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?
Denise, I agree with Calvin, you should go for it. Baby steps will get you back in the water, even in a limited capacity. Don't be afraid, just carve out that time if at all possible and you'll get the chlorine addiction back and may inspire you to keep coming. It's good for the soul, right.
Staying with USMS allows you to stay in touch with like-minded people who will encourage you to keep on going and share their water spirit. You can use some of the training programs (check out the one for limited mobility/recovery) to give you some ideas on how to train or mix it up a bit. It also can allow you put a goal on the calendar for the future.
Have you thought about giving back to the sport a bit, maybe becoming an ALTS (Adult Learn to Swim) instructor until you can get back up to speed. Helping and teaching others can improve your swimming as well. :)
Denise, I agree with Calvin, you should go for it. Baby steps will get you back in the water, even in a limited capacity. Don't be afraid, just carve out that time if at all possible and you'll get the chlorine addiction back and may inspire you to keep coming. It's good for the soul, right.
Staying with USMS allows you to stay in touch with like-minded people who will encourage you to keep on going and share their water spirit. You can use some of the training programs (check out the one for limited mobility/recovery) to give you some ideas on how to train or mix it up a bit. It also can allow you put a goal on the calendar for the future.
Have you thought about giving back to the sport a bit, maybe becoming an ALTS (Adult Learn to Swim) instructor until you can get back up to speed. Helping and teaching others can improve your swimming as well. :)
