February: Lets grow gills challenge (Page 3)

Well, for the sake of the challenge, I got my third swim in on Sunday.  It got me to the pool!!!  Once there, however, it was ugly.  In the TI book, is says don't practice struggle so I called it a day after 600.  But still, I did make it there, I spent time in the water. 

Today starts a new week and time to grow and improve from there.

Good call.  Every little bit helps, and you were right not to practice struggle.  Sometimes you've just gotta try again on a different day.  Stick with the TI drills.  You WILL build confidence in the water. I went through exactly what you're going through, 1 year ago.

~B

Thanks mainly to this challenge, I have been consistent with swimming 3 times a week even if some have been a bit shorter than others. AND...

 Since others had done their golf score again, I decided to do mine. My first score (Feb 2nd): time 73 seconds + strokes 48= 121 golf score.

Today: time 70 seconds + 44 strokes = 114 golf score.

I am THRILLED!! I had no idea that I had lowered my score. I know that is still an extremely high score by comparison to most of you all, but it is great for me!!

Nancy

Way to go, Nancy.  That's a great improvement in efficiency!  Keeping getting to the pool.

~B

good job everyone.  I'm glad to see the extra time in the pool is paying off for you all.

I managed to figure out a large deficiency in my stroke, so now it feels like I'm back to square one.  I was swimming slowly but strongly up to 1500 yards without a problem.  JUst found out that my catch was really moving water to the side and not really pulling water, so now that I fixed that I'm much faster.  Unfortunately, I'm using a whole new set of muscles, so I'm having to fight a lack of fitness and that akward phase when you first start learning to swim all over again.  The nice thing is though, even though I feel like I'm flailing through the water, I'm still faster then my best days with the old technique.

keep it up guys, there's still a lot of Feb to go!

This is probably premature but (since I am so consistent with 3 swims a week due to this challenge) I wonder if we can do this again in the month of March... Just a thought.

Nancy

i don't see why we can't.  Even if it's not an official challenge, there's nothing stopping you from challenging yourself to keep it up!

It is Friday, due to some circumstances, I had to revamp my schedule.  Tomorrow's scheduled swim got "pre-empted"  So, I "snuck" over to the pool today at lunchtime for a short set.  It gave me my third time in the water this week - Goal met.  But more importantly, this week became the second time since I started this "Tri Thing" that I have swam 3 or more times a week 3 weeks in a row - Yeah.  (next week will be a challenge due to the circumstances- I will have to get more creative.)

thanks for setting this up! 

only a week and a half to go guys!  How's everyone doing???

I didn't post a golf score on friday, so I'll post it now.  Did a moderate effort golf set and the best I came up with was 54 sec plus 41 strokes for a total of 95.  So it's slowly coming down, but I hope to have near or under 90 by the end of the challenge.

Swimming is going pretty well with me -- I have consistently done my 3 swims a week and having taken 7 points off my golf score is motivating me even more! I think my goal for the end of this month golf score will be 110 or under. THAT will be awesome for me!!

Both times I have swum for a score, my very first lap has been my best. I am assuming that is because it is when I am the freshest, but my stroke count is always one or two more thereafter, and my time increases a bit. I guess this is normal??

I'm so bad! I just blatantly slept in this morning, choosing to turn off my alarm rather than swim.  And I know that's dumb because this is an extremely busy week for me, and the mornings are all I have.  Swimming has been going well, too, so I have no good reason to be skipping workouts like that.  I might need a swift kick in the arse from BT.  After all, it is my b-day.

~B

Happy Birthday B!

I am in the same mode as you are today -- slept in this morning in a verrrrry busy week with only mornings available for anything, including my swim. I intend to go tomorrow morning and then again on Friday morning, and fit in a spin class mid day on Friday for my lunch break.

I hate that I didn't push myself out of the bed this a.m. I have been sooooo consitent with my 3 swims a week, I want to keep that up now and post this callenge.

Hope your birthday is fun!

Nancy

Great job Autumn.

I am looking to get in the water Sunday and Monday.  If I fit in Wednesday that will be my most times in the pool in a month since I started "Tri-ing" 

Since I will  not be in the pool anymore in February (but I WILL be in there 3 times this WEEK), here are my stats:

         1/31 Golf -- 73 seconds + 48 strokes = 121

         2/14 Golf -- 70 seconds + 44 strokes = 114

         2/26 Golf -  70 seconds + 40 strokes = 110 (WAHOOOOOOO)

I remain painfully slow!! And when I am not counting for a Golf score, my time goes up a couple of seconds and my stroke increases by 1 or 2. So there is still lots of room for improvement. But the overall improvement is GREAT for me.

I was cnsistent in swimming 3 times every week (for an hour each time) and will continue to do that consistently now that I am in the routine. Total meters swum this month is 25,000. I'm thrilled.

My goal is to keep my eye open for swim clinics to help me improve on - well - everything.

Thanks for organizing this challenge. I will now move on to our March challenge of the longest nonstop swim of (my goal) 2500 meters.

Nancy

Last day of Feb, folks!  I'm going to hit the pool tonight for my final round of golf, and I'm hoping for big things.  I'll check back in tonight or tomorrow.

Good luck to everybody. Happy laps!

~B

Great job to everyone who stuck with it.  I did a good job of getting to the pool til the end.  A trip out of town, a closed motel pool, laziness after the drive, kept me from meeting my 3 swims per week, but for a 4 week month I did great and blew away Feb 2006.  Reset the goal for March 3 x per week with a total of 14 targeted swims.

As for the golf score.  My baseline was 86's an 87's.  Tonight I did 84,82,82,80,81,81.  That surprised me.   I thought I was going to regress.

That's great improvement. Nice job!

I was able to get a low golf score of 72 once, and regularly hit 74.  I'll keep striving for that breakthrough 70.

 Thanks to all (vortmax expecially) for organizing and participating.

~B

Good job to everybody that finished and improved their swimming.

I bailed the very last week too (swam monday, then not tues or wed).  Thesis is a bitter mistress who doesn't like to be ignored.  I have to get a draft out by the end of next week, and since it's spring break, my other profs decided that we would have plenty of free time to do extra homework.  So starting on tuesday and lasting at least until next friday, I will barely have enough time in a day to eat and sleep.