Starting swimming, any advice?

wonko said:
Chuffed indeed! I'd have been about 15 minutes behind you :(. My ego is hoping that you're young, fit as a proverbial butcher's dog and a born swimmer!
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Ha, I'm getting on (almost 28) and not a born swimmer! Unfortunately I'm only 5 foot 6 so have to work like hell to pull off times like that. Did another one yesterday in that same time but in the pool today my body said 'No' and I did a lazy 2.5k.

I was wrong about the outdoor water temp. It's 11 degrees right now. I think I might actually die next week.
 
yer_averagejoe said:
Ha, I'm getting on (almost 28) and not a born swimmer! Unfortunately I'm only 5 foot 6 so have to work like hell to pull off times like that. Did another one yesterday in that same time but in the pool today my body said 'No' and I did a lazy 2.5k.

I was wrong about the outdoor water temp. It's 11 degrees right now. I think I might actually die next week.
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I've got a couple of decades on you, so that's not 'getting on' to me.

Cool water is nice as a heat sink, but 11°C sounds really cold. Best of luck with your swim next week, and please post back to let us know you're still alive.
 
Swim done! Took an hour and 55 minutes. Unfortunately the wind was going in the exact opposite direction of the tide so it was very choppy the whole way and I really struggled. In ideal conditions I think an hour and a half would be in reach. Water ranged between 11 and 13 degrees and I was very cold by the end. There Are varying degrees of hypothermia and while I usually come out of cold water swims with mild hypothermia I think I was bordering on moderate this time (violent shivers, loss of dexterity and some confusion). Took a while to warm up but I got there! Also got my first jelly sting - just a wee one, mind. There were four of us swimming and two retired (one pulled out early due to the chop and the other was pulled out late because he was taking too long and the water was getting too low)

This is the rough course for the swim if anyone is interested.

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I'm glad I did it but I don't think I'll be defending the title next year.
 
Bump. Good session today, I'm still going! It was a bit busy so there was 3 of us guys taking is fairly easy in the slow lane. We all got shown up when this unbelievably fast girl came in. If I saw her start a length from the other end she'd almost catch me once I'd finished my single length :eek: Put us all to shame, for sure. What a machine.

I'm still struggling with breathing, I think I really need to knuckle down. Maybe when it's less busy just take it easy in the slow/med lane and try to get a rhythm. I'm still out of breath after every length which is not good at all! Then again I can't do any decent turns so I generally stop anyway... woops.
 
I definitely get better after about 30mins in the pool. I actually think when I get more tired I get into a better routine with my breathing. I think I breathe out more (and harder) as soon as I'm done with my breath-in and put my head back in the water.

I was reading an article about how nobody breathes out hard enough (even pros). The more breath you hold in, the more co2 you make which makes you feel even more out of breath? Something like that anyway. :confused:
 
yer_averagejoe said:
Swim done! Took an hour and 55 minutes. Unfortunately the wind was going in the exact opposite direction of the tide so it was very choppy the whole way and I really struggled. In ideal conditions I think an hour and a half would be in reach. Water ranged between 11 and 13 degrees and I was very cold by the end. There Are varying degrees of hypothermia and while I usually come out of cold water swims with mild hypothermia I think I was bordering on moderate this time (violent shivers, loss of dexterity and some confusion). Took a while to warm up but I got there! Also got my first jelly sting - just a wee one, mind. There were four of us swimming and two retired (one pulled out early due to the chop and the other was pulled out late because he was taking too long and the water was getting too low)

This is the rough course for the swim if anyone is interested.

QA5bPbU.png

I'm glad I did it but I don't think I'll be defending the title next year.
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Ah, I've just signed up to a 10km open water swim in Llyn Padarn (Llanberis, North Wales) at the end of Aug with Brutal Events and I'm looking for advice. I'm swimming independently at the moment in local public sessions doing about 2-2.5k three times a week. I'd like to meet some other open water swimmers but I'm not sure how to approach that around these parts; I'd join the local masters but I don't think I can justify the cost.

General advice is very welcome. I've read this training manual and various things about the web. My biggest concern is whether or not I will need a wetsuit. It is open to people with or without one. The water temperature should be around 16'C. I've swam across the lake in jammers before and found it a pleasant temperature. That was only about 1km though so I'm not sure how I would fare over 10km. Searching seems to imply this is down to personal preference but I'd like that confirmed or otherwise by someone in the know as what I've found hasn't been too specific.

