anybody swim laps?

[cturtle]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:44am

i started swimming laps for exercise. anybody else? post or pm. thanks

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:44am

Yep!

[Alix7272]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 2:33am

I swim laps too! I tend to only do it in the summer, but when I don't have school I swim at least once a week. I love it! I probably can't run a mile anymore without feeling sick afterwards, but I can swim seemingly forever without feeling it. Swimming is so healthy and uses all your muscles.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:56am

I used to swim about 1 km a day (20 laps - Olympic pool) but had stopped. Just started again since I can't run anymore - knee issues.

Posted: 6/28/06 at 4:02am

yep! its wonderful excercise. i try to do it whenever i can. i'm also a lifeguard and mainly a swim instructor right now. so i'm in the pool at least 4 hours a day trying to get kids to swim. love it!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 7:58am

now must come the inevitable discussion of what constitutes a "lap", is it one time down the length of the pool or down and back?

for me the term length and lap when used in reference to swimming are and have always been interchangeable. i swam comptetitvely from the time i was 5 until 18 and we always referred to one time down the pool as a lap. only after moving to ny did i find people willing to argue to the death that a lap was two lengths of the pool.

i still try to swim 3 times a week, but now shake my head in sadness at the fact that what constitutes my entire workout now was less than how far i used to swim as a warm-up.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 10:05am

I swim (Gay Games are coming up) and also coach with Team NY Aquatics, the G+L swim team in NY.

We even have men and women who are not gay who work out with us because we have a good rep.

www.tnya.org

I also swim to clear my head.

The length versus lap debate is eternal.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 10:10am

I swim.

It's wonderful exercise!

When I was growing up, and spent YEARS on the swim team, laps were always one length of the pool. I still consider that to be a lap.

Each pool is different, so I try to swim a set distance. And gauge my laps accordingly.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 10:16am

we should go swimming, addy, i would so lap you...

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 10:17am

I used to. I was on a swim team for four years, but I stopped. I should probobly get back into swimming. I love it.

[kate2]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:12pm

I'm on the varsity team at my school. That's only in the winter, though. I have volleyball practices now and I would much rather be swimming since my v-ball coach turned into a Drill Instructor. I love swimming

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:13pm

Don't challenge me, papa... I've VERY competitive!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:15pm

There's a pool at the gym I go to...but it's pretty small. The Wall St. branch has a huge one, but I don't feel like going all the way downtown for a big pool.

I swim once in a while, but it's always such a hassle.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:15pm

I have no idea the length of the pool at my gym... I'm sure I'd be depressed to know how far I'm actually swimming compared to what I used to do.

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:22pm

yea for me a lap is one length of the pool no matter its distance.

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:26pm

Do you know what chlorine would do to my hair?

[cturtle]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 1:57pm

thanks, peeps, for your posts. a first-class aquatic center recently opened very near to where i live in metro atlanta. i'm trying to swim 4 times a week, which is pretty easy right now since i'm on summer vac, but i hope to continue when work starts back.

it's been about 10 years since i've done any regular swimming. the crawl was always tough on my neck. i now use a freestyle snorkel, which is the best thing since butter! my kick has always been lousy, but i think that's improving a bit.

my goal is to build up to swimming consecutive laps for 30 to 50 minutes each day i swim. is that a reasonable goal?

also, does anyone know of a good timer/lap counter to sit on the side of the pool that has a large readout and is water resistant? i have been unable to find anything through internet searches. thanks!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 2:12pm

i could never deal with lap counters. i always find out the length of the pool and set my workout accordingly. right now since i'm so f***ing out of shape it's pitiful, i'm only doing 800yds.

since it's a 25yd pool, i know i have to do 32 laps. but to keeep track of things easier, i break it up into 100 yd segments (4 laps) and vary things by that to keep track. like the first 100 free i'll breathe every three strokes, then every 4 on the second and every 5 on third and then back to 3 for the fourth and then switch over to backstroke for 300yds and vary how many underwater dolphin kicks i'll do off the turn at each end, usually, 3 for the first 100, 4 for the second then back to 3 and then cooldown for 100yds.

i've always found that it's easy to keep track and the workout goes faster if you set little goals for yourself throughout. i was never a big proponent of the "swim consecutively for so-many minutes" school because i'm such a control freak that i need to know how much i've accomplished and how far i have to go.

i'd just do a google search for the lap counter. worldwideaquatics.com a decent one that's a watch that fits on your finger and will count laps with the touch of a button.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:01pm

72 is a wonderful swimming number. Think of it as a mile even though it is 40 yards over if you're 25 yard pool and counting lengths.

This is one of those terrific numbers since it can be divided by so many other numbers (2,3,4,6,8,9,12,18, 24 and 36). The last three are the quarter, third and half mile distances. Keep track of things that way and then convert to yards later if you want.

A lap counter is not any better than your head. Count yourself and at the same time give yourself a pace by singing show tunes. Jule Styne wrote some terrific melodies for swimming. a 4/4 tempo works best.

When I am doing some distance races like the 500y, 1000y or 1650y I always try to end off with Everything's Coming Up Roses. It has the driving beat that I want and need to keep me going and up to speed when all I want to do is rip off my arms and donate them to science.

I love it. See you at the pool.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:15pm

WOSQ... your post makes me wish they made a water proof MP3 player. Though part of the reason I love swimming is because I find that not only it's a good workout, it also relaxes my mind.

I have never timed my swimming, I've always gone by the distance I swim.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:16pm

they do, dd.

http://www.swim2000.com/product.php?pd_id=SWIMP3

and

http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/p_mp3player.html

or better yet...

http://h2oaudio.com/prod.php

Updated On: 6/28/06 at 03:16 PM

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:21pm

Wow. I had no idea. They think of everything, don't they.

Like I said, I'm not sure I'd want to disturb my 'quiet time' though.

(I know I'll be online buying one by the end of the day)

[Guido Contini]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:25pm

I think I'd like to get into swimming if it's as much fun as people say it is...but suffer from a bout with hydrophobia.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:30pm

if you already have an mp3 player, dd, check out the h2oaudio. they make housings for mp3 players and headphones. reasonable as hell too. although, if they don't work yer out an mp3 player.

i am not a big fan of music while i swim. although i've swam in pools with built in acoustic systems before and that was kinda cool...except my coach yelling for the entire pool to hear through the water, "i know how long you can hold your breath now get off the bottom quit skipping 50's!"

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 3:32pm

I'm not a big fan of music while swimming, either.

I get lost in the sound of the water and my breathing and just kind of let the rhythm take over.