Would it be very detrimental to my swimming if I trained and did one of these? Read the book "Born to Run" and really want to do at least one ultramarathon. However, I still want to improve on swimming especially getting better in 100 fly and eventually working up to 200 fly. Thoughts?
Former Member
Frankly my goal for the 40 mile at this point is just to finish. If i do that and like it then i'll think about ramping up distance and speed, but for now completion is the goal. I've done a half-marathon and my first triathlon was a half-ironman. I realize this is a whole different kind of event which is why i'm allowing myself a whole year to complete it. And who knows if i feel really good I could just keep going and complete a 100k but I figured i'd aim low first being my first one. Also I may try to do a few smaller ones in between this is more just preliminary planning. Some said they thought it would cause my swimming to be worse by causing some strength in the muscle to waste away in favor of endurance.
If I want to swim over 200m of fly I slow down the stroke rate (slower pull, recovery, and add very short glide), focus on keeping the arms low on recovery, try to keep the body position flat (don't dive down when your hands enter), and breathe every stroke. Keeping the recovery low and body position flat is important for shorter distances also. With practice the distance you can swim will increase significantly. A couple weeks ago I swam 750m fly in a lake wearing a board shorts style swimsuit.
How do you slow down fly. Take longer glide or slower turnover? or?Stretch out and glide after the recovery. Stroke rate will come down on it's own. I try to focus on my kick so I can stay flatter and avoid plowing through the water.
