Just keep swimming...

jchadden42

I have several MFP friends who are runners, but where are the swimmers? What is your routine? Does swimming make you want to eat all the food? What do you eat before you swim? Would you like to be my friend?

I typically swim for 40 min. every M, W. & F at 5:15 a.m.. However, Fridays are variable because #1) I have a snugglesaurus in bed with me, and #2) I know I'm going to run later in the day. If I miss swimming on Friday, I try to go Saturday morning instead.

My usual routine is 20 min free, 10 min. breast, 10 min of 1 lap free, 1/2 lap back & return lap breast (x2) then back to a full lap of free.

DancingMoosie

Right now, I swim on Monday evening, only. I am in a triathlon training group, so we do laps (10 the first week--50meters is a lap--and 14 last week) then we do drills, like stroke and kick technique, 5 min tread, some sight/buoy training, and then a few more laps. It takes about an hour total. I freestyle/crawl as much as possible, but my recovery stroke is breaststroke. It took me 17-18min to complete 14 laps last week. I have no idea if that is a good time:) This week, we will start bike and run practice on W/F mornings.

Swimming on Monday nights really wears me out. I've been on the brink of tears for 2 Tuesdays in a row. I've also gotten foot and calf cramps and muscle spasms. I'm trying to increase calcium, magnesium, potassium and calories in general this week.

I plan on increasing to 2-3 days of swimming per week during the summer months, but it will be for 30min. lap swim each time. I generally do 1/2 freestyle 1/2 breaststroke then. I usually find that I am extra hungry the day after I start swimming, but my body seems to get used to it as I do it more often.

jeanerbop12

hi jchadden42! i just joined about a month ago and my main source of exercise/sanity/identity is swimming!! I was happy to see your post. I've been swimming on a masters swim team since 2007 and my weight yo-yo's about 10 pounds up and down. I have always found that calorie restriction/weight watchers work in the short term, but as I age, I find it harder to maintain the endurance and strength in the pool while cutting too many calories.

Currently I swim around 10-15 km a week... that's about 4 practices a week anywhere from 2600m to 4500m per practice. I don't really eat anything special before a workout, and sometimes timing is off and have to go to practice with not enough/too much food in the system!

I started strength training (a sort of crossfit bootcamp) in January 2014 and added that to my repetoire about 2x a week and am now heavier that I've been in a long time. However, my clothes fit better and my body comp is better. I am more tired in the water as a result, so I'm hoping I will adjust at some point and manage to swim faster.

Since you can swim three strokes, have you considered swimming with a team? Pace times for sets and camaraderie in the pool can really push you. Also, there are a lot of swim workouts available online.

Do you plan on doing a tri? I am a fairweather runner and can't really manage more than 5km

ashenriver

I am currently swimming Tue/Thu with a Masters Swim group. I am in the mid-distance so anywhere from 2500-3000 metres. Swimming for just over an hour.
I am working on building my endurance because I have signed up for two open water swim races this summer. Distances are 2.1km and 3.1km. I swim mostly freestyle with a few laps of breaststroke or back stroke thrown in.

I find swimming with the Masters gives me more of a push then I would on my own. And they are all mostly faster swimmers then me too. I get too lazy swimming with people slower.

I always try to stretch in the hot tub after. I find that swimming causes my leg muscles to be tight.

I am actually off to the pool right now for a Saturday night swim.

ferrytrip

I have to thank one of my 12 year old twins for making me swim. We've started up again in the last two weeks.
I do 2 or 3 days in a row about 30 - 45 minutes each day. I swim while the kids play. I do find I am eating more, I hope it evens out.

