Hey everyone!

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FitMama2013
FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
Hey! I thought it would be easier to have a group instead of a thread to find :) I'm sorry I've been slacking on posting challenges - back on track this week!

This week's challenges:

200 free for time - this will gauge where we all are!

16 X 25s fly on the fastest interval you can make.

As always, please post your results if you'd like :)
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  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,720 Member
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    Hey there!

    I swim 4-5 days a week in the mornings at my local Y for 45 minutes to an hour. It's helped me lose a ton of weight and really helps me start my day off right!
  • TroyBa
    TroyBa Posts: 57 Member
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    I like the group idea! I'll pick up the 200 tomorrow.
  • Misiaxcore
    Misiaxcore Posts: 659 Member
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    Yay a swimming group :love:

    Ironically I was doing 200s yesterday. Does that count ?
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,720 Member
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    See I'm not a "real" swimmer.. I don't know from 100's and 200's and the like.

    I just swim freestyle up and down the lane for as close to an hour as I can. I don't do flip turns, I need a second to catch my breath at the end of each lap. But I get better everyday!
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
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    See I'm not a "real" swimmer.. I don't know from 100's and 200's and the like.

    I just swim freestyle up and down the lane for as close to an hour as I can. I don't do flip turns, I need a second to catch my breath at the end of each lap. But I get better everyday!

    you're a "real" swimmer if you get in the pool :) glad to hear you're improving more and more each day. some of us here have monthly yardage goals (or timed goals) to try and hit, so that's always an idea too! 1 lap is 25 yards (or meters, not sure which kind of pool you swim in), so when we talk about a 100 it's 4 laps, or a 200 is 8 laps.

    so, the challenge this week is to swim 8 laps as fast as we can and see what our time is. in a few weeks, we'll do the 200 (8 laps) again and see how much we've improved.

    the other challenge is 16 X 25s butterfly (so 16 laps, but we stop at the end of each lap) on a fast interval. do you have a clock where you swim? if so, an example would be to do the 16 X 25s on 30 seconds (you can do freestyle). so, you have 30 seconds to do each lap - if it takes you 15 seconds to do the lap, then you get 15 seconds rest. if it takes 20 seconds, then you rest 10, and then go again on the 30. does that make sense?

    there's a place for everyone in this group, so if you have a specific goal in mind (swim 5 hours a week, 50,000 yards a month, etc) then post it here so we can support each other :)
  • Icewolf_The
    Icewolf_The Posts: 308 Member
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    And so if it takes me longer than 30 seconds to do the lap then I'm doing 16 straight? :D Which isn't a problem. I can do 16 straight. Just.

    Hello ;) Usually swim half a mile at clip. Part of training for sprint Tri. Well that and I like swimming. ;) Hard part now is getting in the water at 46F ;) *chatters* ;)
  • sara709
    sara709 Posts: 170 Member
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    See I'm not a "real" swimmer.. I don't know from 100's and 200's and the like.

    I just swim freestyle up and down the lane for as close to an hour as I can. I don't do flip turns, I need a second to catch my breath at the end of each lap. But I get better everyday!

    I'm with you! :drinker: I try to swim 1 - 3 times a week for 45 - 60 mins. I'm pretty new at it so I'm not great but I feel like I'm getting better each time I go. It's good to know some people are in the same boat.

    Thanks to @emswanson for clearing up what all the jargon means :flowerforyou: My goal is to get in on some of these challenges!
  • electriq
    electriq Posts: 359 Member
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    Hi Everyone,

    Great to see the swimmers group here (nice move from the thread). I'm pretty busy again with my studies just at the moment, but I'm still swimming about 3 times a week, just not posting much. I'll see how I go with the 200 and post my time. Not sure whether I'll do the other challenge or not, will see. I've officially started training for my first triathlon and it feels really good not to be too worried about the swim which really wouldn't have been the case just a few months ago. I really appreciate all the support and community I have felt from the swimmer's thread, thanks guys, and I look forward to getting to know more of you.

