Any lane swimmers about? Newbie questions / musings.

[squishee]

I have just got into lane swimming in my mid 40s. And am loving it. Started off very unfit, but am building up the number of lengths I swim, 3 times a week. Newbie questions:

Are you supposed to catch your breath between lengths, or am I cheating by doing that?

Is it better to do more and more lengths, or do a set number and try to do them faster?

I have only just realised (by googling) that breaststroke is supposed to be with a frog kick. I didn't learn that as a kid (UK based), and have always done a flutter kick, which seems so much easier to me. Have I been doing it "wrong" my whole life?

I don’t think it’s breast stroke if you do a flutter kick. But it’s not like you’re competing, so whatever works for you.

I swim breast stroke 3 times a week. You’ll find you need fewer breaks as you get fitter.

Trying a set number of lengths faster should increase your speed.
It’s whatever suits you though e.g I swam half my usual distance yesterday as I’ve got a cold and was no longer enjoying my swim.

Whatever suits you.
Create space for faster swimmers to get by you & be patient with those slower than you. Is all I would add.

Thanks for your replies.
The reason I have taken up swimming is because I'm lucky enough to have a shared pool where I'm living at the moment. It's mostly very quiet, so I have the lane (if not pool) to myself. I'll bear in mind the lane-sharing tips though, when I start using public pools.

Whatever suits you. Its absolutely fine to pause and take a breath between lengths

I think it's good to do a mix. As the novelty begins to wear off, you need to find stuff to keep motivated.

The general advice to increase fitness and to
Minimise injury/ over doing it is to increase by no more than 10% a week. You should only focus on increasing one dynamic per session. Eg one session you would increase time spent swimming (or number of lengths). The next you would do less lengths but time yourself, then each time you do this session (weekly?) aim to beat the previous weeks time.

You will notice (which it sounds like you are already experiencing this) massive gains initially. You'll get to a point where you don't see such rapid improvement. That's where it really helps to track what you are doing and keep it varied. As already stated it'll keep you interested/ motivated but, you can look back and visually see your progress. Very helpful when you feel fitness is stagnating!

You could also do stuff like buy a kick board and knee float. Each assist with stroke improvement. But also another way of keeping it interesting - one length legs, one arms, two lengths both.

You could consider getting a one to one swim coach session for tailored advice to improve your stroke. Handy for minimising injury and swimming more efficiently, again, keeps it fun.

@platyplatypuspart thanks, that is really helpful advice.

Yes, the first time I went I managed only 6 lengths, then over a few days was soon at 32! I'll be dialling it back down a bit today, as a bereavement means I am barely sleeping atm. It's probably going to be therapeutic though.

You could add some intervals, so one length at 100% effort, rest for 30 seconds, repeat.
The more you practice swimming fast, the faster you will become (if that’s also a goal).
If you don’t already swim it, learning front crawl will keep you from getting bored, it’s incredibly technical!

When I time myself I tend to lose count of my lengths, so have ordered an old skool tally counter for the poolside.
Am keeping a spreadsheet of my lengths (not keen to get a fitness watch... yet).