So. Swimming.

[taratru]

I've been thinking this is probably something I want to get better at doing.  It's such a good workout and I need to find some more things to do other than spinning and lifting.  Is this the kind of group I should attend:  www.lovelandmasters.com/  Do they really mean it when they say "all levels"?  Because, you guys, I can swim, but in terms of "technical" swimming, I got nothin'.  I don't want to look like an idiot.  And where do I find a suit?  I'm thinking my Victoria's Secret  bikini probably isn't going to cut it.  

[chw57]

I like swimoutlet for ordering suits.

My masters group truly is ALL levels. I'm one of the slower ones and there are former collegiate all- Americans, but the coaches are super helpful and eve if you're the slowest one (I am sometimes) it's still a great workout and tons of fun.

[joenali]

Maybe start with some private or group lessons before joining a masters team. That way you can get more individual instruction and more knowledge of stroke technique.

[chw57]

Dec 29, 2013 21:47:09 GMT -5 joenali said:

Maybe start with some private or group lessons before joining a masters team. That way you can get more individual instruction and more knowledge of stroke technique.

This is a good point. I swam in high school so it wasn't like I was brand new to this type of workout...

[coconutbug]

I agree that private or group lessons might be helpful for technique. The masters team I was on a long time ago really did have people of all levels, from people who had just learned how to swim to former Olympians. For swimsuits, I'd try to find a local store to try some on, so you'd have a better idea of sizing and what feels comfortable to you. If you're in Loveland, you could try this store: www.swimmisports.com (I haven't been there; it's just what popped up when I tried to find something near the masters group) I order swimsuits from swimoutlet too.

[kams]

Nice Tara!!! I agree - I would try to get some guidance on technique, and then jump in!

There's a great splash & dash series out of the Boulder reservoir

[tuggyruns]

What PP said- I'd get a few lessons if you feel so inclined. The website does say this masters team is professionally coached and my experience with this vs. a lay coach is that they are a lot more likely to spend one on one time with you giving you stroke guidance. I think it all just depends on where your comfort level with your strokes is (mainly freestyle). If you can get across the pool without feeling like a drowned rat, check out a practice and go from there, if the thought of that intimidates you, take a lesson first.

[cole]

I started taking adult swim lessons with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. They are inexpensive ($10 for 8 classes) and have made me feel more comfortable actually swimming; prior to lessons I was able to swim okay but didn't know actual technique.

And ditto the rec for swimoutlet.com. They have a section called grab bag. Once you know your size in a brand (TYR, nike, speedo) you can get a swimsuit for fairly inexpensive, you just don't get to pick the pattern.

[lasagnasshole]

Dec 30, 2013 9:44:17 GMT -5 cole said:

I started taking adult swim lessons with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. They are inexpensive ($10 for 8 classes) and have made me feel more comfortable actually swimming; prior to lessons I was able to swim okay but didn't know actual technique.

And ditto the rec for swimoutlet.com. They have a section called grab bag. Once you know your size in a brand (TYR, nike, speedo) you can get a swimsuit for fairly inexpensive, you just don't get to pick the pattern.

Where did you take them?  I have looked into this, but all I saw was adult beginner classes.  My gym offers private lessons, but DCPR would be so much cheaper!

[clseale]

I'm not going to say anything. You know what I'm thinking...






I've actually thought about this, and then I have an identity crisis. Biking, swimming, who AM I??

[kams]

Dec 30, 2013 10:24:00 GMT -5 clseale said:

I'm not going to say anything. You know what I'm thinking...






I've actually thought about this, and then I have an identity crisis. Biking, swimming, who AM I??

COME ON!!!!!!!!

[cole]

Dec 30, 2013 9:50:43 GMT -5 lasagnasshole said:

Dec 30, 2013 9:44:17 GMT -5 cole said:

I started taking adult swim lessons with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. They are inexpensive ($10 for 8 classes) and have made me feel more comfortable actually swimming; prior to lessons I was able to swim okay but didn't know actual technique.

And ditto the rec for swimoutlet.com. They have a section called grab bag. Once you know your size in a brand (TYR, nike, speedo) you can get a swimsuit for fairly inexpensive, you just don't get to pick the pattern.

Where did you take them?  I have looked into this, but all I saw was adult beginner classes.  My gym offers private lessons, but DCPR would be so much cheaper!

I did the beginner series. I had never taken a formal swim lesson so I wasn't sure were to start. I take mine at Wilson HS, and really enjoy them. The range of folks in the class varies greatly, but since it's small (3-5 people generally showed up each class) and we had 2 instructors, they tailored to each person's level. In level one, two of us were doing lap swims with the instructors working on technique and on the last night practiced diving starts. They show up as a $50 fee, but it's $10 at checkout for DC residents. Even though it was a "beginners class" it was definitely worth it to me!

[Wines Not Whines]

Dec 30, 2013 11:48:35 GMT -5 cole said:

Dec 30, 2013 9:50:43 GMT -5 lasagnasshole said:

Where did you take them?  I have looked into this, but all I saw was adult beginner classes.  My gym offers private lessons, but DCPR would be so much cheaper!

