The Swimming Thread - Pool/OW

[R Mutt]

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

Funny I was just thinking about this in the pool today!

I'd rather ones that doubled as earplugs though. Seem to be a few like that on Amazon

I hear you (pun intended!). If I recall correctly the AfterShox came with earplugs which to improve the sound when worn in water - I always wear ear plugs when swimming in any case so no great shakes for me.

I have seen folks with the MP3 players that clip on the back of goggles and have in-ear plug style ear phones but I haven't used them personally

I'd feel like Robocop with goggles earplugs, headphones, watch etc

[Sebo]

R Mutt said:

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

Funny I was just thinking about this in the pool today!

I'd rather ones that doubled as earplugs though. Seem to be a few like that on Amazon

I hear you (pun intended!). If I recall correctly the AfterShox came with earplugs which to improve the sound when worn in water - I always wear ear plugs when swimming in any case so no great shakes for me.

I have seen folks with the MP3 players that clip on the back of goggles and have in-ear plug style ear phones but I haven't used them personally

I'd feel like Robocop with goggles earplugs, headphones, watch etc

Go all out - chuck some fins on your feet, paddles on your hands, pull buoy in your thighs and for extra points - a snorkel

[R Mutt]

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

Funny I was just thinking about this in the pool today!

I'd rather ones that doubled as earplugs though. Seem to be a few like that on Amazon

I hear you (pun intended!). If I recall correctly the AfterShox came with earplugs which to improve the sound when worn in water - I always wear ear plugs when swimming in any case so no great shakes for me.

I have seen folks with the MP3 players that clip on the back of goggles and have in-ear plug style ear phones but I haven't used them personally

I'd feel like Robocop with goggles earplugs, headphones, watch etc

Go all out - chuck some fins on your feet, paddles on your hands, pull buoy in your thighs and for extra points - a snorkel

There's a fella in my pool who wears a heart rate monitor vest too... I don't want to be a martyr and eschew all training aids as I'm sure I could benefit from some but this makes me want to just go in with nothing but an analogue watch (and Speedos of course!)

[Otispunkmeyer]

right

Anyone had Pneumonia in the past and how long did it take you to feel "normal" again?

I feel normal right now, now that the antibiotics are dispensed with. But I know if I got back in the pool, my lungs are gonna feel like a pair of mouse lungs.



(FYI: Just after christmas, something struck me down bad, I thought it was flu but I was basically OK the day after. 3 days after that I had gone so far down hill I ended up in A&E where they diagnosed "pretty severed pneumonia". So I've been out for the count for about 2 weeks.)

[R Mutt]

Otispunkmeyer said:

right

Anyone had Pneumonia in the past and how long did it take you to feel "normal" again?

I feel normal right now, now that the antibiotics are dispensed with. But I know if I got back in the pool, my lungs are gonna feel like a pair of mouse lungs.



(FYI: Just after christmas, something struck me down bad, I thought it was flu but I was basically OK the day after. 3 days after that I had gone so far down hill I ended up in A&E where they diagnosed "pretty severed pneumonia". So I've been out for the count for about 2 weeks.)

I was bad enough after taking a break with a cold but then forced myself even to do a few 1k sessions. Then I got COVID and was up to 3k the week after, so just get yourself back in and do what you can

[R Mutt]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J2OYPAG/ref...

Got these for 50 odd quid

Was scared of the bone conducting ones

[Sebo]

R Mutt said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J2OYPAG/ref...

Got these for 50 odd quid

Was scared of the bone conducting ones

Schweet - let us know how you get on

[R Mutt]

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J2OYPAG/ref...

Got these for 50 odd quid

Was scared of the bone conducting ones

Schweet - let us know how you get on

Teething troubles but water pressure pushes them too far in your ears, so you cant hear them properly under water (probably need to change the buds), The cables, you can feel on your shoulders on your strokes and if you take them out and replace after you've put goggles over the top they get twisted with the band of the goggles. And they float so buoyancy pulled them away from my head on a fast turn...

[AJB88]

I've wanted music in the pool for ages but concerned every time I push off the side they will just fall off.

[Sebo]

R Mutt said:

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J2OYPAG/ref...

Got these for 50 odd quid

Was scared of the bone conducting ones

Schweet - let us know how you get on

Teething troubles but water pressure pushes them too far in your ears, so you cant hear them properly under water (probably need to change the buds), The cables, you can feel on your shoulders on your strokes and if you take them out and replace after you've put goggles over the top they get twisted with the band of the goggles. And they float so buoyancy pulled them away from my head on a fast turn...

Do you wear a swim cap and if not, would that help?

[McAndy]

Hi All. Does anybody have any tips for keeping a standard HRM in position during a pool swim? It's not an issue in open water as it's under a wetsuit, but can slide during pool turns/push-offs. Thanks!

[Scabutz]

McAndy said:

Hi All. Does anybody have any tips for keeping a standard HRM in position during a pool swim? It's not an issue in open water as it's under a wetsuit, but can slide during pool turns/push-offs. Thanks!

Swim in a trisuit maybe.

I swam behind someone wearing one, everytime he pushee off he then stood up to adjust it. Honestly wanted to strangle him with it.

I would also say, why are you wearing it. As in what do you hope to get from the data?

[R Mutt]

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

Sebo said:

R Mutt said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J2OYPAG/ref...

Got these for 50 odd quid

Was scared of the bone conducting ones

Schweet - let us know how you get on

Teething troubles but water pressure pushes them too far in your ears, so you cant hear them properly under water (probably need to change the buds), The cables, you can feel on your shoulders on your strokes and if you take them out and replace after you've put goggles over the top they get twisted with the band of the goggles. And they float so buoyancy pulled them away from my head on a fast turn...

Do you wear a swim cap and if not, would that help?

I don't but the rubber would be good for grip. I'm sure could just bend them in tighter to my head

All in all a great experience to listen to music under water!

[McAndy]

Scabutz said:

Swim in a trisuit maybe.

I swam behind someone wearing one, everytime he pushee off he then stood up to adjust it. Honestly wanted to strangle him with it.

I would also say, why are you wearing it. As in what do you hope to get from the data?

Pool swimming in a tri-suit will see me heat up pretty quickly! I like to see what zones I'm working in, and also I have late-diagnosis hypertension (i.e. now the likely cause is known I probably had it for 15 years before it was discovered and medicated down, so I don't know what condition my heart is in), so I like to check I'm not getting unusual spikes during workouts.

[Highway Star]

Otispunkmeyer said:

right

Anyone had Pneumonia in the past and how long did it take you to feel "normal" again?

I feel normal right now, now that the antibiotics are dispensed with. But I know if I got back in the pool, my lungs are gonna feel like a pair of mouse lungs.



(FYI: Just after christmas, something struck me down bad, I thought it was flu but I was basically OK the day after. 3 days after that I had gone so far down hill I ended up in A&E where they diagnosed "pretty severed pneumonia". So I've been out for the count for about 2 weeks.)

I am getting back after pleurisy and a kidney infection. Pleurisy is not dissimilar to pneumonia I believe and like you, I'm a Masters club swimmer. I fell ill right at the start of December and spent two nights in hospital. I tried to go back training in the week before Christmas, which was a mistake and lasted two lengths of the warm up. I then went back after NY and have done four club sessions this week. So all in all, five weeks out. I can still feel a little pain in the bottom of my lungs when breathing deeply, but it gets better each session (a good excuse to not swim fly). Today was a set of 8x100s at 'best average', so everyone was going quite hard, managed it, but my 'best average' was a few secs slower than pre-illness. Hope you get back into it soon.

[Otispunkmeyer]

McAndy said:

Hi All. Does anybody have any tips for keeping a standard HRM in position during a pool swim? It's not an issue in open water as it's under a wetsuit, but can slide during pool turns/push-offs. Thanks!

yeah. take it off and maybe look at a sports watch like the garmin swim 2.

the chest straps simply don't work. drag pulls them off, and its not helped by the body changing shape when you streamline.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Highway Star said:

Otispunkmeyer said:

right

Anyone had Pneumonia in the past and how long did it take you to feel "normal" again?

I feel normal right now, now that the antibiotics are dispensed with. But I know if I got back in the pool, my lungs are gonna feel like a pair of mouse lungs.



(FYI: Just after christmas, something struck me down bad, I thought it was flu but I was basically OK the day after. 3 days after that I had gone so far down hill I ended up in A&E where they diagnosed "pretty severed pneumonia". So I've been out for the count for about 2 weeks.)

I am getting back after pleurisy and a kidney infection. Pleurisy is not dissimilar to pneumonia I believe and like you, I'm a Masters club swimmer. I fell ill right at the start of December and spent two nights in hospital. I tried to go back training in the week before Christmas, which was a mistake and lasted two lengths of the warm up. I then went back after NY and have done four club sessions this week. So all in all, five weeks out. I can still feel a little pain in the bottom of my lungs when breathing deeply, but it gets better each session (a good excuse to not swim fly). Today was a set of 8x100s at 'best average', so everyone was going quite hard, managed it, but my 'best average' was a few secs slower than pre-illness. Hope you get back into it soon.

Went to our sunday session today as its usually quiet (kids get 4 lanes, masters get 2 but the time means hardly anyone from masters can make it). As its counties, there were hardly any kids and I was the only masters swimmer. So I could have a lane to my self and just take it easy.

Surprisingly felt OK, better than I thought. I didn't have anyone there who was my usual level so I don't know how far I've fallen. But I managed the 6 x 200 warm up OK and kept up Ok on the kick set after (without fins, everyone else had fins for the first half, and when the fins came off, I found myself out in front comfortably).

Getting close to the hour though and I could feel it... my lungs/CV system had just had enough. It wasn't painful but it was just like they were exhausted and clamming up.

[McAndy]

Otispunkmeyer said:

yeah. take it off and maybe look at a sports watch like the garmin swim 2.

the chest straps simply don't work. drag pulls them off, and its not helped by the body changing shape when you streamline.

Fair enough. I currently have a Forerunner 735xt, but will move to a 745 or 945 in the future. These have in-water HRM, but I'm not sold on the in-water accuracy of these sensors. Never mind; not a deal breaker, just would have been interesting

[welshjon81]

Hi all, thought I'd join in. I'm a complete novice so just looking for some general tips. Only started about a month before Xmas but an ankle injury has set me back this last fortnight. Looking to get back in the pool this week though.

I am swimming 2k in the 55 minute session in the pool but I struggle to get any quicker than this. How can i get better? Is it just practice?

[Scabutz]

welshjon81 said:

Hi all, thought I'd join in. I'm a complete novice so just looking for some general tips. Only started about a month before Xmas but an ankle injury has set me back this last fortnight. Looking to get back in the pool this week though.

I am swimming 2k in the 55 minute session in the pool but I struggle to get any quicker than this. How can i get better? Is it just practice?

At the slower end, swimming is all about technique. You could plug away for months and might improve a little but not much. Find someone who can analyse your stroke and give you pointers to improve on it. That doesnt have to be expensive or take ages, Ive had a handful of sessions on gone from non swimmer to pretty decent.

If that's not an option then look at some Youtube videos. What's probably most likely to be wrong is your body position. If your head is too high, your legs will sink and that creates massive drag. I'm assuming you are swimming crawl. When you breathe keep your head low, you want a split screen with one google in the water, one out. When you face is in the water, dont look straight down, or try and look straight ahead, look at a sport a meter or so in front of you.

If you have very sinky legs and your head position is ok then work on your kick. I see people in the pool there legs are all over the place, its like opening a parachute behind you. Kick doesnt have to be really hard or strong, just efficient.

Once you have the basic position sorted then you can look at your stroke, and see if there are ways of improving your stroke length, or turn over, catch etc.

Also on the training side, do you get in and swim 2k straight? Swimmers when they are training dont do that. Your stroke will get worse and worse as you tire out. Mix it up. Do 100m intervals with a short break.