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!
my 2 cents, being of similar speed and having a similar background in swimming:
1) once you get the corrections, lower your yardage and intervals. i found that when i get a good correction, because it makes me more efficient, i get tired more easily so it's easy to resort back to the old ways and the correction doesn't stick. stick with 25s, 50s, and 100s on an interval until you feel like the correction has stuck. then move up in distance.
2) do sets with fins on intervals to get the feel of faster swimming.
3) do drills and pulling sets before the shorter sets to try and be in good form last though a set.
4) think about every stroke. not the zen of open water but by being aware of what you are doing with your body and arms with each stroke is how you get muscle memory.
5) finally -learn all of the strokes. my freestyle started getting a bit faster when i learned fly - i suspect it's because free feels easy after doing fly
