|
| Swimming (Read 1394 times) |
| view log Getting there... |
posted: 11/1/2007 at 1:11 AM |
Extensive PT has lead to believe that my strong legs are tight, and hence the IT band is crazy tight. I worked for years in a shop that had me up and down stairs all day every day. Perhaps that is where it alal began.
I also have the problem on my hip muscles needing to be stronger, and to 'fire' during my strides - all of this we are working on and progressing. (slowly but surely)
10 days now of no running. Been a long time since I could say that  |
~ Dave ~
clubhouseleader 'at' gmail 'dot' com / www.daddyo.ca
Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.
|
|
|
| view log my homeground |
posted: 11/1/2007 at 8:09 AM |
| Go swimming and do yoga for the meanwhile Daddyo. I didn't run or swim for 2 months - Aug & Sept. due to my broken toe, but did some road biking. What amazed me is that I didn't gain any weight. I know that some people with hate me for this. I think if you can get your hips and legs to be more flexible you will have less injuries from running. The sad fact is the older we get the tighter and stiffer our joints get. I know exactly how you feel. Hang in there. Boston can become a reality for you. Never ever lose hope! |
Tokyo Marathon - the best race EVER!
|
|
|
| view log Wish I were there |
posted: 11/1/2007 at 11:38 AM
modified: 11/1/2007 at 11:39 AM |
Quote from Daddyo on 11/1/2007 at 1:11 AM:Extensive PT has lead to believe that my strong legs are tight, and hence the IT band is crazy tight. I worked for years in a shop that had me up and down stairs all day every day. Perhaps that is where it alal began. I also have the problem on my hip muscles needing to be stronger, and to 'fire' during my strides - all of this we are working on and progressing. (slowly but surely) 10 days now of no running. Been a long time since I could say that
I can relate, to some extent. Too many days of no running, and my attempts to run were pathetic. My plan is to lay low for a while and see if things heal. My issue began, I think, back in 1989 from a car accident that seriously damaged the muscle in my right hamstring. And with increasing my mileage and doing more speed workouts, I think I made something flare up.
I've also wondered about my hip muscles so it makes me wonder more to hear you say that.
|
~Michelle
Southeastern PA Group
Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon...everything's different. - Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes |
|
|
| view log Blaine Moore |
posted: 11/2/2007 at 12:42 AM |
| Quote from jEfFgObLuE on 10/30/2007 at 7:40 PM: I recently went to a cross-training seminar at my local running store, and they strongly recommended pool running over swimming -- better workout, and it mimics running much more than regular swimming.
I've done the aqua jogging when I had a stress fracture in one leg and tendonitis in the other. It's more fun than a migraine, I have to give it that.
Personally, I just swim. I didn't learn how to swim until I was a sophomore in college. I try to get at least one pool workout a week up until I really ramp up to my marathon training, and usually only have 30 minutes total to swim since I do it on my lunch breaks. (Driving, changing, showering, getting back, and eating take up the other 30 minutes, although it is usually more like 40)
I have a couple of workouts that I do. First, I swim laps straight the entire time, and I do that 90% of the time. I count 5 lap sets and hit my watch so that I can compare workouts, and I try to see how far I can get in 30 minutes. I have not yet made a mile, but I've come pretty close. I got 30 laps once. Normally, when I've been swimming regularly and I am in shape, I do 27-29 laps. Right now getting back into it, I call it quits at 25 laps which is 28-29 minutes. I could get more in, but hey I just ran a marathon a few days ago.
The other workout that I do are two lap intervals with varying rest between 10 seconds and 30 seconds. In those workouts, I try to work on breaking a sweat. I have to admit, when I was learning to swim and had a training partner and swam for more than 30 minutes at a time, it was much easier to break a sweat.
I have no trouble elevating my heart rate, though. I generally just swim free style, although I really should start working on some other strokes again. My wife's (former) coach is trying to get me to join the masters group, but I'm cheap and haven't bothered yet. |
Run to Win
I just started using Twitter - anybody else on there? http://twitter.com/BlaineMoore
Saturday, 9/6, I'll be interviewing a man who has only lost 1 minute off his 5K time in 30 years:
http://www.runtowin.com/ask/Tom-Ryan.html - Sign up for the call in details and to have your own questions answered! |
|
|
| view log Getting there... |
posted: 11/2/2007 at 1:37 AM |
Thx for the tips - I will need 'em. Tried the eliptical today and had to stop after 5 minutes  |
~ Dave ~
clubhouseleader 'at' gmail 'dot' com / www.daddyo.ca
Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.
|
|
|
| view log |
posted: 11/2/2007 at 6:55 PM |
Daddyo--
Patience, brother. I got ITBS the first time I tried running relatively high miles--the summer before college. I couldn't run the whole month of August. I was worried, but by the end of September, I was running much faster than I ever had. Take some time off. Get in the pool if you feel like it, but you don't have to. If you feel like training, then stretch instead. Two months from now, you can still be dealing with this injury or you can be running pain free and faster than you ever have. Smart "training" now means taking a break. |
a vagabond,..highway-beater; a rolling stone, one that does nought but runne here and there.
~Cotgrave, Randle A dictionarie of the French and English tongues, 1611
|
|
|
| view log Man in Tights |
posted: 2/3/2008 at 12:07 PM |
| Quote from csmithnj on 10/27/2007 at 3:50 PM: I've decided to put swimming into my exercise program. We just joined a local club that was the old YWCA. I went this morning for the first time. I plan to swim at least once a week to prepare for some triathlons next year.
It's a harder than I remember. When I was young, I was on the swim team and fairly good. It's been over 20 years since I swam laps.
I learned to swim exactly a year ago when I had to lay off running due to a knee injury. I struggled during the first few months, gasping for breath after every lasp of the pool. Then suddenly it all came together. Now I'm able to swim 1.6 km in 40 minutes without stopping.
Nowadays I run and swim on alternate days. I find that my fitness levels are far higher than what they used to be when I was only running. My body looks far more toned  . And it's much easier on the knees.
SO DON"T GIVE UP |
|
|
| view log dork.major dork. |
posted: 2/12/2008 at 9:55 PM
modified: 2/12/2008 at 9:55 PM |
Jeezum. After lurking on this thread, I got into a pool today for the first time in YEARS... did 5 laps (500m total). Yeah, two words: HUMBLE PIE...
Only room for improvement, right?  |
| Reaching 1,243 in 2008 -- one day, one week, one mile at a time. |
|
|
| view log somebody's gotta be 3rd |
posted: 2/14/2008 at 10:27 PM |
| hooray! Go Imogene!!! Narsi, my story is really similar to yours. Got into the pool in December '06...had to teach myself to exhale under water... |
coming up: Hartford marathon 10/11.
|
|
|
gailrick |
posted: 2/19/2008 at 11:01 PM |
Hi,
I am a swimming teacher....
A few tips...
Presuming your technique is pretty good, a lot of newbie swimmers fail on:
1. Try to relax on the recovery part of the stroke,
Eg,for front crawl as your arm comes out over the water, make sure you bend your elbow to the roof and have a loose arm. I see many swimmers having tension all the time in the stroke and that tires one out fast.
So have a think about that when you are swimming.
Breathing,
If again you are doing front crawl, practice your face in the water; water at your hairline, looking down and forward (Think you are swimming through a pipe, this will help you keep your arms close to your body) with a float and breathing to the side, not looking up forward. Think about just your legs doing the work and the rest of your body, (trunk) is relaxed.
If you usually breath every stroke, (same side) try holding your breath for three strokes then trickle blow then last moment explosive breat out to clear so you are ready to in hale again....
Breath when you need to, so when you get tired if you are on 4 stroke breathing take some one strokes for more oxygen.
And regarding your heartbeat, put some sprints in or faster paced swimming for say 6 lenghts. I did a heap of training back to swimming last summer, and for a girl i had great toned arms! I was hammering the swimming though, doing fly and lots of sprints.
I hope this helps those getting back into their swimming.. regards Gail (thats a tenna please!)
|
|
|
| view log |
posted: 2/20/2008 at 1:37 PM |
gailrick,
I'm just getting back into swimming. Because, like many here, I'm self-coached in all my training, I appreciate your advice on swimming technique.
Thanks! |
|
|
gailrick |
posted: 2/23/2008 at 11:55 PM |
Cheers ears!
If anyone has a few questions.. give me a shout..
thanks
Gai |
|
|
Hiro11 |
posted: 2/28/2008 at 3:53 PM |
New poster here.
i also cross-train running with swimming. I swam competitively through college but stopped until about two years ago (I'm 34 now). On restarting, I found that my technique was still there but my arm/shoulder/abs strength just wasn't up to snuff. It's taken me about two years, but I'm finally getting close to some of the sets I used to do as a kid.
Three pieces of advice, if anyone cares:
- The trick with swimming is proper technique. Without proper technique, you're not going to go fast and you'll probably end up hurting your shoulders. Take some time with a swimming coach to analyse your stroke and work on the details. Swimming is very technical but it's almost impossible to describe proper technique without having someone knowledgible actually looking at your stroke. Also, don't start amping up the yardage until you've got good technique going.
- Timed interval training is usually the best way to train in swimming. It can be ridiculously boring if you're doing lots of yards to just keep going back and forth until you get to some predetermined total. Intervals keep you focused and get your heartrate up more easily. Look online for some interesting, varied sets and try new ones frequently to stave of boredom.
- Swim with other people. It can be social, motivating and fun. Definitely join a Master's team if you can fit it into your schedule, even if you don't plan on racing. It's a generalization, but I've found swimmers to be some of the friendliest people to train with. |
|
|
Sarah- shoes=life |
posted: 3/2/2008 at 6:19 PM |
Hi Everyone!
I completely agree that swimming is good cross-training. It is the only activity that works your entire body. It also has helped my core quite a bit. It's always great to get into the nice, cold, low impact water once and a while.
It's also true that it's really hard to get into...here are some tips.
1). Don't give up! It's hard, but it gets so much easier.
2). If you're having problems with your pull, use hand paddles. They teach you how to pull the water correctly and they also strengthen your arms.
3). Learn all the strokes. Variety is the spice of life! Throwing some backstroke or breaststroke into the mix helps break the monotony of all freestyle. Other strokes also work different muscles.
|
| ~Sarah~ |
|
|
| view log |
posted: 3/3/2008 at 6:10 AM |
If your pull is bad, there are probably better methods than using a paddle (i.e. pull specific drills, early vertical forearm drills, gliding drills, etc.).
Using paddles can help you build strength, but they are much harder on the joints. Frequently swimming with paddles increases the risk of shoulder injuries. |
|
|
|
|
