General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Getting my head around swimming Rss Feed  
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2009-10-25 7:25 PM

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Subject: Getting my head around swimming

I feel like I'm plaguing everyone with questions at the moment, but this site is by far the best place to get answers, I've discovered, so here's another question:

I was training for Ironman NZ 2008 and never got to the start, for a number of reasons. At the start of my training, I was really keen on getting to the pool each swim session, never needed extrinsic motivation and always gave it my all. (In fact I told people that the swim would be my best discipline. I cringe now, thinking of that...) As time went on, I found myself less and less inclined to go to the pool. I felt like I made no progress, despite hearing all the time from the squad coach that I was improving all the time etc, and in the end, I had to force myself to go. Then, at a squad swim one night, the coach got us to do a group exercise where the slowest went out first, and the fastest last, which resulted in someone beginning to swim up my legs. At this point, I did a Snagglepuss 'exit stage left' and got the heck out of the pool. I wasn't scared, but a voice in my head said "I'm not ready for this".  A few days after this, I was diagnosed with a horrendous ear infection which required repeated antibiotic courses and the doc barred me from swimming. Somewhere in my brain, that voice said "oh, thank heaven for that."

After a couple of years of light training, on and off, I'm about to embark on coached training again for Ironman 2011, but I'm wondering about getting back in the water. Is this one of those situations where the only way to do it is to do it? Or, is there reading out there that I could do that might help me get things in perspective?

Any advice gratefully received.

 



2009-10-25 7:45 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming

If you wrecked on your bike, would you not get right back on and ride again??

2 years ago, I wrecked on my mountain bike, broke my arm, cracked my cheek, stiches to the face, etc.  What did I do?  Figured mountain biking was too dangerous so bought a Tri bike so I could go really fast!

I say, jump back in the water, you will get over it pretty quickly.

2009-10-27 2:55 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming
Coming from someone with a water phobia...just do it. Couldn't swim 25 yards in the summer. Am now up to 1400 yards. Every bit of advice I got here was "just do it". Commit to a swim schedule and stick to it. I used to have nightmares the night before I would swim. I am now in the process of taking my pool swim to open water. The same principle applies to that...I absolutely hate it, but I will just go and put in the time. Good luck.
2009-10-27 3:12 PM
in reply to: #2482378

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming
I can't tell from your post - were you scared of swimming, or just lost motivation to swim?
2009-10-27 3:50 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming
That reminds me when I was learning to do ski jumps.  Sometimes after a less than ideal landing (read: wipeout) I didn't want to ski anymore.  But once I'd hit that landing smooth as butter MAAAN did that feel good and had my confidence and enthusiasm restored.

Edited by ionlylooklazy 2009-10-27 3:50 PM
2009-10-27 4:06 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming
I'm having a hard time reading if this is a motivational issue or a fear issue?

What's your background?  Have you done a shorter triathlon?  Your logs are bare so its hard to tell. 

If you haven't done a triathlon before, why jump right into an Ironman?  I'm not knocking, just curious.  I'd say most follow the progression of sprint, Oly, half-iron to iron, but I could be wrong.

What about starting with short-term goals?  What can I do today?  What can I do this week?  How many miles can I ride this month?  That kind of stuff.  When you can set short-term, attainable goals, the larger goals don't seem that overwhelming.


2009-10-27 4:09 PM
in reply to: #2482543

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming
strostertag - 2009-10-27 5:06 PM I'm having a hard time reading if this is a motivational issue or a fear issue?

What's your background?  Have you done a shorter triathlon?  Your logs are bare so its hard to tell. 

If you haven't done a triathlon before, why jump right into an Ironman?  I'm not knocking, just curious.  I'd say most follow the progression of sprint, Oly, half-iron to iron, but I could be wrong.

What about starting with short-term goals?  What can I do today?  What can I do this week?  How many miles can I ride this month?  That kind of stuff.  When you can set short-term, attainable goals, the larger goals don't seem that overwhelming.


Not knocking IM as goal. Keeping working toward it if that's what you want. But i highly highly recommend some shorter distance tris to get used to group and open water swimming. Those will give you an excellent indicator as to your readiness to do an IM swim.
2009-10-27 4:22 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming

Ok, some clarification of my original post:

First (and only) triathlon was in 2006, and it was just a teeny weenie mini-sprint, at Warwick in England. I came back to NZ in 2007 and started working in the town where IMNZ is held. So, there was a club there that specialised in helping people train for Ironman, going through the stages, with the IM as a one-year goal. I'd always wanted to do it, so I joined this group, engaged the services of a coach and got stuck in. Everything was going really well, i.e. training was on schedule, squad swimming twice a week and another swim session myself, running up to 2.5 hours on long runs, cycling up to 3 hours etc on long rides, bricks up to 1.5 hours, so well on the way. The plan was to do a series of smaller tris, spread out across the year.

All good up to September, when I started dreading the swim sessions. The drill with the other person swimming up my back was in early October, by which time I'd already been trying to give myself excuses not to go swimming for about 3 weeks. But, I'd also just been diagnosed with the mighty ear infection, which took weeks to sort out. So, I was ordered out of the pool when the initial round of treatment didn't work, and from then I found it really hard to go back into the pool.

I actually can't tell you if it's fear or motivation that's the issue here, which sounds utterly ridiculous. Consciously, I'm not afraid of the water at all, never have been, and had previously felt that swimming would be my strongest discipline.

But, the best advice is what nearly all of you have said: I need to shut up, stop whining and get in the pool!

I'll just do it and stop being such a big baby for nothing. It's quite pathetic actually and it's high time I got over it!

Thanks to all for brilliant advice and the proverbial slap around the ear that I needed!



Edited by mathsgeek 2009-10-27 4:23 PM
2009-10-27 6:21 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming

I started working with a Master's style class 3 years ago.  I am still among the slowest.  However, in the past 3 years I have gone from a step above put your face in and blow bubbles to having a relatively pretty stroke that's slow.  I have also managed to learn a passable (and pitifully slow) butterfly and breast stroke.  Yes, it's frustating nd embarrassing to see people who came into the lass after me make more progress in speed than I have.  But, I know one day all my swim workouts will pay off with some speed as well as good form.

Time to HTFU and go to the pool.  The only way to get better is to swim.

2009-10-27 6:27 PM
in reply to: #2478684

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Subject: RE: Getting my head around swimming

Yep, Queen Zip, some cement pills are definitely in order for me.

My swim stroke is ok, I had the coach refine my technique a bit, but I hadn't really ever been coached in a pool before, so that was to be expected. The weird thing about the whole issue is that my swimming has always been ok, so the dread stuff must have come from somewhere else.

But, as you and others have said, the only way to sort it out is just to sort it out.

I'll be fine, I'm just looking for excuses.

 

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