Well, the good news is that kicking isn't a big part of distance swimming, it's mostly for sprinting. My wife is like that woman, and can kick forever. I can't even kick two lengths of the pool without dying. The only key thing for kicking with distance swimming is keeping your legs up ( a little arch in the back can help with that as well).
Leg buoys could help you ascertain that as well. Try those.
Swimming
Re: Swimming
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
Dropped another 2 seconds off my avg 100yard time this morning, so yay. Still trying to remember to side-to-side more. Was also trying to reach out an extra inch at the beginning of the stroke.... doing that the first 15 minutes had my shoulders screaming and tired the second 15 minutes. Swam a total of 1.67 miles over 63 minutes. 49 SWOLF. Overall I felt like shit the first 30 minutes but pushed through it.
Told the kid we are going to the pool on Sunday. He is going to test his new waterproof Faux Pro by recording me swimming a dozen laps. We'll see if he "gets it" and shoots correctly.
Told the kid we are going to the pool on Sunday. He is going to test his new waterproof Faux Pro by recording me swimming a dozen laps. We'll see if he "gets it" and shoots correctly.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Shot some video today during open swim.... my ass never gets within 6 inches of the water's surface. That may be a problem.
I just realized this 30 seconds ago... it may have something to do with the buoyancy of my lower body. Due to the nerve damage I have very small calves... could probably be described as atrophied.... they aren't displacing much water, so my lower legs don't float. I don't know. I'll do some googling.
I just realized this 30 seconds ago... it may have something to do with the buoyancy of my lower body. Due to the nerve damage I have very small calves... could probably be described as atrophied.... they aren't displacing much water, so my lower legs don't float. I don't know. I'll do some googling.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
This says I need to keep my head down. I guess I better upload these vids to youtube.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... butt-sinks
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... butt-sinks
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Getting your butt up will dramatically minimize the drag. Maybe be hard with the leg situation, but worth a shot if you can do it.
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
I gained 10 pounds over the xmas break, and I am still at about 215 as of today. I can't believe I am not super buoyant with probably 22% body fat. I am looking at these vids and yeah, I'm barely swimming at the surface at all. After my shoulders everything is angled down into the water. No wonder I work so hard.
Still getting the vids together.
Still getting the vids together.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Surface cam.
Under water cam. I could see the kid fidgeting whenever I would approach so the camera is shaky as hell, and he was crowding the lane so I sort of had to dodge him on the flip turns so don't pay attention to how fucked up those were.
Under water cam. I could see the kid fidgeting whenever I would approach so the camera is shaky as hell, and he was crowding the lane so I sort of had to dodge him on the flip turns so don't pay attention to how fucked up those were.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
I'm no stroke coach, but the things I think I see are:
1) Are your arms extending all the way when you pull back? Hand should be past hips, I think, with a little wrist flick at the end
2) Your legs/stomach are dragging.
This video focuses more on extension in the front, but still a good video:
1) Are your arms extending all the way when you pull back? Hand should be past hips, I think, with a little wrist flick at the end
2) Your legs/stomach are dragging.
This video focuses more on extension in the front, but still a good video:
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
Yeah, you don't got to tell me my big fat stomach is creating drag.... it's almost all I can see in those vids. I really have to get a grip on my food addiction..... no, err, it's a disease.
ANYWAY....
One of the suggestions I saw for "ass under water" was to keep my head down, so this morning I focused on that.
It felt really weird. I think naturally I hold my head even more shallow than 45 degrees... I like to see what is coming up. But today, I did my best to hold my head straight down, 90 degrees, straight at the bottom of the pool. It was very disorienting.
First of all, it made breathing harder. The first 20 minutes I was constantly fighting the OMG NOT ENOUGH AIR reflex. I think it may be because with my head at that angle, I have a fraction of a second less to breath when I turn my head. By mid hour I was adjusting to that.
Also, I was squirrelly in the lane, at first. It's like I couldn't swim a straight line without seeing ahead of myself.... again, by the end I was adjusting.
And I had to constantly remind myself to keep my head down.... I start to zone out and fall into old habits, and suddenly I am looking ahead at 45 degrees and I have to get my head back down. And this MAY be my imagination.... but when I put my head back down, I felt like *MAYBE* I was feeling my body bob back up to the surface, where it should be. I wasn't even aware I was underwater at all until I saw the vid this weekend, so this may just be wishful thinking... but I dunno. I *THINK* I felt my ass above water. I've never paid attention to it before, but according to the vid I made, my ass is never above water.
Because at the end of the hour I felt almost zero muscle fatigue, I wasn't breathing hard at all, and my SWOLF was down to 46 (49 last Thursday), I chopped another 3 seconds off my average 100yrd time (2:09 down from 2:12 last Thursday), and knocked 2 strokes off my average length (14, instead of 16 last Thursday).
Again, with zero fatigue, just focusing on my form. Interesting. I must have begun to fix another thing.
I'll possibly make another vid this weekend, check the form again.
edit - Oh yeah, 1.7 miles total, in 1:04:01. Getting faster all the time.
ANYWAY....
One of the suggestions I saw for "ass under water" was to keep my head down, so this morning I focused on that.
