Heya All:
My regular coach is leaving our group & it is time for a change. I'll be going on Monday to another of our team's practice pools that has a great coach & workout group. Difference is that I've been swimming all short-course yards (SCY) so far and this pool is always configured long-course meters (LCM.)
I've not swum in an LCM pool decades. More than three it seems.
Any tips, comments, funny stories about making such a change? :)
I know stamina is an issue that is critical and kicking becomes even more important. What else do y'all know about it? All I remember from my high school & college days was that at the beginning of summer season the pool looked reeeeealllllly looooooong.
Heya All:
My regular coach is leaving our group & it is time for a change. I'll be going on Monday to another of our team's practice pools that has a great coach & workout group. Difference is that I've been swimming all short-course yards (SCY) so far and this pool is always configured long-course meters (LCM.)
I've not swum in an LCM pool decades. More than three it seems.
Any tips, comments, funny stories about making such a change? :)
I know stamina is an issue that is critical and kicking becomes even more important. What else do y'all know about it? All I remember from my high school & college days was that at the beginning of summer season the pool looked reeeeealllllly looooooong.
Embrace the ability to focus on technique without a flipturn getting in the way. Also embrace the "long course hangover" you are certain to have. A great way to ease into it (that I usually do when starting LCM swimming after months in a SCY pool) is doing 50s with fins + paddles just feeling LONG and SMOOTH. I also routinely do longer swims (like 800-1200 meters) to start my workout just swimming long and smooth with some combination of fins + paddles + snorkel. As I adjust to the pool, I start to drop equipment as I see fit.
But honestly, if you are already in shape and been doing work in the SCY pool, the adjustment time will be shorter than you might expect. Anecdotally, last year when I started my comeback after about 30 months out of the water, I had only just found my stroke and feel for the water swimming SCY when May rolled around and it was time to swim LCM. The hangover was real, the struggle was real, and it took a long time to re-adjust. This year, with a year of training under my belt, I slid seamlessly into LCM swimming (but I will be honest, first two days back after my Disney cruise last week, after basically not training much at all for a week, were a struggle!).
I was thinking the same as Calvin. This is a fantastic time to work on your stroke, making it more efficient, really feeling every piece of it. Try some new things out. If the pool is always LCM, you might want to work on your turns about once/month since you'll only be getting half of them. Or, again, really work them hard since you're getting fewer. Good luck! It's so much fun!
After 30 years jumping back into a LCM will be very interesting. Danny Jones pool?
Momentum feels compromised at about the 40m point, and if you’re lactate intolerant expect a surprise, especially with kick sets.
I once took just a 50 free out to hard in LCM. It was my first such race and I can’t forget it
Aren’t SCM flags at 5m too?
Yes... I actually get more confused with the 5m flags in SCM than LCM because the only time I swim in an SCM pool is one meet a year!
So how are you feeling? Triceps feeling the burn?
i envy your access to LCM all year. It always takes me about 10 swims to get used to it again, first day it’s no biggee, and then it’s downhill for a bit. But I LOVE Love Love long course!! You lucky lucky guy!
I swam in an LCM meet yesterday and hadn't been in a 50m pool for almost 2 years (the 2017 local zone meet at Texas A&M). I normally swim in 25 yard pools, but have also been doing a fair share of open water and swimming at Barton Springs (it is about 200m long).
Anyway, since I've been doing so much open water, 50m didn't seem too long at all. At least you can see the other side when you start ;)
The meet was the fastest moving meet I've ever swum in. I had maybe a 2 minute rest after the 200 *** (while the single heat of 100 fly swam) before I got back on the block (same lane) for 400 free :afraid:
I mostly just treated it as a workout. I don't think I hit any PR's, and truthfully I barely saw any of my times, the meet moved so quickly. They had to briefly hold up a heat of 50 *** so someone who swam 50 back could walk to the other side to hop up on the blocks.
Aztimm I was in a meet like that once - it was brutal! Eventually I had to do the same thing, and just approach each event like a goal set. (Hate goal sets)
