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?
Might do it. Is this like a half of an e-postal? I still can't figure out how to pace myself for crap. I'm getting in better shape, my mile time has dropped precipitously, but I still tend to overdo it, then flail. I had this problem when I was in high school with running longer distances, too.
The difference between the new Fitness Challenge program and and an e-postal is that the $10 Fitness Challenge fee you pay goes to the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation. In addition, it's just a fun swim, you don't send in any results, and nothing gets tabulated.
My suggestion would be to use this as a great learning opportunity for pacing yourself. Rather than approaching the swim competitively, try playing around with different pacing to see how you feel. Take it out slower than usual, so you don't overdo it, and then gauge how you feel. If you find you have a lot left in the tank, pick up the pace and finish strong.
Might do it. Is this like a half of an e-postal? I still can't figure out how to pace myself for crap. I'm getting in better shape, my mile time has dropped precipitously, but I still tend to overdo it, then flail. I had this problem when I was in high school with running longer distances, too.
The difference between the new Fitness Challenge program and and an e-postal is that the $10 Fitness Challenge fee you pay goes to the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation. In addition, it's just a fun swim, you don't send in any results, and nothing gets tabulated.
My suggestion would be to use this as a great learning opportunity for pacing yourself. Rather than approaching the swim competitively, try playing around with different pacing to see how you feel. Take it out slower than usual, so you don't overdo it, and then gauge how you feel. If you find you have a lot left in the tank, pick up the pace and finish strong.