Current pace when doing long freestyle swims is around 1m30s/100m. I'd expect to do the 10k in about 3 hours due to fatigue. My current plan is the increase the distances I do in each session gradually and perhaps add a fourth (event fifth) session or something like pilates into the mix. At present when doing my 2-2.5k swims I am spending less than an hour in the pool and the public sessions run for 2 hours at a time so I'd like to get up to 5k at least.

Would you say it's important to have swam 10k one way or another before doing the event? Here's more information on it.
 
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Hi there, first of all good luck in your swim!

It sounds like you're around my level so you should be able to draw a decent comparison with me; My usual training session in the pool (long-course) is between 2.5km and 4km which will take me between 40 minutes and a touch over an hour. I've done a few 5kms though in < 1 hour 20.

If I were you I'd try and up your regular training sessions to 5km. Maybe a 6km one per week. Don't worry about doing a full 10km before the event - you can always go a couple of km more. Maybe see if you can fit in a couple of 8km swims (or at least the full 2 hours) 2 weeks before the event to make sure you're ready.

I've never done a 10km distance before (My swim above was with the flow of the tide - felt more like 4 miles) but would expect to do it in less than 3 hours like yourself. I'd not hesitate to spend 3 hours in 16 degree water. People do cope differently with the cold and I'd say I don't cope as well as some other people in my club. I don't have a lot of fat on me so I have to work hard to maintain my body heat. But I'm usually swimming in water around between 11 and 14 degrees. 16 is the best it gets up here, which i find very pleasant.

For the swim itself, remember lots of vaseline for the under arms and back of the neck, and possibly between the legs! And you probably haven't thought of it, but if it's a sunny day, sun cream. You're basically sunbathing for 3 hours so the sun can be dangerous!

Is there a local open water swimming club near you? Or a triathlon club? Might be worth seeing if you can pop along to some training sessions with them.

Edit: looking at the race info, it says the water temp is likely to be between 12 and 14 degrees on the day? You might want to consider a wetsuit if that's the case. My swim was 2 hours in 11 - 13 degree water - probably 12 average - and I was on my limit.

What's this about "All swimmers have to exit every 2 laps."?
 
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Hey, cheers for the reply. That level of training sounds good, I will keep at it. Since writing this I happened to find out one of my colleagues used to be a really keen swimmer and she asked around for me and found out about open water swimming events locally for me.

Surf Lines, a company based on the lake the event's in, do 4 open water sessions a week so I'm going there tomorrow morning for an hour. I'll rent a wetsuit (£5) to try and see how I go. I have a bit of fat on me to keep me warm but I'll give one a shot anyway to see how it is. I've never swam in a swimming one so I'm curious - the extra buoyancy sounds quite useful. I've a few on sale bookmarked for when I know sizes should I decide to go ahead.

I saw that but Surf Lines regularly monitors the lake's temp and it comes up around 15-16'C in August according to them. I'll see what it is tomorrow to gauge how I feel about it. I've only swam in the lake in jammers when it's been sunbathing-type weather so I'd imagine it'd have been at the warmer end of the scale then.

Not sure re: the exit per 2 laps. I know we get a wrist tag which we have to scan every 2 laps. There are 3 distances, 2.5k, 5k and 10k. Each lap is 1.25k so perhaps it's just for the tagging. I thought it might be health and safety.
 
Yeah the exiting seems a little strange. Must be for timing.

I've never swam in a wetsuit before either. It's supposed to give more buoyancy and can help with streamlining but I hear it's quite different to swimming without and I know some people not used to swimming with them complain of a sore back because of the extra buoyancy. So it's a good idea to try it out before you swim.

You'll have a better idea on temps once you get in with this club and they'll be able to advise. If it's 15 degrees this month you might expect it to go up to 16 by the end of August, though recent rain will make the water cooler.

It sounds like 15 degrees is your cut off. Any less, give the wetsuit some serious thought. 15 or over, just go with the jammers.

Out of interest, what wetsuits are you looking at? a Triathlon swim skin might be the ticket. They're quite thin and usually without arms so wouldn't be too hard to adjust to. Though they can be pretty expensive!

Edit: there's a good article here on the effects of cold water on swimmers.
 
