The good news is that I've done 4 workouts in the last 5 days. The bad news is I've done 4 workouts in the last 2 1/2 years and probably 9 workouts in the last 10 years.
First workout, I couldn't find my goggles, so it was an all backstroke and kick workout. I didn't have to worry about breathing underwater, so my lungs were thankful. I had a tough time keeping track of my yardage. (The walls coming up...was that 6 laps or 8? )
The other three workouts I found that my muscles give out much faster than my lungs, so alternating strokes seems to be good strategy. 40% free, 40% back, 20% *** through out the workout.
I have to keep reminding myself to keep my expectations reasonable. Doing sets on a cycle I could do 10 or 20 years ago is not reasonable. At least not the first week.
I'm also thinking that after a long layoff is really a good time to work on my stroke while I'm still getting my muscles back into swimming shape.
Now how do I keep motivated to continue? Swimming alone really sucks.
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Thank you Donna and Terry
I agree the first order of business is to get into a solid aerobic conditioning. That was always the easy part for me. A little about my swimming background, I swam age group growing up, but my high school didn't have a pool or a swim team, so I was never really pushed. I swam masters off and on for 10 or 12 years until I was 35. Masters was a blast. The benefit came more from swimming with others than from having a coach. The majority of the coaches we had did not work with me on technique. That was probably as much my fault as it was the coaches. The Masters team I was on was at a local Y. We had a lot of fun, but the coaching available was nothing compared to what some people on these forums appear to have. I guess you get what you pay for.
My stroke is not really that bad. My freestyle is adequate. I have a decent natural backstroke, and my breastroke improved greatly after watching the 96 Olympics. Can't remember who I was trying to copy.
I see alot of discussion of the science behind the strokes on these forums, and thats where I get lost. I just swim with what seems natural to me. I know I got no kick in Freestyle. Is it possible to have less than a 2 beat kick?:laugh2: When I concentrate on improving the kick, my stroke goes all to hell. I am doing kick sets during my workouts.
I do want to keep swimming. I do love it. So now I guess its time to set some goals. Towards that end, I've started a blog, basically, a diary of my workouts. I've dug out my old spreadsheet of my meet times. Next goal to swim 5 one hour workouts a week. Swim a meet on December 9, to establish a baseline of where I'm at.
I'll definitely check out that thread, Terry.
As far as strength training, I've never done it. Don't even know where to begin really.
Thank you Donna and Terry
I agree the first order of business is to get into a solid aerobic conditioning. That was always the easy part for me. A little about my swimming background, I swam age group growing up, but my high school didn't have a pool or a swim team, so I was never really pushed. I swam masters off and on for 10 or 12 years until I was 35. Masters was a blast. The benefit came more from swimming with others than from having a coach. The majority of the coaches we had did not work with me on technique. That was probably as much my fault as it was the coaches. The Masters team I was on was at a local Y. We had a lot of fun, but the coaching available was nothing compared to what some people on these forums appear to have. I guess you get what you pay for.
My stroke is not really that bad. My freestyle is adequate. I have a decent natural backstroke, and my breastroke improved greatly after watching the 96 Olympics. Can't remember who I was trying to copy.
I see alot of discussion of the science behind the strokes on these forums, and thats where I get lost. I just swim with what seems natural to me. I know I got no kick in Freestyle. Is it possible to have less than a 2 beat kick?:laugh2: When I concentrate on improving the kick, my stroke goes all to hell. I am doing kick sets during my workouts.
I do want to keep swimming. I do love it. So now I guess its time to set some goals. Towards that end, I've started a blog, basically, a diary of my workouts. I've dug out my old spreadsheet of my meet times. Next goal to swim 5 one hour workouts a week. Swim a meet on December 9, to establish a baseline of where I'm at.
I'll definitely check out that thread, Terry.
As far as strength training, I've never done it. Don't even know where to begin really.
