Gray Guys/Girls Masters Focus Triathlete Forum (all levels welcome)--CLOSED (Page 17)

The Garmin 910XT and the Suunto Ambit2 both count laps, although both watches are over $500 retail so kind of pricey just to count laps.  Both watches use the built in accelerometer to determine a new lap and if you don't push off the wall HARD it may not count the lap.  I had this problem when I was using the Garmin.  I finally got tired of a number of issues with the Garmin and found a good deal on the Suunto, it has the same issue with pushing off the wall, but not near as bad as the Garmin. 

Not to hijack the thread, but while we are on the subject.  If you are looking for a high end GPS watch, I strongly suggest you check out the Suunto Ambit2.  It does everything the Garmin 910XT does, and in my opinion, it does it better, plus you can download apps (think smartphone) to increase functionality.  It has incredible battery life and can actually be worn as a day-to-day watch in addition to all the other stuff it does.

Anyway, back to counting laps -

Just slide the lane line discs down and use the discs to keep track of your laps.  A LOT less expensive than a watch that will count laps.

Thank you, glad it is helping!

Hi Melanie,

Obviously, I haven't seen you swim so I am speculating.  I suspect your body rotation is not even.  You kind of give it away with the comment, "Sometimes I know the angle of my wrist is wrong (hand sort of pointing up when I start the stroke)."  Your hand 'pointing up' is a classic sign of over-reaching and the normal cause of over-reaching is over-rotation.  It is a common, especially for a swimmer that only breaths to one side, to over-rotate when you breath.  Unfortunately, that becomes habit so even if you only breath every 4th stroke, you will still tend to over-rotate to the breathing side on the non-breathing stroke (hope that makes sense).

Assuming that is the problem, here are a couple things to work on.

• Learn how to breath to both sides.  99 times out of 100, bi-lateral breathing will eliminate uneven body rotation.  Beyond the technique advantage, having the ability to breath to both sides is a very good skill to have.  Consider this, you breath to the right.  One day you go to an event in the ocean (or a lake), there is a 20 knot wind coming in from the right, kicking up a 3 foot swell.  If you can't breath to the left side, you are going to be drinking salty sea water or dirty lake water.  If you can breath to your left side, you don't have the breathing problem.  I would adopt a breath on every third stroke pattern.  If you need to breath every stroke, then breath left on even laps, and breath right on odd laps (or whatever works for you).
• Concentrate on even body rotation.  If you really key in on your shoulders, you can tell if you are equal or not.
• Finally, once you know rotation is symmetrical, focus on the entry and catch.  Make sure your hand is in the correct position.

Hope that helps.  If you can, have someone take some video and I can take a look.

I train in Brooks exclusively.  The Pure Flow is my favorite shoe ever.  Just enough cushion and not clunky at all.  I have worn them in several half marathons and my dismal full marathon.  The issues in those races were not from shoes but my body just not cooperating and weather....I have 3 pairs of the Pure Flow currently--one I just took out of regular run cycle cause they are pretty high miles so I use them for the mile- or two  warm up on the tready before strength training.  The other 2 pair are fairly new.

I also have the Connect (runs small but I do love the shoe), Drift ( I love the shoe but it doesn't work well for me--it's a gym shoe), the Ghost (LOVE this almost as much as the Flow) and Launch. (good shoe my pair is old and I need to order new ones now that Brooks brought them back)

Brooks has a very generous return policy --even if you purchase at the store (I order on line directly) if you test them out and find the shoe really doesn't work for you they will allow returns up to a reasonable number of miles.  

Thanks to you all I have been to the pool twice!!  Scott I very much appreciate your blog posts and suggestions here.  As a visual learner I was wondering if there are any online videos that you could recommend that illustrate some of the stoke mechanics you have mentioned.  I think I am am still confused on hand position at entry and how to get an effective pull. 

I love your suggestion about lane markers as lap counter!  My head is too busy reciting Scottisms to remember numbers too.

I also thank you all for your thoughts and prayers concerning my MIL.  My husband is getting home today and I am looking forward to having some family time.

Quick note --- just registered for Across the Bay 10K.  Chesapeake Bay bridge run.  Excited!  They haven't run this race in 7 years.  http://www.bridgerace.com/.

Boston Marathon RD is the RD for this race.

I have a link in my blog about a recent accident ......a local runner was struck and killed by a drunk driver the other day.  Please consider running for megsmiles this Saturday.  

If you are on FB there are several groups involved in the effort to run for her and the buzz is her favorite color was purple so they asked people wear purple.

There is a back story to the accident that is really sad.....the driver is a local doctor whose own wife was killed by a drunk driver about 20 years ago.  He won a huge wrongful death suit at the time.....guess payback is what they say it is....he is also undergoing chemo.....so sad.  I remember him from when he made rounds--even though I worked in the ER....

Hi Wendy -

The first step to fixing the problem is identifying the problem and it sounds like you have already done that.  The technique flaw(s) are most likely because breathing to your left is not as comfortable.  It is kind of like eating, if you normally eat with your right hand, and then pick up a fork with your left hand, you can do it, but it isn't comfortable.  You are lifting your head because you aren't rolling enough to the left.  I would suggest that you only breath to your left side for the next several workouts.  The awkwardness will go away as you put in more and more laps.  Just stick with it and remember the goal - you want to get to where you can breath equally well to both sides.  Really focus in on symmetrical body rotation.  After you have done a few complete workouts breathing to the left, then go to breathing every third stroke, or, if you need to breath every stroke, breath to the left on one lap and to the right the next lap.  The important thing is to breath to the 'off' side frequently enough that it becomes natural and is no longer the 'off' side.

There is a website located at swimsmooth.com that has a couple of animations.  The animations are fairly good, and are the closest I have found to what I believe is proper stroke technique.  However, while the website does advocate a high elbow catch and pull, the animations don't portray that as clearly as I might like (arguably it shows the high elbow, just not real clearly so when you watch it, think high elbow).  Also, in my opinion, the animation does not show what I believe to be proper hand position at entry.  They are showing basically a flat hand somewhat pointed down, as opposed to my theory, which is the hand somewhat angled palm in and somewhat pointed down.  The animation does accurately reveal what is taking place underwater, from the catch, all the way through the pull and full extension at the hip.  It also accurately shows proper body rotation and bi-lateral breathing.  You have the option of speeding up or slowing down the animation so that may be helpful.  If you watch the animation and use my 'Catch and Pull' article as commentary you will probably have a fairly concise and accurate portrayal of the freestyle stroke.

Hope that helps.

Steve --- Thanks for the VDOT calculator sites.  I plan to use the RunBayou calculator.  I've just signed up for a 5K on February 22nd.  I'll plug in the time and go from there.  Then I will have to dust off the Garmin and try to run to set paces.

Purchasing shoes --- I have been very happy with Holabird Sports.  Shoes are well-priced and delivered really, really fast.  They even throw in a future discount coupon on purchases and I've also been sent random shirts w/ shoes.

Next week --- I'm out of pocket starting this afternoon until next Saturday.  Off for a bit of R&R.