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Been for my first open water swim today and it was great! :D I'm really looking forward to the next one already. The water was very fresh (not sure of the temp., I forgot to ask) so I'm glad I hired a wetsuit and I'll definitely be purchasing one. I don't tend to kick much at all when I swim so I found the extra buoyancy very useful as it meant my legs never felt much of a hindrance and I naturally was flat on the surface. It put a little extra strain on my arms but I think that was more than offset by the buoyancy; I feel great now after approx. 2km. I could happily go again. Judging by that article it'd be very sensible to wear one for the event incase there was suddenly a lot of rain or it was a cold week (very possible this way). Never swam in water that cold, I know that much, and catching my breath and putting my face in the water at the start was quite difficult. Any tips for getting used to the water temperature quickly? I imagine doing it a lot will help. I imagine with the 10k that we won't start from the water so the less time I spend getting used to it when I get in the better.

I'm looking at wetsuits by Zoot, Aqua Sphere and Orca at present. I don't want to go much beyond £100 for the time being. I had an Orca (unknown model) on today and it was comfortable. I know what you mean about needing vaseline now though, my neck feels really raw from turning to breathe.

I'm borderline between L and XL with Aqua Sphere and Zoot and between 8 and 9 with Orca. My Orca was an 8 today but the lady in the shop said they are a year old and will have stretched. I'm not sure how I'd manage getting into a new one. I'm going to go back there and try on an Orca S5 this week and see how that is in an 8 new. They don't stock 9s unfortunately. They also stock Aqua Sphere (Pursuit) so I'll try out that in my sizes too, hopefully. As for the Zoot, it's a Z Force 1.0 which is very well reviewed and usually £180. There's one website with stock of just XL for £120 which really tempts me but I think I'll discount it based on the fact they don't offer returns.

The Aqua Sphere is £120 and Orca £107 on this website. I'd like to buy locally so will see how close they can get to on price.
 
Re getting used to the water quickly, I find getting my face in straight away helps. And I usually go straight into a sprint. The shortness of breath/increased heart rate is natural but putting your face in actually helps overcome both these problems - it's called the mammalian diving reflex, so don't waste time getting your head under the water.

Wetsuits are crazy expensive!
 
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Bump, well I'm still going if anyone's wondering! Had fun today, there was a massive downpour for 5mins, it stopped, then tried to start again at which point whistles were going and we were all told to get out - presumably in case of lightning. Loved the bemused expressions on some people's face... er, rain, thunder, lightning, water?! Not a good mixture.

On another note, do I get bonus points for 'selling' the pool I go to to our chairman's new assistant who must be 6ft odd, absolutely stunning and likes her swimming? :p
 
I've read through the thread. Some great stories from novices like me and good tips too.

I've not done any real swimming since primary school and now I'm 40 feel like I've really missed out.

I went swimming a few times on holiday at the local Leisure Centre last month and had no real idea on proper technique for any swimming stroke, so just copied other people doing breast stroke. Started off managing 4 lengths of the 25m pool the first visit and by the last time managed 34 lengths of breast stroke, stopping for a rest every 2 lengths, but I found I really enjoyed it.

Since coming back home I've signed up monthly to the Council's leisure centres so I can swim as often as possible, and living less than 10 minutes walk from my local pool I have been going 4 times a week now for 3 weeks. With my running and cycling as well I've lost nearly a stone in the last month without changing my diet at all.

I've slowly been learning the technique for Freestyle/front crawl and whilst I'm making a lot of errors I do feel I'm getting better. I've manly been watching other people in the pool but also read a few tips online.

Tonight I managed 52 lengths of the 33m pool (there is also a 25m pool). The last 24 lengths were all freestyle, non-stop. Best I've managed so far and in truth I could have kept going. Like when I go running and cycling I get into a rhythm and the miles fly by, I got into a rhythm with my strokes and breathing and just felt great. I had to stop though because there was an Aquafit class starting.

I now love swimming and my aim is to get good enough at it to be able to do some open water swimming and maybe then do a triathlon. Having watched the Jenson Button Tri in Derby and then (whilst on holiday) the Ocean Lava/Wales Tri, I think it looks like fun.
 
Have signed up for the Great North 2 mile. Should be a fun weekend. Wetsuits required, but that's fine with me, I've got one to hand from doing the Lonodn Tri. Did that for the second year this year. Well the swim.

Managed a time just under 26 minutes, which is horrifically slow in my world but faster than last year. That said, I reckon the distance clocks in about 1600m rather than 1500m. The Fenix 3 had me at 1700m, but it struggled with GPS in the docks. Either way, still a 3 minute improvement over my abysmal time from last year.

