Okay, I haven't swam for 3 days due to our pool closing for 3 days during Christmas, and when I returned today, boom, it felt like I didn't know how to swim.
The 3 strokes that I do for fun, free, fly and back, I could do well like 3 days before. However, the only stroke I really like and consider in competing, breaststroke, came to me today as a completely foreign stroke. Not only have my times increased drastically, but I just overall felt like I couldn't swim the stroke.
First, my feet cannot grab the water. Every single length I swam was with feet slipping water and with me barely inching forward on each kick. I will go forward very slowly for a very small distance, then almost stop dead, right there. I swam the worst workout I've ever had.
I timed myself on the 25 and 50 today, just because I was curious. For the 25, first time I timed myself, I got a 21 seconds off the paceclock!!! That's 2 whole second slower than the last time I timed myself, which was about a week ago. Hiowever, I timed myself again about 2 minutes later, and got a 19. Also, am I crazy, or does our pool's paceclock sometimes go slow and sometimes go fast? I stared at it for about 2 minutes and sometimes the hand will go faster, sometimes slower. Is that just an illusion?
For the 50, I again swam the worst 50 I've ever done. I had no form whatsoever, no mental concentration on form, and no strength. I ended up doing a 42 second 50m SC. FAR from my goal of 35 seconds by september of next year. I know that I swam horribly because I did a 14 stroke 25 followed by a 16 stroke, when I usually do both 10s. What's wrong with me?
I've been working my hardest the past month and even took a second off my 25, from 20 to 19. However today I just burned out. I felt like I was simply UNABLE to hold my form; my strokes were all over the place, and I had no strength. I wouldn't feel pain while pushing myself, just a simple inability to move my arms and legs. They'll feel comletely normal when not moving, but once I try to get them moving fast, well, my muscles just flatout refuse.
So basically I feel like I made no improvement over the past 2 months. I blame it on a lack of organized workout plans =). Can an organized workout plan help improve better?
Also, what is wrong with me? Is it a burnout today, or have I hit a plateau, or is it a bad day and will it pass?
Former Member
well it sounds to me just like one of those bad day practices everyone experiences once a while. On those days you just have to push trough and it usually will go away.
If it persists, stop training and start having fun. forget swimming fast and all the intervalls for a while and just swim and feel how nice it can be. And if this doesn't help, get out ouf the water, get into the yacuzzi and relax. Next time you try it will surely be better. At least this has always worked for me.
Good luck.
I had a similar experience after a short swimming hiatus awhile back. I had gotten so that my freestyle was smooth and strong and I could keep up in practice with no problem and even pull ahead a few times, but when I came back after a break, I was all screwed up. Nothing felt fluid and I was falling behind pace.
a couple of practices went by like this and my coach even said I looked weird and not quite right. After fixing a couple of glitches I had randomly developed in my stroke, I decided I wasn't going to try so hard to move fast.
instead I just relaxed didn't pay attention to what others were doing and concentrated on my stroke long and smooth just feeling my way and it finally came back.
As Matthias said, try just relaxing or a jacuzzi and get out of your head for awhile. It will come back.
:)
On those days, do more drills and don't time yourself.
It is sort of like weighing yourself after vacation. Just don't do it. Wait for a week or so, then measure your improvement.
