Yuck! No matter how hard I try to avoid it I can't keep from drinking pool water when I breath during freestyle. I breath on both sides although I'm much more natural at breathing on the left side (I'm right handed). Is it common for anyone else to drink pool water? How can I avoid this during salt water swims? I try to focus on rotating my body for each arm pull; am I not rotating enough?
Also, how many yards are in a mile? How many laps in a mile? If you push off the wall hard and glide for a three or four body lengths, do you subtract this distance when calculating yardage?
OK! I know this is off the topic of the thread but since we are discussing the mile.... I hope someone can answer this for me. Why do we swim a 1650 for a "mile" since a mile is really 1760 yds? Why don't we do a 1750? (only 10 yds short of a true mile?)
Just wondering!!
Good point Beth!!!! I was wondering that the other day!!! Now, I am not a distance person, so I agree that we should make the distance people swim even farther!!!! LOL
Hey Jason,
Go with what Ed said - if the left is easier then why fight it, of copurse breathing to the right side can be helpful especially in open water swims and as a drill to help balance your stroke (I am right handed and breath to my left side).
In regards to why the 1650 - my money would be on converting to the metric system (the usual standard is 1 meter is equal to 1.1 yards so 1500 meters would be 1650 yards - in track and field it is a 1600m which would be 1 mile or 1760 yards and since they can pretty much put a start and finish line wherever they want they can run odd distances).
Jeff
Originally posted by swimr4life
OK! I know this is off the topic of the thread but since we are discussing the mile.... I hope someone can answer this for me. Why do we swim a 1650 for a "mile" since a mile is really 1760 yds? Why don't we do a 1750? (only 10 yds short of a true mile?)
Just wondering!!
'Cause "Mile" in swim meets is more of a pet name for the event of 1650 yards, or 1500 meters, rather than indicative of the exact distance. If you look at the meet form, they never label it as a "mile". It's us swimmers that like to call it a mile, because it's close to a mile. Swimming a "mile" can sound a tad more impressive than swimming a 1650, in a social conversation.
It's a colloquialisim.
Just like the meaning of a "lap" can be a swimming related colloquialisim.
1650 yards is the closest even distance to the 1500 meters.
In ocean races, you're more likely to encounter the 'real' mile, the 1760 Yards.
There are 1760 yards in a mile, or 70.4 laps.
Here's another good one. I would say a mile is 35 laps or 70 lengths! I suppose it doesn't really matter, it's just funny that people view it different.:)
Originally posted by Shaky
Something I've wondered about...
Since the measure of distance for navigation in the water is the nautical mile, why do we use statute miles to measure swimming?
"A nautical mile is 1,852 meters, or 1.852 kilometers. In the English measurement system, a nautical mile is 1.1508 miles, or 6,076 feet."
I, for one, am happy not to be swimming an additional 350 meters. :D
Originally posted by the texillectual
Yuck! No matter how hard I try to avoid it I can't keep from drinking pool water when I breath during freestyle. I breath on both sides although I'm much more natural at breathing on the left side (I'm right handed).
I'm going to go against what most people will say, breath on your left side then. I can not breath on my right side no matter how hard I try. If you find it more natural then don't fight it.
Also, how many yards are in a mile? How many laps in a mile? If you push off the wall hard and glide for a three or four body lengths, do you subtract this distance when calculating yardage?
There are 1760 yards in a mile, or 70.4 laps. No one I know would subtract glides from their workout.
There are 1760 yards in a mile, or 70.4 laps.
Something I've wondered about...
Since the measure of distance for navigation in the water is the nautical mile, why do we use statute miles to measure swimming?
