3000 Yard Postal Is Done!

Yesterday Diane and I swan the 3000 yard postal. I timed her. Then she timed me. I swam the first 1500 yards in 26:11 and the second 1500 yards in 26:43.  I was 32 seconds slower in the second half. I'll take that. But I still want to cut about 5 minutes per mile to be competitive nationally. The pool was a 25 yard pool. That's a lot of turns. I put my dry-land pumped stomach muscles to work during the swim. More work is required in the stomach department. Diane by the way was about 9 minutes faster than me which is normal for us.

If you are interested in learning more about this event, go to https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1287&smid=3918. I entered the event online yesterday. Cost to enter is $7.00. Check the website before you swim.

So what did I think about while swimming. I kept asking myself what condition is my condition in? Are my feet at horizontal for minimal drag? Am I getting a good push off the wall for fewer strokes?  Am I using the large body muscles or am I swimming with my arms? And where the heck is Diane's signal that I have 300 yards to finish?  I did the best I could in that place and at that time. I can't complain. Gotta go pump some iron.

Open Water Swim Feedback

Pool swimmers get immediate feedback on their swimming performance. It’s called the clock. They get a time. They know how their time compares to the other swimmers in the event. They know how their time compares to their previous times.  They can make adjustments for the next race. Open water swimmers see the clock at the end of a swim. By then it is too late to adjust.  Open water swimmers must make their adjustments during their swim.

My non-swimming friends and pool swimming friends ask me what I think about during an open water swim. I tell them I think about what condition my condition is in. Or, in short, how do I feel.  I say “Boiler room, this is the Bridge. What’s going on down there?”  If the boiler room reports back things like the right shoulder hurts, the left leg is drifting left, the chest is tight, hands are slapping the water, hands are pushing down at the catch, head is popping up too often, left arm is crossing the center line, feet are pulling me out of horizontal, I am drifting right, well, then I have to adjust.  All this without benefit of a clock. 

Usually the adjustment is a matter of paying closer attention some part of my stroke. Adjustments can be small or large.  Confirm high elbows on the recovery, ditto high elbows during the push, reach for the catch, rotate into the reach, start the exhale sooner, breathe at 90 degrees, at least twitch those legs, find the rhythm and let it flow.

And then we check back with the Engine Room and start the process all over again.