    Now, where's the pool?
  • bluemist248
    bluemist248 Posts: 207 Member
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    I love the pool! I go twice a week out of term time, but whilst I'm at uni I only get to go once a week. I aim for 40-50 non-stop lengths each week. A few months ago I could only manage 32 lengths so I'm slowly improving :smile: Can't say I've ever worked it out to distances, purely because I use a waterproof lap counter in the pool so I record in lengths and timings.
  • redstuff
    redstuff Posts: 44 Member
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    Yipppeeee! A swimming group! I swim (usually) 3 days a week at the Y with a masters group. We've got a good coach & he's really helping me improve! I'm pretty slow. I didn't start swimming regularly until last year. I had to find something else to do besides run b/c my knees couldn't take the constant pounding anymore. I still run, but not too much. Swimming has been a great way to burn calories and work out with friends.
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    I've had to cut back on my swimming due to not being able to get to the gym as often since I started working. I've increased my running and decreased my swimming. Had to choose and running took the cake because of upcoming races.

    Thanks from me as well for clearing up the jargon :smile: I'm also one who calls a full down and back a lap instead of one length. So my 25 yd pool is a 50 yd lap. That's how my swim coach taught us when I did swim team, so forgive me if I type it out wrong!

    As for where I am: I tend to do breaststroke, as it's my most comfy stroke and gets my HR just as high as freestyle. My average mile time is 55 minutes. Yeah, I'm pretty slow :embarassed:
  • delilah514
    delilah514 Posts: 126 Member
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    Hi everyone! I was very excited when I saw the swimmers group. I have been trying to motivate myself to get back in the pool. Have been out due to a sore neck/shoulder & it hurts worse if I swim to much. Sucks since swimming is my favorite! I need to get back into it though as I want to do the 2K swim in Sydney Harbour this year (did the 1K the last 2 years) so time to get back in the water & get training again :)
  • spottedlee
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    Hi, I am Lee. I have a question for you.....

    I am more of endurance swimmer, not racing for time but take it easy and in doing so, I can swim the whole hour without stopping. Now here's the problem I have. I can't do challenge cuz of my shoulder injuries 11 years ago and the only strokes that works for me wihout geting pains is back stroke.

    So which is better,, racing for time or endurance?

    A bit of myself,, I swam in local swim team as a teenager. Went to college on swim scholarship. but alas, broke my ankle just before swim season started! that was 35 years ago... I never went back to lap swim again until about a month ago. My daughter was surprised that it didn't take long to do what I am doing,, I would kept on swimming and she would stop every few hundred yard and still can't figure out how I kept on going for a hour... oh well,, Like me, she swam in high school team.

    You guys can add me to friends, keep in mind,, all those WTG awesome burn, blah blah without really meaning it is NOT acceptable in my view..... I like it when someome means it,, like one person (bless her heart),, she would say,, 'YOU HAD ICE CREAM AGAIN??!!" Now that is my kind of encouragement! :bigsmile:

    Take care gang!
  • Dory_42
    Dory_42 Posts: 3,587 Member
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    Hi

    I am new to MFP, but really keen to get back into a healthy lifestyle. I have some knee challenges which limit exercise options but I have always been a water baby and that is great for knees, so I plan to get back into swimming. I swim in the sea as I prefer it to some pool I have to pay for that is stuck in some building, and you never know what you will see when at the beach. I have no idea of distance though, so will not take part in any challenges based on that. My first goal is to swim at least three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time... My bigger goal is to swim the local Mile early next year! I live in South Africa so summer is just starting and it is perfect timing to get into the ocean!!
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
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    Hey everyone!

    CaptainBoing - welcome! I have knee issues as well, so swimming is great for me...so jealous you are able to swim outside though! I think your 3 times a week for 30 minutes goal is a great start, so good luck :)

    Lee - to answer your question, in my opinion I think both are great for different things. I think you should do what you enjoy most - for me, I get super bored after about 400 yards so I choose to do smaller sets where I really work on speed, but I think it would also benefit me to throw in some longer, endurance type swims. I know some people who swim for 2 hours and never stop and love it. So I think it's your personal preference. If you're asking about weight loss though, again, I think there's a place for both, but probably working on speed would be a great thing to do since it's like intervals on the treadmill - burns more calories! Either way, I'm so glad you're back in the pool after so long!

