why am i so sloooooooooow? i've been swimming since i was 21, i'm now 30. When i was 21 i basically taught myself to swim and with a few tips here and there from lifeguards, i was able to swim 3 miles in the pool at approximately 35 minutes a mile.
fast forward a few years, i would consider myself a much better swimmer now, i've gotten a few lessons with coaches and i've been told my technique has gotten better. but my speed has BARELY improved!!! i'm talking major changes in technique and training, and it still takes me 34 minutes to do a mile! that's a 1 minute improvement over the time when i had taught myself to swim! it's ridiculous. and i swim so much...i swim in open water and have been doing master's for 7 months now.
is it possible that i was just born slow, or do you think i need further refinement to my technique? none of it adds up--i work very hard in the pool, my technique sounds like it's decent, and i am physically in very good shape. i can swim 9 miles in open water, but i just cannot bring up my speed! it's ridiculous. i don't want to be fast, i just want to be somewhere near 30 minutes per mile!
In addition to technique, how many strokes one takes per length is dependent upon height, arm span, and build (muscular, thin, etc.). I'm curious to know your height and build.
While strokes per length is indicative of efficiency, it is not necessarily always indicative of speed. I've seen plenty of inefficient swimmers do some good times in a 50 or a 1650. They are in great enough shape to overcome their inefficiency. I've seen a young girl take 33 strokes per length and do a 26 in a 50 free which by no means is slow.
Better swimmers tend to be more efficient so you should strive to lower your stroke count to below 20. My guess is that you are not rotating enough and have a weak kick. Practice the following drill: With one arm extended and one arm on side, kick 12 kicks on your right side, take 3 strokes and roll to your left side and repeat. This gives you the feel for rotation and kicking on your side which is how most of the stroke is done.
In addition to the work on stroke technique, I still hope you will be mindful of the training thing I mentioned. I've trained triathletes that refused to drop their 5 hours of training a day and could not understand why they weren't seeing a drop in the swim times. Interestingly enough, when a running injury forced them to drop the running for a period of time and just swim, their swimming times dramatically improved without adding additional swim yardage.
In addition to technique, how many strokes one takes per length is dependent upon height, arm span, and build (muscular, thin, etc.). I'm curious to know your height and build.
While strokes per length is indicative of efficiency, it is not necessarily always indicative of speed. I've seen plenty of inefficient swimmers do some good times in a 50 or a 1650. They are in great enough shape to overcome their inefficiency. I've seen a young girl take 33 strokes per length and do a 26 in a 50 free which by no means is slow.
Better swimmers tend to be more efficient so you should strive to lower your stroke count to below 20. My guess is that you are not rotating enough and have a weak kick. Practice the following drill: With one arm extended and one arm on side, kick 12 kicks on your right side, take 3 strokes and roll to your left side and repeat. This gives you the feel for rotation and kicking on your side which is how most of the stroke is done.
In addition to the work on stroke technique, I still hope you will be mindful of the training thing I mentioned. I've trained triathletes that refused to drop their 5 hours of training a day and could not understand why they weren't seeing a drop in the swim times. Interestingly enough, when a running injury forced them to drop the running for a period of time and just swim, their swimming times dramatically improved without adding additional swim yardage.
