Million Metre Club(swim)

Tired of talking about rowing and want to talk about the real world? Enter a forum where rowing is a rude word...

Moderator: The forum police - (nee naw)

Post Reply
paulgould
Super Dedicated and Truly Free Spirit
Posts: 2839
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:40 am
I row on...: Model D with PM3
Location: Ryde, IOW

Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by paulgould »

Started swimming in June 2018 to train for a cross-Solent swim, which was subsequently cancelled due to unavailability of the support kayakers.
With an unplanned break from Mar 2020- Jun 2021, and then another 6 month break up till late last month, I managed to reach the 1 million metres logged this morning.
I am finding it a very good alternate exercise option, not being too strenuous or weight-bearing, and leaves you with a real sense of well-being afterwards.

Paul G
56, 1.74m , Sep '20 - 114 kg , currently - 98 kg
Image
200m - 30.8
300m - 47.7
30r20 - 7754m
12 hr - 139300m
100 mile - 14:10.12
200km - 18:28.30
User avatar
JonT
Friend of the Free Spirits web site 2020
Friend of the Free Spirits web site 2020
Posts: 2164
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2014 2:31 pm
I row on...: Model D with PM5
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by JonT »

paulgould wrote: Mon May 30, 2022 8:24 am Started swimming in June 2018 to train for a cross-Solent swim, which was subsequently cancelled due to unavailability of the support kayakers.
With an unplanned break from Mar 2020- Jun 2021, and then another 6 month break up till late last month, I managed to reach the 1 million metres logged this morning.
I am finding it a very good alternate exercise option, not being too strenuous or weight-bearing, and leaves you with a real sense of well-being afterwards.

Paul G
Congratulations Paul. My swimming abilities are limited to "good enough not to drown". One million meters of swimming sounds like a huge amount to me.
58 years old, 5"10', clinging on to 75kg and frustratingly but understandably inconsistent
Image
User avatar
plummy
Friend of the Free Spirits web site 2020
Friend of the Free Spirits web site 2020
Posts: 8424
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:17 am
I row on...: Model E with PM4
Location: Sale, Cheshire, UK

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by plummy »

I find swimming intensely hard work as I have very little upper body strength. Add to that I never mastered front crawl I'm left with breast stroke as an option which is a lot of upper body. I'm therefore like Jon - happy not to drown. I think 25m is my limit!
61 yrs old, 81kg, 5' 10"
43Mm metres rowed. Re-setting the bar much lower now. Getting too old and brittle for this malarky
Image
obirobsan
Rower and forum addict...
Posts: 228
Joined: Wed May 04, 2022 9:28 pm
I row on...: Model D with PM5
Location: San Francisco, California

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by obirobsan »

One of my colleagues has tempted me with the Escape from Alcatraz mini-triathlon next year (2023). I've never been a huge swimmer though. In my youth, I enjoyed "crazy" whitewater rafting, and eventually gave it up because I just couldn't swim well enough to not feel like I was going to drown every time we got dumped... and we got dumped. a lot.
Image
paulgould
Super Dedicated and Truly Free Spirit
Posts: 2839
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:40 am
I row on...: Model D with PM3
Location: Ryde, IOW

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by paulgould »

Thanks for your replies, all.
Dave - I think I am the exact opposite of you - while I am not a great swimmer, i rely totally on upper body strength(which I need to haul my not inconsiderable bulk through the water :lol: :lol: ) and can only swim front crawl( and a bit of backstroke, but not without SatNav!!).
Obirobsan - the Alcatraz swim is notorious for being quite tough with extremely strong currents so well done for even contemplating it.
Many years ago when I was doing tri-athlons I did an event with a 3.5km sea swim - what with rough seas, strong currents and jellyfish stings it was a frightening experience and made me realise that open-water swimming is a completely different beast from lane swimming in a pool.

Paul G
56, 1.74m , Sep '20 - 114 kg , currently - 98 kg
Image
200m - 30.8
300m - 47.7
30r20 - 7754m
12 hr - 139300m
100 mile - 14:10.12
200km - 18:28.30
User avatar
Draggon
Best Friend (PayPal Subscriber)
Best Friend (PayPal Subscriber)
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:27 pm
I row on...: Model D with PM3
Location: Indiana, USA

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by Draggon »

That's impressive work there, Paul G! Or maybe it's not and it only sounds impressive to this not-interested-in-swimming-for-exercise-cuz-it-kind-of-scares-me guy! :D
Image
paulgould
Super Dedicated and Truly Free Spirit
Posts: 2839
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:40 am
I row on...: Model D with PM3
Location: Ryde, IOW

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by paulgould »

Draggon wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 11:54 pm That's impressive work there, Paul G! Or maybe it's not and it only sounds impressive to this not-interested-in-swimming-for-exercise-cuz-it-kind-of-scares-me guy! :D
:D I think it is the latter - it only sounds impressive- I am a tugboat rather than a speedboat but bloody-minded enough to keep going nonetheless 😃

Paul G
56, 1.74m , Sep '20 - 114 kg , currently - 98 kg
Image
200m - 30.8
300m - 47.7
30r20 - 7754m
12 hr - 139300m
100 mile - 14:10.12
200km - 18:28.30
User avatar
webberg
Super Dedicated and Truly Free Spirit
Posts: 2685
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:48 am
I row on...: Model D with PM3
Location: near Andover, Hants

Re: Million Metre Club(swim)

Post by webberg »

Good stuff Paul.

Back in 2003/04 when in rehab for (yet another) knee operation, I used to go to the local club to swim pretty much every weekday. It was 7 minutes from desk to the water!

I went with a friend and we would pace by the one in front moving aside if his feet were touched by the one behind.

We eventually managed to get to 65 lengths of a 25m pool in around 30 minutes and did that for over a year.

Frustratingly I never really managed to get any quicker even over shorter distances although I did go to lessons to learn how to breathe properly and I can still do tumble turns.

With you on the open water stuff though - completely different sport.
Uphill to the finish

ID 140904
Post Reply