I started to read a few swim
books to see if I could gain any further insight. I read a Total Immersion Swim
book but just couldn’t identify with it. Trying to take long strokes just isn’t
me, it never was. I struggle to take 23 strokes per 25m so there is no way I was
going to get that down to 18 without a lot of work. I am the mum of two young
kids aged 3 and 4 years and I simply don’t have the time to massively overhaul my
stroke. I probably just don’t have the patience anyway.
I picked up my husband’s Swim Smooth
book and I was thrilled that I was able to relate to one of the swim types that
they had mentioned. Fast choppy stroke rate, straight arm recovery, performs
better in open water, dislikes sprinting but likes distance swimming. This was
just me even the comment “may have received unfavourable comments about their
stroke in the past in comparison to smoother swimmers” was so applicable. They even said that many elite swimmers were
this swim type which they termed “Swingers”. Maybe things weren’t so bad after
all!
On seeing that Paul Newsome and
Adam Young the authors of the book were giving a clinic in Limerick
I got very excited. Yes it wasn’t cheap and I was going to have to ask my
husband to mind the kids on a bank holiday but I was determined to go.
It was an action packed day to
say the least. After seeing the schedule I thought I might get bored – how on
earth could one analyse the freestyle stroke for a whole day? However from the
moment we had the ‘meet and greet’ to the receiving our own DVD’s at the end of
the day I loved every minute of it. All
this helped no doubt by the fact that I was finally being complimented on most
elements of my stroke, I was really chuffed. Yes I can now live with having an
“uglier” stroke then the smoother swimmers. Anyway as Adam said Swingers have
more fun!!
First time in the pool since the
clinic this morning and a few things to work on, (1) reduce leg kick and kick
from the hip (apparently even Ian Thorpe only gets 11% of his propulsion from
his kick). I have been wasting far too much energy on kicking hard from the
knee; (2) Try and reduce stroke rate from 86 per 100m (on 1:30.) to about 76
(3) Focus on my left arm underwater and try to maintain a high elbow position
underwater. (4) Change to single side breathing to bilateral breathing every 5
strokes.
Session this morning: 2600m; 300m warm up; 1 x 400m (off
6:30); 3 x (1 x 200m (off 3;20); 2 x 100m (off 1:45) and 2 x 50m (off 55’); 1 x 100m easy) 100m
cool down.
My aim is still to get my pool
1.5k down under 25 minutes and hopefully get my open water 1.5k in between 23
and 24 minutes. Apparently you can gain 38% by drafting effectively so I am
certainly going to work on this for the ITU World Age Group Championships in London in September. Since the clinic I have beefed up our swim section in our shop (Amphibian King in Oranmore, Galway) - we now have a range of Finis Swim toys, Orca wetsuits, TYR swimwear &
goggles. Coming soon Zone 3 &
HUUB wetsuits.I eyeing up the new HUUB Aura 3.3 myself for this years events....don't think I will wait until next Mothers day to treat myself!!