QuincyF and Oriolepwr's Magical Mys-tri Tour for Newbies Has Begun (CLOSED) (Page 27)

Can you recommend some swim drills for improving speed/effeciency? I can now swim around 400 yards consistently without stopping but I'd like to get a bit faster and I'm not really sure how to go about that...????

TIA!

Very interested in the answer to that too!

Jacki

I think it is a professional pic...I grabbed it off Facebook.  So cool!  As much as I love my Colts, it's better for my city to have teams from 2 east coast, high income cities!  Our town is happy to be in the spotlight this week, and if I may say, I think we're knocking it out of the park!

Yes...totally listened to my body...it's taken me about 5 cycles of that back injury to recongize it early and stop it before it got bad.  I feel good about that!  Actually, I'm pretty sure it's triggered by getting lazy with my stretching.  Probably for the last 4-6 weeks, I've just let things get in the way and have not been stretching appropriately after my runs or spins.  There's a lesson in that, gang!  I hope some of you can benefit from my pain.

Oh yes, there was Bluepoint IPA and pizza in abundance

Hey all!

Quick quotes that I'm guilty of busting out:

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner!"  I pretty much do this every time I see a corner and anyone near it.  Probably gets old, but I can't help myself.

"What's wrong with being sexy?"  Probably my go-to Tap quote, but I've seen this so many times I think I could recite it end to end.  Never gets old. 

"How would you like a mouth full of teeth?"  Plains, Trains and Automobiles is a goldmine.

Proud to say I got in the pool the other day.  Felt feeble, conspicuous, ridiculous, but I made myself spend a half-hour trying to figure stuff out and I tried to keep moving even though there was lots of frustrated stopping and splurting and gasping.  I can't think about everything at once, so I'm starting by just trying to breathe.  And that's enough.  Folks, I did one length of the pool maybe three times, breathing every EACH TIME I reached with my right arm.  Couldn't do the return trip without choking, so I guess one length is my personal best.  Humbling.  I watched a couple other folks who knew what they were doing and one swimmer was breathing just like I was.  The other guy was breathing every four strokes or so.  My goal for now is to use what resources I can short of a personal coach (videos, links here, etc.) and keep getting in the pool (twice a week currently) - insisting on a set amount of time on task and trying to get, for now, a length and back with controlled breathing. 

Running's going good, but I've got some doubts about the accuracy of my Garmin with regard to heart zones.  It's currently based on my resting heart rate, but it's been near impossible for me to run in zone 2.  So I think I'm going to pay $150 to get tested to see where my aerobic threshold and all that good stuff is.  I'm starting the training, but with doubts about where I'm supposed to be "living" on my runs and rides, I'm doing some guesswork so far.  However, today I did 7 miles (which is a big run for me - woot!) and was determined to stay between 2.5-3.2 for the majority of the run regardless of the pace.  It felt really slow at first (it was!  over 13 minute miles!) but what a great "run."  Didn't feel like I was killing myself, got into a good groove, felt like I could have gone further, and got home without being completely wasted.  So maybe the watch is accurate and I've just been running at a higher heart rate than I should be. 

That's it for me.  So much cool stuff in the last few pages of posts I don't know where to begin.  Your life stories and all the encouragement make me proud to be among you.  I'm off to scout some of the swim links - please keep those coming if you find more!

-Kent

I celebrated mine, too! Happy b-day, fellow Aquarian!  I, however, am much older than you.  47, to be exact.

"Count de Monay!! Count da Monay"

"It's good to be the king!"

"The Inquisition, what a show!"

LOVE History of the World: Part I!!!

Google fingertip drag drill, catch up dril, and side arm balance drill. You should be able to find videos on all of them...you could spend an entire season working on those three drills. I'll see if I can find some video I like...

I like to do drills with small zoomer type fins on so I am going roughly the same speed as when I am swimming normally.  Last year I did them after my warm up and again after my cool down...but once in a set is probably enough.

This video covers pretty much the major drills I use! Pay no attention to the bombed out pool he's swimming in...

mjh1975 - 2012-02-01 10:20 AM Morning everyone.  I hope that everyone is doing well and sorry I have been MIA for a while, but this work stuff is getting in the way.  Im back on the training after a battle with the an ear infection and chest cold (cough really).  LAst night was awesome.  Did a quick 1 mile run, Spin class for 1 hr and then back to the treadmill for another 1 mile run. 

Welome back, nice duathlon! I was out for a family cold for a couple of days too...that thing was SAPPING! 

I am actually thrilled at how many of you have stuck around and are posting regularly! A lot of mentor groups have several people who join and then never come back...you guys are the real deal and it makes it so much more fun for Dave and I! Not that it's your job to entertain us, but it is an excellent perk to the position!

Now I just gotta figure out what rock Mark crawled under...I thought the movie quotes might flush him out...

Bumping this so it doesn't get lost on the old page...want you all to see this...

For those of you training without a plan, how are the swim workouts coming? Are you doing straight distances or breaking it up (this is what you should be doing). Do you need help with your swim workouts?

Question about running: Should I be trying to breathe diaphragmatically?

