Debating doing College Swimming... Never Swam Competitively
Former Member
Here is the low down guys. I am a Sophomore at a pretty average division 1 university. I am a member of the cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams so i have been competitively racing for almost 6 years. I have never swam on a team before but... I want to! I feel as if I've gone mad. I want to try in college!! Next year, not this year, I need to get my base up i know that. off of 2 swims a week (500yards) i swim 500 yards free in 7:48 as of yesterday (you dont need to tell me how slow that is I already know). I am not afraid of hard work, swimming 2+ hours a day I can do that. I want to try! can anyone tell me what I need to do to see if i can get to around 5 flat in the 500 yard free? or a fast 1000 time it doesn't matter, just good enough to walk on the team. the weird thing is, i think I am a better swimmer than I am a runner. the pool just seems to click for me. can anyone help me out? I am willing to swim every day from now till next swim season to make this dream a reality! ...ps i'm a guy if that matters
all your aerobic base just waiting to be converted from those several years of cross country
I don't like to be a naysayer, but nay! Your aerobic base is simply not going to translate directly from cross-country running to a 500-yard swim. If you really want to swim faster:
1. get a coach, or at least a training partner who can give you pointers. efficiency is your biggest obstacle, and fixing your technique on your own is unlikely.
2. do like Jazz says: stop running and start lifting. your upper body has no idea what it's in for. your running muscles are useless in the pool. and your ability to run fast for fifteen* minutes straight is not relevant in a five-minute race.
I don't want to say it's impossible for you to drop that much time in a year - but it won't be easy. In fact, it will be really, really hard. Also, if you just want to make the team, why limit your attempt to the 500 or 1000? Maybe you can throw down a really good 50 or 100 - a lot of people are surprised at what they can do once they let go of the "save energy" mentality and give it all they've got. Or you could set your sights on something longer like the 1650 - that would probably be the easiest transition from your XC background.
(* i have no idea what distances or times cross-country runners do nowadays... but i'm sure it takes longer than five minutes.)
all your aerobic base just waiting to be converted from those several years of cross country
I don't like to be a naysayer, but nay! Your aerobic base is simply not going to translate directly from cross-country running to a 500-yard swim. If you really want to swim faster:
1. get a coach, or at least a training partner who can give you pointers. efficiency is your biggest obstacle, and fixing your technique on your own is unlikely.
2. do like Jazz says: stop running and start lifting. your upper body has no idea what it's in for. your running muscles are useless in the pool. and your ability to run fast for fifteen* minutes straight is not relevant in a five-minute race.
I don't want to say it's impossible for you to drop that much time in a year - but it won't be easy. In fact, it will be really, really hard. Also, if you just want to make the team, why limit your attempt to the 500 or 1000? Maybe you can throw down a really good 50 or 100 - a lot of people are surprised at what they can do once they let go of the "save energy" mentality and give it all they've got. Or you could set your sights on something longer like the 1650 - that would probably be the easiest transition from your XC background.
(* i have no idea what distances or times cross-country runners do nowadays... but i'm sure it takes longer than five minutes.)
