Advice for a suspected kicktastic?

[mighty_mouse]

Hi all, finding this forum very interesting. So, I've self-determined myself to be a kicktastic swimmer - being female, slow with a pullbuoy, getting bored in swim sessions and having relatively weak shoulder muscles.

Now, I'm working on strength and improving my catch at the moment - with the use of paddles, upper-body weight sessions, stretch-cords, sculling and using the pullbuoy. This morning, I used, for the first time, the Finis paddles - the ones without straps - and had no issues keeping them on (though my thumbs did get very slightly sore - is that a bad thing?).

I'm only 5ft1 tall and take 18 - 23 strokes to swim across a 25m pool. I did the 400m and 200m test last week and swam 6:08 and 3:01, which isn't too bad I guess - but not good enough to make me properly competitive in triathlon.

Do you reckon, based on the above, that I should keep working hard on my catch - or is it time to get to pace-work? I swim 3 - 4 times a week. My target is to swim the Ironman swim in 60min or better ( I swam just under 1:10 in Sweden, wearing a blueseventy helix wetsuit).

[Paul Newsome]

Hi mighty_mouse

Yes I'd definitely suggest keeping on working on developing your catch, but please also do some specific pace work as well as outlined at www.swimsmooth.com/training - you can work on technique and specific fitness work at the same time (with a well balanced weekly program) - you don't need to work on one and then eventually switch to the other.

Hope this helps - good luck - those are good times!

Paul

[mighty_mouse]

Thanks

I've started doing pace work twice a week at about 1:34 - 1:37/100m as a main set, the other day I do IM's and lots of drill work. Thinking to start doing some of the pacework with paddles/pullbuoy though to improve my catch further. I find paddles help to maintain high elbow and push through to the hip.