Day 1 of swimming training...egads, tell me it gets better! ;) - Triathlon Week

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
distances at some point in time.

I ran track in high school (mile) and while I have never competed in a
bike race, I used to ride with some of the guys on the bike team in
college. I took swimming lessons as a kid and probably hadn't done
any swimming longer than 5-10 minutes, unless you count the occasional
game of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool.

So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
time.

The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!

What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
step?

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (FFBSensei) wrote in news:fe5916f0.0405261459.3dee9f00
@posting.google.com:

> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming.

If the idea of a speedo-type suit is just too much to bear, consider
"jammers" or tri shorts. These are still tight fitting, but have more
coverage (comperable to bike shorts). You'll be amazed how much less drag
you experience.

Tom

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

You should be ecstatic.......if you swam for an hour your first time out,
breaks or no breaks, you did *great,* especially given your lack of swimming
background. I know several very competent triathletes who had to rest for
several minutes at the end of each 25 when they first started swimming.
Replacing the swim trunks with Speedos or even bike/tri shorts you will see
a huge improvement. Attend the stroke clinics and definitely get some
open-water swim advice if your sprint is OW. All this and a maybe a wetsuit
and I predict great things for you.

HTH

Susan in LA

PS Draft off the 60 y.o. lady if you can....it's perfectly legal and good
practice!

"FFBSensei" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:fe5916f0.0405261459.3dee9f00@posting.google.c om...
> Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
> of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
> starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
> distances at some point in time.
>
> I ran track in high school (mile) and while I have never competed in a
> bike race, I used to ride with some of the guys on the bike team in
> college. I took swimming lessons as a kid and probably hadn't done
> any swimming longer than 5-10 minutes, unless you count the occasional
> game of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool.
>
> So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
> swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
> trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
> was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
> hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
> 60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
> time.
>
> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
> some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
> get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!
>
> What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
> step?

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (FFBSensei) wrote:

> Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
> of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
> starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
> distances at some point in time.
>
> I ran track in high school (mile) and while I have never competed in a
> bike race, I used to ride with some of the guys on the bike team in
> college. I took swimming lessons as a kid and probably hadn't done
> any swimming longer than 5-10 minutes, unless you count the occasional
> game of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool.
>
> So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
> swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
> trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
> was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
> hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
> 60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
> time.
>
> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
> some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
> get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!
>
> What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
> step?

Stroke.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

Check out the Total Immersion web site. You will find lots of useful info.
They have several video clips that demonstrate some of the drills they use.
Stan Gertler

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (FFBSensei) wrote:

> Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
> of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
> starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
> distances at some point in time.

hey, that sounds like me about two years ago.

> So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
> swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
> trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
> was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
> hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
> 60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
> time.
>
> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
> some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
> get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!
>
> What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
> step?

that lady is quite right. i haven't gotten around to a stroke clinic or
masters program yet (eventually), but have taken some lessons to
actually learn to swim (that was number one on my list), bought and
learned from the Total Immersion book, and have been practising
diligently every week. i've come a long way and have seen huge gains.
i'm sure you will, too. and this is what breeds even more confidence and
the desire to work harder (and/or smarter) at reaching your goals.

best of luck.... triathlon is great fun and a nice healthy addiction.

Cam

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!

Ann's right, you'll get better. And, you're off to a good start by swimming
at a pool with a coach. Don't wait for sympathy coaching, ask for help, and
no matter how silly the drills feel at first, do them, you'll be surprised
at how quickly improvement begins.

mike p

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

DUDE

Your on the right track. Get a pair of trunks. They don't have to be speedo
cuts that make you look like you should be on a beach in Rio. You can get
Jammers that look like bike shorts, or square leg cuts that are similar but
a little shorter. They give you less drag, and won't pull your hips down
when you get we.

Stroke clinic is a very good idea. I totally recommend Total Immersion. I
just used the book and videos, but if you can get to a TI clinic, even
better.

Only thing, Please be warned. This sport is extremely addictive. Proceed
with caution.

Jim

"FFBSensei" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:fe5916f0.0405261459.3dee9f00@posting.google.c om...
> Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
> of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
> starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
> distances at some point in time.
>
> I ran track in high school (mile) and while I have never competed in a
> bike race, I used to ride with some of the guys on the bike team in
> college. I took swimming lessons as a kid and probably hadn't done
> any swimming longer than 5-10 minutes, unless you count the occasional
> game of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool.
>
> So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
> swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
> trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
> was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
> hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
> 60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
> time.
>
> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
> some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
> get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!
>
> What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
> step?

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

Thanks for all of the encouragement! So I went down to Sportsmart and
bought a pair of Tyr training swim trunks which were much better than
the parachute shorts I had been wearing! I was trying them on last
night and discovered I bought one size too small - now THAT was
uncomfortable. I ended up not going to the 6am practice and went to
the 11am practice after I exchanged the shorts.

lol, I get there tho and they're doing a 2000 time trial - and the
coach looks at me with a straight face and tells me "we" are doing 80
laps. I tell him you all may be doing 80 laps, I'm just going to
paddle around out here.

