Slowest rate ever?

[tomoy]

Is this at all motivated by Terry's blog about allowing ourselves to swim slowly to sensitize water feel? I read that last week and did 1.8. It's a relief actually, and at the same time, really interesting to catch and move so gently. I spent that workout between 1.4 and 1.8. Will try 2.0 next time. It really does force you to ask questions like what needs to go where when. I think my biggest take-away was how slowly your hands can move underwater, and the slower the better. I do swim for exercise though, and I worry that this slow a rate won't earn me my end of week cocktail compensation ;-)

[aquarius]

Originally Posted by andyinnorway

I observe a lot of swimmers in our local pool and we have a set of people who you mention that swim about a mile of freestyle 3 times a week before hitting the sauna for a chat for an hour. Most of them use a pull buoy and they have a SR of between 35 and 45

I find it difficult to swim so slowly without losing balance. Of course, if one uses a pull buoy, then the balance problem is solved. I'm old and slow, but can't swim that slow.

[jenson1a]

Charles--I am 69 and while I don't swim all the time at 1.8 or so, I find it is easier to concentrate on a certain focal point or drill at a slower speed. I also read that blog about swimming slower and thought it made some sense.

Prior to ti, I swam to lose weight. I didn't care how long it took me to swim the magic mile (took anywhere from 55 minutes to 1 hr--that's how slow I was) just as long as I was burning calories. Then I got the TI book and have been trying to get more efficient. While I have no desire to race, I would eventually like to swim at a more faster rate and also to swim more gracefully.

Sometimes I can swim with the TT at 1.3 or 1.35, and then the next day, in order to do the same routine, I have to slow the TT down to 1.5 or more. go figure.

Enjoy your posts, don't understand all of them, but some of them have given me some insight.

tks and Merry Christmas

Sherry

[Richardsk]

Hi Charles

I don't know if this information is of any use or interest to you but here it is anyway:

I used to have the original Tempo Trainer but didn't really get on with it very well. I could swim at settings between 1.8 and 1.0 and generally felt most comfortable at around 1.3. Any faster turnover than that and I began to slow down usually. Any slower than about 1.4 and I also slowed down. This is from memory and not absolutely reliable, but in the ball park as you say over there.

I left it switched on in the car by accident and it died, and so far I haven't really been tempted to buy the newer improved model.

I swam my first 1500 meter long course in 2007, aged 72, and I have managed to swim at least one each year since. My best time (don't laugh) was 39:14 or so in 2008, after which there was a decline due to stressful family circumstances, coming within a couple of seconds of my worst time (from 2007) of 44:15 odd in 2010, but never actually going that low. Since then there has been an upward progression and in March 2012 I managed 41:36 odd, which is my third best time so far. I am hoping to beat my PB in March 2013, but who knows what will happen?

Most days I swim repetitions of 25m, which is perhaps too short, but it is difficult to do longer repeats because of getting in the faster swimmers' way. At weekends, when the faster people are not usually there I can sometimes do longer repeats and recently have been adding in quite a few slow 100 m backstroke repeats, which may or may not be beneficial. I feel that it is but can't be sure. I treat it as a kind of kicking practice because I normally use the two-beat for my freestyle repeats and don't think the two-beat is very suitable for backstroke, in spite of Ryosuke Irie, who seems to do something very like a two-beat.

My speed for these repeats varies between about 33 seconds per 25 m on a good day and maybe 39 or 41 seconds on a not so good day. SPL varies between 18 and 23 or so. I'm never sure whether it's going to be a good day or not and generally take my cue from the first couple of broken 100s. A good day is normally followed by a not so good day.

This weekend, if family commitment permit, I may try some more one-arm drills.

I am the slowest by a considerable margin of the few in my age group who still swim the 1500. Nobody in the 80-84 group swam it this year. I see from the FINA site that there are some over nineties of both sexes who can beat the pants off me.

[CharlesCouturier]

Originally Posted by Richardsk

Most days I swim repetitions of 25m, which is perhaps too short, but it is difficult to do longer repeats because of getting in the faster swimmers' way. At weekends, when the faster people are not usually there I can sometimes do longer repeats and recently have been adding in quite a few slow 100 m backstroke repeats, which may or may not be beneficial. I feel that it is but can't be sure. I treat it as a kind of kicking practice because I normally use the two-beat for my freestyle repeats and don't think the two-beat is very suitable for backstroke, in spite of Ryosuke Irie, who seems to do something very like a two-beat.

