A swim club, all teenaged boys and girls, was working out in the three lanes next to Jan and I last night at SUNY Brockport. They seemed to float through the water with smooth strokes, body up, while I beat on it, dragging my legs along.
Since I'm having thoughts of competing in the Shoreline Triathlon in two weeks, seeing if I could swim 1/2 mile, without my buoy for support, seemed like a good idea. Also the 50 meter lanes, instead of the usual 25 yards, was a mental block that I needed to overcome to build some confidence towards swimming in open water.
Of course I timed myself. After three laps I didn't know if I would finish and was worried about how pathetic I looked compared to the kids flying by me. By lap five I decided it didn't matter how I looked and started to relax a bit. After lap six I knew I would finish, but my time would probably be slow. My first lap, as usual, was the "fastest", a 2:28 for 100 meters, overall I averaged 2:42, for a 21 minute 800meter (about 880 yards) total. The kids were doing 100 meters in 1:25! Even with a wetsuit I couldn't come close to that. Last year at Shoreline I raced the 1/2 mile in 16:40, with a wetsuit, or about 2:05 per 100.
Friday - Canandaigua Lake swim, with Jan, Eileen, Lou, Mike and Joanne for support. I can't wait, especially with a stop at McGregor's afterwards.
you're not going to get faster swimming 800m by swimming a plodding 800m. go to your TI book and find some good interval workouts. you're better off doing something like 6x100 hard w 30 sec rest, then 4x50 all out with lots (1 min or more) of rest.
ReplyDeletefind a coach and get your stroke analyzed. if you are swimming that slowly, chances are a couple of minor corrections will make a big difference.