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2012-02-03 11:25 AM
in reply to: #4026811

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Subject: RE: Best bang for your buck as an aspiring triathlete
agarose2000 - 2012-02-02 8:23 PM

I'm an avowedly ex-newb terrible swimmer, and I think that once you've got that basic 2:00ish/100 form down, you've gotta swim a lot, and hard, to improve from there. If I actually want to improve my true PR, I've gotta throw down a minimum of 12k/week, and I'm not even fast. 

 

Getting back up to where I was in swimming is very short - I took nearly a year completely off swimming, and within 3 weeks was near what I was swimming at max speed before the time off.

 

Unfortunately, getting my true times down has proven much more challenging - though the swimming hard/more definitely is working. 

 

I was stuck at 2:00/100 for half a year, looking for technique tricks that so many experienced folks at BT said would magically drop me to 1:45. I now swim 1:40ish for T-pace for 20 mins continuously - a pretty huge jump from 2:00/100, and I would credit pretty much all of it to painful fatiguing swimming in the pool (while holding as good form as possible). My form has improved just by doing the yardage, but I'm convinced it's all power/endurance related - there is no way I can do my 1:40 catch/pull with 2:00/100 fitness. 

 

I do think those with swimming background have superior 'feel' (whatever that means) allowing them to swim faster than me on less effort, but I've concluded that there are no magic drills that will suddenly drop seconds off my time anymore. Except maybe flip turns and kicking.

 

I get this, I really do.  But when I say I swim 2:00/100y, that's ALL the time.  Swimming 1500 in an OLY race?  2:00/100  Swimming for 45-60 min for a nice cardio workout?  2:00/100  Trying REALLY hard and sprinting to the best of my ablity for 100y?  *maybe* 1:58/100    So after a season and a half of battling with this and really getting no where, I gave up.  My time is limited, my 2:00/100 puts me at the BOMOP for my AG and my run performance was worse, so I stopped worrying about swimming.  I have been in the pool maybe twice since last summer.

Because I get the same speed no matter how hard or how little I work in the water, I know there is a form problem.  Clearly, it falls apart when I try to go faster.  

And if one more swim instructor watches me swim, tells me to slow down and then says 'YES, that's IT!...just practice that and you'll have it!", I'll explode.  Practice what?  Swimming 2:00/100?  Why?  That is not going to get me anywhere.



2012-02-05 4:14 PM
in reply to: #4026217

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Subject: RE: Best bang for your buck as an aspiring triathlete
MNGopher - 2012-02-02 2:14 PM
Kido - 2012-02-02 2:49 PM

If I were to really answer the question.  TRAINING is the best bang for your buck.  Understanding training, consistancy, having a plan.  That's all FREE.

You can dump as much/little money into lessons, gear, books, videos, whatever.  But understanding what quality training is, and nutrition, and rest, etc.  Is priceless, and also free.

If you are talking about something you buy?  Then I would still say a Heart Rate Monitor.  They are around 100 bucks for a one time purchase.  If you understand HR training, do your LT tests, and follow a plan based on that, it will also get you over the entire course MUCH faster than swim lessons.

Not if you drown first...

Edit to add:  I agree that a HR monitor is a great addition to someones tool box.   It is invaluable as you progress in your training to allow you a better understanding of how your body works.  However I would still maintain that swimming lessons are a better bang for your buck for aspiring triathletes.  There are way to many people who spend way too much energy for 400 yards.  There are exceptions, if you swam competitively then sure, swim lessons won't help you, but the majority of people were not competitive swimmers and to discount the value of swim lessons for these people is unfair.

Granted you could learn it on your own and if that's your thing then go right ahead.  You will learn faster with an instructor.  Also, learning on your own has it's own pitfalls.  There are many poeple who learn poor habits on their own.  Some just make it harder, others actually injure you.

Then maybe driving lessons becuase if you get into a car wreck before you even get to the race, you won't even have a chance to drown in the swim.  I didn't realize I needed to consider drowing as something we needed to prepare for.

I guess I missunderstood the post.  I thought you were asking a question about what others thought was the best bang for your buck.

But appartently, you are making a statement that swim lesson ARE the best bang for your buck and arguing against any other opinion.

I will leave the rest of the posts for those who just agree with you.

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