I did the beginner series. I had never taken a formal swim lesson so I wasn't sure were to start. I take mine at Wilson HS, and really enjoy them. The range of folks in the class varies greatly, but since it's small (3-5 people generally showed up each class) and we had 2 instructors, they tailored to each person's level. In level one, two of us were doing lap swims with the instructors working on technique and on the last night practiced diving starts. They show up as a $50 fee, but it's $10 at checkout for DC residents. Even though it was a "beginners class" it was definitely worth it to me!

This sounds promising! I'm looking for swim lessons, but I wasn't sure about the quality of the public classes. Some of them make it sound like they're geared for people who have never been in the water before, and spending an hour learning how to float and blow bubbles wouldn't be a good use of my time. Your description sounds much better than what I was expecting.

[lasagnasshole]

Dec 30, 2013 12:00:35 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Dec 30, 2013 11:48:35 GMT -5 cole said:

I did the beginner series. I had never taken a formal swim lesson so I wasn't sure were to start. I take mine at Wilson HS, and really enjoy them. The range of folks in the class varies greatly, but since it's small (3-5 people generally showed up each class) and we had 2 instructors, they tailored to each person's level. In level one, two of us were doing lap swims with the instructors working on technique and on the last night practiced diving starts. They show up as a $50 fee, but it's $10 at checkout for DC residents. Even though it was a "beginners class" it was definitely worth it to me!

This sounds promising! I'm looking for swim lessons, but I wasn't sure about the quality of the public classes. Some of them make it sound like they're geared for people who have never been in the water before, and spending an hour learning how to float and blow bubbles wouldn't be a good use of my time. Your description sounds much better than what I was expecting.

Same.  While I'm hardly a competitive swimmer, I took lessons as a kid and some refresher lessons as an adult, and I swim laps regularly.  I've been scared off by the "beginner" label.

I will have to look into the times and locations.  The big thing that would push me toward spending the $$$ at my gym is the convenience factor - I could do lessons on my lunch hour!

[cole]

Dec 30, 2013 12:00:35 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

This sounds promising! I'm looking for swim lessons, but I wasn't sure about the quality of the public classes. Some of them make it sound like they're geared for people who have never been in the water before, and spending an hour learning how to float and blow bubbles wouldn't be a good use of my time. Your description sounds much better than what I was expecting.

There was definitely one person in my level 1 class who had never been in the water before, though he didn't come back after the first class. There were also a couple people who needed the floatation belt to be able to actually stay up and swim (allowed to pass level 1, not allowed to pass level 2). Depending on your ability, it's probably better to sign up for level 2 or 3. Much of level 1 was spent with basics (floating, rolling front to back, elementary backstroke, etc). Level 2 is more technical with arm and leg movements, and level 3 (which I haven't taken yet - this just based on what my instructors have told me) is more advanced with flip turns and diving starts, and more focus on breathing. We all did the drills in class, but once we demonstrated mastery, we
moved on to different exercises while others spent more time repeating
something until they were proficient. The small class was definitely a
plus in providing that flexibility!

Classes are a half hour twice a week for four weeks at $10 per class ($50 if you don't live in the district), so if it was a dud, I didn't feel too bad about my investment. I'd guess private would be better, but since this was my first foray into actually swimming, I didn't want to make a big monetary commitment if I found it wasn't for me.

[lasagnasshole]

Thanks for the info, cole!

[Wines Not Whines]

Dec 30, 2013 12:21:11 GMT -5 cole said:

Dec 30, 2013 12:00:35 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

This sounds promising! I'm looking for swim lessons, but I wasn't sure about the quality of the public classes. Some of them make it sound like they're geared for people who have never been in the water before, and spending an hour learning how to float and blow bubbles wouldn't be a good use of my time. Your description sounds much better than what I was expecting.

There was definitely one person in my level 1 class who had never been in the water before, though he didn't come back after the first class. There were also a couple people who needed the floatation belt to be able to actually stay up and swim (allowed to pass level 1, not allowed to pass level 2). Depending on your ability, it's probably better to sign up for level 2 or 3. Much of level 1 was spent with basics (floating, rolling front to back, elementary backstroke, etc). Level 2 is more technical with arm and leg movements, and level 3 (which I haven't taken yet - this just based on what my instructors have told me) is more advanced with flip turns and diving starts, and more focus on breathing. We all did the drills in class, but once we demonstrated mastery, we
moved on to different exercises while others spent more time repeating
something until they were proficient. The small class was definitely a
plus in providing that flexibility!

Classes are a half hour twice a week for four weeks at $10 per class ($50 if you don't live in the district), so if it was a dud, I didn't feel too bad about my investment. I'd guess private would be better, but since this was my first foray into actually swimming, I didn't want to make a big monetary commitment if I found it wasn't for me.

I live in Maryland, but I'm just over the DC border, so I could probably take classes in either jurisdiction. I've looked at the MoCo classes, which go up to Level 4, and the prerequisite for Level 4 was something like being able to swim 25 yards freestyle. That seemed pretty basic for a Level 4 class. Then again, even though I can definitely swim that distance, I'm sure my form is all wrong, so it's not like I'm swimming it correctly. Thanks for the feedback!

[labbie]

This might be a long shot, but my local Fleet Feet just started a 3 month coached swim workout at a local high school pool. They have 2 levels (101 and 102) and they assess you at the first class (after that, the levels are split into two different times for workouts). Reasonable price, too.

So maybe a local running/tri store would be able to let you know if something similar is available in your area?