Too much too soon?
TRYING TO CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM!
This is probably the longest period of time many of us have been without pool swimming for many many years.
Ah the joy of clear water and lane ropes ...
Apart from 3 weeks at the beginning of December, we’ve been out of the pool since the beginning of November 2020 - that’s 5 months without a whiff of chlorine, a pace clock, or a line to follow.
I’ve continued to swim in the river throughout the winter, but when the water is sub 10 degrees (sometimes as low as 3 or 4 degrees in January and February), much of that is head up breastroke with only a few precious minutes in the water.
Crazy smiles required
It’s a totally different experience to swimming in a heated indoor pool, and whilst it has trained my body to tolerate the cold, and wear as many clothing layers as is physically possible, it certainly hasn’t trained any swim fitness.
I love my cold water swimming: being immersed in nature, the intense heightened sensations of tingling skin, burning collar bones and glowing pink skin. I’ve missed the pool though, and like most other swimmers have been desperate to get back some swim fitness. Aside from needing something active to maintain physical and mental health, many of us have events transferred over from 2020 for which we’re keen to train.
It’s so tempting to think we can just pick things up where we left off, ploughing down the lanes, banking a few kilometres in a session, but doing too much too soon is a recipe for disaster. The shoulder joint is arguably the most complex in the human body, with multiple muscles and tendons involved in stabilising and facilitating its multi-directional movement. Swimming puts that joint through its paces, over and over again, in a repetitive way against the resistance of water. The rotator cuff muscles are prone to over-use injury, particularly if the load is suddenly increased and/or if you have less than perfect technique (which let’s face it, is most of us!)
Even if you’ve always felt at home in the water, relaxed and happy there, it can still take a bit of time to get your “feel for the water” back again, and if you rush it then you risk doing more harm than good and setting back your return to full fitness.
These are a few of the basic principles I’m trying to stick to, and have advised my coached athletes to bear in mind:
Keep it all very easy swimming for the first few weeks - no speed work.
Not more than 100m at a time, with plenty of rest - think 25s, 50s, 75s.
Ignore the pace clock and your watch. I mean REALLY ignore it. Ideally, don’t even take your watch, and don’t log your swim. Don’t count lengths. Start with a plan to be in the pool for maybe 30 minutes, and just do what takes your fancy.
Take long rests.
Mix up the strokes - avoid too much repetitve movement.
Remember everyone else is in the same position.
Enjoying the feeling of being in the water, and let that be your main focus.
However much dry-land stuff you’ve done, it’s not the same as actually swimming, being supported by and pushing against the moving flowing body of water, so don’t worry too much about your technique. Be kind to yourself and give it time.
If you really can’t help yourself thinking about your technique, then I’d suggest focussing on just two things which are inextricably linked: relaxation and breathing. Make sure you’re exhaling under water, freely, smoothly and continuously.
Sculling (particularly front scull, but also mid-scull) can really help you get the feel back, and give your shoulders a break too. My favourite to do is half a length of front scull with a pull-buoy, finishing the length with swimming.
Break up your session with some kicking (on your back in streamline position is perfect), again this gives your shoulders a break whilst adding to your swim fitness.
Ignore what everyone else is doing.
Get out sooner than you think you should.
Allow yourself sufficient recovery between swims, and support your body with regular mobility and stability work, including paying attention to your day to day posture.
My first swim back felt great. The first tumble turn was a joy! However, after just 10-15 minutes I was tired and my shoulders were feeling the work. This is despite plenty of shoulder strength, stability and mobility maintenance during lockdown. I got chatting to a fellow regular, who would usually churn out 3-5km in a session easily, 4-5 times a week; he’d done 1.5km the day before and his shoulders were screaming. There’s a lesson there somewhere!
Take your swimming comeback one session at a time, keep your expectations realistic, and embrace being back in the water. Next step - to be back on poolside coaching - can’t wait!