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The FAF AFAP Digest

Wed., July 25

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8 Comments
by
USMS MemberThe Fortress
, July 25th, 2012 at 10:47 PM (1806 Views)
Swim/SCY/Solo:

Warm up:

600 various

Snorkel Sets:

5 x 50 caterpillar fly drill @ :15 RI
15 x 50 free @ 1:00
8 x 50 chest press fly drill w/flip turn

50 EZ

Hypoxic MF Set:

10 x 50 double shooters @ 1:10

50 EZ

Total: 2600



Yoga, Bikram, 90 minutes


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Just did a recovery workout in the pool after yesterday's speed work. I had just received my pink Finis snorkel in the mail, so decided to give it a whirl. It felt pretty awkward. It's, uh, rather difficult to streamline with after you've flipped. Speedo told me to forget streamlining, but it's my nature to SDK off walls. Today, I was getting my arms tangled up with the snorkel, it was twisting sideways, etc. Can you really not streamline much with it or is this a learned art? I also didn't feel like I was getting much air, but that's probably bc I'm not breathing normally with it yet. Fortunately, no one I knew was there to laugh at my efforts.

After the swim, I went to bikram for the first time in 5-6 months. I was lucky not to have a heat nazi instructor, so the temp was 105 instead of 110. Helpful, but I still had some trouble with it, and was whooped by the end of class. Or maybe by the 2/3 mark actually. I was shocked that I was pretty good at the balancing poses. I also don't seem to have lost any flexibility without bikram. Doing selected poses/stretches on my own may be sufficient.
It's certainly more time effective. 90 minutes + drive is a huge time investment. I'm going to get myself to the vinyasa "power hour" at lunch sometime. 60 minutes may suit better, though the noon start time isn't ideal if I'm trying to get in 2 workouts. I think it would be difficult to get in anything but a recovery swim after that leg intensive class.

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Categories
Swim Workouts , Yoga

Comments

  1. qbrain's Avatar
    Snorkels are for LCM I have decided. Chris' 5x200s on 2:20 with a snorkel... whahuhhow?
  2. Celestial's Avatar
    I HATE my snorkel!! I only use it for pulling - and for the first several weeks I would have to stop every 50 & spit out the extra water, or I would drown. I don't do much SDK with a pull bouy on, so I don't have that issue, but I've notice that I tend to have it migrate a little after my flips, too. Sometimes you just have to do one lap at a time.
  3. knelson's Avatar
    It's a learned art. I've been using a snorkel for several years now and I don't feel like I get less of a streamline with it than without it. Maybe there's a tiny difference, but not much.

    It definitely takes a long time to get used to. First you'll feel like you're drowning. Then you'll get past that, but it will twist and flap around on every turn. Once you master that you'll still swim really slow using it. Finally you'll get to the point where you can swim nearly as fast with a snorkel as without. At least that's been my experience! These days I just use it once or twice a week and usually just for warmup.
  4. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qbrain
    Snorkels are for LCM I have decided. Chris' 5x200s on 2:20 with a snorkel... whahuhhow?
    Definitely seem more natural for long course!

    And Chris does that without any streamlines.
  5. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Celestial
    I HATE my snorkel!! I only use it for pulling - and for the first several weeks I would have to stop every 50 & spit out the extra water, or I would drown. I don't do much SDK with a pull bouy on, so I don't have that issue, but I've notice that I tend to have it migrate a little after my flips, too. Sometimes you just have to do one lap at a time.
    It seems like everyone has a love hate relationship with the snorkel. Hardly anyone is neutral.

    I was definitely getting water in my mouth. I think it may be a drill or kick device for me.
  6. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by knelson
    It's a learned art. I've been using a snorkel for several years now and I don't feel like I get less of a streamline with it than without it. Maybe there's a tiny difference, but not much.

    It definitely takes a long time to get used to. First you'll feel like you're drowning. Then you'll get past that, but it will twist and flap around on every turn. Once you master that you'll still swim really slow using it. Finally you'll get to the point where you can swim nearly as fast with a snorkel as without. At least that's been my experience! These days I just use it once or twice a week and usually just for warmup.
    Now this is good info, and I don't feel like such an idiot.

    If you're now proficient with it, why do you use it only in warm up and not for freestyle sets?
  7. knelson's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fortress
    If you're now proficient with it, why do you use it only in warm up and not for freestyle sets?
    Because I'd rather swim the majority of the time with only the equipment I'll swim with when I'm racing! There's another thing I don't like about the snorkel and that's that you can't look up at the clock (easily, anyway) to check your splits. I have a hard time keeping count sometimes without being able to check the clock periodically.
  8. jbs's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by knelson
    It's a learned art. ...

    It definitely takes a long time to get used to. First you'll feel like you're drowning. Then you'll get past that, but it will twist and flap around on every turn. Once you master that you'll still swim really slow using it. Finally you'll get to the point where you can swim nearly as fast with a snorkel as without. At least that's been my experience! These days I just use it once or twice a week and usually just for warmup.
    Kirk has hit upon the four stages of the snorkel! His description mirrors my experience with the snorkel pretty much exactly, though I'm still slower with it.

    One thing I did that might help you was to just float, head down, breathing through the snorkel in the shallow end. I thought of it as learning how to breathe (and relax whle breathing) while using the snorkel. It made it easier for me to keep my breathing relaxed when I would swim with it.