Colin Cook's Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 6)

Yes, we'll try to survive.   I hope I speak for everyone when I say that is very thoughtful of you to be thinking about us, but don't worry about checking up on us at the hotel, just have fun at the tourney!!

Hi Everyone,

OK, I made it back home in one piece.  The tournament was a lot of fun.  We ended up losing in the championship which was disappointing, but oh well.  I'm still pretty tired and didn't get home till late last night, but it was worth it.

How's everyone else doing?  Did everyone get some good training in this weekend?

I did get some good training in this weekend.  And just got back from a nice bike ride.  It's a beautiful, sunny day.

Sorry to hear you didn't win the whole thing, but I'm glad you had fun.  And best of all, it was FREE!  I really have no idea what it's like to play hockey--I can't even roller skate.  But I bet it's some good cross training, too!

Anywho, glad you had fun.  Take your time recovering and I look forward to more mentoring soon!
Skip...

Welcome Back, Colin, and I echo the congratulations on getting to the finals. 

I got to met with Haley on Sunday for her to watch me swim, so I got to get that process started.  I was able to stay well hydrated throughout my time there.  Unfortunately, it was chlorinated water.  I think Golds is going to add a water surcharge to my monthly membership fee.  I know I really need to work on the breathing part, and I'll focus on breathing every 2 strokes vs. 3 strokes until I get better at it.  She said my stroke wasn't really that bad, but "it looks like your using a whole lot of energy" while I swim.    She suggested I do the 3 strokes, then 6 kicks on your side, then 3 strokes, then 6 kicks on the other side, etc. (I can't remember what she called it, but I'm sure many of you reading this will know the name.).  She also mentioned I should not kick with my knees and keep my feet more together.  I think she stayed with me for about 30 minutes, but by the time I did 3 laps, I needed a break.  I knew my endurance would be lacking since I haven't done anything since late February, but I was surprised by how little I could do.  I only did 2 more laps after she left (250 yards total).  She suggested practicing 3x per week to "just get the time in the water," so that's my goal.      Anyway, overall, I'm glad I'm not way off target with my swimming, and I'll be back in there tomorrow.
Thanks,
Russ

Tomorrow evening is my 5K.  Hopefully I will be able to report back with happy thoughts!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the kind words.  But I think Tim said it best...back to reality! 

Andrew's Swim Video

I got an email from Andrew the other day with a couple of swim videos.  I have only linked to one because it was difficult to get much out of the other video.  Nonetheless, here is the the video

Overall, not bad Andrew!  I think with a few minor adjustments, you can significantly improve your efficiency in the water.  The major issues I see are you're not extending your arms out fully at the end of each stroke and you're starting each stroke too quickly.  You will become a lot more efficient by waiting to start each stroke.  This will reduce your stroke count and should make you faster as well.  I strongly recommend you start doing some catch up drill during each swim workout.

Your hip rotation isn't bad.  However, when you start fully extending your arms at the end of each stroke, this is should force you to get better hip rotation.

As for your pull, trying pending elbow a little bit sooner.  You appear to have your arm nearly straight until it is in line with your chest.  You should be able to use more of your lats and generate more power with a little more bend.   

Your leg kicks seems to be a little too long.  I would not be overly concerned with this at this point and would be more focused on what I mentioned above, but when you're ready, try shortening your leg kicks and keeping your feet in close together. 

That should definitely get you started.  As I mentioned to Chad, just make sure you don't try to fix everything at once.  I would start with working on your reach/extension and then reducing the number of strokes you are doing.

How does that sound?

Hey Tim,

GREAT question!

After a workout is a very critical time to stretch out your muscles.  The reason for this is your muscles should be loose at this point.  By stretching the muscles now, you will increase the blood flow to the muscles which will help the muscles recover better and faster.  This will then result in better mobility and reduce the chance of injury.

Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT want to stretch extensively before a workout.  The problem with this is if you stretch extensively before hand, you may tightened/strain the muscles which could lead to injury.  Very light stretching is fine because it will increase the blood flow to the muscles, but be sure not to over do it.

Stretching when you first wake up, is also something you want to be very careful with as this holds the same characteristics as stretching prior to a workout.  Don't get me wrong, some light stretching in the morning is a very good idea, but again, you want to make sure it is very light because you are more prone to tear or pull something during a morning stretch where your muscles are very tight.

