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Swimming to nowhere.

Robyn

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ha! Well I'm starting masters swim at Glenarm next week. I'll probably get swam over all night long but I'm there to fix my technique.
 

snowsparkle2

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What's circle swim? Is it up one side of the lane and back down the other? That's what seems to happen over here in UK & France. The lanes are normally graded into slow, medium & fast, so people are going vaguely the same speed. Then you have to either all swim along one behind the other like sheep in a lane or carry out the occasional sprint overtaking manoeuvre or if someone taps you on the toes you're supposed to stop at the end & let them pass. Generally all a bit annoying & frantic with the water churning & bubbling and quite a lot of crashes & close encounters. Specially if some body takes it into their head to practise butterfly!!!
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I just call that 'good openwater practice'. :wink:
 

oragejuice

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What's circle swim? Is it up one side of the lane and back down the other? That's what seems to happen over here in UK & France. The lanes are normally graded into slow, medium & fast, so people are going vaguely the same speed. Then you have to either all swim along one behind the other like sheep in a lane or carry out the occasional sprint overtaking manoeuvre or if someone taps you on the toes you're supposed to stop at the end & let them pass. Generally all a bit annoying & frantic with the water churning & bubbling and quite a lot of crashes & close encounters. Specially if some body takes it into their head to practise butterfly!!!

Yep, that's circle swimming. I had no idea what splitting a lane was, until I quit swimming club in like, 2005. I hate splitting lanes, its confusing when you do a flip turn, and realize that you are on the 'other persons side'.
 

jessie.says.that

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Circle swim is the way to go. "Splitting the lane" is problematic for a plethora of reasons, organizationally. Don't worry-- the etiquite is that the faster person tapping your feet has to deal with sprinting around you. Just swim at your normal pace and maybe pull over a little when you notice them swimming past.

Like OJ, I swam 12 yrs with 2 a days, and on a collegiate team, and it's crazy to me how much weight I gained after I quit.

For everyone new to swimming, please remember that it's a VERY technical sport in the sense that a person with mediocere technique will expend way more energy than someone with a little more finesse (think amount of energy a begginer uses on a gentle groomed run, trying to do wedge turns vs. an expert skier that stands on their skis and makes subtle movements). Personally, I truly believe that I burn more calories running a mile than swimming one. Your ability to complete certain distances at certain speeds will be dictated in part by your comfort in the water. If you can't breathe bilaterrally yet, I highly recommend getting a few lessons (no matter what age you are), to avoid both injury and development of bad muscle-memory habits.

Swimming is awesome for stretching your body/spine out after lots of weight bearing/ compression exercise, such as running or skiing. So keep up the awesome work!! For everyone new to the sport, like Ski Diva, congrats!!
 

Robyn

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Circle swim is the way to go. "Splitting the lane" is problematic for a plethora of reasons, organizationally. Don't worry-- the etiquite is that the faster person tapping your feet has to deal with sprinting around you. Just swim at your normal pace and maybe pull over a little when you notice them swimming past.

While I understand that in theory if there are only 2 in the lane splitting is much easier. And I just don't like circle swimming no matter if I'm the slow or the fast one. Try circle swimming with someone doing a doggie paddle the whole time. Not fun. :smile:
 

oragejuice

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's when we ex-compeditors switch lanes. =P
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Now that it's the off season (for me), I've started swimming again. It's really interesting to look back at where I was at the beginning of this thread, and compare it to where I am now.

When I started I was barely swimming half a mile and stopping every few laps. Now I swim a mile without stopping. I never imagined I'd get to this point, so yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself.

How's everyone else doing?
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I took some time off this winter, my masters swim usually starts in September and goes until the end of the school year in June. Because of the wedding and honeymoon and focusing on climbing I just started going back a month ago. It has been tough, but I'm getting my endurance back.

Our pool roof had a structural problem so they closed it down and moved us to a neighboring high school. The good news is we get an extra 1/2 hour a night, the bad news is that means we do up to 4000 yards a night now! But it is a GREAT workout.

Ski Diva, good job on the progression!

K.
 

drjoyous

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Now that it's the off season (for me), I've started swimming again. It's really interesting to look back at where I was at the beginning of this thread, and compare it to where I am now.

When I started I was barely swimming half a mile and stopping every few laps. Now I swim a mile without stopping. I never imagined I'd get to this point, so yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself.

How's everyone else doing?

Congratulations, SkiDiva! I stopped swimming a few months ago during ski season, partly because it was simply ruining my hair (yes, I'm that vain) and because I was finding that I wasn't getting enough power muscle in my quads, thighs, calves and butt for skiing. So--I tried doing the elliptical and the row machine, which did wonders for my muscles and my core. I have the Skier's Edge at home which helps with the tendons of my hips (I battle life-long arthritis in my hips and this helps enormously) and WILL do lunges and squats (i hat them, truly). Walking with the dogs and bike riding will have to be my routine...
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I try to alternate my swimming with other things. On the days I don't swim, I either road bike or use the elliptical or stationary bike and do weights. I feel strongly about weight training. There's a lot of evidence that it helps with osteoporosis, which runs in my family. Even though I don't swim during ski season, I try to keep up with weights because of that. Can't have weak bones for skiing!
 

HeidiInTheAlps

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I wish I was a better swimmer. As a kid I was "true" blonde and I ddint' like to be in swimming pools too much cuz it would turn my hair green. I liked to swim in lakes & in the ocean.

But, really...I only swam well enough to get my girl scout badge!

I swam competitively. They wrote in my year book:

"Keep dying your hair green. It looks good that way".

Green hair aside, I have a huge aversion to chlorine, don't like swimming in salt water, except if I'm scuba diving, but a fresh mountain lake? LOVE IT!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, the chlorine is definitely a downside. I find that I still smell of it, even after I've showered. My hair's dark, so I don't get that green effect. But it does dry it out. I coat it with conditioner and wear a cap, but it still seems to do some damage.
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
I love to swim and we live on the lake...but I have been getting ear infections the past few summers from the lake water. I used to swim at the local health club, but I started getting hives from the pool chemicals. I'd like to come up with some reasonable option, but I'm stymied.
 

HeidiInTheAlps

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If one could afford it, private saline pool...the neighbor of my father has one, and it's wonderful. No stinky chemicals, and no ear infections...
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
Heidi - I wish that was an option. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make that work.
 

HeidiInTheAlps

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
tvan... I dare say you are in good company!
 

Moonrocket

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I swam through HS and college a 50/50 mix of vinegar and rubbing alcohol droppered in and swished around has always worked to keep infections at bay for me. Even when I used to do laps in the AM, then teach swimming all day at a lake and laps again at night.
https://www.food.com/recipe/swimmers-ear-drops-62628

Good luck!
I just started swimming for some tris after a decade off and have been really enjoying it. I don't like the pool so much, but love when I can swim in a lake.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I swam through HS and college a 50/50 mix of vinegar and rubbing alcohol droppered in

Scuba divers call it Ear Beer. It works because the alcohol dries the water and the vinegar restores the pH balance in the ear canal. I don't have a dropper, so I soak a cotton ball and squeeze it into my ear. I tilt my head and let it sit for a minute before letting it run out. Repeat in the other ear.
 

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