I Don’t Quite Have Webbed Feet Yet, But It’s A Start…
So as I mentioned previously, I decided to celebrate my induction into the Cult of Neoprene by heading over to West Van and hitting the pool. I’m still in an adaptation period in my training, so my workouts aren’t that long, and my heart rate is supposed to be kept quite low. Now that I’m gradually recovering my swim stroke memory, I’m finding it easier to swim and recover between lengths - this evening was no exception. It seemed that everything was starting to come together - the height of my elbow, angle of entry, body roll, breathing…just not all at the same time. It’s still a little frustrating - I’ll focus on the entry of my hand for a few strokes then move on to ensuring that my pull/push/’S’ stroke through the water is complete and proper, and my entry angle will go to hell. For 20 minutes it was ’stroke - damn, stroke - crap, stroke - damn’. It’s those perfectionist tendencies that I have…
One really cool thing happened that bodes well for my training and really gave me a huge confidence boost. I actually passed someone in the pool this evening. Granted, the guy I passed probably swam over 2000m nonstop, but it still felt good for me to hang back for at least 2/3 of a length and still catch him at the wall. My average time per 37.5m is down to about 27 seconds, and I’m feeling stronger and more capable every time I get into the water now.
Total time: 00:27
RPE: 12
Distance: 400m
Drills: kick buoy - 25m, fists - 25m, hip pushes - 25m
Time spent waiting for slow-ass swimmers and people who were basically playing around in the lap-swimming-only lane: at least 7 minutes in total. Grrrrr.
I’ve still decided that I need some professional help - my competitive juices are now flowing, and I actually want to improve my swim to the point where I might actually be a contender to come out of the water at the front of the pack - a goal that I think is realistic to achieve within the next seven weeks or so. To that end, I’ve emailed Peter Scott, the Total Immersion instructor here in Vancouver, and I’m going to take 3-5 lessons with him over the next few weeks.
I caught myself thinking last night “this is scary, I’m really getting serious about this.” It’s about damn time. Something in my head clicked when April 1st came around - I think I just needed to give myself the winter off to rest and recuperate…a lesson that will not be lost on me next year. Now that spring is here, I’m definitely more in the training mindset.
Filed under: Triathlon training | Tagged: swimming, Total Immersion
How have you been trying to improve your stroke? Is there a website or book you’ve been relying on & getting drills from?
I’m jealous of your new wet suit. I’ve always wanted on and assume anyone wearing one is an expert
Eric’s book, Triathlon Training in Four Hours A Week, has some great drills for improving swim stroke. I also borrowed a DVD on the Total Immersion method from our local library and ripped a copy for myself. Both methods have helped me to realize what’s wrong with my form, and make small corrections - I’m still going to invest in private lessons just because it’s so difficult to get a proper perspective by myself. Swimming is such a little detail-oriented activity…at least, if one wants to do it ‘properly’.
And believe me, I ain’t no expert! I’d rather have sunk the cash into a new PS3, but the rules in BC are very specific - if the water is under 22 degrees, you can’t race without a wetsuit. The neatest part of this whole process has been learning about the composition of a triathlon-specific suit as opposed to a regular surf/ski wetsuit. I might actually post about that in the near future, just ’cause I’m such a tri-gear-geek.
Thanks for reading and commenting!!!