Hey, solo swimmers! :wave: Welcome to the thread for all of us who train solo. Whether you train on your own due to a lack of a Masters team in your area (or for any other reason), this is our virtual locker room. Please post training tips that you think would be helpful, or anything else you would like to share with the rest of us. Have a rant? Go ahead and vent here! :rantonoff:
I'll start with a tip:
The most frustrating thing for me training solo is not having a coach on deck to evaluate my stroke and keep me on track, so I bought a waterproof camera and enlisted the help of my husband to periodically shoot video of all four strokes. Shooting underwater video became a knee/back buster, so I bought a camera mount and attached it to PVC pipe, so my husband could stand up straight to shoot underwater video. The camera gets dunked underwater, and he twists the pipe to pan the camera as I swim by.
Today, I bought a 2-pack of 12-inch "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist ties (available at Home Depot), so I can tie the PVC pipe to the pool ladder (located in the corner of the pool) and shoot video myself. (If I angle the camera just right and keep it on wide angle, I can video me coming and going.)
10687
After each video session, I upload the videos to my desktop computer and compare my stroke to my favorite Go Swim stroke videos to see what I'm doing well (or not). I also post them on the Forums for feedback.
Ok, solo swimmers, what's your tip?
My #1 tip for solo swimming is already being discussed - live near great pools. For those of you who have the option to relocate, I highly recommend the greater Phoenix area. We have a stupid number of great pools with generous (and uncrowded lap swimming) and a bevy of great masters teams. Yeah, it's a little toasty in the summer and a little chilly swimming in the mornings outdoors in the winter, but, until the Colorado dries up or we lose access to our fair share of that river's bounty, Phoenix really is the land of pools.
My second tip is for those of you traveling and training - make the USMS 'Places to Swim' and www.swimmersguide.com as your top favorites on your browser and you'll almost always find a place to train.
My #1 tip for solo swimming is already being discussed - live near great pools. For those of you who have the option to relocate, I highly recommend the greater Phoenix area. We have a stupid number of great pools with generous (and uncrowded lap swimming) and a bevy of great masters teams. Yeah, it's a little toasty in the summer and a little chilly swimming in the mornings outdoors in the winter, but, until the Colorado dries up or we lose access to our fair share of that river's bounty, Phoenix really is the land of pools.
My second tip is for those of you traveling and training - make the USMS 'Places to Swim' and www.swimmersguide.com as your top favorites on your browser and you'll almost always find a place to train.
