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Swim advise, please help
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 2009-08-04 11:23 AM |
 569  |  Subject: Swim advise, please helpOk, only about 10 days out of my first sprint. This will be my final weekend of training before my taper. I am lucky enought to have access to a lake for 3 days this weekend. I know I can swim the distance (1/2 mile). This morning I was in the pool to get some number as to where I am with times. Swam a 300 at what I "think" is my sprint pace. I came in at about 2:30 per 100. I rested and then swam a hard 100. The 100 came it at 2:15 ish. I know I cannot keep the 2:15 for the 1/2 mile. But, i would like to work on some speed drills. Can anyone recommend some drills for me. Is there anything I can do to bring my times down a bit? Also where would a 20 min 1/2 mile put me in a typical field? Thank for all your help over the past 10 weeks.. |
| 2009-08-04 11:35 AM in reply to: #2326947 |
Champion 10471   Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help You are 10 days out. Working on speed really isn't going to do much good at this point. Based on your swim times, you probably have relatively poor form and need private lessons to get faster. At the very least we would need to see actual video of you swimming to give your pointers. Look at last year's results to see where your swim time will put you for your age group. Luckily for you, most triathletes can't swim worth a darn, so you won't be dead last. |
| 2009-08-04 12:24 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| 569 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help WOW........ |
| 2009-08-04 12:37 PM in reply to: #2326996 |
| New user 476 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help KSH - 2009-08-04 12:35 PM Based on your swim times, you probably have relatively poor form If 2:30 means relatively poor form I'm screwed! IMO 2:30 isn't bad, depending on how competitive you are. I do agree that being you are 10 day's out; there isn't much you can do. |
| 2009-08-04 12:41 PM in reply to: #2327241 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help JC5066 - 2009-08-04 12:37 PM KSH - 2009-08-04 12:35 PM Based on your swim times, you probably have relatively poor form If 2:30 means relatively poor form I'm screwed! IMO 2:30 isn't bad, depending on how competitive you are. I do agree that being you are 10 day's out; there isn't much you can do. Generally speaking, someone with great form in the pool will not be swimming 2:30 per 100. My boyfriend, who was self-taught from Total Immersion, swam a 2:00 per 100. Then he took lessons and now he can do a 1:45 per 100. Better form = faster in the water. Plain and simple. I wasn't trying to be rude, but the truth is that a 2:30 per 100 is not that fast. Which is fine. We all have our speed. But that per 100 time reflects probably poor form. Which MOST triathletes have because they are self taught and just learned how to swim. Maybe some other swimmers will chime in here. |
| 2009-08-04 12:44 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Master 1996 Woodbridge , Virginia | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Don't worry so much.. Thats the first thing.. We all are nervous and indecisive our first race... RUN what you BRUNG.. two things to keep in mind.. You will swim faster on race day.. you will get caught up in the moment.. remember what i wrote above. TRI HARD Edited by momo 2009-08-04 12:45 PM |
| 2009-08-04 12:47 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| 175 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Hmmm, I have a 23 minute swim for a half mile tri, and I am solidly back of the pack in swimming. 41 minute swim for an olympic and.....back of the pack again! It's okay though, I try and catch up on the bike. |
| 2009-08-04 12:51 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| over a barrier | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Speed and drills shouldn't be in the same sentence, drills are designed to improve your form by isolating a specifc area of your stroke. They are do pretty slow and deliberate. As of getting faster, 2:15 per 100 tells me you have some major issues somewhere, hard to tell where without seeing you swim. Most likely, your dragging your legs when you swim creating a lot of drag. Its a first race for you, don't worry too much about where your swim will rank. Assuming the swim is legit in length FOP guys/gals will be average 1:10 - 1:20 per 100 so about 10-13 mins. First race, just enjoy the experience....Getting better in 10 days, just swim as much as you can. Not a lot of improvement can be made unless you have an someone helping you with your swim stroke. |
| 2009-08-04 1:08 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Expert 1296 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help I'll agree here with KSH and a few others. A few points.
Work on slowing down and covering the distance in an efficient manner. |
| 2009-08-04 1:10 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Master 1420 Reston, VA | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help First good luck with the sprint. Enjoy the race.  Truthfully there is not a lot you can do to get a lot faster 10 days out. I would use the three days you have on the lake to practice and get comfortable swimming the distance at your race pace. So each day I might do the race distance 1 or 2 times. If you can do this it should give you a lot of confidence going into the race and by the end of the three days you should have a good feel on how to pace the swim and come out ready to bike and run. Good luck! |
| 2009-08-04 1:13 PM in reply to: #2327344 |
Expert 1296 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help gadzinm - 2009-08-04 2:08 PM I'll agree here with KSH and a few others. A few points.
