Have any of you made huge improvments in your swimming within the past couple of years, or since beginning swimming? If so, what were the improvments you made? What were you doing in training in order to make these improvments?
Have any of you made large improvments recently?
I'm getting older now, so not making as many improvements as when I first started swimming competitively, but will share a story with you about improving.
I started swimming competitively at age 10. I was athletic in other areas but was not really a good swimmer. As a matter of fact, I had flunked the minnow swim lesson class at the Y at age 7 and had to take it again the next year. I was a skinny little kid and didn't have much strength.
When I turned 11, there were so many girls on my team in my age-group that were faster. There were hardly any girls in the 13-14 age-group, so they decided to swim me up in that age-group for dual meets. I was 58 inches and weighed 75 pounds. Not only did they swim me up, they swam me in my worst stroke - breaststroke. At the divisionals, where I was moved up again and only put in 50 breaststoke in the 13-14 age-group, I overheard some girls laughing about the slow time in the heat sheet. That time was mine. When I showed up to swim, the girls laughed at me and said, "I can't believe you are in the 13-14 age-group."
When I heard all of this, I vowed one day I would beat these girls that had laughed at me. For the next few years, I did not miss a practice unless I was really sick. I went to swim camps and I set goals for myself.
The determination seemed to work. Also, it didn't hurt that by the time I was 15, I was between 5'8" and 5'9" and weighed 125 to 130. I started lifting weights at 14, so I think that helped quite a bit with my power and put on muscle weight. Anyway, I believe determination and lifting weights did make a big difference for me. I did beat the girls who laughed at me (at least the ones that had stayed in swimming long enough for me to get to the 15-18 age-group) and went on to swim Division III in college.
So, I believe determination more than anything else goes a long way towards achieving your potential.
Last Janaury, I did my first meet after 3 years and I just got back into swimming in Nov. 2007. Before that,I would train partially for a few months and then take about 6 months here and there due to "RL" issues. Anyway, at my first meet, I only did a 6:05 in the 500 yard free. A few weeks later, I swam a 1000 at a local mini Masters Meet and did a 13:03.00. Fast forward to last weekend, I did 9:53.33 in my 800 free with a 4:49 split in the first 400. That equates to about the high 5:20s in the 500 free. My 800 converted is about a 11:18.00. On the 1500, I haven't swam it in 4 years. Back then, I only did a 20:12.00. Last weekend, I did an 18:49.50 which I didn't expect. I only had a goal time of about a 19:30.
Last March, I did a 200 yard fly with the time of 2:40. This weekend, I did a 2:33.09 in the 200 SCM Meter fly.
Have any of you made huge improvments in your swimming within the past couple of years, or since beginning swimming? If so, what were the improvments you made? What were you doing in training in order to make these improvments?
Have any of you made large improvments recently?
This fall SCM season I made some significant improvements in both my freestyle and IM events. The keys were pretty elementary:
Commitment / goals : I got pretty focused on goals for a couple of key events (400 free, 400 IM)
Training plan: Nothing Phelpsian, but I started each week with a plan for my workouts and then (generally) stuck to it. One key to making this work was a variety of
swimming (my primary training)
free weights (though my physique shows no evidence of this)
core work
running (using that term loosely)
Great training coaches / great team: Laura Winslow (mainly) and Paul Smith (guest appearances on deck) and the Sun Devil Masters team pushing me in workouts
Technique Focus: I did some private lessons with a GREAT technician, Anne Wilson, of Camelback Coaching, a TotalImmersion trained coach. Anne basically helped me rebuild my freestyle from scratch and finally taught me how to 6 beat kick.
Competing More: I did more meets this fall (3) and more open water races (4) so that, from August to December, I had something to point to about every 3 weeks or so.
Spousal support: Daily give & take so we could each pursue our athletic goals (she runs half marathons) while building two careers and a three kid / two dog household.
