I know. I'm a beginner and the most obvious answer is that I just need to work on my endurance and practice. But I can swim breaststroke (my best stroke) seemingly forever without feeling the exhaustion I do after sprinting a 50 free or even slowly swimming a 100 free. I swim on my own (not with a club), but did join a group workout on Tuesday. The instructor was pleased with how my freestyle looked, so I don't think I am doing anything horribly wrong. I do think I have a weak flutter kick. All in all I do think I am going to be a sprinter, but I would still like to be able to do a slow freestyle during a workout and go farther than 100 yards. Tips?
When I first started lap swimming, I couldn't go very far freestyle, and similarly could go on quite a while breaststroke. I would typically only swim when I had a running injury, and do a combination of breaststroke and freestyle (the latter b/c I'd get bored going so slowly).
But during one such injury, I missed races and wanted to compete in something. So I found an open water mile (at the time there were no races of less than a mile, which I would have preferred, but you get what you get). When I saw that the last place time was 45 minutes and that with breaststroke, it took me close to an hour to swim a mile, I realized I would need to get to where I could swim freestyle an entire mile, so that I had a prayer of finishing before everyone packed up and left. ;) So I gradually increased the amount of time I could swim freestyle, reducing the breaststroke. I had no formal instruction at the time, except for a very nice lifeguard who also happened to be a triathlete and who gave me some helpful tips. There was no organized masters' swim program, but still I progressed to the point where I could do freestyle for a mile in about 45 minutes. That was in my early 50s. After this race, which took me about 47 minutes (and I actually finished ahead of one person, which I thought miraculous!), I was recovered enough to go back to running. But I still swam some.
A few years later, I joined a masters swim group that was forming at my Y, and that coach was WONDERFUL in helping me improve my technique so I could swim freestyle more easily. I'm still slow, but I can do freestyle now for a LONG time w/out a problem.
The coach pushed me toward bilateral breathing, which at first felt really uncomfortable but now seems to have helped me keep up a rhythm that I didn't have earlier. He also focused on a lot of drills and some kickboard work. (I'm still very weak w/ kickboard though.) But I think the feedback, the drills, the bilateral breathing, and lots of swimming have really helped.
Still, be patient w/ yourself. It didn't come easy to a lot of us at first.
When I first started lap swimming, I couldn't go very far freestyle, and similarly could go on quite a while breaststroke. I would typically only swim when I had a running injury, and do a combination of breaststroke and freestyle (the latter b/c I'd get bored going so slowly).
But during one such injury, I missed races and wanted to compete in something. So I found an open water mile (at the time there were no races of less than a mile, which I would have preferred, but you get what you get). When I saw that the last place time was 45 minutes and that with breaststroke, it took me close to an hour to swim a mile, I realized I would need to get to where I could swim freestyle an entire mile, so that I had a prayer of finishing before everyone packed up and left. ;) So I gradually increased the amount of time I could swim freestyle, reducing the breaststroke. I had no formal instruction at the time, except for a very nice lifeguard who also happened to be a triathlete and who gave me some helpful tips. There was no organized masters' swim program, but still I progressed to the point where I could do freestyle for a mile in about 45 minutes. That was in my early 50s. After this race, which took me about 47 minutes (and I actually finished ahead of one person, which I thought miraculous!), I was recovered enough to go back to running. But I still swam some.
A few years later, I joined a masters swim group that was forming at my Y, and that coach was WONDERFUL in helping me improve my technique so I could swim freestyle more easily. I'm still slow, but I can do freestyle now for a LONG time w/out a problem.
The coach pushed me toward bilateral breathing, which at first felt really uncomfortable but now seems to have helped me keep up a rhythm that I didn't have earlier. He also focused on a lot of drills and some kickboard work. (I'm still very weak w/ kickboard though.) But I think the feedback, the drills, the bilateral breathing, and lots of swimming have really helped.
Still, be patient w/ yourself. It didn't come easy to a lot of us at first.