Work on slowing down and covering the distance in an efficient manner. One other thing to clarify here. This post was not made to be discouraging to the OP or to anyone that swims 2:30/100. To the OP, at this point with 10 days to go, focus on doing what you can with what you have. Your not going to make huge swimming strides in 10 days. Just have fun and enjoy it. |
| 2009-08-04 1:14 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Expert 2189 Dodge County, MN (out in the corn) | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Spend your time getting used to open water. I've seen many pool swimmers completely lose it when they are in OW. Even here in the land of 10,000 lakes, folks freak out when they can't see that black line on the bottom. Get comfortable with a nice steady pace in the open water. That's my best advice. |
| 2009-08-04 1:41 PM in reply to: #2327362 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help gadzinm - 2009-08-04 1:13 PM gadzinm - 2009-08-04 2:08 PM I'll agree here with KSH and a few others. A few points.
Work on slowing down and covering the distance in an efficient manner. One other thing to clarify here. This post was not made to be discouraging to the OP or to anyone that swims 2:30/100. To the OP, at this point with 10 days to go, focus on doing what you can with what you have. Your not going to make huge swimming strides in 10 days. Just have fun and enjoy it. Exactly. I wasn't trying to be rude... your (the OP) asked about how to get faster... and after your first tri your best bet would probably be to work one-on-one with a swim coach who can help you with your form. That's all I was trying to say. Go out and have fun. It's your FIRST ONE! Go swim... bike and run... and finish with a smile. Good luck! |
| 2009-08-04 1:57 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| 569 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help KSH and other "swimmers"... I never said I was fast. I just want to swim faster. To be honest you, your post at first made me feel like "why should I try". Do me a favor stand by your original post and dont say sorry. Your exactly they type of person I want to pass on the bike or the run.. remember paybacks are a ... |
| 2009-08-04 2:02 PM in reply to: #2327497 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Thaitri - 2009-08-04 1:57 PM KSH and other "swimmers"... I never said I was fast. I just want to swim faster. To be honest you, your post at first made me feel like "why should I try". Do me a favor stand by your original post and dont say sorry. Your exactly they type of person I want to pass on the bike or the run.. remember paybacks are a ... I didn't say you said you were fast. That wasn't my point. My point was this... you were asking about how to get faster... you will get faster by working on your form. You can work on your form with a coach. You want to swim faster. Swimming is ALL ABOUT FORM. You can try to swim faster.. but without good form, you are just going to make yourself very tired, quickly. And you will just reinforce the bad form you may currently have. I also said that you would NOT be last in the water. And you won't be. Not even close. Not sure how that ='s "I shouldn't even try". And I'm sure you would pass me on the bike or run. And as you passed me I would say, "great job! keep it up!". |
| 2009-08-04 2:04 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| Member 195 Akron, OH | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help I agree that it's unlikely you can increae your speed other than possibly by wearing a wetsuit which will likely give you better position in the water. That's something you may want to consider and if you can (temp wise) I would definitely practice with it in the open water this weekend. While I agree doing speed drills won't make you faster 10 days from now, I would take full advantage of your OW swims. What you can do is minimize the likelihood of a common problem I call the OWS Freak Out! Definitely get out there a couple times a day and swim the distance with someone keeping track of you of course. There is a huge difference between OW and the pool and suffering the OWS freak out will definitely slow you down. Good luck and have a great time. Personally, I think 2:30 per 100 puts you square in the middle of the pack for "beginners" With some coaching, drills, and work, you'll be under 2:00 in no time. Keep at it!! |
| 2009-08-04 2:07 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| 569 | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Now that we understand each other,,, when you pass me in the swim I will also say "good job keep it up".. And we will all be happy... I do have access to a swim coach next week. But I guess its too late... Jeez I have been swimming for 10 weeks. At week one I could not even swim 4 laps... |
| 2009-08-04 2:24 PM in reply to: #2327533 |
| Member 34 Florida | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help I was thinking the same thing you were, I have two and a half weeks till my first sprint and I talked to a few local triathletes about any pointers. Most of them said to have fun and enjoy it, but a few told me to swim at a descent pace bike at a little bit faster pace and run without walking. From what I have heard on a sprint the way to make up time is in transition. I know I am going to be practicing T1 and T2 this weekend. Good Luck! |
