After years of pool drudgery I just discovered a “swimming” epiphany. Using a weighted folder to hold the book open, I can do swim workouts while reading and the times just flies by quickly. If you are a triathlete then you need one of these things --before you spend money on a set of aero wheels a new bike or just about anything else on which you could spend your money once you already have a functional bike and a wetsuit.
Chad
So the book stays stationary while you slide back and forth? or have you attached it to the sliding bench somehow? A picture would be most helpful.
Thanks,
Chris
I read somewhere that one of the hallmarks of successful athletes (especially endurance athletes) was their ability to “associate” rather than dissociate: they were acutely aware of what their bodies were doing. I’d think that swimming, especially, would require one to not dissociate, as one is working on technique and not just endurance. That’s why they call it swim practice.
Actually, I bought the spacesaver and so I have a regular fixed bench. I put the book on the floor in front of me and use a folder with a couple of books to weight it down and hold the page open. Two pages take me about 100-150 meters so I get a quick five second break while I turn the page. It’s not that different than stopping at the wall for a few seconds.
Chad
Well, I don’t know if I would call myself a successful athlete, but I disassociate all the time when running or riding. It is my best time to think about life or work on story ideas for things I am writing. I think there is a huge difference between training and racing. In racing you have to be very aware of everything you are doing in order to walk that line of of correct pacing for maximum performance.
Now, with the Vasa, I can do the same thing. My bench is set up in such a way as to require a high elbow pull along a very narrow channel to pull back. Otherwises the paddles hit my bench, scrape the carpet or hit the bed. Is this as good as swimming in a pool? I don’t know yet, but I expect it may be better in some ways. I have completely changed my form while “swimming” and employ different muscles than when I was swimming incorrectly in a pool. I’ve had a number of folks tell me that after spending a significant time out of the water, they set PRs the first time back in the pool after using the Vasa. We shall see. Since I only have access to a pool during the summer, I know that what I am doing now is much better than nothing.
Chad
Actually, I bought the spacesaver and so I have a regular fixed bench. I put the book on the floor in front of me and use a folder with a couple of books to weight it down and hold the page open. Two pages take me about 100-150 meters so I get a quick five second break while I turn the page. It’s not that different than stopping at the wall for a few seconds.
Chad
Huh. Either you swim very very fast, or you read very very slow. two pages in 3 minutes? 
John
It’s not that different than stopping at the wall for a few seconds.
ROTFLMAO. You’ve got this fake-swimming down to a science 
(Seriously, I am interested to see how Vasa-Swmming will turn out for you in terms of race results!)
p.s. have been riding the hell out of the bikey lately!
You’ve got this fake-swimming down to a science
**
I did 8100 last week headed for 37K for the month. That would be a swim volume record for me. 
I too am looking forward to my first real swim of the year to see what my stroke rate is when I am going hard. I need to decide whether to continue on at the level 2 resistence or work more on 3 or higher depending on how things go in the water.
p.s. have been riding the hell out of the bikey lately!
You will be shocked how much fun it is to crush people on the bike and then still run quickly afterwards. I was thinking about this the other day after my nap. The biggest difference between a talented age-grouper and a pro is their recovery time and bike volume. I have the time to swim and run as much as the average pro, but I will never get as much sleep/sitting around time nor be able to crank out 15-25 hours a week on the bike. Of course, most of them don’t have four kids to make them laugh (and scream), nor a two-year old who can recite lines from the movie Cars like, “Kechow-baby!”, “Oh, ye-ahh!” or my favorite, “Lights, moron.” I couldn’t watch NASCAR if it was the last “sport” on earth, but my fam can watch that movie over and over.
Chad “I’m as happy as a tornado in a trailer park” Walton
I dig the single-college-kid lifestyle. Lots of time to train, sleep. Kids? Family? What are these?
get to milk that for a couple more years with a grad school acceptance!
get to milk that for a couple more years with a grad school acceptance! \
Hey, I didn’t get married until I was 27. I went to France twice and generally had fun. Unfortunately, I had no clue how to train then so I did not take advantage of the single life. On the positive side, I am faster now at 38 than I was at 18 or 25.
Chad
I am faster now at 38 than I was at 18 or 25.
but TC at 22 is faster than CDW at 38…
… well, only in the water.
Alright, I’m headed home for a Bob Marley show - he’s a Maine comedian. I think I am going to grab an ice cream first though.
So what is it you’ve been reading? Just curious. I am working on “Starbucked” - fascinating book! (Coffee has been a recent addition to my life)