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.
Can I keep improving without doing super-long swims?
Yes. Consistent with the advice above, that form rules in swimming, I'll suggest exactly the opposite: The better path to improvement is to do super-short swims!
Specifically, swim one length at a time, and count the number of strokes it takes to finish the length. Stroke count is a rough, first-approximation proxy for efficiency. Try to feel as smooth as possible as you're moving through the water. If your body position is better, and you're encountering less resistance, it will take less effort (fewer strokes) to go a certain distance. Rest a few seconds at the end of the length, and do it again. The point is not to make yourself tired. Exactly the opposite. The point is to avoid water resistance, and finish the length with less effort.
When I'm working on form (particularly in breaststroke, though that's a long story), I always count the number strokes per length (at a certain speed, or level of effort). When it's only about form, when form is the main focus, I never swim more than 50 yards at a time.
Good luck!
Can I keep improving without doing super-long swims?
Yes. Consistent with the advice above, that form rules in swimming, I'll suggest exactly the opposite: The better path to improvement is to do super-short swims!
Specifically, swim one length at a time, and count the number of strokes it takes to finish the length. Stroke count is a rough, first-approximation proxy for efficiency. Try to feel as smooth as possible as you're moving through the water. If your body position is better, and you're encountering less resistance, it will take less effort (fewer strokes) to go a certain distance. Rest a few seconds at the end of the length, and do it again. The point is not to make yourself tired. Exactly the opposite. The point is to avoid water resistance, and finish the length with less effort.
When I'm working on form (particularly in breaststroke, though that's a long story), I always count the number strokes per length (at a certain speed, or level of effort). When it's only about form, when form is the main focus, I never swim more than 50 yards at a time.
Good luck!