So I start swimming my "warmup" laps which feel like an all out sprint
to me after 6 laps...but the coach gave me some great advice about
trunk rotation, positioning my elbow above my hand, and trying to take
a breath with half of my mouth in the water ( i was partially
successful, I was able to take in air but also a lot of water! glub
glub glub :)

The trunk rotation advice and pulling through the water helped power
me through the water, as opposed to just flailing my arms around my
body. The breathing thing is still something I have to get used to.
Of course, I didn't approach anywhere near 80 laps, but it was an hour
of swimming of freestyle. On Tuesday I was doing the breast stroke
between sets of 6-8 laps of freestyle. While my endurance is still
not quite there, I can feel myself getting more efficient in the
water.

One of the other things he told me was that I'm keeping my head up and
looking around which effectively puts me out of balance and causes my
legs to drag. He told me to press my face into the water and look
straight down at the black line. Of course, when I did that, I
couldn't clear my mouth out of the water to take a breath...which is
when he told me that I would have to learn to take in breath with my
mouth half-full of water (or is that half-empty?).

Making itty bitty progress...altho I'm reminded of a conversation
between a pessimist and an optimist - the pessimist says "There's no
way he can get worse than that." And the optimist says, "Oh yes he
can!"

As it turns out this guy used to be a professional triathlete, has
done the ironman in Hawaii 8 times. So it was good to get some of his
training tips. I've just started my running training a couple of
weeks ago, I can run about an hour at a time and I'm feeling ok. I
have this loop that I'm running now where I am starting to time myself
and get back into a more competitive pace.

As for the biking, I'm still awaiting my cleats. I just bought some
speedplay pedals (the zeros), and the Sidi T1 shoes. There's an 8
mile loop around my city. There is a group of guys who bikes the loop
on Tuesday night around 10pm...they do it about 3-4 times. I'm
looking forward to trying out this new used Tribike i got.

My wife still won't let me buy my wetsuit yet...she thinks I'd drown
in an open water swim! :) The swim in Alameda in August is 500 yards
in the San Francisco Bay. There's a 400 yard lake swim in Pleasanton
in their Tri for Fun series. Don't think I'd need a wetsuit for the
lake swim, but I heartell that the wetsuits make it more bouyant...and
that sounds music to this swimmer who resembles more of a rock than a
cork.

I was originally thinking of doing 2 days of training for
biking/running/swimming. I also play in a volleyball league one night
a week, and then play tennis with my 6 year old about once a week.
So, I'm running out of training days! I'm thinking of spending maybe
3 days in swimming since that's clearly my weakest sport.

Does anyone have an example of what might be an appropriate training
schedule?

I could conceivably get in a late afternoon run or late evening bike
ride on the days of my swim. I originally thought of biking to my
swim practice and then going for a bike ride after swim practice.

On a positive note, my wife is being very encouraging. She thinks its
a great goal for me to set and allows me to train and to get back into
exercising.

thanks again for all of your input!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (FFBSensei) wrote in message news:<fe5916f0.0405261459.3dee9f00@posting.google. com>...
> Ok, typical middle-aged newbie who's quickly approaching 40 and thinks
> of trying to do a triathlon. Thought I would do a sprint triathlon as
> starters and see if I could possibly work up to international
> distances at some point in time.
>
> I ran track in high school (mile) and while I have never competed in a
> bike race, I used to ride with some of the guys on the bike team in
> college. I took swimming lessons as a kid and probably hadn't done
> any swimming longer than 5-10 minutes, unless you count the occasional
> game of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool.
>
> So I finally decided to venture into a pool and check out a Master's
> swimming program on Tuesday. I jumped into the pool with my swim
> trunks (note: not speedos), and after about 2 lengths (50 yards), I
> was almost ready to pass out... ;) I did manage to swim for the full
> hour taking the occasional break in between sets. This very nice
> 60-year old lady was extremely encouraging as she lapped me time after
> time.
>
> The coach said something about needing to breathe or some such and to
> not wear a parachute when I'm swimming. He was very nice and gave me
> some good pointers, I'll probably go attend a stroke clinic or two and
> get into the swing of things. Ann, the 60-year old lady said, "You're
> going to get SO much better." :) Here's to perserverence!
>
> What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first
> step?

08-23-2004, 06:39 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (FFBSensei) wrote:

> Thanks for all of the encouragement! So I went down to Sportsmart and
> bought a pair of Tyr training swim trunks which were much better than
> the parachute shorts I had been wearing! I was trying them on last
> night and discovered I bought one size too small - now THAT was
> uncomfortable. I ended up not going to the 6am practice and went to
> the 11am practice after I exchanged the shorts.

They let you exchange a swimsuit? I thought that was verboten.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson