When its OK to Touch a Dolphin

Here's a news story that will make you feel good all day. The story is about a group of people in New Zealand who were trying in vain to help a whale that kept beaching itself and the dolphin that came to the rescue. The last line of the story is a tear jerker and the answer to the headline of this post. Enjoy. :)

How to do Multiple Laps with Flip Turns without Tiring

I am known at my pool as a guy who swims for a long time without stopping to rest. I guess that's supposed to be a complement (I think I'd rather be known as a guy who swims fast, but I'll take what I can get). When I swim my laps, I typically will do 1600 to 2400 meters at a time without stopping. All my turns are flip turns, and I don't rest at all until I stop for a half-minute or so before I switch over to the kickboard. Why am I not tired? Why can I go from lap to lap without stopping to catch my breath? What do I do different from the guy next to me who stops every one or two laps to rest and catch his breath?

This post will share how I got where I am. I didn't start this way. I WAS the guy in the next lane stopping every one or two lengths to hang and catch my breath. My conversion came slowly, with patience. Let me explain.

When I first started swimming regularly, I was very jealous of the guys who could swim non-stop. I even had a nick-name for them - the "human lungs". I was amazed they could go on and on and on. What was the trick? I'd try what they were doing and fail miserably. I'd figured out the flip turn, but so what? I was still tired and ready to plant my feet down and stand up right after the turn (if even I had that in me).

I decided that a good approach would be to go slow and trim, and it worked. By swimming as trim (torpedo/pencil swimming) as I could to minimize effort, and by taking it easy, I found that I would use less energy and oxygen. Thus I had enough to get through the flip and start the next length. When I started feeling tired, I'd drop it another notch, until I'd recovered and then resumed speed again. Over time (over a couple weeks of practicing this), I found I could maintain a decent pace without having to do the slow down. Over a longer period (a few months), I even found I could crank up the speed and hold it for a while before scaling back. Today, I can do a full 2000 meters at my top speed (as long as the water is cool enough).

Bottom line, just take it easy, find your easy speed that doesn't tire you out and cruise through. You'll improve your speed and ability by default. Just don't put your feet down!

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Man Swims to Shore to Save Mates

As a fan of WWII movies, I always wondered about those guys I heard of who drowned within view of the shore when their ships were sunk. As a swimmer, I figured it would be a cinch to take care of things as long as the water was warm and calm and no one was hanging on. In my fantasy, I'd swim to shore, contact help and be the hero. Fortunately I've never gotten the opportunity to do that ... but here's a guy who's trying. Mitchell Williams, a deckhand on a fishing vessel off the coast of Australia swam 12-hours through shark-infested waters to shore to contact authorities after the ship on which he was working hit a reef and sunk.

As I write this, rescuers are searching for his lost mates. Here's the article I plucked this info from. Let's pray for the crew's rescue.

7 Easy Tips to Swim Faster

1. Kick with your toes above your heels
2. Kick from the hip and whip your lower leg like a fin (see #1)
3. Kick with bigger sweeps rather than smaller flutter (see #1 and #2)
4. Reach as far out you can (roll to reach further) before starting your pull
5. Whip your stroke faster after the mid-point in your pull
6. Pull all the way through until you touch your thigh
7. Keep a pencil profile (long and thin) to drive through the water with minimal resistance.

More in next post.

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

More than a few of my previous posts have focused on my lament about the demise of swimming pools fun (e.g., the loss of diving boards, starting blocks, depth, diving off the pool sides, etc.). These are serious impositions on the fun we historically have had in our public pools. I think there are ways to make pools fun or interesting again, but the powers that be aren't focused on the swimmers but on themselves and their employees.

I've noticed a trend at my own pool (besides all of the above) of all capital improvements going toward the mundane - new guard chairs made of composite materials (the old ones apparently were too tall and made of metal), new water weights (the class attracts about six people a week), new back boards (oh, did the old ones wear out from overuse?). If these decision makers ever got in the pools they'd see where they really ought to focus (like the grunge growing in the gutters and the missing plastic panels that hold down the liner - going on two years now for both).

Going through the main gym workout equipment room to get to the locker room annex to the pool I can't help but notice all the nice new expensive equipment. A dozen new flat panel TVs, bikes with TVs, new elyptical equipment, new treadmills, new stair climbing equipment, new weights, etc. They even have a live DJ a couple times a year. Sure we get fresh water and maintenance isn't cheap, but I really could use a lap counter and maybe some music in the room - there are such things you know. If it costs too much (it doesn't), just lower the heat down to the promised 80-82 degrees instead of the weekly climb to 86.

I joke that they ought to put a giant flat panel tv on the pool room ceiling so we can watch while we do backstroke. I'd be happy if they just replaced the kickboards that have chunks literally chewed out of them - but no, the staff don't use kickboards.

Worlds Most Dangerous Swimming Pool

This video entitled "The Worlds Most Dangerous Swimming Pool" seems right on. I just wonder why they don't mention the wonderful view from the high dive? (Author's Note: The embedded links on this video's web site are a bit riske'. I don't endorse them).

A Simple Tip for Hair Care for Swimmers

There are a lot of strange theories about what can happen to your hair if you are a regular swimmer - for good reason. You know those little blond kids who get green hair in the late summer? It's from the chlorine and I suspect some copper (where does that come from?). You know those adults with frizzy, split ends? It's from the chlorine and boric acid and whatever else they're adding to your nice clean water. You know that dry skin and chlorine permeated skin you've been getting? Ditto.

I can't say I've solved these problems, but I've taken some tips from a hair stylist I once had. One summer I was having a particularly bad time. My long (longer than the short cut I now sport), thick locks turning to dried out saw grass. Knowing I was a swimmer he suggested clarifying shampoo and sold me a $20 dollar bottle of this clear stuff. I took it, price and all, suspiciously. But it worked great, almost right from the start. I bought several more bottles until I saw $0.99 bottle of the same (different label) at the supermarket and I've never looked back. Basically clarifying shampoo strips the crap out of your hair (chlorine buildup, oil, etc.) and leaves nothing in it. I put a little conditioner in it and rinse. The conditioner adds back a little oil and gives you some shine you may strip out with the clarifier.

Seeing how this worked so well, I've taken to using the clarifying shampoo as a body wash. It strips the chlorine odor that permeates the skin if you swim daily. For $0.99, it can't be beat!

Finding Your Trim Speed

If you've ever ridden in a speed boat and seen how it accelerates from zero, you'll notice all the effort the boat makes to get started. Once at speed, the bow lowers parallel to the water and the boat skims almost effortlessly through the water. I'm finding swimming is like that.

When I have my days where I'm achy or tired for whatever reason, my speed is naturally slower than usual. It's these days I notice that the effort to just go slow seems unreasonably difficult. Shouldn't it be easier to swim slower than faster? I find that the answer, surprisingly, is no. If I can break out of the achies - sometimes just working the muscles for a while helps - and I can pick up my speed, the "efforting" I'm engaging in seems to actually decrease. Yes, you read that right. I find myself streaming through the water easier, my strokes more efficient, and my speed unproportionally faster for what additional extra effort I've engaged. This is because my body becomes more horizontal in the water (as opposed to the more diagonal angle of slow speed). It's my trim speed.

This may explain, at least in part, why some fast swimmers are seemingly less tired after a long workout than slow swimmers after a short effort. Sure fitness has a lot to do with it, but finding and maintaining your trim speed helps a lot too.

Freestyle Roll - When is too Much?

Rolling your body during freestyle (turning shoulder down toward the bottom of pool and hip to same) is one of those things seasoned freestyle swimmers do without much thought, but novices must learn through practice. A good roll can enhance your streamline profile and thus speed your way through the water. But what makes for a good roll? Is it possible to have too much of a roll?

Yesterday I was doing my laps and someone one lane over was doing the same. I noticed his roll seemed to be fairly extreme. When I do the roll I go only so far that my arm can extend as deep as possible. This swimmer was rolling so far that his arm was being forced away from the optimal depth. A little further and he could have rolled over onto his back. By going too far with the roll (past the optimal arm depth point) he was wasting energy and time when he could be getting through his stroke.

So when you are doing freestyle, be sure to roll, reach as deep as possible before going into your "S" pull, but don't over-roll - that's just self-defeating.

