Imagine if you’d done it 4 years ago when first advised
It takes me a long time to get the message.
It will be interesting now to swim in fresh water. My impression is that in the sea, even without a wetsuit I had more buoyancy than fresh water with a wetsuit
My endless pool session got pushed back to today due to a mechanical.
Anyhow, good session with an easy win, left hand was entering ok but then swooped right out to the side after entry.
Had an earpiece so I could hear the boss for instant feedback + the mirror on the bottom of the pool.
The change to correct I don’t think I would have done on my own as it felt so unnatural so 65 quid well spent I think, just got to remember & ingrain the new sensation.
I’m assuming it’s going out as a balance, especially when you breath right. Is there a second easy win in something lower down also breaking position at same time, ie hips/kick?
There is/was much wrong on the left side, it’s worse breathing but there with the snorkle too. Hand doesn’t enter fingers first, side of thumb starting the push to the left. Arm is too high, hand above elbow & scoops a bit. A result of all this is the pull ends up too wide also.
To correct It feels like I have to enter with the outside of my wrist first, pointing hand to the right & go much deeper than feels right but can see on the mirror & vids that it’s soo much better.
Sure there will be other things but we spent the session woking on this.
After a session in the pool I can feel the hand slipping in the water better and the delay gone/reduced before the catch on the LHS.
I get phone vids of my swimming every week fron our Tuesday morning sessions so can usually see the problem (and regulaly told) but knowing how to fix is what’s missing.
I always coach hand flat on entry but on extension rotate hand to thumb up position. It makes it easier to get the arm vertical and helps catching too early and pulling down on the water
Been doing some drills for a month now.
Still a long way to go, but nice to see small gains
Aug 12th on the left (there was someone else in the lane that day as well)
Today on the right
My training partner Tim’s 55th birthday, so we both went for a 5.5km swim, which was actually 5.8km for me as I sighted the wrong swimming area. We swam from one end of the Agerisee to the other, was quite cool (not water which was quite warm). I am slower in a lake with wetsuit than I am in the see without, this was a bit of a surprise. However, consistent with IM70.3 world champs in Nice where I had a pretty decent non wetsuit swim. I am guessing shoulder restrictions with wetsuit is the issue, also I am sure I felt more floaty in the Med than I do with wetsuit in the lake
How do marathon swims work, jump in and go or are there feed stations like you see in pro events?
Assume pacing a touch easier than for IM?
Coniston has feedboats every mile, with drinks and jelly babies. The people who organise that do races in Windermere and Ulswater also and they would be the same. You can also tuck some gets in your hat.
The local lake used to do a 10k (maybe still do) and you could leave a bottle and gels/sweets on the jetty, it was laps so just stop whenever you like
First time visiting Sydney. I know @FatPom will shake his head at the bloomin tourist, but I couldn’t help myself even if it is still winter temperatures in there
Saw Jess Learmonth at the pool on Friday. Something I noticed during her easier swimming was how much acceleration there was at the back end of the stroke.
She really does wear shoks swimming headphones in the pool too.
She’s fully converted to traffleet
Nice bit of lateral thinking…
What’s a top end 10km swim time?
I tend to give myself champion level +50% as a goal in triathlon, sometimes +100% for single sport
Just under 2 hrs for the very best, sub 3 should be on for you
Continuing the discussion from Kona 22:
I always took the breath every 3 thing more as “have the ability to breath either side”. Then the rate of breathing regulates the pace. It happens than breathing every 3 regulates my pace to a comfortable 1500/1900 for an Oly/half tri. If swimming a flat out 400 or 750, then I’m definitely every 2 by the end. 3/2/3/2 is quite a good rhythm to keep the balance while breathing more.
I’m similar to you. I generally breath every 3 strokes as it balances out any flaws in my stroke caused by breathing and generally find I swim straighter in open water this way too. (I realise the argument would be to sort those flaws out rather than hide/equalise them)
When the pace goes up I drop to every 2 strokes to get more air in but can’t maintain that pace (due to lack of fitness) for any length of time so it’s a shorter effort or end of a longer effort thing.
Ps. I also means I can choose to breath either side if there’s wind/chop/low sun etc.
Yes we do breath to the same wall to sort that out. I wouldn’t change someone that swims that way automatically, there was a junior i coached who breaths every 3 and does well with it, tried different patterns in training and it didnt work for him. El Nino swims 3232 now but was originally taught every 33 in a L2s programme which is just to get them used to it, its certainly not something i would ever teach though as the norm
I will add a swim “coach” tried to coach breathing every stroke for fly out of him, “you have to do every 2 to stay more streamlined” until I pointed out that Phelps and a lot of elites stay pretty streamlined breathing every stroke. its the way you breath not the pattern thats the issue in 95% of cases (figure made up )