As I've mentioned, I'm really big on yoga.  If you could incorporate 1 to 2 sessions of yoga into your weekly schedule, I guarantee you would feel the benefits.  I started doing Yoga when I started my marathon training last year and I've gone almost completely injury free (knock on wood) since doing so.  I try to go 3 times a week, but usually at least twice a week.  On the rare occasion that I miss 2 sessions in a row (I usually go Tuesday, Thursday, + Saturday), I really feel it.  My muscles feel sore and my body just misses it.  The gym I'm a member offers yoga for free, which I really try to take advantage of.  However, I do have a DVD I use when I can't make to the gym or want to do it on a different day than they offer a class.  If you're interested, here is the DVD I use.

I hope that helps Timmy! 

That's great Russ.  It sounds like you had an extremely beneficial session with Haley.  LOL, well with the exception of the chlorine water intake

Once again, as I mentioned to the others, don't try to fix/do everything at once.  I always recommend getting the breathing down first if possible.  Once you do so, you can start focusing on your form.  I also feel that once you've been pointed in the right direction, its often just a matter of putting the time in at the pool and your form will come with time.  Nonetheless, let me know if you have any questions about anything and keep up the great work!

Hey Samantha,

Best of luck tomorrow night.  I'm sure you're going to do great.  Just stay positive and have fun out there! 

I look forward to hearing how you did.

I wish you well, too, Samantha.  I hope you have a great time at the 5k.  Keep all of us posted.
--Russ

Thanks, Colin.  I was actually thinking about that today - getting the breathing down first.  I went back this morning for my 2nd ever swimming session, and it was as tiring as the first.  But I realize once the breathing part gets squared away, the technique improvements will quickly follow; well, at least it will feel like it will go quickly, I hope.  Hope you had a great day.

Tomorrow is bike day for me.  Soon, I'll figure out how to log my training stuff.  I'm sure it's easy, I just haven't looked at it yet.  --Russ

Andrew,

As Colin mentioned he told me to start with the catchup drills and only focus on one thing at a time.  Its been less than two weeks and I can already tell the difference in my stroke length and count.  As I've started to get a little (and I mean a little) better, I've noticed my rotation and breathing has improved as well.
Thanks for that advice Colin.  I still tire INCREDIBLY fast in the pool but I am starting to notice at least a little difference which has given me some hope. 

Chad

That is interesting Chad and I'm a little surprised to hear this.  Are you still breathing every other stroke?  By extending your stroke, you should be having your head underwater a little longer than when you're doing quicker strokes, but the reduction in movement should make you fatigue less quickly.

I'm can't remember if we touched on this yet or not, but are you exhaling while your head is in the water through your nose and then inhaling through your mouth while you bring your head up out of the water?  Also, when you say are you tire incredibly fast, do you mean you are just getting out of breath and it feels like a breathing issue or is your whole body getting tired?

I feel this is getting to be too detailed, but does it matter if you're exhaling through mouth or nose?  I exhale through my mouth in the water.  But, I guess I'm not exhaling enough, because I'm also exhaling when I come up out of the water before taking a breath in.

Thanks for following up Colin.  I am still breathing every other stroke at this point, but I have noticed a reduction in total strokes in each lap which has helped somewhat.  I exhale from my mouth not nose for the most part, does that matter as I think Samantha asked as well?  I guess by breathing out of my mouth I may be releasing all my air much faster than I could thry my nose, which could make me feel like I need air faster??
As for me tiring, its definitely just running out of breath, and not really my body fatiguing.  My legs get a little tired, but I've improved that as I've slowed down and stopped bending my knees as much.  I feel like it's mostly I dont get quite enough air when I come up, which I think is partly due to timing and partly my not breathing long enough becuase I might pull my head up too high, which causes my legs to sink.  I'll be in the pool again today and since I just started feeling a little better on Monday after the few minor tweaks I mentioned, hopefully today I'll feel even better.
Thanks!
Chad

Hey Samantha,

It is perfectly fine to exhale through your mouth in the water.  Most people have trouble with this and find it easier to do through their nose, but either way is perfectly acceptable.  However, you do not want to be exhaling out of the water before taking a breath.  When done properly, you should be fully exhaling while under water and have no air to exhale when you come up to take a breath. 