HarryMJ

I go swimming 3 times a week, it is my regular cardio exercise. I do weights with a bit of treadmill on 3 of the other days. The swimming is my main thing, it is really good as my knees or my lungs do not like running but when swimming I can easily do my required 45 minutes. When I first started MFP (only 4 month ago) I managed 15 x 25m lengths. Now I easily manage 35+. Nowhere near your 3000m, but I am not a very fast swimmer. I always have a nice turkey and ham Subway sandwich afterwards as a reward which spurs me on more than it should

kamakazeekim

I wish I had somewhere to swim I'd much rather swim than run!

ka97

Swimming 2-3 days per week. It's been my go-to exercise since ankle surgery in February. I've done triathlons for a few years, so I do typically swim in the spring and summer, but never quite this much. I love that it feels like a great workout, but hate that I don't get the same calorie burn as I do running. When I first started swimming a couple of years ago, it made me crave carbs and want to eat everything I could get my hands on. That hasn't been quite so bad this year, thankfully.

rwilliamhansen

I've been trying to find a good place to swim that doesn't break the bank for the last couple of months.

I'm debating just going to the beach after work and swimming out there, but it seems riskier, and the southeast corner of Lake Michigan isn't the cleanest place to swim.

Does anyone here have experience swimming out in (moderately) open water rather than a pool on a regular basis? The lakeshore is less than a mile from my office, so there isn't much stopping me besides my own laziness and mild fear of getting a cramp 100 yards out.

poedunk65

I swim at the same time and do a 1/2 mile each time at 30 minutes. I do half freestyle and half breast stroke. After that I do some aerobics then weights for another 60 minutes combined.

Katleskin

I'm a swimmer, not a great one and I'm sure my technique needs work but I try. 3x a week, in the pool, for 40-60mins at a time, always breaststroke. I tend to swim early morning or midday so I try to make sure I have a meal lined up for pretty soon after. Generally it doesn't make me as famished as it used to, though there are the odd days when I could eat my goggles I'm so hungry when I get out. It is definitely my favourite cardio as I have quite weak joints (ankles/knees/hips) which is probably a mixture of hereditary issues and being overweight. I had to miss my session today as the pool is closed for the Bank Holiday, can't wait to get back in tomorrow.

rbiss

I tried Masters Swimming for awhile but it's too late at night for me. Now I try to do high intensity intervals on my own (50 yards out of 200 yards is a sprint) and alternate some kickboarding in between. One day a week I keep it steady, slower, and swim laps for as long as possible just to let my body know what it feels like (sometimes with a pull buoy). In my Masters class, we did alot of speedwork, aerobic and anaerobic.

alathIN

I love to swim. I have gotten the best out of being in a USMS-affiliated group. I like the way they create a variety of different kinds of workouts and it's good to get some feedback on technique.

I did read something about swimming giving you the munchies, and the tip was to soak in the hot tub or sauna afterward to get your temp back up (being cold makes you want to eat apparently). I don't know whether it's just placebo effect or not, but this does work for me.

This Winter I did my first two swim meets. I am not a sprinter, so I did the longer events, 500 free, mile free, and 200 breast. Honestly 200 breast was more exhausing for me than the mile free.

I never would have had the courage to go to a swim meet by myself, but it was fun to go with my group and cheer for my peeps. Having those events on my calendar was a huge motivator to swim all Winter.

blackcloud13

I'm learning to swim - and finding it really work!
I go 3 times a week most weeks (pool a few miles from my house) with the aim of being able to swim well enough for a triathlon. But first, I need to crack that 25 metres without dying first ...

alathIN

Does anyone here have experience swimming out in (moderately) open water rather than a pool on a regular basis? The lakeshore is less than a mile from my office, so there isn't much stopping me besides my own laziness and mild fear of getting a cramp 100 yards out.

I have done a fair amount of open water swimming. It's good to have a wetsuit for when it is cold. I don't know about your part of Lake Michigan but where I go in July, in Leland, it is very cold and hard to swim very long without a wet suit.

There are groups that organize for open water swims. There is probably one in your area you could google. It is a good idea to have other people around, preferably someone in a kayak or boat, to keep you on course, help you if you're in distress, and (what worries me most) make you more visible to boats.

