A quick June update…swam 29/30 days. Raced three more sprints, 2 wins and a second place in the 65-69’s. A quick 1500 today at our local outdoor pool to start the month.
I know I don’t post a lot TC, but I always enjoy reading the thread!🏊🏻‍♂️🏊🏻‍♀️

I know you're lurking! I was thinking of you on the 30th and actually would have bet you'd done 30 swims as I thought "no pool closures in June for holidays".
Congrats on the podiums!
Our outdoor pool is open now but the hours aren't what I like (I like first thing in the AM).
always good to hear from you.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

5125 yd swim for July 2

5 x (500 swim, 50 kick) desc to moderate 707, 653, 647, 636, 625
10 x (100 fast, 50 kick) 1:13s except fourth was 12
500 swim
50 kick
200 swim
50 kick
50 sidestroke
25 kick

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Spent last 10 days in Vegas, only got one swim in the middle to try and bridge the gap. IT was a really good and fast one, 3500 of different stuff, and today got in again after returning yesterday. Feel really rested muscle wise, but weak and tired from lack of sleep. Sea level pool at 83 degrees:

4x(500s/200IM kick@4;30) swim@7;30(6;58)swim@7;00(6;31)2 pull@7;00(6;17/6;10) kicks(3;46/44/39/36)
10x50@1;00 mixed- buoys(39/38's)fly(36) breast(43)
3300SCY in 57 minutes

I would feel stiff / off after that much time out, glad you felt good. July 3: 2.55 mi run (23 min), 2525 yd swim easy, 4.63 mi run (42 min)

2 x (1000 swim, 50 kick) 1408, 1355
2 x (200 swim, 50 kick) 2:40, 235
25 kick cd

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Guppy/AOS here. Started swimming at the pool a couple weeks ago at lunch time 3-4x a week. Mostly 25s and 50s for a total of ~750-1000ish yards, just getting a feel for the water. Think I did a 100 once...maybe. Still in the gasping-for-air-after-1-lap phase.

Friday afternoon someone told me about the Kamakahonu race, a 1-mile ows taking place in Kailua bay today. So I figured hey I've clearly put the work in and am ready to rip ;)

Started towards the back and did my best to follow the long green line of caps headed towards the buoys. After the first couple of minutes I was already having to do rest intervals w/the breaststroke as I can't get in a good rhythm breathing yet w/fr.

Kept rotating between fr/br/bk all the way to the finish. Came in right around 41:00 I think (had to leave right away after, busy weekend). Right lat/pec sore when stretching within about 20-30 minutes of getting out of the water. Left side not so much, which makes sense as my stroke on the left side is especially lackluster (similar coordination difference in how I throw a ball with right arm v. left); sort of falls down and then ends up sweeping across to my right hip.

Overall, had a great time and am stoked to have found a new-to-me non/low-impact endurance sport to get into. Movement patterns have always interested me, so I'm excited to figure out the mechanics and body positioning side of the equation.


*: Got covid end of July '21. Fairly persistent dry cough for several months. Taste/smell shifted and all foods made me very nauseous. On avg ate 1 cup of brown rice a day until around Halloween. Went from waking weight of 188 (had been lifting at the gym primarily previous 6-7 months) down to 148, which is a few pounds lighter than when I graduated high school. That was leaner than I've ever been as an adult, so much so it made me wonder about getting back on the bike in fact (I used to race around 154-158), but I really couldn't do much other than walk a few miles a day and even that would make me dizzy enough at times I'd lose my vision and need to squat down to avoid falling over. Muscular strength, aerobic capacity and anaerobic capacity are all extremely low relative to where I've been before, but it doesn't feel like there is actual long term damage. I just got really weak and had no motivation to do anything other than walk at the beach and splash around in the water like a kid a bit. Back to about 168 now, which is right around where I'll stay most likely, although hoping to trade a few lbs of fat for muscle.

**: Hi Monty :)

~2100 yards today in 45 minutes
Mostly slow zone1-2 stuff , rehabing an ankle sprain I got a few weeks ago , not ready to fully kick or push off with that ankle yet
Went after one of the 100s for 1:08
Also tried out a nose clip which will hopefully stop the insane congestion I've been getting in the days post-swim , all good so far

Try this - think about generating force with your elbow as you pull back. It's not the case that your elbow really generates a ton of force but thinking about that as a pulling surface helps me engage my lats.
You can also do finger drag drill - when your hand comes out of the water, drag your thumb along your hip from the area on your leg that is level with the bottom of your butt cheek, and as your hand moves up, drag your fingertips along the surface of the water. Most of the point of this one for you would be to help think about left hand to left hip, not right.

congrats on your OWS race!