Sunscreen Is Bad for your Tan AND Mother Earth?

An article in National Geographic News is saying that just a little sunscreen can bleach coral in just a few days. While it sounds a little ridiculous to consider that your sunscreen could do damage to a coral reef, the scientists behind the study cited in this article seems to be fairly certain. As I age, I've grown more fond of sunscreen products. Now I just don't know. Must we now only swim only in dim light?

About recent lack of posts

Have been experiencing serious case writer's block. Hey, that's a post! More than I've done in a couple weeks. Still swimming :)

Plans for 2008 and Beyond

This blog has reached a milestone of its own with 200 posts to date. As such, I'm thinking about its future. Nothing firm yet, but these are some considerations I'm mulling over:

* I'd like to implement a live feed between the spreadsheet I calculate my swimming distances/goals with and the blog itself. Might save a couple minutes for each post.
* I'd like to link that same spreadsheet to Google Earth so visitors can see the progress on the global map.
* I'd like to update the template to something more pool-like. I've got an old javascript that makes the screen act like it is a pool of water. Might freak visitors out to see their mice swim across the screen (Yeah, that is cool. I can't believe I haven't implemented that yet).

Year 2007 is Over - Some Thoughts on Goals and Achievements

2007 has turned out to be a good year for me as far as middle age and swimming goes. I'm finding the goals I've set are achievable and have pushed me further than I really ever imagined. I was hoping to beat 500,000 meters and passed it early this Autumn. I started out doing 2100 meters per session and finished the year doing an average 3500 meters in a session which for me was unimaginable just a few short years ago. I finish the year with just over 369 miles under my belt (ok, swim suit string), in just under 250 swim days. Don't know what aging and time availability will bring in the coming years, but for now I feel I'm on the right track. These long-term goals are where it's at for me and I encourage all to try similar tactics. I'm making a lot of friends along the way. Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a wet and wild 2008!

No Horsing around on the pool deck!

Does Breaking the Routine Pay Off?

Unlike every other day this year, I changed my routine a little yesterday to try to achieve a distance goal for the end of the year. In my case, I added 20 percent to my distance. Wow, what a difference it made to my feeling of accomplishment, endorphin kick (it lasted all day long), and just plain physical feeling (pumped up). Generally one day has been the same as all the rest. This change really made me feel better. I'm a routine oriented person which is probably why I can swim laps day in and day out. I've worried about changing my routine because I've not wanted to create a reason to not workout. This small change which added about 15 minutes to my workout seems to have made a big change in my attitude. I'm wondering if other alterations may do the same?

Would you dare to do a flip turn?

Check out this pool with the glass wall overhanging the edge of a multi-story building. I think a simple flip turn might be ok, but the slam? Not!

Train in Snow

Something else I found on Digg.com. Nothing to do with swimming here, but check out the wave! Thanks maniacworld.com! I look like this when I'm swimming through still water ... ha ha.

Martin Strel Recognized Among Giants

What do Al Gore, Jacques Yves Cousteau, Prince Albert of Monocco and Sir Edmund Hillary have in common with swimmers? Martin Strel! The first three have been recipients of the Honour of Ekotopfilm in Slovakia - now adding Martin to the list.

But that's not all. Strel, famed swimmer of the Amazon, has joined the likes of several polar explorers, scientists and adventurers including world famous Sir Edmund Hillary in receiving Poland's Explorer Award.

I'm glad to see Martin's accomplishments are getting the world wide recognition they deserve.

A new way to post

This post will have nothing to do with swimming, but it will be about this blog for some future posts.

A year ago during Christmas of 2006, I received as a gift, Dragons NaturallySpeaking - the speech recognition software product. I was excited about it since I am a techie and installed it and tried it out right away. The computer I was using was a unit built in 2004 - a laptop. Needless to say the power was not quite what I expected was necessary to do speech recognition. But last week I purchased a 2.4 GHz dual core AMD unit with 3 GB of RAM. Now the speech recognition is flawless. Or nearly so. I'm hoping that this will allow me to do better posts at least posts that are more readable. Like the spoken word, because actually they are the spoken word.

For the record, the majority of this post was composed by spoken word. Cool huh?