139 Days: The Swim

Swimming. It may be the number one reason why people are driven away from trying a triathlon. I've heard countless times "I'd be great on the bike and run, but I don't think I could do the swim." When I ask why the reasons range from being uncomfortable with having their face in the water to I would sink. 

Well let me tell you, you don't become an efficient swimmer overnight. I've put countless hours into swimming, watching technique videos and doing swim drills. And finally, after a little more than a year in triathlon, I have found my groove in the water. It really hit me in my last half Ironman when about half-way through the swim I was perfectly relaxed and enjoying the water.

Growing up I always enjoyed swimming. Being a heavier kid didn't limit me in the water like it did with running and riding a bike. I was one of the quickest swimmers out of my friends and quicker than my brothers. I always figured in high school if wrestling didn't work out I would be able to find a spot on the swim team. 

I'll not to bore you too much but the moral of the story is that if you put the time and effort into swimming one day you'll realize it's not so bad and you'll begin to enjoy it. It may only take weeks or maybe it'll take months, but one day you'll enjoy the water.

In terms of swim equipment, I have goggles(duh), a kick board, hand paddles, a swim buoy and my swim jammers. To those who are just starting, I recommend a good set of goggles and a good swim suit. You can accumulate the rest later or even better, your pool may allow you to use theirs. My goggles are the Speedo Hydrospex 2 (~$15). I just bought these because I was in need of new ones and these goggles offered a slight tint and wide viewing range. In terms of my swimsuit, I use Speedo Rapid Slice Jammers (~$35). They are very comfortable and hold up in heavily chlorinated pools.

Finally, you need a pool to swim in, preferably one indoors. You want to be able to get your swims in no matter what the weather. I swim at my local community center and they have a very nice 25 yard pool. Once I figured out what times were best to avoid the throngs of kids that show up, I have had no problems.

Today's Workout:

• Swim
• Warm Up: 300 swim/ 100 drill
• Main Set: 300 swim using pull buoy, 100 drill, repeat for 45 minutes on steady effort, no stopping
• Cool Down: 100 swim
• Totals: ~55 mins, 2500 yds
• Results
• Warm up of 300, 5 sets of 300/100, 100 cool down
• Totals: ~45 mins, 2400 yds
• Reflection
• As you can see I pushed the pace on my workout. With the increased pace I backed off the total distance but still maintained good form and a had a solid swim. Overall I feel good about the workout and training again after being off for a week.

That's all I have for today. This process may change around a bit with the more posts a make but don't expect every day to be so long; some days may only have workout results.

Drew

P.S.- Excuse the writing mistakes if there are any!