Gray Guys/Girls Masters Focus Triathlete Forum--OPEN! (Page 14)

Hi Karl,

Obviously I haven't seen you swim.  That said, if you can only go 100 yards before you "get tired and panicky," I suspect your technique could use some improvement and your swim fitness is probably non-existent.  Sorry for being blunt but you asked.

You clearly have some level of fitness because you are regularly running, etc.  However, that does not always directly translate into fitness in the pool.  Especially when there are technique flaws.  I have a saying that applies to new or struggling swimmers, they try to "beat the water into submission."  Let me explain - newer or inexperienced swimmers tend to not be very smooth in the water.  They tend to have quite a lot of splash from "beating on the water," which wastes energy.  They likely have very poor hand entry into the water and a non-existent catch so, more often then not, their first stroke movement is sideways or down, not back.  The ineffective or absent catch results in an inefficient pull through the water.  That wastes energy and doesn't provide much forward momentum.  It is not uncommon to see new swimmers "snake" down the pool, brought about by inefficient and/or unequal stroke, little or no body roll and often they have a poor kick.  On top of all of that, those same swimmers generally have very poor body position in the water which creates a huge amount of drag making it that much more difficult to move through the water.   I have seen swimmers that have been swimming for quite some time that have some or all of those problems or any of a number of other problems to  numerous to mention.

For that swimmer, there is no swim fitness per se because they lack effective stroke technique.  Swim fitness flows out of training with proper technique.

All of those problems together conspire against success in the water.  That struggling swimmer expends a GREAT deal of energy with very little movement through the water.  They figure, "I just need to go faster," so they begin to speed up their turnover rate and try to kick harder and are expending even MORE energy with very little movement through the water.  After just a couple laps (in a short course pool, maybe not even a single lap in a long course pool), they are completely thrashed and hanging on the wall gasping for air.  As if all of that isn't enough, that same struggling swimmer KNOWS he/she is struggling and the lack of confidence in the water often leads to panic which raises the heart rate even higher making it that much more difficult to improve.  Sadly, that is the point where many people just say "insert expletive of your choice" and get out of the pool, never to look back again.

A lot of people would tell that swimmer at this point that they just need to swim further, that they're struggling because they haven't put in enough yards.  The fallacy of that advice is that is does not address the real problem - poor technique.  I think I probably say this at least once a week to someone, "You can swim thousands of yards but if your technique is poor, you are wasting your time."  As you have said, you have already tried putting in the yards and all that got you was frustration.

I say break the cycle.  Learn proper technique and start making progress instead of just going in circles.

Last "season" there was a woman in our mentor group that could not swim 25 yards without having to hang on the wall in near panic, gasping for breath (sound familiar?).  I developed a plan for her and in 14 weeks she progressed to doing a sprint triathlon (750 yard swim).  Let me be clear - SHE did the work, I only take credit for making a couple of suggestions.  If you are interested, I will be happy to share the plan we developed because I suspect it is exactly the plan that will help you succeed in conquering the swim.

Janet,

Nothing makes me happier than helping someone improve their swimming.  I will be happy to try and answer any question you may have.

Steve,

My work here is done if you are going to learn bi-lateral breathing!  As I said, I don't often breath to both sides during a race, or even during workouts for that matter - however I maintain the skill.  That said, there are still a number of options for us old people.  Sprint Triathlon National Championships come to mind.  If you want to podium there, you better be on your game cause those people are fast and they are fast across the board.  If you want to do well, you have to be equally fast - across the board, which means you probably need to be putting in a LOT of yards in the pool.  If you come out of the water 2-3 minutes behind, there simply may not  be time to catch up.

Then there is that little thing known simply as KQ, or Kona qualify.  Of course, when you start talking about that, you are talking about an athlete, who even at the amateur level, is rapidly approaching the training volume of a professional athlete.

Scott 

For new swimmers I even take this further.  I tell those I work with, if you fatigue to the point that your stroke begins to break down, extend your rest period.  If that does not correct the stroke, get out of the water, go home, and try again next time.

Your right, you are doing yourself a disservice to continue trying to swim once your mechanics have broken down.

My theory is this.  The biggest factor in stroke degradation is typically fatigue.  The root of fatigue however is generally lactic acid.  New swimmers spend virtually ALL there time swimming anaerobically.  In your example, switching from 100's to 50's, while that may seem to resolve the problem, you are likely still right at threshold and your stroke, while better, is still not "perfect" because of lactic acid.  Because newer swimmers are generally swimming anaerobic from the start, I keep the sets to repetitions of 25 and have them do maybe 12-16 which keeps the initial workouts to 400 yards or less.  The entire focus is technique.  There will be plenty of time to develop a base once technique is correct.  In any case, taking a couple of weeks to dial in a new swimmer is not going to put any kind of dent in to overall training goals.

Technique comes first!

Hi Kim,

Welcome to our group!

My wife enjoys bad knees also.  She goes to the orthopedic doctor every few months for a shot which keeps things tolerable.  She is much more able to do things now than before she went to the doctor.  So my first question for you is have you talked to a doctor about your knees?  Your knees certainly don't have to limit you, however you probably want to get an OK from a physician before you start a serious training regimen to avoid injury in the future.

Fire away with your questions.  There is quite a lot of experience here and people that will be happy to give you advice/suggestions.