Now ok wait wait... First thank you a zillion for having taken that time.

OK, if I understand correctly.

You are rarely training longer distances (non stop), but yet you prepare to 'race' these?

[Richardsk]

You are rarely training longer distances (non stop), but yet you prepare to 'race' these?

Yes. That's right. I realise that it would be better to do some more continuous swimming but that would have to be at a slower pace and I would be even more in the way of the faster swimmers.

In effect I am only 'racing' myself anyway, because the others in my age group are so much faster. They are a lot faster over all distances from 50 m up. In the New Year I will try to do more 75 m and 100 m repeats on days when there is space in the pool.

[CharlesCouturier]

Richard, it wasn't my purpose to discuss this, but... ok.

As a fast swimmer myself, trust me, slow swimmers are not in my way. Certainly not as much as fast swimmers that are a bit slower than I.

It's always much easier to pass someone that is significantly slower than yourself.

You're a great man, very polite, dislike being in the way. But I find it sooooo sad that you should *feel in the way* at the first place. Sooooo sad. Because it may as well only be in your mind (not that I want to blame you for this, as again it just depicts how respectful of a man you are).

But things don't work this way in a pool Richard. You have those jerks who will find that you're too slow, ie men and women that can't tolerate the sight of a 70yo (roughly) man who's taking the time to extend a happy life (instead of being sedentary which would shorten your happy life). But do we really want to start acting in accordance to these jerks?

Because on the other end of the spectrum, you'll find tons of people who will admire you for the time you spend in the pool, swimming pertetually. You older have your fan club, made of people of various ages.

My African girl friend is the less talented swimmer I've seen. Man does she hate water and does she fight against it. But she tries. She takes classes (our couple is not strong enough so that she takes em with me, that we understood lol). She goes to the pool. And her eyes are generally for older people as she goes "Hey, if they can swim perpetually, I sure can!".

Not sure if you read the anecdote of me threatening to kick a big German Giant's butt out of the pool if he was continuing lacking respect to an older disabled (Parkingson) man.

In our world, you're a bambino. Not scared of the water, but scared to be in a way. Sooo sweet, but still a bit unfair.

[Richardsk]

Charles, the regular swimmers at our pool are all very friendly and don't make me feel that I'm in the way. Several of them are triathletes and I have joined the local triathlon club as a result of meeting them.

It's just that in a small pool with only four lanes it's hard to find a lane where a 77-year old (officially 78 in January although not really until August) can do a bit of interval training and even sometimes practise a weird form of butterfly.

I wonder if I could ask some of them to assist me by doing some short sprints, giving me a suitable start. It would be good for all of us. I think my friend Sharon could probably overtake me just kicking with a board, if she started when I reached half way, and the local star who swam the English Channel can swim for an hour or so (or longer if the pool timetable allowed it) at a pace for 25 meters that I can't match for even one length.

[CharlesCouturier]

Where are you based in the UK exactly?

Thanks for clarifying all this. I must admit that I'm now a big fan of yours. My bad, soon 78 and still young at heart.

In everything Total Immersion could bring to you. What has the most important aspects been?

[terry]

Originally Posted by Stevew46

my 1 mile is usually approx 31 mins and my 2 mile 63 mins.

Steve
I suspect the fact that you lose virtually no speed when doubling your distance from 1 mile (31 min) to 2 miles (pace of 31.5 min.) may be credited to the large percentage of leisurely-rate swimming you do.
Charles did mention what I see as the primary benefit of low-rate swimming -- that it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a long, balanced and stable bodyline while bringing your recovery arm forward super-slowly. Spend enough time doing that and it's likely your balance will be much better.

The other typical effect of slowing your rate, is that your Stroke Length generally improves in proportion to it. You might take half as many strokes to cross the pool at a 2.0 tempo as you do at 1.0.

So with those two benefits to your efficiency, you're probably not that susceptible to fatigue.