How Was Your Swim Today?

[SarahL]

Thought I'd start a thread where we can talk about our latest swim!

I'm off to the pool tonight to have a go at counting my strokes and working out if I do too many or not enough. I'll report back later.

How was your swim today? What did you do?

[SarahL]

OK I'm back from my swim and it was excellent! But I need some help with the whole stroke rate thingy...

Tonight session was unplanned. But I decided to nip to the pool as I wanted to count my strokes... as you do!

The kind woman at the front desk only charged me £1.45 cos I was on crutches - disabled allowance!

Anyway, shuffled in and set off doing 4 x 25 mts warm up in 2m02s. Really nice and easy.

Then I set to counting...

2 x 25 mts in 53s and I counted 13 strokes. As in I counted my right arm 13 times. Should it be 26 (i.e. both arms?).

As I'm particularly bad at counting, remembering and/or doing more than one thing at once, I did another set to check...

2 x 25 mts in 51s and I counted 13 strokes. Third time lucky though...

2 x 25 mts in 53s (nothing quite like consistency!) and I counted 12 strokes.

I then thought I'd just swim out a steady 500 mts so did 20 lengths in 9m33s. Just simply today tried to concentrate on the roll. Each 50mts (2 lengths as follows):

52s
56s
57s
59s
58s
58s
59s
57s
57s
57s

Really didn't find it challenging - I think this is a good thing!

Then a final swimble of 4 x 25 mts in 1m48s. I noticed that if I up the pace a bit my number of strokes increased... I think one or two of these lengths were 14.

Total 850 mts

*yawn* this must be really boring to read! :P

Anyway - trying to figure out the stats I need for the SwimSmooth website. From the above tester session I think they are:

Pool length - 25mts
Strokes per length - 13 (or is it 26?)
Stroke rate per minute - ??? how do I work this out ???
Length of push off - I'll stick to 3mts

Help!?

[Paul Newsome]

Pool length - 25mts
Strokes per length - 13 (or is it 26?)
Stroke rate per minute - ??? how do I work this out ???
Length of push off - I'll stick to 3mts

Help!?

Hi Sarah

Sounds like a fun session - quite the experiment! Good job. I find investigating your stroke like this is really quite valuable.

OK, please count each stroke (i.e. right = 1, left = 2 etc). I have put this into the little calculator at http://www.swimsmooth.com/strokerate.html and reckon your stroke rate is ~62spm which is right on the cusp of being a little too fast and possibly be a little too short. My recommendation at this time would be to work on your stroke length with some of the body rotation and catch exercises from the Swim Smooth DVD, i.e. 6/1/6, 6/3/6 and scull # 1.

However, having said all that, would you mind completing this little experiment to work out your arm span as per:

http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtop ... c&start=15

...especially with female swimmers who typically have shorter arm-spans in relation to their height, there is much scope for developing this slightly shorter, faster stroke rate IF the stroke itself is sound (i.e. no point in doing that if your arms are all over the place). The best thing here would be to post some video of your swimming if you have any? Upload it to YouTube and paste the link here.

Linda tells me you've enquired about the Wetronome? I'm just chasing this up as we speak. This will be an invaluable tool for taking this whole area a little further. Read the whole of that thread at TriTalk and I think you'll see how/why.

Cheers

Paul

[SarahL]

However, having said all that, would you mind completing this little experiment to work out your arm span as per:

http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtop ... c&start=15

[/quote]

Hi Paul

Thanks for this. Looks like it could be a little fast. My worry is that I might not be able to continue to breath bilaterally if I slow it down?

I haven't got the DVD yet - it was probably delivered today but to my work address so I should get it on Monday and can start the drills then.

With regards to your experiemnt.... my wingspan is 3cms *longer* than my height (I'm 5'9'') so I've got quite long arms for a girl I think!!

