Great site - I've been very impressed by the content and discussions since joining about a week or so ago. A little help please?
I quit swimming at the beginning of my second season in college (96). My focus events were the 100/200 fly, 200 IM, and 100/200/500 free. Since then I've been up and down between being extremely active (mountain biking, running, and/or alpine skiing) to being a couch potato. During the last couple of years I've been pretty sedentary though with maybe 10 days of workouts per year. I have a good/lucky ability to be able to hop off the couch and enjoy a difficult trail on my bike even when I'm out of shape.
A few weeks ago a buddy of mine convinced me to be his swimmer on a tri team he has put together.
I've been in the water for the last few weeks and I actually feel much better than I thought I would right now. Times are surprisingly good. The strokes feel strong. I'm pondering a change though. It's the same change I was pondering as I decided to quit back in the day.
-------If you're just going to skip to guts of the post anyways, start here--------
- I kick a two beat crossover and take 12 to 13 strokes per 25 yards
- I always raced a six beat unless it was a distance event (500 or more yards)
- I've never been able to maintain a six beat throughout an entire practice. When I tried back in the day I died like a stuck pig and my practice times went into the toilet. I would literally add 5-10 seconds per hundred yards in practice when I made myself maintain a six beat.
So the question...is it better to continue practicing with my two beat cross over since I swim faster in practice doing so? Maybe my stroke is genuinely better this way unless I'm sprinting? If I took the heavy hit in practice times (and pain) by switching to a mandatory six beat, what will happen in the long run to my practice and race times? Should I assume that I would revert to a 2 beat for OW swims?
Thanks.
