Hello, swimmers! I'm barely a real swimmer... I come from a running background (middle distance, mostly, and a bunch of post-college 5ks) and a series of injuries forced me into the pool. I actually couldn't swim at all until 2013, but seemed to improve fairly quickly (at freestyle).
So here's my question. Can I keep improving without doing super-long swims?
I do not seem to recover or cope well with long swims. I've gone up to 3500 yards in a single workout (took almost an hour), but it basically wipes me out and I don't think I'm good enough at form to keep good form for the whole swim. But when I reduce my workout volume to 1800-2800 yards per workout (but lots of hard sets that a great triathlon coach writes for me) and swim 6 times per week, I do improve! I've brought my 100 yard time from 1:31 down to 1:21 in the past few months and my 500 from 8:00ish, to 7:28. I already have good muscle strength and aerobic fitness from all the lifting and training I did for running so I think mostly it's my form that holds me back in the swim.
So should I keep swimming shorter swims and wait for form to smooth out? Or should I push the distance (maybe even just once a week?). Will I EVER feel good going long?
One of the issues I have is that my health isn't great . I have an eating disorder history and tend to underfuel and that may be an issue too, though I'm doing much better now and am at a very healthy weight. I feel like my body is kind of exhausted, and while I like swimming, I want to get better at it without overexercising.
Also, how do I do a darn flip turn?? I feel like my times would drop if I could do one, but as is, I'm so clumsy at it that they slow me down.
Thanks, everyone. I hope to make swimming 'my' sport, even though I only began in my 20s and would love some input.
I absolutely agree with Allen (an authority on this forum and a highly accomplished swimmer as well!). Swimming is often considered to be a sport that is injury-free and low-impact, but you simply have to take a look at the many threads on this forum about shoulder injuries to know that this is not necessarily true! Runnerskick, there are unfortunately no short cuts when it comes to improving your swimming. Your form usually doesn't just "smooth out" on its own and if you develop bad habits now, they will be very difficult to break as you progress. As a new swimmer, this is the time to build your technical foundation and at this point, technique should be as important as conditioning for you (indeed, many drills function as conditioning exercises in addition to helping improving your stroke!). Also, as I mentioned on a previous thread, you need to go into this with patience and without rushing things so that you avoid injuries and also keep a broader perspective on your progress.
For the flip turns, here is a good video sequence you can try. From the first video, you can link to the next three clips in the sequence. Be sure to do these in the deep end of the pool!
www.youtube.com/watch
Hope this helps! Good luck!
I absolutely agree with Allen (an authority on this forum and a highly accomplished swimmer as well!). Swimming is often considered to be a sport that is injury-free and low-impact, but you simply have to take a look at the many threads on this forum about shoulder injuries to know that this is not necessarily true! Runnerskick, there are unfortunately no short cuts when it comes to improving your swimming. Your form usually doesn't just "smooth out" on its own and if you develop bad habits now, they will be very difficult to break as you progress. As a new swimmer, this is the time to build your technical foundation and at this point, technique should be as important as conditioning for you (indeed, many drills function as conditioning exercises in addition to helping improving your stroke!). Also, as I mentioned on a previous thread, you need to go into this with patience and without rushing things so that you avoid injuries and also keep a broader perspective on your progress.
For the flip turns, here is a good video sequence you can try. From the first video, you can link to the next three clips in the sequence. Be sure to do these in the deep end of the pool!
www.youtube.com/watch
Hope this helps! Good luck!
