Returning to the Water

The COVID19 pandemic was ultimately a boon for many outdoor industries, ours included. Bike and run brands posted record sales as people headed for outdoor activities. And more people continue to enjoy outdoor activity, whether for exercise or for choices of vacation (myself included — we’re about to depart on our annual trip to Utah for some big mountain skiing).

The exception: swimming.

Pools have been hit with multiple factors. First, the first years of the pandemic saw many pools institute significant restrictions to access to limit numbers. And now pools face significant staffing shortages for lifeguards and aquatic directors, further limiting access to either extremely early morning hours, or after swim teams dominate the afternoon.

The net result? Swimming, already the bane of many triathletes’ existence, has gotten harder to do. For example, my daughter’s swim team has a sizable gap around her age group — mostly kids that would have normally learned to swim at ages 3-5 that missed that window entirely due to pandemic, and are either just learning to swim now, or have been lost permanently.

Despite my numerous start-stop attempts over the last 18 months or so to try to race triathlon, the pool has continued to be my biggest enemy. That’s been due to a variety of factors. Access is probably the biggest one, with lap swimming available either from 5 AM to 9 AM, noon to 4 PM, or 7:45 PM to close. In order, the morning is usually the primary workout window for my wife and preparing our daughter for the day; noon to 4 is prime work time, and I am useless at swimming at night when it’s a 20 minute drive in the wrong direction (plus then I won’t sleep that night).

Yes, first world problems. I am aware.

That said, I’m finally starting to glue some swimming consistency back together. Here are a few of the things that have helped me with getting back to the pool.

Start Small: This is almost always the biggest mistake I see when it comes to swimming (or running, for that matter). You’re not going to be able to pump in a lot of yardage, either within a set, or in total sets. When I’m in swim mode, I’ve usually got the mindset that the set should be at least 3,000 yards, or there’s no point in getting wet. Instead, take those first couple of weeks and cap at 1,000 yards and build towards 1,500 and 2,000 yards total.

And then for the small sets, 50s and 100s are your friend. Sometimes with short rest, sometimes with long rest.

But Keep Going: When you’re getting in the water for short periods of time, you need to have higher frequency to keep muscle memory high. For the first two weeks I look at three visits a week, then building to four sessions per week in order to get feel for the water back. As you then build up on volume per session, you can dial back to three sessions a week.

Ignore the Clock — To an Extent: News flash: you’re not going to be fast. And if you go in expecting certain times, you’re going to be disappointed. I know that I run into the issue of comparison, where I look at the clock after 200 yards and realize “hey, I used to rattle 10 of these off pushing off when I’m arriving right now.” It’s frustrating!

So as you’re starting the build back, the times don’t matter. Mostly. It’s with the exception of the next bullet that you want to leave the watch alone, just glance occasionally at the clock, and otherwise just get the work done.

Don’t Skimp on a Little Speed: Swimming, like running, tends to see form improve as stroke rate (and speed) increases. (You really can’t stall on the front end of your swim stroke if you’re turning your arms over quickly). There needs to be a little speed in a set — even if it’s a set of 25s — to help with your stroke. And this is the only point where the clock, or watch, matters.

Using Tools: Pull buoys, paddles, kickboards, fins — they’re all useful when they’re used for a specific purpose. After a couple of sessions back in the water I like to re-introduce paddles to the equation. First, they help with speed (see above), but it’s the swim-strength specific action of paddles that provide benefit. I also will occasionally do work with only using a paddle on one hand, bi-laterally breathing, and trying to keep the stroke smooth.

Be Mindful and Have Fun: Addressing the second half of that point first, it has to be fun. If it’s not fun, you’re not going to do it. Now, for being mindful — you have to pay attention enough so that you understand what is working and not working for you. For example, I recently pieced together that although I prefer to breathe every second or third stroke, I am significantly faster when I breathe every fifth. The only way I figured that out? Splitting a lane with a college swimmer home for break, and realizing I wasn't being passed that often when I changed my breathing pattern, and then double-checking against the clock.

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