Ons plaasdam op Goedertrou is basies leeg. Die bietjie water wat oor is het ook baie alge in en ek moet sekere dele van die dam vermy. Knolfontein se lekker groot dam is nou 'n heelwat kleiner dam- darem nog steeds 500 m in die rondte. Die probleem is dat ek daar deur goed aangeval word wat my vreeslik byt en ek elke slag as ek daar geswem het lyk soos een met Duitse masels! Ek het ten minste 20 byt plekke oor my lyf.
Gelukkig was Alan Zondagh van die Rugby Performance Centre so vriendelik om my toe te laat om weer in hulle swembad te swem.
Ewe skielik is my tye sommer baie beter as net die vorige dag toe ek in Malmesbury geswem het. Ek vermoed onraad en tree die swembad af. Dan gaan n lig vir my op. Die swembad is seker meer as 50 jaar terug gebou toe die Sement fabriek nog deur die Ingelse besit is en Cape Portland Cement geheet het. Hulle het dit natuurlik in Yards gebou en nie in meter nie. 25 Jaart is net onder die 23 meter en ek swem ongelukkig nog teen dieselfde spoed. (Die sportgronde is verkoop en tans in die besit van Alan Zondagh wat sy Rugby Performance Centre hier gevestig het)
Dit is nou weer lekker om gereeld in die swembad te oefen. Ek kan my effektiwiteit meet en bepaal of my verstellings 'n verbetering in spoed bewerkstellig. Ek moet soggens voor 8 uur klaar geswem wees. Dit is n goeie begin vir elke dag. Waar ek twee jaar terug gesukkel het om in die water te gaan as dit nie n lekker son skyn dag is nie, is dit nou vir my tweede natuur en gaan ek maklik selfs in die half donker in die water. Ek moet 6vm by die swembad wees as ek 4-5 km wil swem.
Ek is ingeskryf by die Total Immersion Academy. Dit kos n maandelikse fooi maar daarvoor is al die videos en ook Terry Laughlin se nuwe boek op die Akademie beskikbaar. As mens raad nodig het is daar altyd n TI coach op die forum om te help. Suzaan Atkinson het ook n 12 weke program hierop wat ek nou gaan begin volg.
Ek lees gereeld Mat Hudson se blog. As n fondasie om jou swem tegniek te bou stel hy dit dat jy in n proses moet glo en die proses moet vertrou. Dit het ek nou net weer besef. Daar is baie verskillende benaderings in die swem wêreld. Ek glo in die Total Immersion filosofie en in my aanlyn afrigters. Ek kan nie n baster benadering volg deur ander idees met TI idees te vermeng nie. Dan sal die proses nie effektief wees nie en sal ek nie resultate verkry nie. Sommige benaderings soos die een waar krag en vinnige SR beklemtoon word is nie versoenbaar met TI nie. Total Immersion beklemtoon juis dat hierdie tegnieke oor n kort afstand werk maar oor die langer afstande soveel weerstand kan veroorsaak- n 10 % groter spoed veroorsaak 80 % meer weerstand, dat dit net te uitputtend is om volhoubaar te wees. Volgens die TI proses is balans en vaartbelyning die boustene waarop spoed later gebou word. Hierdie boustene moet gereeld verfyn word deur te probeer vasstel waar verbeterings nog aan gebring kan word.
Ek weet reeds dat ek nie altyd my kop in die water laat hang nie en dat ek met asemhaling my kop ook oplig en nie net draai nie. Hierdie aspekte gaan my fokus punt vir die volgende twee weke wees. Swem op die TI manier betrek jou verstand en jou liggaam en om so intens betrokke by die proses te wees is opwindend en maak elke swem n unieke ervaring. Geen vervelige op en af swemmery vir n TI swemmer nie!
Showing posts with label Terry Laughlin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terry Laughlin. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Monday, 30 December 2013
Using the Tempo Trainer
I am a big procrastinator. I had the Tempo Trainer for 3 months but was just to "scared" to use it. Now what are there to be scared of? That was what I start asking myself. So I just tackled it- read the instructions and start swimming with it. Now I can kick myself for not using it sooner.