You do not have enough time to try to exhale and inhale all in the short time you have your mouth above the water.  This is actually why I was asking Chad about his breathing because I am curious if he is doing the same thing.   It will take some practice on getting the timing right, but you want to fully exhale all your air out while you are under water.  This should be done relatively slowly and not in one big burst.  Think of how you exhale normally and try to do that underwater.

I had difficultly finding a video explaining this and I'm realizing its rather difficult to explain without a visual example.  Nonetheless, I did find this video during my search, and it should be helpful.

Does that make sense?

Colin
Welcome back hope all is well... I'm signing up this week for my first Oly. tri on 6/13/2010..Training is going well, still struggling with the run due to knee rehab.. Do you have any weight loss tips I've been stuck for 3 months now.. Also is there a description of the catch up drill somewhere? Thanks

FYI: To all new swimmers... I'm 38 just started swimming in Jan. with no prior experience and had trouble doing 25 yards at a time without having to stop and hold the wall.. Know I can go 1750-2000 yards at a time... Just work on your breathing and slow your strokes down to where it feels like you are gliding through the water... I breath every third to fifth stroke... also I found that side drills with fins helped me to learn hip rotation in the beginning ( uhh you have to roate your hips in swimmiing I had no idea of this when I started LOL) Also I hardly kick at all and I usually finish ahead of other people I swim with and they kick the entire time, I'm far from a perfect stroke but maybe some of this tips and knowing that struggling in the beginning will get better with time... I usually do one short and one long swim per week...

Tim 1

Well had my race!  I went in with a realistic goal (sub-23) and a reach goal (sub-22).  I didn't really know how to pace myself so I just went out with how my legs felt and my first mile ended up being really fast that I thought the mile marker was off.  From there I started fading, and in the third mile I just was really struggling mentally.  I really have this problem of mental toughness.  I was able to finish relatively strong however, and I'm still not sure if I was able to make my reach goal.  I need to check the online results which aren't up yet.  I believe I got between a 21:59-22:01.  I know I should be happy with this, since I wasn't even sure if a sub-22 was even realistic/possible, but if it turns out to be a 22+ I will be disappointed!!  Because if I would have known I was just a couple of seconds away, I know I could have had the extra push!  Just knowing that I was so close is a killer! We'll see though... maybe just maybe I will get a 21:xx... but I actually think it may end up being a 22 flat.  Anyway, I will try to be happy with this.

Tim,

That's great motivation to us new swimmers.  I feel like I'm not far off to hitting that point where one day I go from 75 yards to something like 300 with one big jump.  Just hoping that's soon!.  Good luck with the knee rehab.

Congrats on your race hope is sub 22 foe you way to hang in there...

Tim 1

lol results are up- I ran a 22 FLAT!  sooooo close to my goal, yet sooo far!

Tim,

That's great; it's goof to hear there's hope for the rest of us swimming newbies.  I'm out in Denver for a week of meetings (loads of fun) and was really looking forward to focusing on getting some good swimming in.  However, the pool is closed for renovations, so I'm back to a stationary bike and treadmill.

Digging for info on learning swimming I came upon the Total Immersion stuff.  There's some debate on the forums about if it's good or bad (too much roll, etc), but I figured not knowing anything it was better than just trying to figure it out on my own.  I tried that and almost drowned myself (not really, but it was bad).  The book breaks down the freestyle stroke into small drills and as I've worked through them, I've found that I'm more relaxed in the water and the few laps I've done were comfortable.  However, I certainly need to continue working on it.  Here's a link to a TI video on YouTube; it looks kind of slow to me, but it also looks relaxed and that appeals to me.  Thoughts?

Take Care,
Mark

Edited by mdgould 2010-04-28 11:39 PM

Are you kidding me?  You met your reach goal.  That is awesome!  Keep up the good work!

 
x2 Samantha!  That is a tremendous effort and you should be very proud.  That is a very impressive time.  To look at it from another positive side, you must now feel confident you can go sub 22 min during your next 5K as just yesterday it was your "reach" goal.

Keep up the great work!