Well I went swimming again....
For something that I'm not too good at I really love going to the pool, I guess I can be thank full for that.
I find swimming fun and a good challenge. as I see small improvements in swimming I see myself getting that much closer to be able to go out there and Do a Triathlon...
So the last few times I went swimming I felt good and I was able to go up and down the pool one lap at a time and feel good, I'd take alittle rest then do another lap, I have been staying about 1 hour 15 mins and enjoying it trying to get as many laps in as I can, Today I decided to try 2 laps without stopping I did I few warm up laps then went for it and did it, I felt good too, So 2 other times during my swim I did it, during the end I was trying to work on my kick, I find my legs dropping alittle.... Any tips?
Question: For your First Triathlon how was your swim? Did you freestyle the whole time? How did u feel?
Thanks
Kenny
As for dropping the legs...there could be many things wrong with your form. If you look up "front quadrant swimming", "press the buoy" and "swim downhill" you may find some answers and techniques. Generally, you need to get your front half lower in the water and/or longer in the water. Your body is a lever and your lungs are the fulcrum about which it pivots. The easiest approach without someone to watch you is to envision swimming downhill. This tends to get your front half lower and lift up your legs.
ReplyDeleteIn my first tri I freestyled 2/3 and back stroked 1/3. I freaked out because in the mass start someone panicked and grabbed my shoulder, like a drowning victim might. I shook free and made sure the lifeguards had an eye on this guy but I was a little bit spooked, didn't realize how much like a "washing machine" it was going to be, never quite got my rhythm but got out of the water in about 18min. I had this vision of bolting through T1 and how fast I was going to change etc. When I crawled onto shore, I barely trotted to my rack as I just wanted to catch my breath and get my legs under me again. Second race was much better, it's all mental. Now when it's stormy and the sea is choppy I run down to the shore after work to get some "challenging" training in so I'm prepared for the worst in a race.
Kenny,
ReplyDeleteFirst dude I would be honored to be on you blogs list granted I post maybe once or twice a week so I might not have much to contribute.
On the swim mike offers some good advice, as my coaches in high school used to say the higher your head the lower your hips and vice versa.
On my first tri swim I came from a distance swimming backround so doing free for the whole thing was no issue, sighting for someone who had previously done all his racing and training in a pool took a little getting used two, granted if you look up every 5-10 strokes you should beable to stay on course pretty well and not get the dreaded " dude you're swimming in circles" comments from the lifeguards.
I also come from a swimming background. nothing formal but I have been in the water since diapers so freestyle is pretty normal for me.
ReplyDeleteDuring my first tri, I did it all freestyle. I did have a momentary freak out about 15 seconds into the swim. Running into the water with 200 of your closest friends can be a bit much. Like it is said above, the "Washing machine" effect can be a bit spooky and like you are with 200 people who are all drowning. But I forced myself to settle in and keep swimming.The freak out only lasted a few seconds.