The important thing is that I must increase my stroke rate gradually so that I do not loose efficiency. I do not know how a swimmer can do this without the Tempo Trainer. In the beginning the beeping sound was very irritating, but I got use to it very quickly. Now after just a few sessions I depend on it.
In competitions this aid is not allowed so I will have to be able to keep the pace myself and will need some training sessions without it though.
In his ebook- Outside the box, Terry Laughlin explained how he use the Tempo Trainer to swim faster. Terry reminded me not to chase a quicker stroke rate at the cost of efficiency. Speed or velocity is obtained by the length one travel with each stroke multiplied by the number of strokes per minute.
It is difficult for me to force myself to swim at a higher speed. It is tiring and after a while of increasing my tempo I again fall back on my leisurely pace. The tempo trainer with its regular beeps force me to swim at the preset pace.
My research on this topic makes it clear that to become a faster swimmer one do need to train correctly. Swimming the distance as I have been doing the last month will not necessarily lead to improvement in speed. Interval training where I need to swim at a faster pace for short distances with sufficient rest in between will be far more beneficial than just swimming 2-3 kilometers at a leisurely pace.
I borrowed my brother's Garmin 302 to measure the distance I swim in the farm dam. To my astonishment and delight I swam 3 km in 42 minutes. After checking my pool time on the clock it seems that the Garmin did not track my distance correctly- I am still swimming 50 m in 55 seconds and according to this it will take me at least 55 minutes to swim 3 kilometers.
I have never learned to do a tumble turn and my turning time might lead to a slower time over 50 meter, but for the Garmin to be correct I need to swim 50 meter in 42 seconds. The swimming pool at Sunningdale Virgin Active where I swim do not have a pace clock on either side of the pool so I cannot check my time for 25 meter.
I saw that FINIS has a Hydro Tracker GPS that one clip onto your goggles' strap. This is far cheaper than the Forerunner that is my other option. I plan to purchase this because it is important for me to track my distance in the dam- I need the feedback of how far and how fast did I swim . This motivates me and inspire met to try and do better in my next training session.
The important thing is that I must increase my stroke rate gradually so that I do not loose efficiency. I do not know how a swimmer can do this without the Tempo Trainer. In the beginning the beeping sound was very irritating, but I got use to it very quickly. Now after just a few sessions I depend on it.
In competitions this aid is not allowed so I will have to be able to keep the pace myself and will need some training sessions without it though.
In his ebook- Outside the box, Terry Laughlin explained how he use the Tempo Trainer to swim faster. Terry reminded me not to chase a quicker stroke rate at the cost of efficiency. Speed or velocity is obtained by the length one travel with each stroke multiplied by the number of strokes per minute.
It is difficult for me to force myself to swim at a higher speed. It is tiring and after a while of increasing my tempo I again fall back on my leisurely pace. The tempo trainer with its regular beeps force me to swim at the preset pace.
My research on this topic makes it clear that to become a faster swimmer one do need to train correctly. Swimming the distance as I have been doing the last month will not necessarily lead to improvement in speed. Interval training where I need to swim at a faster pace for short distances with sufficient rest in between will be far more beneficial than just swimming 2-3 kilometers at a leisurely pace.
I borrowed my brother's Garmin 302 to measure the distance I swim in the farm dam. To my astonishment and delight I swam 3 km in 42 minutes. After checking my pool time on the clock it seems that the Garmin did not track my distance correctly- I am still swimming 50 m in 55 seconds and according to this it will take me at least 55 minutes to swim 3 kilometers.
I have never learned to do a tumble turn and my turning time might lead to a slower time over 50 meter, but for the Garmin to be correct I need to swim 50 meter in 42 seconds. The swimming pool at Sunningdale Virgin Active where I swim do not have a pace clock on either side of the pool so I cannot check my time for 25 meter.
I saw that FINIS has a Hydro Tracker GPS that one clip onto your goggles' strap. This is far cheaper than the Forerunner that is my other option. I plan to purchase this because it is important for me to track my distance in the dam- I need the feedback of how far and how fast did I swim . This motivates me and inspire met to try and do better in my next training session.
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