JohnnyKay and Fred Doucette's HIM/IM focused Mentor group-CLOSED (Page 51)

We did a combined Grand Canyon / IMAZ in 2009.   Great trip (although I'm very scared of heights and it shows in all the pictures).

In for IMTX.  Plan was to do IMKY as well.  Thought for a moment about switching to Tremblant or NYC but Tremblant looks very hilly on the bike and NYC just looks like an expensive hassle.  I'm back with IMKY.

Rolling bike suits me well and I can handle the heat.  The Ohio River, well sometimes it better to not be able to see what you're swimming in.

I figure if I can shave 1:12 (that's an hour and 12 minutes...not one minute and 12 seconds) off Saturday's time...I'd love to add that race to my calandar.

Been very MIA and I spotty in posting for the past few days - vacation + bad internet + back to work = no posting.

To jump on the "next year" bandwagon I really started to think about Tremblant.  The race should be gorgeous, and the travel isn't too much for me.  Just not sure that I'm ready to do an IM, although I would like to.  I know a lot of people choose to do an IM after 1-2 years in the sport, but I don't think I have the base yet - especially in the run.  Also not sure I could manage the training volume with the rest of life.

Swim technique question - when your arm enters it into the water do you tend to let it dive towards the bottom of the pool, on approximately a 45 degree angle?  I was letting it stay more in front of me closer to the surface thinking it was more streamlined but then read other ideas about how you're creating resistance more than anything else.  Thoughts?

I also need to invest a second fan for the basement.  Trainer ride this morning and I was dripping -  we don't crank the A/C in the summer, just keep it "pleasant", but the extra heat was a killer this morning.  I'm used to a nice cool environment.

So, question for the fish.  I took (too much) time off from swimming and am just now feeling like I am getting my stroke back to the MOPish level it was at before.  Fitness is still off, but I know I can get that back by just swimming harder more.  But, anyway, one thing I've never really focused on is upping my turnover.  I've always felt like it throws what modicum of form I do have off and I'm better focusing on things like not diving my hands, keeping my elbows high, no cross-over, etc.  But I wonder if this isn't a little too "TI-ish" and I should just bite the bullet and push the turnover even if I backslide on form first.  That developing the right form along with the higher turnover together might lead to better results than trying to build one and then coming back to the other later.  Or should I keep doing what I am and maybe revisit a turnover focus down the line?  And how much of turnover is like cadence on the bike/run where self-selecting through lots of swimming is the best way to find what 'works'?  Thoughts?

Absolutlely makes sense - but I was playing around with my stroke and seemed to find a touch of speed and ease by letting my arm drop a bit, hence the question.  I'll make the correction.  Related question - when your arm is entering the water how is your hand angled in comparison to your forearm.  I watched a swimmer at the pool a couple of weeks ago that seemed to really have his wrist cocked at entry into the water.  I paid attention since he was in my lane, and kept catching me while making it look effortless.  So I tried copying.

That tends to be how I learn - I copy someone I "believe" is doing it right.  Taught myself to play golf watching pros on TV and I was decent right away, figure it's maybe time to try and do something similar with swimming.