Saturday 16 February 2008

big DNF

I put the video of my 138m DNF swim (6th Feb 2008) on youtube today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=longg_M3SJM

Wasn't feeling the greatest for this swim - my muscles were feeling a bit stiff and I was quite light-headed: I almost had a packing blackout after about 8 packs, but got it under control and took in a bit more air before departing the wall as you can see. You can also see that there are still a few bits and pieces left for me to work on like keeping feet together and straightening arms better. I get a bit sloppy with technique when the muscles start hurting which normally isn't right through the swim like this one. I need to work on my swim past 100m, where I start losing strokes: 3 became 4 in the 5th length, and then I'd done two by half way in the 6th - probably why the foot came down as I expected the pool to be shallower by that point. I'm also seeing if Orca who sponsored my wetsuit will provide me with a better fitting suit (my body shape has changed a little over the past few months). The streamlined weights are new too. On Tuesday I felt really buoyant and had to increase from 3.5kg on the waist to 4.5, so I think the lungs are still growing. I also wear 4kg around my neck. The bicycle tube is doubled over and then taped together to ensure that it sits in nice and close and is pretty streamlined. Normally I also have a thick rubber band holding the strap of my weight belt is streamlined, however it perished just before this video was taken, so I'll have to replace it. I had a tiny samba at the end of this dive but it disappeared straight away on the first inhale. Any other thoughts on how I can get to the end of the pool people?

4 comments:

Gavin Gray said...

Awesome Clip there.
Your so level.Streamlined weights
look impressive to reduce drag.

Whatever your main limiting factor either Breathhold time
or Latic burn out, then focus on that.

If it's Latic, maybe few lengths to
get slightly latic, then do long dives to build up tolerance to this.

If Breathhold, those moving statics to build up your uw time.


--
Speeding up at the end of a long dive once contractions are in full, does not increase the chance of BO.

Conversely, speeding up at the start before contractions does increase the chance of BO.
More so for fin.

gav

KatFish said...

Hi Gav,
no it's not lactic or contractions, just need to do more big swims and and make sure I'm not losing power at the end like I did in this video. I figure the only way to keep up the technique at the end of the swim is do lots of max attempts and technique training.

Gavin Gray said...

It's all heading the right way to
touch that wall.
It's not if, it's a case of when. :)

Near getting to double what you were
doing when your first started!

KatFish said...

Hmmm, when I first started I was doing 2:30 statics with a fear of having contractions and about 60m no fins, so I'm well past double!