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?
When was your son at Tech? Got my Bachelors in 97, so I was there when they were building the pool (and swam in a bubbled pool before, until I broke my ankle which ended my swimming), and my Masters in 2000. Didn't know any swimmers, though.Noah graduated in 2009, in Aero E and got his Masters in in 2012. It look like you two had similar trajectories.
Noah graduated in 2009, in Aero E and got his Masters in in 2012. It look like you two had similar trajectories.
Oh, I only swam for exercise, not on the team or anything, I was NEVER anywhere nearly that good. My degrees were Materials Engineering. And seeing as you are from Fayetteville, I'm actually originally from Griffin. Congrats to your son, I really can't imagine getting through there as a scholarship athlete and getting an engineering degree. I'm quite sure you are rightfully proud of him!
Yeah, I was not really trying to talk about that so much as getting stabilized. In other words, if one could go from, say 2:00 in a 100 stroke (we'll say ***) to a 1:40 in the span of a couple of months, then doing test sets may not be useful information. But if in another couple of months, one is only at 1:38, then at that point, yeah, do them! My first day in teh water, I could only wring out a 300 yard set. And I was only able to get a few in, and I think i cooled down with a 100. So grand total of 1000 yards in a bit over half an hour. That was early February. I just did a 1650 in 26:21 on Friday. Physically, I'm still losing weight, though I'm not trying. Heart rate is creeping down, but largely stable. But I am feeling stronger almost every time I'm in the water. And my intervals are becoming less modified from the ones Mark publishes.
Anyway, I'm really just saying that if the poster asking about that is like me, in that they can tell that they are improving, then I don't know if the test set will tell them much. If, on the other hand, they are pretty stable, and just in "maintenance" mode, then by all means, do them!
I think it is better to establish a baseline early to quantify your improvement (or regression, which can happen and tell you you might need to make adjustments to your workout).
The clock can also suggest you are ready for more before you feel you are.
Well, there are several factors on intervals, most male master swimmers swim faster than women master swimmers. People in their 40's usually swim faster than people in their 60's. I did a broken 100 I'm and hit the fly/back at 1:00 and the ***/Free at 54. I took 30 seconds rest. 30 seconds rest works better for me since I'm a slow 60 year old woman.
Hi! I have just started swimming again after a 25 year hiatus - I swam from 10 yrs. old through my first year in college! My goal is to enter a Masters swim meet in November and compete in a couple of events. Right now I do about 1200 meters during my workouts and I'm trying to break them up a bit so I'm not just doing laps - kicking, 4x50 free, pull buoy etc... I don't really know how I'm suppose to train when it comes to entering a meet. If anyone could give me advice and/or share their story with me I would so appreciate it. I also need to know where to go to see the latest rules for starts and turns - I'm sure they have changed over the last 25 years. Thanks so much!
Welcome back to swimming, and welcome to the Solo Swimmers forum! :welcome: Check out this link where you can find a link to a pdf file of the rule book for Masters: http://www.usms.org/rules/ .
A great resource for workouts is right here on the forums: forums.usms.org/forumdisplay.php
Not knowing which events you are training for (sprints or distance?), it would be difficult to give training recommendations. The more information you can provide us, the better we will be able to assist you.
Happy swimming!
:chug:
My #1 tip for solo swimming is already being discussed - live near great pools. For those of you who have the option to relocate, I highly recommend the greater Phoenix area. We have a stupid number of great pools with generous (and uncrowded lap swimming) and a bevy of great masters teams. Yeah, it's a little toasty in the summer and a little chilly swimming in the mornings outdoors in the winter, but, until the Colorado dries up or we lose access to our fair share of that river's bounty, Phoenix really is the land of pools.
My second tip is for those of you traveling and training - make the USMS 'Places to Swim' and www.swimmersguide.com as your top favorites on your browser and you'll almost always find a place to train.
Patrick, I'm looking for a 50 meter pool in Phoenix that has lap swims lasting 2:30 hours so I can complete a USMS 10km Postal swim. I live up north in Prescott(short course pools only)I've referenced "places to swim" but it doesn't give enough info. Do you know of any pools for my purpose? I'd love to find a masters team that is planning a group 5/10km postal event.
Hi all:
Just thought I would post a quick thread. My team does not work out in the summer. So, I have working out on my own. I have purchased a few books to help with improvement of my technique. I have also purchased a finger timer so that I can keep track of my workout times. I am working on getting a camera to see my stroke, so that I may be able to improve form.
The biggest thing that has made a difference in my swimming is doing cross fit to help strengthen core.
I have purchased as stroke timer to try and get my tempo right. I have NOT done anything with that yet. I am still working to improving form and strength.
My 0.02
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Hi! I have just started swimming again after a 25 year hiatus
I don't feel alone with you getting back in the pool. On August 1, 2015 ended a 34 year absence from the pool. One thing you will experience is why are the starting blocks so high? They aren't and I had to get used to that again. Another thing that I noticed is that track starts are now the norm. I am still learning how to improve my track start on the blocks. I started out swimming alone with my partner in crime for many months but now split my time alone and with my team in different pools.
Well, I did a 1,900 workout yesterday where after doing a 100 yard breaststroke kick I waited about a minute and swam a 200 yard butterfly at 4:45. I went a 50 yard fly at 1:00 at the end and felt tired. Today, I did a lite workout under 1,000 yards. Your body needs changed. Next week, I think I will sprint some 25 yards which I have not done in a while.
