When I first began swimming last fall, and in my quest to improve swim times and fitness levels for this season's Triathlon(s), I often heard the term "Feeling the Water". At first this phrase perplexed me; of course everyone can "feel" the water, so to speak, every time they dive in. Certainly cooler water can be felt easier, and any old lake will leave you "feeling" pretty damn cold - however - that's not the point. What was the point?
Months and months of swimming passed, and even after marked and continual improvement, I reflected back on this quote often. I wondered if I had experienced it, and the answer always seemed to be no.
About a month ago, shortly after the BAM triathlon in June, something remarkable happened. I was swimming at my normal 6 AM masters group, lamenting to our coach about how my disastrous swim unfolded the prior weekend out on Deer Creek. She didn't look surprised, but rather told me to get my ass out of the pool and demonstrate to her my stroke on dry land. I scoffed, but complied begrudgingly, because after all - I'm a world class swimmer! What could I possibly learn after nearly a year of swimming 2 and 3 days a week?! I was in for a great shock.
As I hunched over with my head facing downward, I began paddling as if I were moving through the chlorine-induced pool water, hastily tossing one arm forward, down, then back toward my thigh. After two quick "air strokes", she stopped me. What I saw next was nearly as scary as the horror movies that haunt our dreams from childhood - DROPPED ELBOW. I couldn't believe it. Not me!
No wonder I had become so comfortable with lap swimming and mediocre splits - my upper body muscle memory had imprinted itself with a terrible dropped elbow stroke. BAD, bad habit. Swim coaches everywhere are tearing up their workouts and manuals and crying uncontrollably for me, whether they realize it or not. For those who don't know, dropped elbow is one of "the" cardinal sins of swimming 101. Dropped elbow causes inefficient pulling. Inefficient pulling causes bad form. Bad form causes slower workouts, and more difficult workouts. Difficult workouts lead to slower times and less distance - and the bottom line is that it can be hard to correct. Here is a great link if you wanna read more about it.
So back to poolside with my cynical-sorry-ass standing there, freezing, wondering what my elbow was doing. Coach Becky quickly adjusted my elbow to square, had me practice a few on dry land, and motioned for me to get back in the pool. What ensued was a real miracle, as I started up the next set. My pulls seemed more fluid, my follow-through was more deliberate, and my arm was square. No more dropped shoulder! As I continued swimming that morning, I made a focused conscious effort to keep the arms square, and catch as much water from the tip of my fingers up through my forearms, and finally my shoulders.
One week later, continuing workouts and focusing on avoiding this dropped elbow, I FELT THE WATER. I was streamlined - I was rolling, and I was PULLING like you wouldn't believe! More importantly, I was faster! What a relief. To this day, I still think about squaring that arm and "reaching over the barrel" as it were, and catching as much water as I can. I feel the water all the time now and it has literally changed the way I swim.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Echo Pre-Race
Today was the Echo pre-race swim clinic & course preview.
Out of bed at 5:30 and in Coalville by 7 AM - I was greeted by another workout club friend Kris, donning his suit and ready to swim. Sans some campers, we were the only two at the lake and it was an awesome chance to get a pre-swim in. I threw my suit on (remember the body glide next weekend, please) and we wandered down lakeside and found a safe spot to start. Echo is really full, so the whole "sandy beach" thing didn't exactly materialize.
In the water - slight chill at first, but acclimatized very fast in the suit and it felt absolutely perfect. Even a tad on the warm side after the first swim. We scoped out some bouys lining 100 meters or so from the shore, about 500 meters south and headed out, pausing at each bouy to chill. I wish I could express how much more relaxed and unhypoxic I was during this swim compared to BAM. Deer Creek was an absolute freezefest in retrospect. I enjoyed myself thoroughly!
Back to shore at 7:45, and the core group / Sharks club group showed up and we decided we would forego the "instructional" open-water preview, and took off again on our own. Same deal, rounded bouys - felt great, sighted great, pulled great, still swam crooked. Ahwell. I didn't wanna get out!
We undressed, dried off, threw on the bike garb and headed North. The first thing I noticed was we had the wind at our back going East up the canyon out of Coalville. The course was pretty uneventful - very roller-coaster and a false flat that gives roughly 600 feet of climbing over the 14 miles we rode out. The wind on the way back slowed us down some, but for the most part it was a pretty straight shot. This is gonna be a fast course - plenty of time in aero. My patellar tendon was giving me a little twinge during the last 10 miles so I opted out of previewing the run course to be safe. I'll try a long tempo run tomorrow - 8 miles, then taper the run next week.
Overall it was a great morning and effective swim-ride brick training session. Can't wait for next weekend!
A few takeaways for next weekend: RELAX! Get a pre-race warmup in so the shoulders don't tighten up at 200. REACH and glide! Don't drop the elbow. Hook and pull square, and pull through the thighs. ROLL! Adjust the seat slightly forward for a more comfortable aero. Wear some support under the jammers. Push it on the climbs. Small stride, lean forward, shoulders square, strong toes. I can see the podium already! Is that all too much to ask? ;)
Out of bed at 5:30 and in Coalville by 7 AM - I was greeted by another workout club friend Kris, donning his suit and ready to swim. Sans some campers, we were the only two at the lake and it was an awesome chance to get a pre-swim in. I threw my suit on (remember the body glide next weekend, please) and we wandered down lakeside and found a safe spot to start. Echo is really full, so the whole "sandy beach" thing didn't exactly materialize.
In the water - slight chill at first, but acclimatized very fast in the suit and it felt absolutely perfect. Even a tad on the warm side after the first swim. We scoped out some bouys lining 100 meters or so from the shore, about 500 meters south and headed out, pausing at each bouy to chill. I wish I could express how much more relaxed and unhypoxic I was during this swim compared to BAM. Deer Creek was an absolute freezefest in retrospect. I enjoyed myself thoroughly!
Back to shore at 7:45, and the core group / Sharks club group showed up and we decided we would forego the "instructional" open-water preview, and took off again on our own. Same deal, rounded bouys - felt great, sighted great, pulled great, still swam crooked. Ahwell. I didn't wanna get out!
We undressed, dried off, threw on the bike garb and headed North. The first thing I noticed was we had the wind at our back going East up the canyon out of Coalville. The course was pretty uneventful - very roller-coaster and a false flat that gives roughly 600 feet of climbing over the 14 miles we rode out. The wind on the way back slowed us down some, but for the most part it was a pretty straight shot. This is gonna be a fast course - plenty of time in aero. My patellar tendon was giving me a little twinge during the last 10 miles so I opted out of previewing the run course to be safe. I'll try a long tempo run tomorrow - 8 miles, then taper the run next week.
Overall it was a great morning and effective swim-ride brick training session. Can't wait for next weekend!
A few takeaways for next weekend: RELAX! Get a pre-race warmup in so the shoulders don't tighten up at 200. REACH and glide! Don't drop the elbow. Hook and pull square, and pull through the thighs. ROLL! Adjust the seat slightly forward for a more comfortable aero. Wear some support under the jammers. Push it on the climbs. Small stride, lean forward, shoulders square, strong toes. I can see the podium already! Is that all too much to ask? ;)
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