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?
I ask because in December we're moving to Md and it's either the LA Fitness a few miles up the road or a really excellent olympic swim center 20 min. away. We're in Fairfax County with some of the most awesome pools I've ever seen minutes away and I'm very sad to leave them. I wondered what the regular swimmers here consider reasonable to travel for a good pool.
Those are great pools you're leaving. I'm sorry to hear it. I do have the option of splitting between pools. The one right next to my office isn't ideal. The water's too warm, and the schedule is not always reliable. But when I don't have the time to drive 20 minutes, I use it. When I do have the time (like today), I absolutely drive that far for a better pool.
I ask because in December we're moving to Md and it's either the LA Fitness a few miles up the road or a really excellent olympic swim center 20 min. away. We're in Fairfax County with some of the most awesome pools I've ever seen minutes away and I'm very sad to leave them. I wondered what the regular swimmers here consider reasonable to travel for a good pool.
Those are great pools you're leaving. I'm sorry to hear it. I do have the option of splitting between pools. The one right next to my office isn't ideal. The water's too warm, and the schedule is not always reliable. But when I don't have the time to drive 20 minutes, I use it. When I do have the time (like today), I absolutely drive that far for a better pool.
