How far do you swim?

paky

I started swimming two weeks ago for fitness. Im a runner by trade but never really swam!
So Im hoping I can do a triathlon in about 5 months. Im doing a 500m swim every second day and that takes me about 20minutes. If I do anymore than this it takes longer for me to recover plus my bodys not use to it!
So how many meters do you normally cover per day and how often do you swim? any tips?

mad m

What is the length of the Triathlon swim your training for? Don't worry how many meters others are doing. You should probably concentrate on your stroke, plus as the weather is great at moment get into the sea and get a feel for the open water.

Have you thought about joining a swim club?

Back to your stroke, there is loads of videos on net to show you how to do catch up drills for free style. I suggest you look at a few and try them in pool. Throw a few drills into your routine, try and push yourself to do an extra few lengths of the pool at the end of a week.

Technique is the key plus your breathing.

secman

paky wrote: »

I started swimming two weeks ago for fitness. Im a runner by trade but never really swam!
So Im hoping I can do a triathlon in about 5 months. Im doing a 500m swim every second day and that takes me about 20minutes. If I do anymore than this it takes longer for me to recover plus my bodys not use to it!
So how many meters do you normally cover per day and how often do you swim? any tips?

Just an observation, 5 months hence is December, triathlons in Ireland are during the summer. You are better off aiming to do a triathlon next May/June. Spend the rest of summer and winter building up your swimming and biking. Definitely join a masters swimming club and maybe aim to do some sea swim races next summer, a great way to improve your sea swimming.

Best of luck

Secman

Tinder

+1

Get into doing some drills, if you are reasonabley new or taking it up again doing 500m every second day will drive you bonkers and also could give you a shoulder injury. Do sets of 100's with a 35 sec break in between and time yourself, stick in some 50's sprints with a 25 sec break make a log of your times and watch yourself improve. Also I know you won't use any other stroke in a tri but try and mix it up a bit. Then maybe once a week do a long swim and time that too. Most people can plow out 500's day after day but you wont improve much doing it, you will more than lightly bore yourself into hating it.

Deffo join a masters for the winter, a coach is worth their weight in gold as regards teaching technique.

Good Luck

T

paky

The triathlon swim is 750 meters. How do you get good at swimming? My fitness is generally good. I ran a marathon in may in 4.20 but find swimming fitness to be a different ball game.

mad m

paky wrote: »

How do you get good at swimming?

A hell of alot of practice,drills,sets. Plus its all down to technique with how you glide in the water.

I'd advise you to join a swim club, someone will tell you how your stoke is. Do catch up drills, with both arms then with one arm then switch to other arm. Loads of stuff on youtube Swim Drill Link

Now saying all this, open sea swimming is different than pool, you can't stand up once you start, you have to keep going (no breaks) etc. You will have the lines on bottom of pool as markers, you will have to look up often to sight in sea as its very easy to go off course.

But the drills in pool will help you alot with technique and you will get better as you practice more. Count the amount of strokes you take to do 25m, then try and bring the stokes down once you get better.