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

 


First outside swim in a long time so i brought the big rescue floaty just in case. Really interfered with my kick.

the color coordination with your caps is also quite fashionable

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

QUESTION: suppose you needed to carry your own gels (lets say 6 of them) for a long OW because you didn't want to have to rely on the kayak support the race provides for your stuff. How would you do it? The ideas I have so far are double caps and stuffing a couple up there, and others in a plastic bag that I'd stuff into my swimsuit (either belly or tush area, I guess). Other ideas?

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

**: Hi Monty :) //

It is so great to hear from you once again on the fitness front. And I remember the zeal in which you attacked the bike with, so nice to see you have that same fire to learn a completely new sport, and not an easy one at that.You are on the right path, just ease into it with short intervals where you can hold your stroke, then as you get more comfortable and fitness, push out the distances, as long as you hold the stroke.


You had a typical experience in your first little race. Even though you think you went out super slow, it is always harder than you think, and you will have hard decisions to make later in the swim. Yours were to just slow down and do some floaty stuff, which is completely fine. Get your composure, and then swim what you can to the end, and take all that knowledge into the newt one.


Are you just visiting Hawaii, or do you live there full time now? Really great to see you drop all that weight too, it is an anchor around our sport pursuits, and of course our daily lives too..

I'm full time here now. Living in the Waikoloa resort area since winter 2020 and now working at the Kona pool as a lifeguard starting a month ago, which was the catalyst to get better at swimming.

That obsessive zeal of the past w/the bike is coming back pretty strong in part because I'm watching people swim all day now. As I get a better idea what I'm looking at, I'm finding that people with a sloppy stroke make me feel physically uncomfortable/anxious. Can only imagine how I'd cringe seeing myself :) Thankfully there are a few hydroballerinas (not actual synchronized swimmers of course) gliding through the water, seemingly incapable of splashing, which bring about a sort of internal consonant resolution to the barbaric dissonance of the furiously fighting flailers.

Appreciate the advice from you and Tigerchik. Looking forward to getting back in the pool on Tuesday.

What about wearing one those flask belts? Or Nathan makes some good compact belts and you could put your gels in a ziplock and then the belt.

Honestly, as to the gel problem, I would keep it really simple. I would just shove the 6 of them flat underneath the legs of my jammers, you have the same option with your suits I believe. More to the backside so they are mostly out of the water too. Then just grab and eat, then shove the empty back into the legs of the suit. Just get the bigger ones with more calories so you dont need as many..

I think men's jammers are better suited (no pun intended) to this than women's suits. *considers swimming in jammers and a bikini top, or buying a tech suit

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

A single flask is not a bad idea - it would save time on tearing a top of a gel and I wouldn't have to worry about trash.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I much prefer flasks. You can add a little water to the gel and they are way easier to slurp down. How far is the swim?

I'm looking at a race that has a 5k and a 10k. I don't need anything if I do the 5k. The 10k is a different story.
Good idea on adding water to the flask, too.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

 
I have seen people carrying gels in their swimmers, not so much in the cap area. Not seen them use a plastic bag either. Plastic bag could be a hassle when trying to get the gels out.
If its a 10k, may be worth having some water as well depending on water temp and conditions?
Sounds fun

Yep that's exactly what I would do monty!
When I have done my 10ks (some pool and some in OW) I have usually made up a drink - about 800-1L of water and 250-300g of table sugar and get that down. Gives you a massive bloat at the end of the swim haha! Obviously can't take that around with you if you are in OW and don't have a paddler

I thought the plastic bag would be good for collecting trash and possibly reduce the edges of gels cutting into my skin.
Water should be available w kayak support, it's getting the gels one prefers that is harder to count on. Good point though. I think I'm liking the flask idea and gel/h20 mix more and more.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Still lurking/swimming.

So.....um.....I only care about swimming 100m, 50m, 25m, and 12.5m now. (I know.....this is a triathlon forum!!!) I swim those 4 distances in every warmup, every workout, and every cooldown. Goodbye 200m, 400m, etc. It was "fun". No more gasping/slogging endless lengths with shit form. I love the way I feel during sessions since I made this change. My swimming really is much better.

Sub 1:15 100m is now my main goal in 2022.

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I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k)
I never did Triathlon.
Sue me.

USRPT, or ultra short race pace training, has gotten popular (for good reason) in the past few years. It's very focused on lots of short reps. There's a bit more to it than that, but there's some good science behind your new methods.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD