SLOgoing wrote:
ericmulk wrote:
SLOgoing wrote:
Really? I'm a MOP triathlete. I'm a swimmer who can't run. 'nuff said.
I gather that you voted for "genetic gifts"???
Yup. I am pretty sure that once upon a recent time ago, Slowman said something like: “you either have it or you don’t” when it comes to running. At my skinniest my calf circumference is 15.5”. I’m pretty convinced that calf circumference is inversely related to running speed. And that is genetics.
Ya, I'm in total agreement. I think it's obvious if you just look at any 9th grade gym class: some people can run very fast but short, some can run long and a little slower but still fast, and some can't run worth sh*t. Same goes in swimming: you can look at any group was 7 yr olds just starting in their first summer of swimming and within a week you can tell who's catching on and who's not.
As for one extreme example, there's a girl who swims a little bit on occasion at the pool i swim at, but she's mainly a runner. And a GREAT runner too: last June she was the #1 ranked distance running recruit of girls just finishing their junior year in HS. IIRC, last spring she ran 4:40 for the mile and 10:05 for 2 miles. I saw her about 2 months ago and, in the course of our conversation, she mentioned that she had been swimming on her summer league team since age 7 or 8, which kind of shocked me b/c this girl just does not swim fast at all. Maybe, if she were going off the blocks in a meet, she might be able to 39.9 for a 50 yd free, but that is the best I think she could do. Now obv just swimming summers won't make you an Oly Trials swimmer but, for a 50 free, a person over 10 summers can get down pretty close to their best speed, within say 3 sec or so of what they could do if they swam year-round. I seen guys go 23.X off of strictly 7-8 yrs summer league. But this girl is your classic runner: very thin with legs that go on forever. She's prob 5'6" and maybe 105 lb at most. She just has very little muscle in her upper body to power her through the water. Thus she is kind of your mirror image: a great runner who can't swim very well, at least relative to her running ability. So, feel consoled that at least you were an outstanding swimmer; most tri-geeks are not great at any of the three. :)
"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."