Think I'll be going tomorrow night about 8-9pm.

I'm trying to lose weight and get a swimmers body, start as I mean to go on.haha

Thanks for all the previous encouragment in the first swimmers thread btw. 👍

Well done User , now you've made the first step, there'll be no stopping you.

Personal achievement, I beat Mrs head-up-breaststroke for the first time ever. It was only over a length and I was swimming front crawl as fast as possible but I did it. I don't know how she does it.