Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Habu on September 17, 2004, 10:36:53 AM
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Ok here is my attempt to start a thread that has nothing to do with politics or gun laws or anything in the news.
Anyone in here swim?
My story will probably mean nothing to those of you in your 20's but may hit home for those in their 40's.
I used to in High School and was half decent for a non club swimmer. In university I played waterpolo for 5 years but did not swim as I did not have the time for all the workouts.
When I turned 40 I started to get into aviation and noticed that my weight of 300 lbs really limited my choice of airplanes and ultralights. I was not grossly overweight as I am 6'7'. Still I had a 44 inch waist. But I realized that I was not getting any thinner nor was I ever going to get any fitter. Life just has a way of making you slowly gain weight and get out of shape. You like to think you are the same person you were in your 20's but you are not even close.
So one day out of the blue I decided to start going to the local pool in the morning. In Canada in winter that means getting up at 5 am and driving to it in total darkness to get an hour of lengths in.
At first I could swim 10 lengths before being totally exhausted. That works out to 250 meters.
I kept at it and eventually was swimming a mile in 30 minutes.
After a few months I joined this group of really fit and thin triathlon swimmers and was in the slow lane. Six months later I was one of the fastest swimmers in the group. We swim about 2 k in a workout. Most triathletes are very fit but have very bad form in the pool. As a former swimmer I was very unfit but had a very efficient stroke.
That summer I entered a triathlon as a relay group. I did the swim. I swam 2 kilometers in 35 minutes. It was my first time every swimming in a race longer than 400 m. I did not even know if I would finish it without quiting the pace.
This summer I did it again and swam the race in 34 minutes, open water with about 300 swimmers in the water. I was faster than 3/4's of them even though most are much younger than me.
Just recently I joined a masters swimming group. We had our first workout last night. I went in one of the slower lanes but went first. I found I could keep up to the first swimmers in the fast lanes although we were doing drills and leg work which is my weakness as a swimmer. I am much faster in freestyle. I felt great as most of these people are very fit and have swam in races for years. Some hold age group records. Some have extensive swimming backgrounds.
Today I weigh 255 lbs and have lost a ton of body fat and replaced it with muscle. I now have a 40 or 39 inch waist. My upper body is much slimmer as that was were most of my weight was before. I am loseing a few pounds each month but eat pretty much as before.
It is really amazing what you can accomplish with just a bit of dedication and 3 one hour workouts a week. I really did not think I would still be getting up at 5 am two mornings a week and swimming an hour on Sunday as well but here it is 2 full years later and I am still going strong.
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Swimming is definately the best exercise you can do. Low to no impact, and works virtually every muscle in your body.
I need to get back into it as well.
Congratulations on your perseverence!
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WTG Habu.
Swimming is a great sport. My high school team had one Olympic medalist (he lost to Mark Spitz) and many who went on to swim in college. I played basketball instead during the winter/spring. Being 6'7" would have helped tremendously.
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You will find as I did that there is this great network of older swimmmers and clubs out there for masters swimming.
There are great new friends to be made and many good times to be had. Once you start swimming you will find that you will start to link up with these groups.
It does not have to be a lonely early morning ordeal at all.
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I swim 3 times a week. I the summer when the ocean is warm i swim every day.
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I swam 4 years back in high school and was a lifeguard for the county during those 4 years.
I was one of the faster sprinters on the team and considered myself to have a pretty good form/stroke. Being only 5'11", I don't have an advantage over the taller, slimmer swimmers with a huge reach. I hated any sort of endurance race. I swam a 500m once and died a horrible death. PR 50m is only 25seconds.
Now, I haven't been in a pool for about a year and a half... Too bad the pool isn't filled with beer - I'd be in right away.
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I only swim when I fall out of the boat. 6'4", 235#, 10% BF
3 to 4 times a week on the lake weather allowing, on a Concept 2 rowing ergometer in winter. Give it a try if you want to cross train. You'd be amazed at the size of the sport in Canuckland.
(http://www.concentric.net/~Cfuerst/GB1675.JPG)
>edit 'in', not 'on'
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WTG Habu!
