The Swimming Thread - Pool/OW

[944fan]

Only 2.5 weeks until my marathon 10K swim. Haven't had much time in the lake recently but have been getting my weekly volume back up to 11K ish so pretty well prepared. Going to try and get a couple of longish swims (5-7K) done in the lake next week.

Aim for a sub 3 hr swim but will be happy just completing it.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

And where do the BBC find these hosts! fking hell, this woman reminds me of that Stacy Dooley. Thick as fk and totally clueless and with a voice suitable only for childrens TV. Even horse lady Balding is a better option that this lass. At least she knows a bit about the sport.

They are no better on Eurosport. During the prelims for the Women's 4x100m relay they had failed to notice the lane assignments were wrong and banged on for ages how Hong Kong had one and the USA were out. Didn't notice even when the camera was showing pictures on the winners that they had American flags on their swim caps.

Funniest thing was they never corrected their mistake. About 20 minutes later when the results came up they just announced USA won as if nothing had happened.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Speaking of un-human. Katie Ledecky. What the juddering fk. Does the 1500 heats, breaks WR by 15 seconds. Comes back for the final, breaks WR again by 2 seconds. For some extra wow, her 800 split would have been the 8th fastest time in the world, if she had done that in the 800!! It wasn't far behind our own Rebecca Adlingtons time that won her gold in Beijing. 15 minutes later Ledecky swims in the 200 Free semi and makes the final. Unreal and totally putting to shame the likes of Siobhan-Marie O'Conner who seemed exhausted only doing a 200!

To top it off she fking won the 200. Won it! Against Franklin and Pellegrini. Won it!. To quote Bert Le Clos, "Unbelievable".

Peaty is a legend. Oh you took my world record, I'll have that back in the semis please. Then I will beat you. Then I will go and help the mixed relay team win.

[944fan]

The BBC coverage of this has been ste. The host is truly awful and Sharon Davies interviews are appalling. I like Foster and Addlington giving the analysis but they are let down by the rest.

The coverage at the Olympics was so much better. Claire Balding is an infinitely better host and it was much better them being positioned in the pool area.

Also the coverage yesterday started 45 mins later than on Eurosport and they were missing races.

Thank god for Eurosport. You don't get the analysis and their interviewer is a bit of an air head but it is way better than BBC 2.

[944fan]

Katie Ledekey does it again. Anchors the 4x200m relay, starts with a .34 sec deficit and finished 2 seconds ahead.

She is going to become the female Michael Phelps, hopefully without the DUI.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Sorry for spamming as well, but has anyone noticed Lochte's "super" turns? He's pushing off on freestyle turns fully on his back and staying there until he's done about 12m, then he turns on to his front and surfaces. Completely legal because he surfaces doing the same stroke.

They have been talking about it a lot on Eurosport and keep playing clips of it. In the 200 IM it certainly seemed to give him a slight advantage on the final leg.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

And I just worked out why Phelps isn't here, not because hes avoided competition when he's perhaps not in full shape (though all indication is he's in optimal form!)...its because his DUI got him knocked off the team! They're probably wishing they'd brought him now because they're not doing all that well on the mens side.

Oh yes.

http://swimswam.com/michael-phelps-this-just-shows...

Faster than his 2012 time. And faster than Laszlo Cseh's from Kazan this week.

I don't condone what Phelps did at all and it was right he was punished with a ban but I bet the US team are regretting not allowing him at the worlds. After all they got spanked by TeamGB in the 4x200m relay

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

His coach Bob Bowman did acknowledge that at the US nationals they'd be competing in a virtual competition. Happily, the US nationals lag whats going on in Kazan, so he can see what times he's got to beat! Good to see him doing it!

After Le Clos won the 100m (50.5 I think) fly he made a dig at MP about him saying the fly had been really slow lately but not he had done a time MP hadn't done in 4 years so he would have to shut up. Day later MP did a 100m fly in 50.4

Otispunkmeyer said:

(then again the aussies had their own freaks, like Thorpe, did you see the size of him at 17? huge).

He talked about that in his biography. He broke his ankle running through a park and had a massive cast. He continued to swim with the huge drag from the cast and bulked up massively.

