XTERRA

Wet suit Legal-Xterra Waco 5/23

2010-05-18T14:15:42 -10.00

I know the rules regarding the water temps, but I'm having problems getting the water temp for the race on 5/23 in Waco, Texas.

Has a decision been made? If not, when will it be made?

I plan on doing this race, but I'm not sure about needing to rent a wetsuit. If most people have them, then I'd like to have one as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Free Swim Clinic in Maui

2009-10-01T15:38:47 -10.00

Get an early start on your stroke!

XTERRA ambassador, SNRGY Multisport Coach and Professional Multisport Athlete, Brandyn Roark Gray and her husband, USA Swimming Team Member, Olympic Trials Qualifier, National Club Coach and World Ranked Swimmer, Trever Gray are offering a FREE swim skills and drills clinic on Monday, October 26th! Please them at snrgymultisport@gmail.com to find out more details and let us know if you are interested!

All levels welcome!

Open Water swimming in Tacoma?

2009-06-02T01:12:52 -10.00

Hey, looking for others who would like to join be for some Open water swims in some of the local Lakes around Tacoma. Spanaway Lake, American Lake, or even the Puget sound are all warm and ready for the 2009 season. drop me a line.

Total Immersion: is it a crock?

2009-05-23T13:52:14 -10.00

Interesting approach, and getting down to 18 strokes from 25-26 is quite an improvement. How is it going now?

I've thought about making a similar commitment to increased swimming. But the truth is, I don't really enjoy it that much, especially in comparison to biking or running. And I'm at the point physically where I can't work out endlessly each day, so it's necessary to choose between workouts each day. So I've sort of become resigned to always being crummy in the swim, as long I don't have to do it more than a cpl times a week.

Not a strong swimmer

2009-05-14T16:51:38 -10.00

Swimming sucks. Don't worry about it, there's a bunch of us bottom feeders trying to get through the swim part. It can be frustrating, but like a dude at Red River told me, "It helps to have a short memory"! It's always fun passing the chubbier swimmers on your bike after you finally slither in to shore! Just have fun, do the best you can, try not to drown.

Not a strong swimmer

2009-05-14T15:47:55 -10.00

I did my first Xterra about 10 years ago and didn't know how to swim. I came out of the water about 20 or 30 minutes after everyone else and got pity claps as I finally exited the water. Over the course of the race I probably managed to pass a 60 year old woman or two. But still I had a lot of fun out there and have been hooked ever since.

Don't make excuses, just sign up and do it.

Ted

Not a strong swimmer

2009-05-11T20:31:33 -10.00

Wondering where I'm not a strong swimmer if I should even try and compete at a exterra event. I'm going to try and take swim classes to improve.

Total Immersion: is it a crock?

2008-12-08T13:29:10 -10.00

Here's my take on TI from the perspective of a crappy swimmer (me).

First off, what is the alternative? Seems to me that unless you have the bankroll to pay for private swim lessons from a good coach ($50-100 an hour? x 4 lessons per month x 6 months = $1200-2400) who will watch you and only you swim and show you exactly what YOU should be doing, there basically aren't any other good options. 2 years ago I tried some book. It illustrated body positions (many of the same illustrations used by TI's book), theories, drills, and gave sample workouts. Seemed useful at the time. I'm not sure exactly how much faster I got using it but it was probably pretty marginal. At that point, I was getting a little better mostly because of simply swimming MORE than because of swimming BETTER.

Last year, I tried Masters. Worked out (in the old ladies lane) once per week with them and then did one long swim (2500m) and one drill-focused swim or interval swim per week on my own (so about 3x a week). I really put my heart and determination into it (and enjoyed it). I improved about 2-2.5 mins on a 1500m benchmark (from about 37 mins to 35 in the pool). My conclusion is that Masters is good only in that it gives you a structured set that you can't control (and a few more nice friends). Yeah, the coaches give you some pointers here and there but never really SHOW YOU EXACTLY what to do beyond using vague commands ("use your hips," "extend your stroke more," "be more fluid," "catch the water better," etc.). WTF???

This year I'm starting from scratch. Since I can't afford a coach, I'm giving $15 a try with the well-publicized TI book to see if it's for real. The main feature about the approach is that it breaks down the stroke into many components. The first few swims don't even involve using your arms at all (other than to keep them essentially at your side or extended). The first skill is just to learn to float on your back while gently kicking! This revealed right away that my main problem was BALANCE, which is why my stroke was probably more of a flail to stay afloat than anything else (common problem). So first I was just sinking (and panicking) but, seemingly miraculously, within about 5-10 mins of determination to get it right, I was kicking and floating on my back and actually moving down the lane and not swallowing water! Previously, every time I was told to do a kicking drill, literally, nothing would happen other than me blowing my legs out and going NO WHERE. This is one sneaky thing TI does: it says that kicking should be deemphasized and yet most of the first few sets of drills are accomplished precisely by kicking (as the primarly mode of propulsion)!

Anyway, I've pretty much completed all the drills after about a month and now have to go back and incorporate everything (and redrill again and again and again). Intermittently, they have you do a length of swimming to check your stroke rate. I can now swim one length in 18 strokes (just one though...then things start to fall apart). I've NEVER done that. Maybe my personal best was 20 or 21 but on average I was swimming more like 25-26. So I think that's pretty significant and gives me a lot of encouragement to stick with the program (now I have to build endurance and lots of muscle memory). So the jury's still out (I'll update this in a few months). I agree that I shouldn't expect to swim 1500s in the 25 min range come next spring. But 30 would sure be really really nice!

Total Immersion: is it a crock?

2008-05-21T17:01:36 -10.00

I'm not impressed with what little I have heard. One conversation told me that TI was still teaching an S-stroke (rather than the current high-elbow technique common today).

Some of the drills we discussed have merit, but I'm a believer that the drills should lead into a swim. For example, utilize drills on a kick-drill-swim set of 75's, 150's, or 300's (take your pick). Catch-up swimming, for example, is something that is tought there. Great drill, I still use it in my training, but it is incorporated in a set as above.

I think, and this is only speculation, when you talk about head and body underwater, this may be an exaggerated statement to compensate for very poor body position. Inexperienced swimmers will find themselves swimming with their heads out of the water, whipping back and forth, arms over stroking, very big arch in the back, and so on, that is a perfect display of poor body position in the water (swimming's equivalent of the "snow plow"). What TI has done is incorporate a reverse psychology against this in hopes that the swimmer will correct to a proper position. Said swimmer will feel like they are swimming underwater when they may very well have a more flat body position, and the head is not out of the water.

Swimming is not a "one size fits all" sport, that I agree with. That is why coaches are on the pool deck giving instruction, not a VCR and TV. Another thing that I have noticed is that TI does not work speed training. Same guy as earlier went to a TI session. Came back with some drills, and he was just as slow as before. He still had no concept of intensity training.

Check your recreation center in your area and see if they give adult swim lessons. If they don't try to find out when the better swimmers are showing up for lap swimming and see if you can't visit with these people. You will be able to recognize a quality swimmer who grew up with the sport over a rec'y. A big hint is that the quality swimmers are normally looking at the pace clocks around the pool. Rec'ies are looking at their watches. Also, be careful of swimmers who have too many "tools/toys" and are rifling through them constantly throughout their workout. Ability and experience do not necessarily correlate with the giant stack of crap on the deck. Kids in USA Swimming clubs and the like will have this pile with them because they don't know their workout. Experienced swimmers and former competators who train on their own won't because they know what they are going to do before the dive in and don't want to carry all that crap back and forth to the locker room. Finally, competative swimmers will most likely NOT be training in swim trunks. If they are, the trunks are shredded and they are wearing a racer underneath. Find these guys, pick their brain, and see if they would be willing to help you out a couple days a week. Swimmers, at this stage in their life, are rather laid back and will help out anyone that wants to swim faster. You will save your money from a TI clinic and you will probably get much better results. Bottom line, competition swimmers know how to swim fast. That's it. And if that's what you want to do, then they can help you get there far better than doing catch-up swimming drills at a snail's pace until the cows come home.

Apparently, I have a much worse opinion of TI than what I originally thought.

OWS Race in NC on May 31

2008-05-21T09:19:16 -10.00

Anyone plan on doing this OWS race? I'm thinking of making the drive to do this, even though I haven't been swimming in 10 mos. Also, has anyone done it in the past (previously known as the Dammed Catawba River Challenge)? How many swimmers are usually there?

Carolina's Open Water Challenge and will be held at the Latta Plantation, Saturday, May 31, 2008. Website is thecustomcoach.com/ows/