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Originally posted by Holden McGroin
I only swim when I fall out of the boat. 6'4", 235#, 10% BF
3 to 4 times a week on the lake weather allowing, on a Concept 2 rowing ergometer in winter. Give it a try if you want to cross train. You'd be amazed at the size of the sport on Canuckland.
(http://www.concentric.net/~Cfuerst/GB1675.JPG)
expensive for the boat? They do that up here on the Charles river, would love to try it
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WTG Habu. Heh, tell me about gainin weight as you get older. I'm 6'3", and for most of my life I was pretty slender. Hence the handle "slimm". But I'm almost 52 now ( will be in November) and I'm fightin to maintain a 44" waist. Would like to whittle it down to 38". Wife and I are thinkin seriously of joining the local Y just so we can use their pool because we've both been so sedentery for the past few years. We figured swimming would be the best way to boost our metabolism. Your story is greatly encouraging.
Thanks for the thread.
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Cost of a shell?
Depends on the boat. Like a bicycle, if you buy Lance's bike you'll spend 8 or 10,000. But you can get one for your use for a few hundred that'll do you okay.
Check out local clubs; most have club owned boats you can use for the price of dues.
I bought mine in 1987 for about 3,000 so its been about 150 / year so far.
You could get a serviceable used one in the northeast for less than a grand.
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wtg Habu, thats impressive.
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Performance pools are sweet, you can adjust the water flow for personal training. Better than getting up a 5:00 am and driving in the snow.
I swam Tomac for a few years, i was a bullet in the backstroke and butterfly.
Btw Habu at 6'7" you're an Albatros.
http://www.fernoperformancepools.com/
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i am good at it.
back in second semister PE last year i was the fastest person in the pool. But swimming is not my type of thing i would do everyday.
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ug, havent been near a pool since i was, 10 or so (quit after i failed a swimming course...couldent dive). and havent done any real swimming since i was 13. only time i got into water since then was capsizing during that sailing course.
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Congratulations, just out of curiosity, what is your current time in the 100m free?
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I have not timed myself in the 100 since last spring. When I was a kid I could do 59 but last spring I did a 1:06. Keep in mind I am swimming for distance and fitness now and not sprints.
I would guess now I am probably at 1:04 or so.
The coach says with work it is possible to get back to high school times so who knows. I will see this season.
Do you swim?
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Excellent times Habu.
BTW my nephew is swimming for Columbia this year. He had a few scholarship offers, but he wanted to go Ivy League so his parents could fork out much more money.
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yup and am just as slow as you. 1:04 free last time I was timed lol. Still I guess that's not a bad time for a 48yr old. How many strokes are you taking per breath?
I live on a lake and try to swim about 30 minutes a day.
I was on my highschool's swimming team and played waterpolo as well.
I mostly spearfish now and occasionally surf when we have nice winter conditions but the nearest place for consistent ridable waves for us here is FT. Pierce which is about 2hrs. North of us so when the conditions are favorable we go up coast for a few days.
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When I was in my teens in the USCG, I swam like a fish. I made rescue swims in the open ocean. Today, 200,000 cigarettes, 350 gallons of whiskey and 60 lbs later...I'm lucky to swim to the other side of the jacuzzi.
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lolo..other side of the jacuzzi..dont forget ur water wings: )
any1 here ever see a spa heated and powered by a honda engine?
btw habu..that is one hell of a swimming coemback
Love
BiGB
xoxo
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Swim every Saturday with the kids at the City pool except during the summer months, where we do alot of water sports (knee boarding, water skiing, wake boarding, etc.)
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This week my old Triathlon group is ending for the season and the new Masters group is just into the first weeks of its season so I have had a workout Sun Mon Tues Wed and one tomorrow. I ache all over and am tired but feel great.
Storch I breath depending on the distance and pace.
For a 200 race I breath every stroke. For a 50 sprint maybe 1 or two on the way down and every other stroke on the way back.
Do you race in a Masters league?
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I race my son in the lake, he usually beats me soundly. The narrow part of the lake is about 100M if you click on my profile you can see a photo of the lake. At a nearby county park the local highschool swim team was holding a practice session. I asked the coach if after practice he would time me in the 100 and he did. 1:04
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Storch swam here from Cuba.
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Originally posted by Airhead
Storch swam here from Cuba.
Nope I came over in a DC-3