After a 24 year absence from competitive swimming I started back two weeks ago. My stroke (crawl) falls apart after about 200 yrds. I can keep going but with a terribly poor stroke. After a short rest my stroke comes back to normal.
I've been swimming a 400 yrd warm up (I'll mix about 50yrds of *** in to save my stroke) then 10 x 50s on the 1:15. After that my stroke is breaking so I swim 25s then my stroke breaks again and I'll swim every other 25 ***. I've been swimming 30 to 45 minutes a day and running the same.
Cardio wise I am in good shape (I've been running everyday for a long time). I can swim *** for long distances with no problem.
Should I keep resting to let my stroke recover or just pound it out? Will swimming *** ever help my free? I would be thankful for any advise. At one time I was "real" swimmer and now I am embarrassed trying to get back.
Welcome back to the water. I would shoot for an hour workout where you shoot for 2000-2500 yards. I would recommend a 400 swim, 200 drill warmup and then target longer reps (I.e 5x100, 3X200, etc) swims to build your swimming muscles. I would avoid doing too much shorter swims like 25s and 50s until you can build up your endurance.
What is wrong with some nice long swims thinking slow and easy with technique until you can swim about 2000m with ease.
It takes at least 6 weeks before things start to come easily.
I think George's advice is right. You have to start slow. I came back after 24 years as well and, after "pounding it out," immediately came down with tendonitis. Give you body time to adjust to being back in the water. Ramp it up very slowly. Try to swim with good technique. Keep swimming breaststroke. You don't want to do just one stroke. Do some drills and kicking besides all the swimming as well. Amd you might want to do some rotator cuff exercises to prevent the shoulder ouchies. Good luck!!
When I first returned to swimming I was 26 and I had not swum for exercise in about ten years. I decided to start swimming again because I had just run a marathon and thought triathlon would be a more interesting way to spend a few hours. 500 seemed like a very long workout then, and no way could I have done it without stopping. My triceps especially got very tired very fast, screwing up my follow-through and my recovery.
After a few months I did my first triathlon, an itty-bitty sprint. I was first out of the water by like 30 seconds in a race with just a 400m swim. (People started passing me pretty quickly on the bike, though!) I went to my first masters meet about 18 months later (at 27) and my first-ever masters race was 1500m. Twelve years later (at 39) I swam 1500m 1:10 faster than I had at that first-ever meet.
Just keep it up and you'll recover your ability soon enough. Also, you may as well start right now with your shoulder-stabilizing exercises, because I assume you haven't been doing them during your running years. You don't want to an injury to derail you just when you feel able to increase your swim time and distance.
Just 2 weeks back. What is wrong with some nice long swims thinking slow and easy with technique until you can swim about 2000m with ease.
It takes at least 6 weeks before things start to come easily.
Is your stroke suffering because your arms get tired? Or, do you just feel like you lose the rhythym somehow?
Either way, you could think about 1) swimming some pull sets with a pull buoy, 2) incorporating front crawl drills, and 3) mixing in some backstroke (in addition to the ***) to work the muscles differently.
You'll get it back! A 400yd warmup after 24 years away already sounds pretty good to me....as does your ability to swim the ***-stroke.
After a 24 year absence from competitive swimming I started back two weeks ago. My stroke (crawl) falls apart after about 200 yrds. I can keep going but with a terribly poor stroke. After a short rest my stroke comes back to normal.
I've been swimming a 400 yrd warm up (I'll mix about 50yrds of *** in to save my stroke) then 10 x 50s on the 1:15. After that my stroke is breaking so I swim 25s then my stroke breaks again and I'll swim every other 25 ***. I've been swimming 30 to 45 minutes a day and running the same.
Cardio wise I am in good shape (I've been running everyday for a long time). I can swim *** for long distances with no problem.
Should I keep resting to let my stroke recover or just pound it out? Will swimming *** ever help my free? I would be thankful for any advise. At one time I was "real" swimmer and now I am embarrassed trying to get back.
Welcome back!
As a *** stroker who does not bother to swim the other 3 -
I say--swimming *** stroke only and for long distances is the only way to swim.......to hell with free,fly and back!
It looks like your body is trying to tell you something by switching back to the *** stroke....stop fighting it!
Welcome back!
As a *** stroker who does not bother to swim the other 3 -
I say--swimming *** stroke only and for long distances is the only way to swim.......to hell with free,fly and back!
It looks like your body is trying to tell you something by switching back to the *** stroke....stop fighting it!
When I swam with coaches they said swimming too much *** wasn't good. They wanted our endurance to come from swimming free. Is that not the case these days? These past few weeks I've been thinking what you just said. Thanks for the input.
The only ones who suggest breaststroke are breaststrke swimmers. I never listen to them.
When I swam with coaches they said swimming too much *** wasn't good. They wanted our endurance to come from swimming free. Is that not the case these days? These past few weeks I've been thinking what you just said. Thanks for the input.
Is your stroke suffering because your arms get tired?
I suppose my arms are tired. I am not winded and nothing hurts but my arms just don't do what my brain tells them (swim free correctly). Yet I swim another stoke for spell or rest and my arms work again. That's why the short sets.
