allgodsmoney Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I did 8 miles on the bike last night.....averaging about 11mph I did swim that 1/2 mile in the pool this evening. 35 minutes.....at least I know I can do it, even a good chunk of it was breast stroke. I am struggling with freestyle. My body doesn't tire out, though my breathing does.....any pointers? Practice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 well, duh.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I did swim that 1/2 mile in the pool this evening. 35 minutes.....at least I know I can do it, even a good chunk of it was breast stroke. I am struggling with freestyle. My body doesn't tire out, though my breathing does.....any pointers? How much of a chunk of it was breaststroke? Now that you know you can complete the 1/2 mile (which, more than anything else, is a mental shot in the arm), try breaking your freestyle into chunks, either distance or time. Say, three chunks (10-10-10, or two quarter-miles, etc.). Slowly increase the intervals (15-15, 20-10) until you're doing the whole thing in one go. That's how I work on my push-up volume. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Kate, I'm in the same spot, I can do the distance, but my freestyle technique is crap. I've got to work on that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I don't care for cheese./ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VenusStopsTrain2 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I'm up for being another drinkin' and havin' fun addition to the VC ladies cheering section. Would be a blast to actually meet some of you guys instead of just reading your posts!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I did 8 miles on the bike last night.....averaging about 11mph I did swim that 1/2 mile in the pool this evening. 35 minutes.....at least I know I can do it, even a good chunk of it was breast stroke. I am struggling with freestyle. My body doesn't tire out, though my breathing does.....any pointers?Since this is an open water swim, breast stroke might be the better technique -- if there are waves, I prefer using that stroke because you can time your breaths with the waves and it helps keep you in a straighter line, whereas with freestyle it's easy to get pushed toward the shore without realizing it. How often are you breathing? For this distance you want to be breathing every 2 strokes. Do you have a side that you feel more comfortable breathing on? Also, are you turning your head just enough so your mouth is out for you to breathe? You shouldn't be turning your head too much, it's a waste of motion and can get really tiring on longer distances. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Kate, I'm in the same spot, I can do the distance, but my freestyle technique is crap. I've got to work on that.You want your hands to be slightly curved to act like a scoop. As you do the underwater pull portion of the stroke, you can move your arm in a very slight "S" shape to increase the efficiency of the pull (this takes practice -- it's like a small wave of the arm instead of just pulling your arm straight down through the water, but it happens quickly.) Try to keep your arms close to your body on the strokes as your arms come out of the water -- I used to have a problem with my left arm where I swung it way out in the stroke and had a straight elbow, and that's really inefficient. The way my coach had me fix that was to swim using a technique where I dragged my thumb up my side. I have always been a stronger kicker than puller. Doing laps with a kickboard will help improve your kick and will make the overall swim much easier. When doing that, focus on keeping your hips lifted so your kick stays close to the surface. If you want to improve your pull, see if there are pull buoys around. You put those between your legs and just swim with your arms. Let your body rotate naturally with each stroke. Don't force yourself to stay straight with your stomach to the bottom of the pool; a slight barrel roll fits naturally with the way your arms reach out and is more effecient than fighting yourself to stay parallel to the bottom. Similarly, when you breathe, turn your head just enough for your mouth to be out of the water. Anything more is wasted energy and results in your body fighting itself against the natural motion. Hope these tips help!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fickerson Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 i registered last night, so i'm in for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H.Stone Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I'm definitely interested although am NOT into training for the swim. I ran a 10K in the fall and hope to run a half marathon this coming fall, but the swimming freaks me a bit. Do you have to be in teams? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 You want your hands to be slightly curved to act like a scoop. As you do the underwater pull portion of the stroke, you can move your arm in a very slight "S" shape to increase the efficiency of the pull (this takes practice -- it's like a small wave of the arm instead of just pulling your arm straight down through the water, but it happens quickly.) Try to keep your arms close to your body on the strokes as your arms come out of the water -- I used to have a problem with my left arm where I swung it way out in the stroke and had a straight elbow, and that's really inefficient. The way my coach had me fix that was to swim using a technique where I dragged my thumb up my side. I have always been a stronger kicker than puller. Doing laps with a kickboard will help improve your kick and will make the overall swim much easier. When doing that, focus on keeping your hips lifted so your kick stays close to the surface. If you want to improve your pull, see if there are pull buoys around. You put those between your legs and just swim with your arms. Let your body rotate naturally with each stroke. Don't force yourself to stay straight with your stomach to the bottom of the pool; a slight barrel roll fits naturally with the way your arms reach out and is more effecient than fighting yourself to stay parallel to the bottom. Similarly, when you breathe, turn your head just enough for your mouth to be out of the water. Anything more is wasted energy and results in your body fighting itself against the natural motion. Hope these tips help!! that's exactly the type of pointers I was looking for.......thank you! I didn't get to the gym today, because I am just so knackered. I am planning on a long visit there tomorrow, after a good night's sleep. I plan on doing half the run/walk, half the bike and the whole swim......that's my starting point and I will work up from there. I am terrible with kicking when I swim.....I am much better with the pull. I will have to see, but I don't think I rotate my body much when I swim.....so, I will see about changing that. If you ever wanna come out this way for a swim with me - I have some guest passes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fickerson Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 I'm definitely interested although am NOT into training for the swim. I ran a 10K in the fall and hope to run a half marathon this coming fall, but the swimming freaks me a bit. Do you have to be in teams? most people do it individually, but it sounds like you, allison and kim would make a perfect team. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 that's exactly the type of pointers I was looking for.......thank you! I didn't get to the gym today, because I am just so knackered. I am planning on a long visit there tomorrow, after a good night's sleep. I plan on doing half the run/walk, half the bike and the whole swim......that's my starting point and I will work up from there. I am terrible with kicking when I swim.....I am much better with the pull. I will have to see, but I don't think I rotate my body much when I swim.....so, I will see about changing that. If you ever wanna come out this way for a swim with me - I have some guest passes. Swimming!!!! The rotation while you swim isn't a huge amount, I should stress that. It's a slight natural rotation with the strokes. When your left arm reaches forward, a slight rotation to the left (like you're stretching out to grab something) and so on. It's all about streamlining and getting the motions to be fluid. I will think on kick advice. Keep your knees close together but not squeezed up against each other, and point your toes. Kick from the hip with your whole legs, not from the knees. This is where thinking about lifting your hips helps a lot. The knees should stay bendable, not locked up. You always want to use a natural motion, never fight your body or try to go against that "equal and opposite reaction" law. You probably don't want to go crazy with training since your swimming is about fitness rather than competition, but strengthening your core will improve your kick a lot. When you use a kickboard, you can switch up the intensity of the kicks to make the laps less redundant. Like, say you're going to kick as hard as you can for 25 yards, or maybe for 1 minute (this works really well if there's a big lap clock in the pool area) and then go right into easy underwater kicks for that same amount of time or distance, then regular kicks, hard kicks, and so on. Those hard kicks work your butt muscles!! If you get sick of kicking on your stomach, you can flip onto your back and either clutch the kickboard on your chest or put your arms above your head and hold it out in front of you, and kick on your back for awhile. Flutter kick is flutter kick and you'll get a workout whether you're kicking on your stomach or back! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 HEY! kimcoach22!! I shaved 6 minutes off that 1/2 mile today!! Last time I did it, I finished in 35 min....tonight, 29!! I took your advice and totally made some strides in my freestyle......up until today, I couldn't do more than 50 yards at once, and then go back to breaststroke. Today I was doing chunks of 100 yard freestyle. So, it's getting better.....I am amazed at how much better I am swimming, even from a month ago when I first got back into the pool after not being in one for years. Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
renic Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 i hope to know by the end of next week. i've got a friend who will swim, & my niece can run. so we might be in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H.Stone Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Way to go, kate! (And nice coaching, Kim!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 i hope to know by the end of next week. i've got a friend who will swim, & my niece can run. so we might be in. WOOO! Way to go, kate! (And nice coaching, Kim!) thanks!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H.Stone Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 i hope to know by the end of next week. i've got a friend who will swim, & my niece can run. so we might be in. Yeah! Kim, you want to swim? I can run. I could bike, too. I'm still not diggin' the swim. Anyone? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 oh, I forgot add.....I think I know the secret ingredient of my success....... I was snacking on these today...... JELLY BEAN POWER!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PigSooie Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 oh, I forgot add.....I think I know the secret ingredient of my success....... I was snacking on these today...... JELLY BEAN POWER!! If they aren't Jelly Belly, I will be disappointed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 nah they are Brach's jelly bird eggs - which are my favorite - though I do like Jelly Belly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 HEY! kimcoach22!! I shaved 6 minutes off that 1/2 mile today!! Last time I did it, I finished in 35 min....tonight, 29!! I took your advice and totally made some strides in my freestyle......up until today, I couldn't do more than 50 yards at once, and then go back to breaststroke. Today I was doing chunks of 100 yard freestyle. So, it's getting better.....I am amazed at how much better I am swimming, even from a month ago when I first got back into the pool after not being in one for years. Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement!! Kate, that is fantastic!! I'm so proud of you!! Not gonna lie, I teared up a little reading that. You are inspiring me to get a gym membership and get my ass back in the pool! Keep me updated on your progress and tell me about things that are still difficult. I will do my best to suggest techniques and exercises that will help the problem areas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fickerson Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 this thread makes me so happy. i will try to add some swimming tips if i can - kim's advice has been right on! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I think my biggest problem is my kicking....when I get more and more tired, my bottom half just sinks. I was doing some exercises while in breaststroke mode, doing freestyle kicking, trying to keep my hips close to the surface...... Also, would you suggest a swimming cap, even for now? my hair gets in my face, putting water in my mouth and stuff....would it make much of a difference? and goggles? Kim, you are welcome to come out and swim with me anytime. Sometime when you are out this way visiting your folks, let me know and we can hit the pool!! Thanks again for your help and encouragement!! You too Nicky!! p.s....I registered. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Yes, cap and goggles would definitely help! I actually thought of asking about these earlier. The cap will help with the hair problem you mentioned, but the goggles are what will make a huge difference. Tomorrow I will look up links to some good cap and goggle info. There are lots of different swim cap materials, and of course goggle styles. You'll have to try out what's comfortable. Luckily goggle packaging is easy to open and test the goggles right in the store (shh.... ) If you feel silly wearing a cap, maybe one of those zigzag plastic headbands that clips to itself would help keep hair out of your face -- although those always pop open for me. They don't seem to be the sturdiest things around. Hmm. If I keep talking about this I'm going to do all of the research tonight, so I need to make myself stop and go to bed... but I will say, about the goggles, that you might want to consider reflective/tinted ones since the triathalon is outside, and probably a clear pair for swimming inside. Ok, more later. And I'd love to go swimming some time!! Have a good time in Virginia!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.