| 2009-08-04 2:26 PM in reply to: #2327533 |
| Alpharetta, Georgia | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Thaitri - 2009-08-04 2:07 PM Now that we understand each other,,, when you pass me in the swim I will also say "good job keep it up".. And we will all be happy... I do have access to a swim coach next week. But I guess its too late... Jeez I have been swimming for 10 weeks. At week one I could not even swim 4 laps... If you have access to a swim coach it is not going to hurt you - why not take advantage of it?? As for the rest of this thread... all I can say is don't ask questions if you're not prepared to hear (or deal with) answers you don't like. |
| 2009-08-04 2:41 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Expert 1276 Salem | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help From one Newbie to another..Just completed my second Tri-It which is comprised of a shorter swim (1/4 mile instead of a half). My first time out I was 8th out of the water and I did what I thought I'd do in time 8:29. What is also amazing is that at one point I used the side stroke to rest my arms and get my breathing back in line. Last weekend, my second race, Tri-It again, I was first out of the water 7:55 and again at one point I had to do the side stroke as I got a mouth full of water. Getting used to the wetsuit has takes some doing and feeling comfortable in it. My point is keep at it practice, practice, practice whether in the pool or the lake it will begin to pay off. I up'd my swimming time quite a bit for about 6 weeks between Tri's and just having the time in the water has helped. I am planning for about the next four weeks get in some Open Water Swims with the local club so I can get used to having the wetsuit on and swimming in Open Water. Good Luck. |
| 2009-08-04 2:45 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Pro 4277 Parker, CO | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help Thaitri - 2009-08-04 10:23 AM Ok, only about 10 days out of my first sprint. This will be my final weekend of training before my taper. I am lucky enought to have access to a lake for 3 days this weekend. I know I can swim the distance (1/2 mile). This morning I was in the pool to get some number as to where I am with times. Swam a 300 at what I "think" is my sprint pace. I came in at about 2:30 per 100. I rested and then swam a hard 100. The 100 came it at 2:15 ish. I know I cannot keep the 2:15 for the 1/2 mile. But, i would like to work on some speed drills. Can anyone recommend some drills for me. Is there anything I can do to bring my times down a bit? Also where would a 20 min 1/2 mile put me in a typical field? Thank for all your help over the past 10 weeks.. being someone that is a self taught swimmer I don't look at your swim times as being all that bad. as someone else mentioned, with 10-days to go until your tri there really isn't too much you can do at this point. my time fro a 100 meters is about 2:15 and I can hold that for over a mile. I've thought about a coach as well but not sure I want to drop the cash just to take a couple minutes off my mile swim. But I am sure there are some things that can be pointed out to us self-taught swimmers. Funny, a couple years ago I started swimming with a masters group after a lot of encouragement from some people at my gym. I think I had 3 or 4 people telling me 3 or 4 things I was doing wrong! then arguements with eah other about what I should focus on. They were all excellent swimmers but couldn't coach worth a darn. I didn't last too long with that group and eventually joined a different club. Anyway, the point being if you do get a coach, find one that is highly recommended and stick with him/her. Getting the wrong coaching can be somewhat discouraging! good luck with your 1st triathlon and have fun passing people on the bike and run! |
| 2009-08-04 2:48 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
Expert 945 Auburn AL | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help I think Terry from Total Immersion put it like this. All the energy in the world will not make you swim much faster until you figure out how to "get through" the water. Water is so much denser than air, that technique is the only thing that will make much of an impact in your swimming. Look at some of the Total Immersion info online and practice some of the balance drills etc. Probably be best to use what you brought in the race and then focus on technique after. I was right there where you are this past october, and just swam the mile in an olympic in 29 minutes. Not blazing, but TI made it possible. |
| 2009-08-04 3:16 PM in reply to: #2326947 |
| Regular 94 Seattle | Subject: RE: Swim advise, please help The best speed drill I can think of for someone 10 days out from their first open water swim tri would be to practice swimming straight and practice sighting. While you may not actually be swimming faster you will hopefully be swimming a shorter distance. If you can get back to the lake pick a spot to sight to and swim. If in the pool, and you can get a lane to yourself try swimming half a length with your eyes closed to get a sense of if you are pulling one way or the other. Have fun and good luck in your race Edited by charlieq 2009-08-04 3:17 PM |
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