It felt really weird. I think naturally I hold my head even more shallow than 45 degrees... I like to see what is coming up. But today, I did my best to hold my head straight down, 90 degrees, straight at the bottom of the pool. It was very disorienting.
First of all, it made breathing harder. The first 20 minutes I was constantly fighting the OMG NOT ENOUGH AIR reflex. I think it may be because with my head at that angle, I have a fraction of a second less to breath when I turn my head. By mid hour I was adjusting to that.
Also, I was squirrelly in the lane, at first. It's like I couldn't swim a straight line without seeing ahead of myself.... again, by the end I was adjusting.
And I had to constantly remind myself to keep my head down.... I start to zone out and fall into old habits, and suddenly I am looking ahead at 45 degrees and I have to get my head back down. And this MAY be my imagination.... but when I put my head back down, I felt like *MAYBE* I was feeling my body bob back up to the surface, where it should be. I wasn't even aware I was underwater at all until I saw the vid this weekend, so this may just be wishful thinking... but I dunno. I *THINK* I felt my ass above water. I've never paid attention to it before, but according to the vid I made, my ass is never above water.
Because at the end of the hour I felt almost zero muscle fatigue, I wasn't breathing hard at all, and my SWOLF was down to 46 (49 last Thursday), I chopped another 3 seconds off my average 100yrd time (2:09 down from 2:12 last Thursday), and knocked 2 strokes off my average length (14, instead of 16 last Thursday).
Again, with zero fatigue, just focusing on my form. Interesting. I must have begun to fix another thing.
I'll possibly make another vid this weekend, check the form again.
edit - Oh yeah, 1.7 miles total, in 1:04:01. Getting faster all the time.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Nice progress! I keep my head fairly down. It's part of the reason swimming etiquette dictates that you need to let people know when you're joining their lane, instead of just jumping in and swimming.
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
Hey Catt, did you set up your Garmin account to sync up your watch? Isn't there a way we can become swim buddies or something, through it?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Uhhhh... I don't know?GORDON wrote:Hey Catt, did you set up your Garmin account to sync up your watch? Isn't there a way we can become swim buddies or something, through it?
Are you Steve_Explosion?
Btw - I'm not going to be swimming for a while, due to the shoulder surgery... maybe mid-late summer?
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
I am Steve_Explosion, like you even have to ask.
But how did you know that?
But how did you know that?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
I sent you a buddy request.GORDON wrote:I am Steve_Explosion, like you even have to ask.
But how did you know that?
It's not me, it's someone else.
Re: Swimming
Another day spent focusing on my new mantra, "KEEP YOUR FUCKING HEAD DOWN YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT." I did well.GORDON wrote: Because at the end of the hour I felt almost zero muscle fatigue, I wasn't breathing hard at all, and my SWOLF was down to 46 (49 last Thursday), I chopped another 3 seconds off my average 100yrd time (2:09 down from 2:12 last Thursday), and knocked 2 strokes off my average length (14, instead of 16 last Thursday).
SWOLF: 44 (-2)
100 yrd avg: 2:03 (-0.06)
Strokes/length: 14 (0)
I turned up the power by 3 clicks (each click representing 2% power) at minute 40, and it felt pretty good. Even when the old guy next to me would put on the fins and sprint against me, he couldn't keep up with my long, steady strokes with my head down.
So my SWOLF is now better than my age. Sweet. I feel like I still have some easy gains to make... I still have to keep reminding myself to take long, full strokes even when thinking KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT. but I think ultimately it is going to come down to me streamlining my fat, chewed-bubble gum body. I'm trying to get back in the proper eating head space.... I'm down 7 pounds today from the videos 4 days ago.... it's just the weekends that kill me, and I gain it all back. We'll see.
Also I really need a shave so all this stubble probably slowed me down a lot.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Have a busy day today so kept the lap swimming down to 30 minutes... did .9 of a mile.
Avg 100yrd time was 2:00.... faster, but it wasn't averaging in the second 30 minutes that I usually do when more tired, so that's deceptive.
I count my strokes from time to time, it just sort of happens. I rarely go over 12.... I count every left hand. My watch always says I never do fewer than 14. I wonder if it is counting my flip turn/kick off as strokes, somehow.
Actually nm - I just looked, I was looking at it wrong. It said least was 11.
Avg 100yrd time was 2:00.... faster, but it wasn't averaging in the second 30 minutes that I usually do when more tired, so that's deceptive.
I count my strokes from time to time, it just sort of happens. I rarely go over 12.... I count every left hand. My watch always says I never do fewer than 14. I wonder if it is counting my flip turn/kick off as strokes, somehow.
Actually nm - I just looked, I was looking at it wrong. It said least was 11.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
What's weird is that I usually wear the lap watch on my left wrist, since when I come out of the flip turn my first stroke is the right arm. I was giving it an extra second to detect the turn/glide. Today I forgot it on my right wrist for the first few laps, then switched. Those first few laps seemed to count strokes correctly, then after I switched it was like 14 strokes per lap. I must be moving quirky or something, I try to keep my hands in the same spot as I pivot at the shoulder when I flip, but who knows what the watch is detecting.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Re: Swimming
Lotta swim chat minutiae in the swim thread.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."