I've got a new coach and discovered that I need to fix some major issues in my stroke, but in three weeks I feel so much better in the water, so he might be expensive but the one on one time is well worth it I've discovered. That said, he did say he didn't have to completely rebuild it which is good, and the guy has coached olympians, so knows stupid amounts about technique. Goals of a sub 20 minute 1500 and a sub 1 minute 100. Tough but should be manageable.

Going to miss the OW swim season coming to an end. The Saturday morning swims were pretty cool.

Had to send my Fenix 3 back to Garmin though. The stroke detection was a bit off, so they're sending me out a new one, and hopefully this one will work. Also going to try the HRM swim and see how that works out.

kd
 
3 pool sessions this week so far and still trying to nail down the technique for freestyle I still feel i'm getting better. Tempted to enter the City of Derby Triathlon next month for a laugh. I know I can swim the distance now (albeit it pretty slowly) and certainly the cycling and running aren't a problem but it will mean buying a Tri suit and probably race belt. Hmm, decisions...
 
R0B75 said:
3 pool sessions this week so far and still trying to nail down the technique for freestyle I still feel i'm getting better. Tempted to enter the City of Derby Triathlon next month for a laugh. I know I can swim the distance now (albeit it pretty slowly) and certainly the cycling and running aren't a problem but it will mean buying a Tri suit and probably race belt. Hmm, decisions...
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Sounds like you're making solid progress and learning quickly. I'd still recommend a lesson or two (pref. one on one with a reputable coach) to pick out any bad habits before they set in and also to help you improve even quicker. On a bit of a sidenote, moving to Derby next week. Any recommendations on pools and the general city? I'm investigating open water swimming in the area and it looks like Derby Triathlon Club is the best bet - they go to Barton Marina.

Have my 10km swim tomorrow. Quite excited and nervous. I did a 5km in the pool on Tuesday and felt really good. Did it in 1h26m which I'm happy with :D Hoping for a time in the region of 3 hours all being well. I have no idea how my pace open water compares with pool pace.
 
Well for the past 2 months i have completely lost my swimming mojo.

Started about 2 years, pool is 5min down the road from work in Derby and did the 0 - 1mile program freestyle which worked fine and in the end i managed to hit it under 30min. But now i just cant face getting in the pool 5 times a week before work.

I seemed to hit the wall and could not improve my time or technique at all. Swimming is so bloody hard in your 40s :(
 
ote1 said:
Sounds like you're making solid progress and learning quickly. I'd still recommend a lesson or two (pref. one on one with a reputable coach) to pick out any bad habits before they set in and also to help you improve even quicker. On a bit of a sidenote, moving to Derby next week. Any recommendations on pools and the general city? I'm investigating open water swimming in the area and it looks like Derby Triathlon Club is the best bet - they go to Barton Marina.

Have my 10km swim tomorrow. Quite excited and nervous. I did a 5km in the pool on Tuesday and felt really good. Did it in 1h26m which I'm happy with :D Hoping for a time in the region of 3 hours all being well. I have no idea how my pace open water compares with pool pace.
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Being able to swim that far is amazing, hope you managed to beat your target.

I've only been in one pool in Derby and that's Queen's Leisure centre on Queen Street, pretty much 5 minutes walk from the city centre. 2 pools, the Gala pool (25m) and the Family pool (33m). The facilities are just about ok. There is also Moorways, the other council facility, which I've never been in. I believe there's also a pool at David Lloyd, Virgin Active and the Lonsdale Pool in Mickleover.

I too have looked at Derby Triathlon Club's open water swim sessions. Looks like it's well organised, but I think open water swims are something to look at next year.

I have been considering taking some lessons but at the moment I'm just looking around at other people and seeing what works for me so nothing has set in just yet :D


SPG said:
Well for the past 2 months i have completely lost my swimming mojo.

Started about 2 years, pool is 5min down the road from work in Derby and did the 0 - 1mile program freestyle which worked fine and in the end i managed to hit it under 30min. But now i just cant face getting in the pool 5 times a week before work.

I seemed to hit the wall and could not improve my time or technique at all. Swimming is so bloody hard in your 40s :(
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Not sure I could face swimming every morning before work, I usually go after work and it seems to work well for me at the moment. Tried going swimming this morning and just felt so sluggish, it was really hard work.
 
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