[Closed] I am not as fit or fast as I was - shocker!

From a 15 mile round trip commute to no commuting and having a dog which abosorbs all my potential riding time, it's worrying how hard 15 miles now feels, let alone riding on a hill (of which there are pretty much none locally). I feel your pain.

WCA, it's never easy to retain fitness and it goes so quickly. If you want it, you have to work at it.

I keep putting off the return to running and now, because I have done for the whole of summer, the rainy/cold season has started and I will have to run in the rain.

Last time I swam properly was 9 years ago

If I leave it 9 years between swims I can barely swim!

I always feel unfit. But my runs recently don't last as long...

It doesn't get easier you just get faster.

Yeah but you did 60 lengths, which is no mean feat to be honest.

And how much slower has the knackered ankle made you? I can't imagine it makes for the most efficient form?
Sounds like a good start to me...

I have recently been through a similar experience.

The good news is that I think once you have been fit you're body remembers and it's much easier to return to fitness than to gain it in the first place.

After 9 years of no swimming I'd be pretty stoked with that.

I have a month off the bike and I feel like I'm riding a clown bike.

The good news is that I think once you have been fit you’re body remembers and it’s much easier to return to fitness than to gain it in the first place.

Yeah this. I've been back on the bike for maybe six weeks now after 15 months off thanks to long covid. I'm short of top end, but I've already knocked off this month's Strava climbing challenge, which seemed like an impossible dream just a few months ago. If you've trained seriously for years, a lot of those adaptations are still there and, as above, the body responds faster than you'd think.

Nick, prior to heart surgery, i was able to cycle at 15-17mph for a good few hours.
managed a 100 miler in 6 hours at my best.

i now plod along a 10 mph. and am unable to manage much faster for any time span.

it will do i suppose.

his visit to the 50m pool I found that they fit a barrier at 25m which was a shame but it meant I still had the old target of 60 lengths.

Today it took 55 minutes

I think you're being really hard on yourself. 55 mins is an amazing time, especially given its been 9 years. NINE YEARS 😯
Thats one and a half kilometers. I couldn't swim 1 1/2 km in a day 😆

As above. I used to cycle for at least 4-5 hours each day, 6 sometimes 7 days a week 15-20 years ago. Most of the journey standing up at full pelt. Today I couldn't match that even in my wildest dreams and pottering along at 15mph for maybe 2 hours twice a week is about all I can manage, and even then thats a fall asleep in the chair level of tiredness for me now.

Thanks all for the positive feedback. I hadn't realised 60 laps was any good. I used to use that as a 30 minute warm up and warm down either side of doing some exercise. I am pleased that evenb now, several hours later, I don't seem to ache or be suffering.

[i]And how much slower has the knackered ankle made you? I can’t imagine it makes for the most efficient form?[/i]

You ain't kidding. For the first few lengths I was sure I had a plastic bag caught around my foot as the water was flowing on the wrong bits of the foot. I then realised that the foot was sticking out at 90 degrees to the leg which is fine for the push stroke but less than ideal when you are pulling your legs back towards you. Basically my right leg was not aiding the swimming at all.

Haven't swam for 18 months having swum 4-5 times a week pre-covid. If I can knock out a mile when I go back I'll be very very pleased.

60 chuff off. I'm not sure even at my best I'd get to 10.
I was a sprinter in my youth (pretty fast at that) but last time I tried I was 5secs off my best 100m and I'd be further now.

Pretty happy with flattish 10km in 55min given I'm 51 and always regarded 400m as middle distance and 800m as long.

Good effort considering how little you've been able to do recently. Was that at the Quays Nick?

Thanks all for the positive feedback. I hadn’t realised 60 laps was any good.

You having a ****in giraffe mate? I'd struggle to do 6.

It was at the new place in Winchester near Bar End. Nice place with 50m pool which they split into 25m lanes and then a play area. 8 lanes wide and nice wide lanes so easy to over take or be over taken without getting legs and arms entangled.

I was also pleasantly surprised at only £3. Nice big changing area with cubicles large enough to turn around in or get a child dressed I guess. Definitely worth the drive up there. Remember to take a pound coin for the locker - anyone remember pound coins? They used to be really popular but I haven't seen one for nearly 2 years.

[i]Pretty happy with flattish 10km in 55min given I’m 51 and always regarded 400m as middle distance and 800m as long.[/i]

I find pool swimming is always flattish 🙂

10km in 55 minutes would be fine. I only manage 1.5km in 55 minutes

Two 2mins/100m breastroke is pretty good for someone who is not a swimmer and just does it for a bit of exercise. So I would not beat yourself up about not being able to hit that first time back.

I'd really like to learn how to swim properly but not sure how feasible that is at the moment, has anyone had lessons recently as an adult?

I can swim in the sense that I wouldn't drown if you threw me in but I'd like to try triathlon and so it would be cool to be able to actually swim even just to a very mediocre standard

WCA - know how you feel, I had my ACL done a few years ago, took a while to get back up to fitness. Take your time and enjoy the fact that you are out there doing it, and before you know it you'll be getting fitter and fitter.

Duggan - try the book Total Immersion Swimming - great drills to build up a stroke that is effective. Used it when i was dabbling with Triathlons a few years ago....

Duggan

I’d really like to learn how to swim properly but not sure how feasible that is at the moment, has anyone had lessons recently as an adult?

I don't like the water; never have & never will.
I never learnt to swim as a kid because I was so unconfident.

Once I left uni, I thought this was a bloody stupid situation to find myself in, so booked onto some council run lessons in Cambridge. It was one of the best things I have ever decided to do.
It doesn't sound like you are in the same boat, but as well as beginners lessons, they also had lessons for people who wanted to improve their stroke or learn new strokes.

Definitely worth looking into.

I ventured back to the pool today and managed 60 lengths in 45 minutes so feeling a bit better. It takes a bit of adjustment to swim breaststroke with one foot permanently at 90 degrees to the leg.

I’d really like to learn how to swim properly but not sure how feasible that is at the moment, has anyone had lessons recently as an adult?

I can swim in the sense that I wouldn’t drown if you threw me in but I’d like to try triathlon and so it would be cool to be able to actually swim even just to a very mediocre standard

I did similar for a triathlon several years ago. Couldn't be reliable enough for coaching sessions so had to do it from what i could find and copy.

There are some stroke videos on the speedo website - swim tips. I just watched them and put that technique into play doing maybe 1km in a session once a week. Made a major improvement over the few months i did it.