I'm a mouth breather/chest breather.  Thus, I can get winded pretty easily.  I'm also built more for sprinting - 5'4" with BIG muscles.  Endurance is hard form me.  While I was running today, I tried to concentrate on breathing more from the belly than the chest.  It seemed to work (until my hip started cramping up).  I'm trying to run 5 minutes, walk 1, but I couldn't get in a rhythm today.  Am I headed in the right direction?

I also have a Sunnto watch that I've had for several years that took to a jeweler for a battery change.  That caused the watch to malfunction and now I have to send it in to be repaired, so I"m not without a HR monitor/training watch.  Any suggestions on what to do until the watch comes back?

HI Lauren,

For what it is worth I am a chest breather unless I am trying to bring my hear rate down then I do breath from my stomach.  One of the best pieces of advice I got about HR was the bigger idea is how quickly you can slow your heart rate during recovery.  I am/was excited that yesterday my HR peaked at 182 (i know its really, really high) during spin class and I was able to get it down 40 pts during my 3 minute cool down. The other good piece of info I got was to do what feels right.   IMO, breath however you want as long as it feels good and is comfortable.

Sorry about your watch! Boo! Do you run with music? You could run for a song...they are usually about 3-6 minutes, then count to 60...

Or if you run in a familiar route, run for about 1/2 mile (guessing is fine), then walk a block...

Breathing...I think it will come as you run more and build your machine from a sprinter to a goforeverer...nothing wrong with practicing a little breath control while you are running, I do it all the time...a conscious slow deep inhale and exhale and then back to breathing on pattern with my footstrikes (don't try to do this, it just happens naturally)...

Anyone else on breathing? You all definitely need to be breathing at all times, don't forget to do it...

Q

Thanks, I've been doing the fingertip drag one and the one with the pull buoy to practice arms, I'll add the others in as well.  How often do you do these drills? Every time? Is it in addition to your regular distance, or in place of?

He mentored last year, in fact the group is still sorta active. No new group this time around though. Funny, when I entered his group last January I didn't realize we were basically neighbors. Now he's a good friend, small world.

Just got back from a few days away with the family. No training since Saturday but I'm off til Monday so back at it tomorrow. Man is there alot of activity in this group! Feel lost after 4 days

OK, brother Dave, took your advice again and skipped yesterday.  Today I reached a milestone in my run training plan C to 5K.  I'm upto 9 minutes of running, call it WALK'UN, and I did 2.10 miles in less than 30 minutes for the first time.

BTW Q, breathing SUCKS! LOL

Thanks for all the comments.

ROCK ON!

Tom

YES!!  I think you are headed in the right direction! 

"goforeverer"  I like that.   Ya breathing.  hmmm   goforevering does require you to breathe as relaxed as possible.   Belly breathing would be fine if you can do that.   I'm not all that conscience about how I'm exactly breathing when I am relaxed.       So whatever method of breathing helps you to achieve a relaxed state, that should be fine.     I am very much aware of breathing when I'm going at a faster than "easy" pace.    Then I'm monitoring it closely.       Running at a good clip, I will breath in using two stages, so  two in.  then one longer exhale.

    When I notice I'm at that stage I know, I'm working,  then it advances to a much quicker pattern.      

 Like Q mentioned.   I believe this will come as you build your engine.   In the mean time whatever you think helps you to relax more and still be running, must be a good thing.

what to do without your watch?     enjoy the run!   forget the time.   Just look around and be happy you are out there.   As simple as that sounds,  it is not always easy to just go out there and forget the details.  

Awesome my brotha!    you are getting there!   I'm going to go out on a limb, and  bet you beat that time the next two times you try.   Just a hunch.

The "fist" drill in that video is one that I use, and feel it helps me quite a bit.     Besides technique which as you know is almost everything in swimming, you are still working on your engine.   So speed intervals are going to help do that.    Similar to run/walk run/walk   you just have to work as hard as you can for a length or a lap, then recover, work as hard as you can, then recover.    

Today I registered for my 70.3 for this year, as well as the Chicago Marathon!    ouch! 

The race director has spoken (DW)   My 70.3 is Door County on July 22.  

Door County Video!

So with the Illinois marathon in late April,  Door county in July, Chicago Mary in October and  the JFK ultra in November,  I now have my "A" races set in stone.    can't register for JFK until May.  By then hopefully I will have a better idea on if I can handle it or not.  I'm thinking I  CAN!  hee hee.   

Lots of events in between these.   Can't wait for race season which will kick off for me with the 8K Shamrock Shuffle in March!  My DW Eileen is also running it.   We will have a blast hanging with Q and her family!       Getting psyched up for the season as you can tell.   It seems so long ago that I was in race mode. 

Door County looks awsome!  HAve you done it before; I am still looking for a July Race.

Nope have not even been to Door County before ha!   Do triathlon and see the world!  hee hee     I think its a tough course.  Many people think its a top notch event.  I do think it will be a beautiful course.   But painful.      Come join us! 

Yvonne,

Last year I did them every swim session, before and after my main set. But I am not sure it helped me as my swims slowed down a bit (but I got much more efficient). Ideally at some point you and I will both have a session with a coach and they will tell us which drills to do to help us work on OUR OWN particular deficiencies. Until then, these drills are universal for improving stroke. I would say do them at least once during your swim sets...