I Can't Swim (not literal) (Read 1976 times)

There is hope. Last January I joined a local Tri club and I had to stop to grasp for air after 50m. I can now swim 1000m easily and probably can keep going for a while. I was going to the pool twice a week, 1 hour each, for 8 months. I suggest you take lessons or join a tri club with swim practices. Swimming as opposed to running is a lot about technique and having someone correct your stroke helps a lot. I suggest a tri club over a masters swim club because in tri clubs you usually focus on freestyle, the stroke you're going to end up using in the race. Also, I really suck at the other styles. - R

Believe me I would love to join a club, they just don't exist. We don't even have a running club o a cycling club for that matter so I'm pretty much on my own. Ask my wife, I'm really reserved and quiet so asking someone at the pool to help is out of the question (long story) and I can't hire someone. I'm really determined but it's just frustrating I guess. I already have a hard enough time just trying to find time to run as it is and what little time I do have is taken up with the question, swim, bike, run, or sleep. but that's a whole nother topic I'd rather not bother anyone with. But thanks for the replies. I guess it's just alot of work and i'll be there eventually..

Once upon a time I was a swimmer, a lifeguard, and an instructor. You've gotten a lot of great advice (technique) but here are some more things you might want to check. Speed - I've seen a lot of people that don't understand that it's possible to swim at different speeds. Just like you hear people talking about running slower, also focus on swimming slower. If you don't know how to slow down, just slow your kick, slow your turnover, and focus on extending your reach. Pay attention to what you're doing - Because technique is so important, you really need to pay attention to what your body is doing during training so you can improve your efficiency and make it second nature during racing.Focus on your breathing, your reach, your kick, proper flexing through you ankles, knees, and hips, your roll, your shoulders, your hands, etc. There's a lot going on and many people ignore it. Are you having some water-based anxiety? Lots of people are afraid of the water, lots of people are insecure about their swimming ability or their appearance, a surprising number of people will stress about having googles on their face or worry about swallowing water. Anxiety will increase your respiration and heart rate and can wear you out faster than you think. For a lot of the people I worked with, this was a much bigger factor than technique or form and I think most of their improvements came from being more relaxed in the water. Training aids - I think someone mentioned training fins and a kick board. You could also try webbed gloves. If your having problems breathing properly, you might want to consider using a snorkel at first so you get used to keeping your head properly positioned. If you're going to swim in open water then practice in open water - I realize that's not always possible but try. I would also recommend NOT doing a flip turn. There are no hard surfaces to push from in open water. On the other hand, if you are swimming your tri in a pool then master the flip turn. Having a flip over 2000m will save you from a lot of "swimming" that you'd have to do in open water. If you get serious about swimming there are lots of drills and workouts you can do. Good luck!

When my sister and I started triathlon, swimming was the worst part. In fact my sister even got rescued on her first triathlon. However it is the part that we now both enjoy the most, and improved the quickest on. Actually we have both since completed an Ironman, in fact my sister has since done 2. The organiser of IM came over and hugged her when she finished her first one and said to her she was so worth saving and could not believe how far she had come. So I agree, get the technique right and persevere. It will come.

The same advice that helped me through C25K helped me in swimming....SLOW DOWN. Figure out proper breathing technique and swimming technique slowly, then gradually add more speed. You also might check if your gym offers a personal trainer that knows swimming. A lot of people have recommended Masters programs but ours meets twice a day, twice a week (6 am and 6 pm, Tues and Thurs) which is too much for me, I just want someone to check me out and give me pointers once in awhile.