---------

Today I headed down to the lake for my regular Saturday morning open water swim. Still no wet suit. The lake was warm, c 20 degrees. They have a 400mts, 800mts and 1500mts loop. I normally just stick to the 400mts and do laps but today I had a friend and asked him to ceom with me on the 800mts loop. So did that then stuck on an extra 400mts.

I panicked a bit when we got further out. It was a long way from the jetty but mostly there was a TON of lake weed and algae and as soon as my aarms got tangled up in it I freaked out! My friend stopped and asked if I was ok, but of course as soon as we stopped swimming we sunk a bit and it was all tangled in my feet sO I just shotued "carry on" !!!!

We pushed on through but I didn't like it and it buggered up my breathing. I ended up just breathing to one side for a bit until I coulod calm my breathing down!!!

I made sure I was breathing out into the water to try and control it so tried to do everything I could! Tried to maintain the roll but I fear all form went out the window!!

By the end of the 1200mts I started to feel like I was going nowhere. I think this is because you can't see anything in the lake, it's really murky. And the lake is big so you just don't feel like you're moving. But I just kept flinging my arms over and eventually I made it! 20 minutes for the 800mts (but we did stop a few times to panic abotu the weed!!) and then 8 minutes 11 sec for the 400mts.

Tomorrow I'll go to the pool and time 10 strokes (is it 10 strokes with both arms or 10 strokes with one arm?)

CAN'T WAIT to get my DVD and wetronome. Thanks for sorting that out - I'll order it tomorrow (had a busy day!).

How was your swim today?

Sarah

[SarahL]

Sooooo my swim session today was billed (by me lol) as my "long swim". Haha. In my head I'd hoped to do 6 x 500 mts - so 3000 mts. In reality I quit after 4 sets...

I did my warm up 4 x 25 mts front crawl in 1m57s.

Probably should've done some drills etc - but don't know what to do! Am awaiting my DVD which should be with me v soon to tell me about these things!

Then the main set: 4 x 500 mts front crawl. Total time 39m27s. Took 60 sec break in between sets. Pushed lap button every 50 mts and was pretty consistent.

54s - 58s - 57s - 59s - 60s - 62s - 62s - 61s - 61s - 58s = 9m52s
56s - 56s - 57s - 60s - 59s - 61s - 63s - 60s - 61s - 59s = 9m52s
58s - 59s - 58s - 59s - 56s - 57s - 56s - 60s - 61s - 57s = 9m41s
57s - 54s - 59s - 58s - 61s - 59s - 63s - 52s - 61s - 59s = 9m43s

Pleased with the consistency. Wonder how long I could've gone on for at that pace? Pretty unpleased with the morons in the pool though.... argh! This was the main reason I quit! It started off relatively quiet, about 4 people in the lane.

And they were considerate and let me overtake as I approached them. But as time went on it got busier until at one point I counted 10 people in the lane...

Some of which were SCULLING on their back (this is the fast lane!!)... Others doing some kind of deadly breaststoke in the centre of the lane which threatened to knock me out as I over took them...

Others who just wouldn't let me pass at the end of the lane even though I'd spent the entire length tickling their feet...

It was so frustrating and it was affecting my breathing, stroke and form. So I just thought "sod it". It's the furthest I've ever swam, there's plenty of time to get more endurance in.

So I did 4 x 25mts warm down backstroke in 2m10s. Even that was trapped behind a sculler!

Total 2200mts 43m34s.

Anyway, pleased with distance and progress. I did manage to think about the roll and my pull for at least the first half!!!

How was your swim today? Tell me what you've been up to!

[Paul Newsome]

Then the main set: 4 x 500 mts front crawl. Total time 39m27s. Took 60 sec break in between sets. Pushed lap button every 50 mts and was pretty consistent.