Its amazing the impact swimming has on muscle growth. I spent a fair bit of time in the gym lifting weights and never really put on muscle. Since starting swimming a couple of years ago I have put on quite a bit upper body. Especially in the shoulders and triceps.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Anyway.... Sun Yang didn't show for the 1500m. No one seems to know why. Official Chinese word is he had chest pains in the morning warm up or something so they pulled him. Other rumours are of an altercation between himself and a female Brazilian swimmer who was preparing for Brazilian nationals (though not actually swimming in the competition in Kazan anymore). Some say he pulled her leg in the pool, others say he full on punched her in the heat of an argument. Others mention arguing with Brazilian coaches on poolside. Brazilian coaches did report him to FINA, but they also say they don't believe its the reason for pulling out.

Yes it is all very odd. He has also served a ban for dopping and was then awarded Top Male Swimmer. Great message.

[944fan]

Question for the long time swimmers. I am currently on an enforced hiatus from the pool (corneal infection). Not sure how long it will be for, basically until the Drs tell me I can swim again.

What is the best way to maintain fitness whilst out of the pool? Running? I'm keeping up the dry land work to maintain strength and using exercise bands to do stroke mimicking exercises.

[944fan]

Thanks. I have an appointment with the specialist tonight where I hope to get Dr's papers (literally) to start swimming again. If not I will hit the rower.

[944fan]

JRM said:

I wish someone had told me exactly this when I started to properly swim about 4 years ago, it's taken me that long to figure out how much more efficient a high elbow is - saw a woman in the pool the other day who was doing it perfectly and motoring through the water overtaking all the blokes with their straight arms!

I don't understand why so many coaches don't teach novices this as most of us aren't trying to be a 50m champion, but want to swim longer distances for fitness.

Watch the videos of Ledeky's swims she has a perfect high elbow catch/pull and look how fast she is. There is a good swim smooth video on YT comparing Non Stanford and Becky Addlington.

I have been working on mine recently. I tried the finis fulcrum which is supposed to force your arm into that position but found it a bit annoying. I od the barrel reach drill which works well.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

On an unrelated note. I have just seen some pictures of Phelps from US Nationals in Texas. They guy is looking hench! he looks much bigger now than I remember. Equally noticeable is that he seems to be competing in his own sports clobber... MP branded goggles and shorts and poolside kit.

I thought that too. He always had a relatively flat chest, especially compared to e.g. Jason Lezak but now his pecks look much bigger. When I was watching the swimming the other day my wife enquired why when I spend all that time swimming I don't look like that.

You can't out swim the amount of cake I eat.

The MP gear is part of his new deal with Aqua Sphere. The Expresso jammers are right up there with the Arena Carbon Pro and Speedo LZR in terms of cost.

[944fan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

I don't doubt they are decent bits of kit....ill be sticking to speedo though!

Have you ever used LZR jammers? Just wonder what they are like and do they make any difference?

[944fan]

My eye had recovered and I thought I would be back swimming this week . Unfortunately my eye has taken a turn again and so back to the eye clinic. Wont be swimming for quite a while.

Going to have to pull out of my 10K and will have to pull out of Coniston End-to-end (and lose the £95 entry fee).

fking gutted. Had such a great start to my season and its been a disaster for months now.

Going to get aquatinted with the rowing machine at the gym and try and keep my fitness up.

[944fan]

I've been out of the pool for months with an eye infection that wont fk off. Hope to be back soon. No idea where I will be when I do get back, never had this long off since I started.

[944fan]

V-spec said:

I borrowed some racing "jammers" (speedo fastskin) and spent most of the time needing the toilet but not wanting to try to take them off! Now looking to buy some of my own but wiggle only have two speedo ones on offer and they are expensive! Any recommendations?

The pro racing kit like Speedo Fastskin/LZR and Arena Carbon Pro are all fking expensive.

The mid range base kit like Speedo Endurance are all reasonably priced but are just normal jammers.

Perhaps ask Santa for some?

[944fan]

Dr says I am ok to swim again.!

Last time I swam was 1st August so quite a gap. Really looking forward to getting back in the pool - tempted by a running bomb from the changing rooms.

Probably going to be utter fked after 100m

[944fan]

Monch said:

Also raced at Bedford in the 3.8km races, never won

Is the Box End Park Mass Start Series? I did one of those last year 1:07 which I was pretty happy with. Might do a couple of them next year.

[944fan]

Cool thanks. I was supposed to do the 10K last year and ahd to pull out so they are letting me carry over. might book the other two though. Think I might do 3.8 and a 5.