Yes made what I consider huge personal improvement in the 1500 m. I'm 56 with no swimming background. Six years ago I began swimming to rehab. a total hip replacement. This year I added one day a week to my swimming, now at four days with one day weights. I went from 23:44 to a 22:54 in the 1500 scm. for me this is big.
Still very frustrated swimming against competitors with swimming backgrounds that blow me away.
Have any of you made huge improvments in your swimming within the past couple of years, or since beginning swimming? If so, what were the improvments you made? What were you doing in training in order to make these improvments?
Have any of you made large improvments recently?
Amy
I went from a 3:30ish 200 BR in Long Course to a 3:14. it was unexpected. I did however go from 3 times a week swimming 4k to 4 or 5 times doing 3-3.5 K. In addition to that one outlier, all my times improved by the end of the LCM season. Long course will help your times.
I did 9 meets this year, each meet I was able to down my time in at least 1 event, sometimes the same event from a meet before and sometimes an event from last years.
So after every meet I thought to myself, The hard work was worth it and the things Im doing in practice are getting me results...just keep going :chug:
I've made lots of improvments both with technic, speed and indurance over the last 18 months after returning to the pool.
in '96 (21 yrs old) when I stopped swimming I had times like
1:02 100 SCY ***
2:05 200 SCY IM
4:21 400 SCY IM
:52 100 SCY free/fly
5:09 500 SCY free
1:06 100 SCY back
when I first came back to the pool in 2006 my times looked like
1:22 100 SCM ***
2:47 200 SCM IM
1:09 100 SCM free
1:21 100 SCM back
couldn't swim 100m fly
in 2007 I swam a 3km open water race in 45:15. and my pool times dropped to
1:16 100 SCM ***
2:33 200 SCM IM
1:03 100 SCM free (relay)
1:15 100 SCM back
1:15 100 SCM fly
5:02 400 SCM free
and in 2008 (34 yrs old) I swam the same 3km OW race in 38:02 and my pool times have dropped to
1:14 100 SCM ***
2:26 200 SCM IM
1:00 100 SCM free (relay)
1:10 100 SCM back
1:08 100 SCM fly
4:41 400 SCM free
5:19 400 SCM IM
So only my worst stroke, Back, is better than when I was active. (Very hard to beleive) I still have some room to improve with everything else. Hoping to get to 1:12 100m ***, 2:20 200m IM, and 5:05 400m IM before Aug 2010.
Currently I only have time to work out 3 times a week. My goal is to get a 4th time in 2009 and eventually a 5th time in 2010 between Jan-Aug. and then maybe go back to only 3 times a week after Masters Worlds. And I am hoping that my team will give the Masters group a coach. we had one all of last year and this spring, but something happened this fall and we no longer have someone on deck. and that is what I need most right now.
started swimming 3 months ago, was struggling but now can do
4500 yds. of workout in about an hour. My 100's and 50's had improved alot recently i was ding like 20x100 under 1:25/100 with no rest-steady swim . I really feel more power now. feels great.but there is more i can do and improve -i push my self further to see how far i can go.
robert
started swimming 3 months ago
robert
Do you mean you started learning swimming 3 months ago (couldn't swim at all before that), or simply started swimming regularly 3 months ago? If the former then your progress is very impressive (still impressive if the latter)! :D
Do you mean you started learning swimming 3 months ago (couldn't swim at all before that), or simply started swimming regularly 3 months ago? If the former then your progress is very impressive (still impressive if the latter)! :D
I swam before in HS (on and off due to ear/nose etc infections-no anybore though!) but that was 15 years ago (im 30 now).
Oh yes Iam pushing myself God i love that-but now I swim 5 days a week.
My fly is horrible-so there is so much work to be done but i love it!
I am thinking about swithing to morniong session where there are some people that compete. Now, i swim mostly alone-just following my coach's workouts. Problem about morning session is that i'd have to go right after that to work-so i am not sure? But i want to compete-any ideas?
thanks Rob
:bliss:
