swimming

Entries Tagged as 'swimming'

Swimming Basics

March 27th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Planning on doing some swimming in the near future? Interested in running your first triathlon? Sprint Triathlons are a BLAST!! The distances are all completely achievable and it’s a great place to just “test” the waters on the sport. I bet you could all complete a sprint triathlon! The distances are usually 3 miles, 10 mile bike and 100 yard swim. You can do the bike distance on any bike you have…Hybrid, Mountain, or Road! I don’t recommend a beach cruiser for this, but, anything else would be fine. If you don’t have a bike, ask your neighbors.

Today’s topic is swimming. In years past, I only did one triathlon a year so I never really “trained” for the swim portion and this year, I’d like to add one or two more triathlons to my resume, so I contacted Raja (Olympic Distance Triathlete and also competing in California Half Ironman Distance this weekend) for some tips on training for swimming. I asked her all the “girlfriend” kinds of questions, so here goes…

Do you use any particular product for your hair? (I have spent some time coloring my hair and do want to ruin the color.)

I don’t use anything. I have heavily highlighted hair and it has never gone funny colors on me. Unless your hair is bleached blond, don’t worry about it.

What’s your favorite brand of goggles?

Because of my narrow face, I have to use goggles with attachable nose pieces. So, I prefer the TYR Velocity goggles which come with three nose pieces. I’ve also found that unless I’m swimming first thing in the morning, I have to wash the face cream and sunscreen off my face prior to putting on the goggles otherwise, I won’t get a good suction. I also have the TYR Nest goggles which are cool, too.

Do you wear a swim cap?

Don’t leave home without it. My hair is a disaster trying to swim. I can barely control it with a cap.

How long do you spend swimming and is it mostly freestyle or do you use other strokes?

Minimum of one hour, but, usually 1.5 hours. I go to masters swim workouts that has a coach so that I may be inspired get in the water and swim. Find a masters program, they should have a lane for more beginner swimmers who want stroke work. I do mostly free since that’s what I have to be good at, but do try to do some of the IM workouts, they really do help with endurance and strength.

I know NOTHING about swimming! In fact, I can barely breathe at the end of every lap.

Me too. Find a pool near you (mine is at my local high school) and they should have a masters coach that will give you stroke work. You can also contact Kevin Kostella, he’s got an online swim coaching business.

What is your favorite brand of swim suit?

I use Speedo Endurance. They’ve worked the best for me.