54s - 58s - 57s - 59s - 60s - 62s - 62s - 61s - 61s - 58s = 9m52s
56s - 56s - 57s - 60s - 59s - 61s - 63s - 60s - 61s - 59s = 9m52s
58s - 59s - 58s - 59s - 56s - 57s - 56s - 60s - 61s - 57s = 9m41s
57s - 54s - 59s - 58s - 61s - 59s - 63s - 52s - 61s - 59s = 9m43s

Pleased with the consistency. Wonder how long I could've gone on for at that pace? Pretty unpleased with the morons in the pool though.... argh! This was the main reason I quit! It started off relatively quiet, about 4 people in the lane.

Well done Sarah, thats quite a set to get under your belt! OK, so 9m52 for 500m breaks down to ~59s average per 50m. See how your first 4 x 50m laps of the swim in each interval are all equal / under this and your middle 5 are all over? When you get the Wetronome late next week, you'll be able to program in 59s per 50m (or preferably try 29s for the 25m makers) and this will ensure you don't set off too quick. You'll be amazed at how much easier this makes the set and yet still allow you to swim the same time. By working like this you'll systematically bring your times down nicely. Funnily enough we'll be posting a blog about this later this week with some actual figures which will really help empthasize this nicely.

Stay tuned!!!

Paul

[SarahL]

When you get the Wetronome late next week, you'll be able to program in 59s per 50m (or preferably try 29s for the 25m makers) and this will ensure you don't set off too quick.

Can't wait to get the metronome and give it a go!

Going to try and borrow a video camera to film myself swimming too at some point.

At the moment I'm waiting for the weekends post to be brought up to my office so I can get my DVD! I'll take a rest day from swimming today and spend the evening watching the DVD instead!

I'm off to the beach tomorrow for my first ever sea swim. Feel confident that I've had some open water practice - although it's been in a lake, so a bit concerned about the waves / current / jellyfish. But fingers crossed I'll just love it! I'm really quite excited*

Wednesday it'll be back to the pool for a steady training session and then Thursday night I have my first ever open water swimming race - 750 mts!

Now... I'm still trying to get folks to post their swims on here - how was your swim today?!

* interchange with nervous!

[SarahL]

How was your swim today?

Mine was fab! Did my first ever sea swim in Worthing, sans wet suit. It wasn't that cold. I put the details of it on the Birdman Race thread

Loved it! Although I can still taste salt in my mouth now! (and I don't have any Coke to hand!)

How was your swim today?

[Nimal]

Terrible. Had planned to go to Paul's session tonight but had to carry on at work and missed out. Really wanted to swim tonight. Have started the last two weeks swimming with Paul and Adam and find I am enjoying it.
On a brighter note went to the session on Saturday. Paul set up an arena by removing the lane ropes from 3 lanes and had us swimming around the perimeter in teams with 150 mt steady and then 50 m sprints through the middle till we had covered 1200m. I found that fun as after a while we all got mixed up and it was very much like swimming in a triathlon with swimmers everywhere. You had to be there to understand the effect but it was the closest in a pool I have come to experiencing the effect of an ironman field all starting the swim and passing and being passed by lots of swimmers.
Regards
Nimal

[SarahL]

Terrible. Had planned to go to Paul's session tonight but had to carry on at work and missed out. Really wanted to swim tonight. Have started the last two weeks swimming with Paul and Adam and find I am enjoying it.
On a brighter note went to the session on Saturday. Paul set up an arena by removing the lane ropes from 3 lanes and had us swimming around the perimeter in teams with 150 mt steady and then 50 m sprints through the middle till we had covered 1200m. I found that fun as after a while we all got mixed up and it was very much like swimming in a triathlon with swimmers everywhere. You had to be there to understand the effect but it was the closest in a pool I have come to experiencing the effect of an ironman field all starting the swim and passing and being passed by lots of swimmers.
Regards
Nimal

Sorry you didn't manage tog et your swim in tonight sometimes work has to come first eh?

The session on Saturday sounds fantastic! What a brilliant idea. I don't belong to a club or anything so just swim in the local council pool. They'd never allow something as exciting!

Although having said that, they're so bad at monitoring the slow, medium and fast lane, that quite often swimming in the fast lane is remarkably similar! At times I just want to swim over them, but perhaps best not to eh!?

