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 just got back from the spine doctor and she told me to give up swimming. She said it's going to continue hurting my shoulder and it's not natural for people to be in the water so whatever I do is distorting my body. I'm so depressed the only thing I want right now is a huge chunk of cake. Even trying to tell her I'm aligned when I swim was like watching water roll off a duck's back. Then she went on to say it could be worse that we're only talking about a change in my exercise and not some terrible disease. I was stunned and walked away wondering if she has ever even been in the water or watched a good swimmer (which I'm not but hey). And cycling is out because it's an unnatural position, so I'm supposed to stick to the recumbant and walking and the elliptical but no arm motion. Oh, and she took x-rays and I have degenerative spine disease so I'm headed for another MRI. Pfffffffft on today.
Sorry. I just needed to vent.:censor:
I just got back from the spine doctor and she told me to give up swimming. She said it's going to continue hurting my shoulder and it's not natural for people to be in the water so whatever I do is distorting my body. I'm so depressed the only thing I want right now is a huge chunk of cake. Even trying to tell her I'm aligned when I swim was like watching water roll off a duck's back. Then she went on to say it could be worse that we're only talking about a change in my exercise and not some terrible disease. I was stunned and walked away wondering if she has ever even been in the water or watched a good swimmer (which I'm not but hey). And cycling is out because it's an unnatural position, so I'm supposed to stick to the recumbant and walking and the elliptical but no arm motion. Oh, and she took x-rays and I have degenerative spine disease so I'm headed for another MRI. Pfffffffft on today.
Sorry. I just needed to vent.:censor:
