Had a belter today lads. The sea coming in over hot sand on a baking hot day. Swam from porto Beach to high rock and back. Tough against the tide on the way but flew back. In the words of @Horsebox, ‘I’m a fucking dolphin’.
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I did the guts of the Salthill prom today, mate hungover as fuck. It made a man of me.
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Smashing. I swam the guts of a km off the French coast today albeit over the course of an hour or so. Down close to a place called pornic. The sea is shallow to chin height for 200 odd metres from the beach. Lovely warm water more like med than atlantic.
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Lovely. I did a few of those off the coast of Malta over the last few weeks. A big swim is heaven but a big swim in warm water is paradise.
I quite like it cooler, about 17-18 degrees.
I only really started swimming at the end of April when i joined the local Triathlon club.
I was barely able to do a length of the 17m pool at that point - we do our proper training one a week in a 25m pool.
Managed 30 lengths this morning, with a good few breaks thrown in there but it’s coming along nicely. Getting the breathing right so I’m, not gassed at the end of length is coming slowly enough but I’m getting there.
It’s a wonderful way of preventing stiffness from setting in the morning after a run/cycle.
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Just after a dip at low tide in Dunmore. Savage.
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Lads - would a wet suit from aldi for €30 be a piece of crap? Planning to do some river swims this summer, with half an eye on doing a “try a Tri”
Did you get a coach or just do it yourself? -
Try a Tri is normally in a swimming pool I believe and just 200m so no need for a wet suit.
I can hardly swim I did one with a Tri Suit earlier this year.
Had my first dip in the ocean this year on Sunday below in Garretstown. Water was lovely, after the initial plunge… a great little country with a bit of sun.
I went to group training with the Tri Club. There’d be about 4-6 of us in lane one once a week. Do about 1k over the hour and the coaches are consistently giving you pointers.
I do it myself two other mornings in the week. Going on what everyone says it takes a few months of that craic for it to start coming together and I think that’s definitely happening for me now.
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This try a Tri is outdoors but only 175m. My swimming would be crap. I did ten lengths of the UL pool (50m) this year one day and it took me the guts of twenty minutes. I was huffing and puffing and taking breaks. My breathing technique is shite.
Breathing on both sides? It’s the one thing stopping me from a du/tri myself - I know there’s a world of good stuff on youtube but you’d probably need someone spotting you for a few sessions to point out where you are going wrong.
I’m still like that. I go to a 17m pool to train on my own and I can manage two lengths of it without stopping and then have to take 20 seconds before going again.
Everyone is different so you need to find the right way of breathing ( @ChocolateMice ) .
I starting breathing every third stroke so I was doing it from both sides but found it a bit exhausting. A lot of beginners seem to do every two strokes but I hate that as you’re almost thrashing water. I changed to every fourth and breathing off my right hand side yesterday morning and I was much more comfortable doing that. I’m only getting the the hang of blowing out all remaining air at the last second so I can fill up on the next breath.
I’d be a decent enough swimmer but it’s been a while - well used to every 4th stroke off my left but I suppose it depends on distance - One side is fine for short distances — but over time and all the training i’m sure it would be better to use both sides of your neck instead of just one ? cc @caoimhaoin. It’s managing my stroke/speed and getting the most from my lower body that i’d probably need most work on.
I only breathe on one side as I get ear problems otherwise, and I’m not too bad.
I’d say you’re an excellent stroker, pal.
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I’d be fit enough from the football, but I’d barely be able to swim a length of the pool without calving. Is this all down to not breathing? Is it very hard to get right?