Are you targetting a triathlon or swim races Nimal or swimming for fun/fitness?

S

[SarahL]

I got sick of carry scraps of paper to the pool with my session on. By the end of the session they were all crumpled and soggy and several times ended up in the washing machine with my costume...

So - I got an A4 white board! It's brilliant! I write my session on there, do session, wipe it off and write next one on there, like this:



(Hope inserting that image worked! Can you let me know if you can see it please?)

Just thought I'd share! Oh, and that's the session I'll be off to do in about an hour!

[SarahL]

So today I did my CSS timetrial in the pool. The session went like this:

Warm up
• 2 x 100m Any Stroke - 100mts - 1m59s; 100mts - 1m54s

Drills (repeat 2 times)
• 1x 25m sculling drills
• 1x 25m freestyle

Build up (repeat 4 times) - 200mts total untimed (est. 5m00s)
• 1 x 25m Freestyle Breath Left
• 1 x 25m Freestyle Breath Right

Core - CSS timetrial
• 1 x 400m - 7m12s, av 54s, 50mts splits as follows: - 48s 50s 55s 53s 55s 56s 57s 54s - Just like running - set off too quick! Had to catch my breath at the end for sure!

• 1 x 200m - 3m28s (no splits)

Warm down
• 1 x 100m Freestyle Easy - 2m10s
• 1 x 50m Easy Any Stroke - 1m9s (backstroke)
• 1 x 50m Relaxed Stroke - untimed

TOTAL 1200mts c. 24m03s

Sooooo what does this mean? Well I tagged the numbers into the CSS spreadsheet and it spat out the following:

CSS Pace: 1:52/100m

So now what....?!?!? Will I use this figure in the SwimSmooth training plan?

[Bjoern Staben]

Great training session yesterday. Met with a mate who had to test swim her new suit, played around for 45min with 'nothing useful' and then retreated to the hot brine(?) pool to discuss latest news in life...

But I do look forward to tomorrows ow-swim. It's gorgeous weather over here, so we decided to let the pool be the pool. Our poor trainer has to train the pool swimmers, so I'll do the tri-session:

Triangle (Small Buoy 200m, Island another 500m )

wu - 2 times easy buoy and back -> focus on relaxation and sighting
build - 3 times group beach start, round buoy and back. -> focus on 'egoistic swimming', drafting
main - waterstart, buoy, round island, buoy, beach -> focus on own steady rhythm, legwork before exit
cd - get rid of the wetsuit and splash around

[SarahL]

Great training session yesterday. Met with a mate who had to test swim her new suit, played around for 45min with 'nothing useful' and then retreated to the hot brine(?) pool to discuss latest news in life...

But I do look forward to tomorrows ow-swim. It's gorgeous weather over here, so we decided to let the pool be the pool. Our poor trainer has to train the pool swimmers, so I'll do the tri-session:

Triangle (Small Buoy 200m, Island another 500m )

wu - 2 times easy buoy and back -> focus on relaxation and sighting
build - 3 times group beach start, round buoy and back. -> focus on 'egoistic swimming', drafting
main - waterstart, buoy, round island, buoy, beach -> focus on own steady rhythm, legwork before exit
cd - get rid of the wetsuit and splash around

Hi Bjoern - that sounds like a fab session! Sorry to be dumb - what is 'egoistic swimming'?

What's your OW like? hot/cold/murky/filled with fish?

Sarah

[Bjoern Staben]

Sorry to be dumb - what is 'egoistic swimming'?

What's your OW like? hot/cold/murky/filled with fish?

Sarah

There's no such thing like a dumb question. Egoistic swimming is 'to be tough and brave and do your own thing' when the water is boiling around you. A lot of the ow/triathlon novices are scared to death at the race start, so we try to practise that situation.

