My Story ....
I started swimming in 2003 after spending the better part of my life as a fairly non-athletic person, with occaisional forays into running, cycling, or swimming that would last around six months.
In September of 2004 I swam the Tiburon Mile (2000 meters, SF bay) open water swim. I finished happily just behind the middle half of the wetsuit division, with a time under 32 minutes.
I never raced in a pool, but in practice I got my 100 yard time down to 1:22 and did a 500 in 8:13.
In the summer of 2005 I did two sprint triahlons, swam in the Baltic and North Sea without a wetsuit, and registered for an Alcatraz swim.
Three weeks before the Alcatraz swim, I got a herniated disc in my neck. Severe pain, followed by nerve impingement and muscle atrophy in my right arm. That was August. Then in December I wound up in the ER with severe lower back pain.
Oddly, these injuries seemed to affect swimming more than cycling. Let's just say that it wasn't as much fun swimming with a right arm that was significantly weaker than my left. And cycling made my lower back feel better after I became an expert on bike fit.
So I stopped driving my car.
Between my two back injuries and now, I've probably ridden around 10000 miles. I've gone 3000 just this year so far. And most of it has been commuting, fast with a lot of "traffic sprints."
My back has been practically pain-free for the last year. The weakness in my arm seems to have subisided.
So recently, I registered for the Tiburon swim again. I just want to do it and I'm not real concerned about my time or how I place. In addition to being a fun swim, it's a nice mini-vacation for my wife and me.
Right now, I'm doing about 1000-1500 yard workouts which take me around 40 minutes. I've timed myself a few times. My best 100 was just below 1:40. My distance pace for 100 yards seems to be just over 2:00, maybe right at 2:00. My longest distance without stopping was 500 yards, but I have big issues with boredom swimming in a pool. I've only been back in the water seriously for the last two weeks.
Questions .....
So what's the best way to spend the next 10 weeks getting ready for Tiburon?
How much can I realistically expect to accomplish in that time period?
Did cycling help counterbalance the effects of not swimming at all, or would I have been any worse off just sitting on my butt for the last two years?
How do I combat boredom in the pool? I'm pretty sure I can do longer workouts since my attention span gives out before my body does.
Would it work to go to the pool twice in one day for shorter time periods?
Should I stay off my bike? (I'm also planning to do a century ride in October.)
And finally, is it unrealistic to think I could do the Tiburon swim (2000 meters, 63 degrees, mild, favorable current) without a wetsuit?
Thank you.
Former Member
The best way I found to avoid getting bored is to keep things mixed up, and change your routine. I found that I swim much harder and farther when doing a pre-designed workout. Check out the workout section for different workouts, my favorite are the interval based ones.
As for boredom during longer pool swims, I usually count on my fingers, for lack of a better description, while letting my mind wander. Usually I'm able to remember where I left off once i reach the next wall.
I also second getting a coach, or at least some feedback on your strokes. When I started swimming about 6 weeks ago, one of my shoulders was significantly weaker from a non-swimming related injury. He was able to look at my strokes and give me feedback on what i was doing wrong. Simply doing this has drastically reduced my shoulder pain.
He has also given me advice on some of my goals and how to achieve them, like eventually doing an Alcatraz swim.
As to your cycling question, I believe it did help. It has kept you in great shape, even though you are using different muscles. I think it will also help you get back to where you were faster, simply because you are not starting from a couch potato state.
I used to do 2, 3500m workouts a day and more. The more you swim the better you will be. I was not bored as I thought about technique and of course many other things while swimming. Where was my money coming from? where was it going? If you only think of counting laps I am sure that could become a bore. I never really counted laps it was always done by time. In a pool watching the pace clock. Time spent doing sprints not how many sprints. Trying to average a set time for the sprints, you can then find out how far you swim later.
It takes roughly 6 weeks to get back to where you were. If swimming caused your problem your technique is probably not good. Get help from a coach who is not going to be too aggressive. I have never been bored in a pool there are too many things to think about when swimming to get bored. Do lts of repeats at a speed you can handle. say 10 x 100, 5 x 200, 3 x 500.
On Sunday, I went to the pool and during my workout I did a 100 as fast as I could. I came in at 1:32, 10 seconds slower than my all time best. Monday I didn't swim, opting for a 37 mile bike ride instead.
Today, I warmed up with a 400 in 7:36. At my peak I could do the same in just under 7 minutes.
So things are looking up. I think soon I'll start going when the coach is there.
