Friday - December 21, 2012
I went to the pool for some laps today. I thought about running, but we have a "wind advisory" in effect in Cincinnati and I haven't swam all week. Swimming is really enjoyable. No impact. The facility I use (Mayerson JCC in Amberley Village) opens at 5:30am, and the pool is open by 5:45am. I got there at 5:35 or so, changed, rinsed off in the shower, and was in the pool right at 5:45am. I grabbed a foam peanut and hopped in the pool with my goggles. I hold the peanut between my legs, high above my knees near my crotch. This helps elevate my waist in the water, and keeps me from kicking too much.
From what I've learned about swimming, you can spend a lot of energy with little benefit by kicking a lot. This is how I initially thought you swam, and all this does is wipe you out. Last summer, I actually swam one lap this way and was completely spent. Keeping the legs still with occasional rudder-like kicks is the way I swim now. It's all in the upper body stroke technique - nice and easy (for distance swimming).
I swam 30 laps total, or about half a mile, from 5:45am to 6:15am before leaving. Some of the laps were sprints, especially the last two. I was really cranking. I got rid of the peanut for a few laps. Nothing structured or serious, just swimming laps. For a smaller triathlon (sprint distance), I'm pretty much "ready". By ready I mean, I can do it and not drown. A sprint can be any swim distance around 400 meters (0.25 mile), or about 17 laps in the pool. I could probably also swim an Olympic distance triathlon, which is often twice the sprint. The Cincinnati Triathlon Olympic distance is 1,350 meters (0.84 mile), or about 59 laps.
Keep in mind, today's swim was my 7th time in the pool this fall/winter. Before last summer's one lap, I've never really gone swimming. I just played in a shallow pool as a kid, only being on a boat a couple times ever. I'm confident that I'll get up to the Olympic distance by summer time though. My goal is the July Half Ironman race in Muncie, Indiana. This swim is 1.2 miles, or about 1,931 meters (roughly 84 laps). A full Ironman is double that, or 2.4 miles, which is about 3,862 meters or 169 laps. These lap quotes are for an indoor 25 YARD pool, not an outdoor 25 METER pool. The meter pool is a little longer, and would require a few less laps. Because I seem to really enjoy swimming, I can see myself getting in the necessary training to do the July race. When I first started running, I hated it A LOT for months, and was still able to train all winter. Now I love it, and I hope over time that swimming will be the same way.
*Keep in mind, I need to get good enough to not just swim the 1.2 miles and stop. In the half Ironman, there is a 56 mile bike section that follows immediately, and then the day is finished by running a half marathon (13.1 miles). All done back to back, non stop. But, if it was easy everyone would do it and it wouldn't have the allure.
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