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.)
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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?
Well hi everyone, I have Elaine to thank for leading me here! I got a swim email, and happened to click on a link which as a solo swimmer I thought might help! Would love to take part in some competitive swims but no chance being where I am (Saudi Arabia) so I swim mainly on my own...which I don't mind, it's been nearly 10 years since I last swam and trained at my local triathlon club in the UK, I hardly ever see anyone else in the pools here...we have 4 outdoor pools, one 25 metre that the swim team. 4 times a week , which isn't nice to use after them as it's very murky! So I stick to the one near our villa which is 22 metres. There is only me in the pool normally, unless my husband joins me and complains if I ask him to do a few more laps!! Motivation is my big think, even though I'm a swim teacher and fitness instructor, this place is fantastic and so awful all at the same time as we have pools, gyms and a field/ sand track here and all free....but so easy to get in the mindset of "I'll do it tomorrow" , plus I had a totally hysterectomy in May, so getting back to fitness is always a challenge ! Plus the fact that I no longer want to be here, as we will be leaving to live in France in couple of years when our own fitness facility is up and running. As a fitness instructor I know the negative thoughts need to change to positive, otherwise it's just going to get harder'!
i have also been asked to help coach the under 7's in the swim team ....even though I'm not a coach I'm a teacher so I'm struggling with should I or shouldn't I ! It would be good experience !
Anyway bit of a long winded HI....just want to get back to my regular solo swimming, I started back last week....slowly...only doing 600m as my husband wanted to come too...and he isn't a great swimmer so didn't want to push him to do what I would normally do, and we keep it to drills so he doesn't give up! Now I've had 4 days off and struggling to motivate myself to carry on!!!!
:welcome: Welcome, Maria! I'm so glad you joined us! Other than your keyboard being apostrophe-challenged ;) , it was great reading your post and knowing you came to the right place.
We all have had our issues with motivation at one time or another, and being a solo swimmer can make it even more difficult if there isn't anyone around to encourage you. My solution? Set goals! Since you are lucky to have a husband who swims, too, perhaps the two of you can sit down together and help each other set some goals. They can be distance/time goals (being able to swim a certain distance without stopping or swimming it in a set amount of time), mileage goals (join the Go the Distance program right here on USMS.org and keep track of your workouts, technique goals (mastering a particular stroke); or, whatever type of goal would keep you motivated to get you into the pool. If you have goals in place, you can encourage each other to achieve them. :agree:
Good luck with your swimming! I hope you go ahead and help out with coaching, too. I'm sure it will prove to be a win-win if you do!
So glad for everyone here and thankful for Elaine being a cheerleader and willing to share.
:DNice of you to say-- thanks!
Well hi everyone, I have Elaine to thank for leading me here! I got a swim email, and happened to click on a link which as a solo swimmer I thought might help! Would love to take part in some competitive swims but no chance being where I am (Saudi Arabia) so I swim mainly on my own...which I don't mind, it's been nearly 10 years since I last swam and trained at my local triathlon club in the UK, I hardly ever see anyone else in the pools here...we have 4 outdoor pools, one 25 metre that the swim team. 4 times a week , which isn't nice to use after them as it's very murky! So I stick to the one near our villa which is 22 metres. There is only me in the pool normally, unless my husband joins me and complains if I ask him to do a few more laps!! Motivation is my big think, even though I'm a swim teacher and fitness instructor, this place is fantastic and so awful all at the same time as we have pools, gyms and a field/ sand track here and all free....but so easy to get in the mindset of "I'll do it tomorrow" , plus I had a totally hysterectomy in May, so getting back to fitness is always a challenge ! Plus the fact that I no longer want to be here, as we will be leaving to live in France in couple of years when our own fitness facility is up and running. As a fitness instructor I know the negative thoughts need to change to positive, otherwise it's just going to get harder'!
i have also been asked to help coach the under 7's in the swim team ....even though I'm not a coach I'm a teacher so I'm struggling with should I or shouldn't I ! It would be good experience !
Anyway bit of a long winded HI....just want to get back to my regular solo swimming, I started back last week....slowly...only doing 600m as my husband wanted to come too...and he isn't a great swimmer so didn't want to push him to do what I would normally do, and we keep it to drills so he doesn't give up! Now I've had 4 days off and struggling to motivate myself to carry on!!!!
:welcome: Welcome, Maria! I'm so glad you joined us! Other than your keyboard being apostrophe-challenged ;) , it was great reading your post and knowing you came to the right place.
We all have had our issues with motivation at one time or another, and being a solo swimmer can make it even more difficult if there isn't anyone around to encourage you. My solution? Set goals! Since you are lucky to have a husband who swims, too, perhaps the two of you can sit down together and help each other set some goals. They can be distance/time goals (being able to swim a certain distance without stopping or swimming it in a set amount of time), mileage goals (join the Go the Distance program right here on USMS.org and keep track of your workouts, technique goals (mastering a particular stroke); or, whatever type of goal would keep you motivated to get you into the pool. If you have goals in place, you can encourage each other to achieve them. :agree:
Good luck with your swimming! I hope you go ahead and help out with coaching, too. I'm sure it will prove to be a win-win if you do!
So glad for everyone here and thankful for Elaine being a cheerleader and willing to share.
:DNice of you to say-- thanks!