    Delilah - I'm so sorry about your injury, but hopefully you can get back in the water with less pain soon. I think you have a great goal, though!
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
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    Hi everyone! I'm new to the group.. YAY I FOUND THE SWIMMERS! :heart:

    I was a lifeguard as a teen and I LOVE to swim. In recent time I've been getting back to it gradually. I started water exercise classes at my new local aqua center and I love it. After working up to it, I can finally swim 10 laps again (sidestroke, backstroke, elementary backstroke).

    I was never a very fast swimmer, but for me swimming feels closest thing I can imagine to flying. It makes me very happy,:love: the pool is/has always been a very peaceful and tranquil place to me.

    Best wishes!
  • spottedlee
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    I was never a very fast swimmer, but for me swimming feels closest thing I can imagine to flying. It makes me very happy,:love: the pool is/has always been a very peaceful and tranquil place to me.
    Welcome Nico, You described it very well! I view the pool as my home. I hate doing the dry land stuff.
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
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    Thanks spottedlee!

    At my pool, there's more classes available on Mon/Wed/Fri than there is Tue/Thur so.. I try to go at least twice a week on a Mon/Wed/or Fri and usually I get in an hour of mild aerobics in the cold water (class title: "Morning Fit"), and 2 hours of gentle stretching in the warm water (class title: "Warm Water Exercise")

    And when I'm done with all that, if there's no one in the lanes I try to do 10 laps which include sidestroke (hard, but fun for me), modified back stroke (easy for me), regular back stroke (somewhere in between easy and hard) as well as 3 minutes or more of treading water.

    I love to tread water. Back in my lifeguard days they called me "The Tread Water Queen" because I had no problem with the requirements with treading water, in fact unlike most of my classmates back then I could double (or more) the time required with water treading. I just seem to have a body style that's made for it.

    I do dry land exercising too but I find the more I do in the water, the more graceful I am on land. After awhile moving normally in air starts feeling like moving in the water does, more fluid and graceful.
  • lucor001
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    Hi,
    I'm new to MFP (about a month now) and I'm a 4X week swimmer. I swim because I can't really tolerate other forms of exercise (I'm a couch potato :) ). I know that sounds bad, but I enjoy swimming, I don't enjoy elliptical machines or weights. I never was a really good swimmer - although I did learn as a kid. Now it's 20+ years later and I want to improve my fitness, and hopefully become a better swimmer in the process. I live in MN where lakes abound, so during the summer at least being a decent swimmer has it's advantages. So far I've been working through Ruth Kazez' 0 to 1650 in 6 weeks site:
    http://ruthkazez.com/swimming/SwimWorkouts/ZeroTo1mile.html
    and I'm on week 6 so I feel like I'm making progress (my first day I thought I was going to die after 275 yards).

    I'm hoping I can get some new ideas here that will help me establish my next goals so I don't lose interest. I'm also hoping to get faster (my 100yd time is pretty slow - 190 seconds) but I think that will come if I do some form of interval training.

    Mostly I'm just hoping to chat with like minded people and continue making progress on losing weight! :) - oh and I really look forward to trying the "challenges". Even if I can't come close to doing them, that's OK :).
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    Hello Swimmers!

    I swim 4 days a week at the Y. I used to be a lifeguard but you only have to swim a 500 for the lifeguard cert, and I thought that was hard at the time. Now my goal is to swim a mile at each gym session and depending on my asthma it takes 45-60 minutes to swim 72 lengths (1800 yards) and then if I still have energy I'll swim to 80 or 90 lengths. My goals are to swim 15 miles in January and 100 lengths in one session. I can't do flip turns, I can't swim butterfly, and I don't swim backstroke because my heart doesn't beat hard enough. So I'm a very basic swimmer. I love it though, I love that I don't listen to music when I swim so it's quiet and peaceful and it DOES feel close to flying.

    I record it in a google doc, and put notes about anything that affected my workout that day. I hate the weekends because the gym is crowded and there are classes taking up valuable pool space! I don't have lap lanes until 12:30 today :(

    Nice to meet ya'll!