When I swim in Lake MI I wear a bright pink cap and swim parallel to the beach about 100 yards out - seems to be the best distance for avoiding "beach people" on one side and boats on the other. But I imagine people who are intelligent about safety would say I shouldn't do this alone.

rwilliamhansen

I have done a fair amount of open water swimming. It's good to have a wetsuit for when it is cold. I don't know about your part of Lake Michigan but where I go in July, in Leland, it is very cold and hard to swim very long without a wet suit.

There are groups that organize for open water swims. There is probably one in your area you could google. It is a good idea to have other people around, preferably someone in a kayak or boat, to keep you on course, help you if you're in distress, and (what worries me most) make you more visible to boats.

When I swim in Lake MI I wear a bright pink cap and swim parallel to the beach about 100 yards out - seems to be the best distance for avoiding "beach people" on one side and boats on the other. But I imagine people who are intelligent about safety would say I shouldn't do this alone.

I think I'll look in to groups that organize open water swims in the area, thanks!
I'm at the southern tip of Lake MI, so it's probably a bit too cold right now without a wetsuit, but it'll be comfortable within a few weeks and throughout the summer.

I never even considered boats!

lifegoeson25

I swim too I go swimming once a week, the day is different every week.
I am not in some kind of club, so I just do it on my own.
I always swim 1.5 km, breaststroke. In the beginning (so in February) it would take me 40 minutes and last week it only took me 35. Now I am focusing on swimming faster without being out of breath and swim at approximately the same speed in the beginning, the middle and the end.
Mostly I go swimming 2 hours after having lunch, I am a student and I have often off in the afternoon, so I am able to do this. Sometimes I also go imidiately after having dinner. But if I go after dinner, I am always a little slower. I also make sure I don't eat too much, just enough to fill my stomach.

divamom01

I am a former competitive swimmer. I now enjoy doing lake swims. looking for buddies to motivate me...

Macstraw

There is actually a swimmers' group in the forums that many of us post on, there are a lot of really nice people on there. There are plenty of swimmers here, the more of us that connect the better it is for all of us.....

I try to get to the pool every morning Mon-Fri, but this is the time of year where I start to miss more days because of other stuff going on. I try to alternate my workouts, 1 day being my distance workout (all freestyle) & the other day I take out my 2 longest sets & substitute IM's so I can work on all my strokes....

My long workout is simply a pyramid: 1 set each (all freestyle) at the following yardages: 250, 500, 1000, 1500, 1500, 1000, 500, 250 for a total of 6500 yards. My short workout starts & ends with the same 3 sets on each end, but I don't do the 2 sets at 1500 yards. Instead I do 5 x 200 yard IM's (2 laps or 50 yards each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke & freestyle), then I do 1 set of a 500 yard freestyle, & then I do 5 x 100 yard IM's (1 lap or 25 yards of each stroke).....

rbiss

I'm learning to swim - and finding it really work!
I go 3 times a week most weeks (pool a few miles from my house) with the aim of being able to swim well enough for a triathlon. But first, I need to crack that 25 metres without dying first ...

Men have it much harder. You will sink a bit more until you get really moving. If you having alot of trouble with your legs sinking, try and float them with a pull buoy in the beginning until you get the hang of it.

ashenriver

When attempting open water swimming, its important to know your comfort zone and how far you can swim. You have to be able to swim back and you can go out further then you planned, especially with the current.

It is also very very important to know the conditions at the beach, first make sure it is one where swimming is allowed, then find out if there are undertows and know how to deal if you get caught. Also swimmers itch, bacteria levels, jelly fish (ocean).

Wet suits if its cold and also helps with buoyancy.

Swimming in some lakes, rivers and reservoirs- especially in BC or areas with hydroelectric dams, they can quickly change the water level and current. Some may sound a horn but you cannot guarantee that.

I used to love going to the lake and going swimming. I grew up swimming in Lake Erie. In BC you can find some really nice lakes for swimming. Yay no motorboats, but you can also find some really cold ones too (glacier fed)