You might be a polite pool swimmer, but tri is tri and if you stop to apologize you'll be most probably overswum by the guys behind you. So we did build confidence into ones abilities over the ow-season. Started with gentle touching at the feet and than moved further. No, actually we started with an open water safety course I organised, than carefully moved on to the dirty things that might happen to you when you start or round the buoy. Doing that with a positive attitude was and is fun. Just to know, what ever happens to me out there, be it loss of googles, cramp, unfair co-athletes, I know what to to and I'm confident enough to do it, namely just be relaxed and swim my leg to an proper end.

Our lake is a strictly forbidden (cause no lifeguards) old quarry which is going to be transformed into a leisure area since the mid nineties. Quite a steep shoreline, ~20m deep, dark green water, ~1,5x1,5k, top quality water. There's a canoe and a sailing club and now and then the odd diver appears... at the moment it's quite warm (~23°) at the top. But don't dive, that's dangerous.

[SarahL]

There's no such thing like a dumb question. Egoistic swimming is 'to be tough and brave and do your own thing' when the water is boiling around you. A lot of the ow/triathlon novices are scared to death at the race start, so we try to practise that situation.

You might be a polite pool swimmer, but tri is tri and if you stop to apologize you'll be most probably overswum by the guys behind you. So we did build confidence into ones abilities over the ow-season. Started with gentle touching at the feet and than moved further. No, actually we started with an open water safety course I organised, than carefully moved on to the dirty things that might happen to you when you start or round the buoy. Doing that with a positive attitude was and is fun. Just to know, what ever happens to me out there, be it loss of googles, cramp, unfair co-athletes, I know what to to and I'm confident enough to do it, namely just be relaxed and swim my leg to an proper end.

That sounds brilliant! I might get my buddies together on Saturday to practice this - I lvoe the idea of doing it with a positive attitude. And really good to have practiced it first with friends rather than just finding out in the race!

Our lake is a strictly forbidden (cause no lifeguards) old quarry which is going to be transformed into a leisure area since the mid nineties. Quite a steep shoreline, ~20m deep, dark green water, ~1,5x1,5k, top quality water. There's a canoe and a sailing club and now and then the odd diver appears... at the moment it's quite warm (~23°) at the top. But don't dive, that's dangerous.

Wow your lake is warm! it sounds brilliant (well, apart from the lack of lifeguards! but I expect you're all really strong swimmers!). And it's deep. The lake we swim in is currntly about 19 degrees (that's warm for us!) and is approx 1500mts round the perimeter. It's only 9foot deep and man made. There's a TON of algae in it though and lots of lake weed which we get tangled up in and complain about!! Apparently the chemical they use to clear the algae has been banned by Brussels even though it's approved by the Environment Agency... ah well! We just get on with it!

[Bjoern Staben]

Wow your lake is warm! it sounds brilliant (well, apart from the lack of lifeguards! but I expect you're all really strong swimmers!). And it's deep. The lake we swim in is currntly about 19 degrees (that's warm for us!)

I always tell the wimpy German triathletes they should start in Britain, than they would know what cold water is...

So, I'm off to the clubs bike ride. ~50mls flat with some intervals. Like that one. But it's still 35.5° outside...

[SarahL]

So, I'm off to the clubs bike ride. ~50mls flat with some intervals. Like that one. But it's still 35.5° outside...

Enjoy the ride! Make sure you take lots of water!

I'm off to sports massage to get my back and shoulders loosened up

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[Bjoern Staben]

Enjoy the ride! Make sure you take lots of water!

Which I did. Still 28° out there. Was a great ride. Had one of our clubs Juniors with us who had boasted with his riding abilities over the whole summer, but never showed up. I'm not sure if he will again. But we'll pat him on the shoulder tomorrow and tell him that wasn't too bad for the first time...

Crossing the River Rhine

[Meowws]

'egoistic swimming'

ohhh....lets discuss more about that. I also felt that i am a egoistic swimmer. you wanna be tought and sometimes is hard to be kind. maybe is just the nature of the sport. They say that swimming is an independant sports, where they dont like team bonding.