I did my longest swim to date. I had the day off some I wanted to go swimming in the afternoon when I figured the pool would be relatively empty. Turns out half the pool was blocked off and they were doing lifeguard training. I planned to do a long easy swim. I mostly did half freestyle, half back crawl. I played a little bit with my freestyle trying to be more efficient. I got to 35 laps or about one mile, and still felt good. I decided to go to 42 laps (1.2 miles or half Ironman distance). I still felt good, so I decided to go to 50 laps. I started to get a cramp in my left calf from the flutter kick. I do more flutter kicking when I do backcrawl. I started mixing in backstroke with whip kick. That worked. I got to 50 laps, and still felt good. I continued on to 60 laps, and decided to end it there (about 1.7 miles). It was the longest I had swam by almost 15 laps. It took 1:24, but as I said, I was swiming very easy and relaxed. I also stopped a few times so that I could time a few laps with different strokes. I could have kept going as I was feeling good. I probably could have made it to 2.4 miles (Ironman distance). 
Finis SwimP3 V2
SUMMARY: Sound quality good. Makes the laps go by faster..
Since I am training for an Ironman triathlon, I am doing a lot of swimming. Currently I am going to the pool three days a week, swimming for close to an hour. When I run or bike, I like having music. I also wanted music when I swim. I looked at the H2O Audio IS2 mp3 player. I came close to buying this, but decided that the headphones that work as earplugs might not plug my ears well enough. I ended up going with the more expensive Finis SwimP3. It works by bone conduction. I ordered it and was excited to get it. It came on a day I was supposed to go swimming, but I had to charge it first. The SwimP3 is charged by plugging it into a computer USB port. Since that was going to take a few hours or more, I was going to have to wait till my next swim day. Songs are also loaded onto the SwimP3 by dragging and dropping songs onto it as an external USB drive.
So the next time I went swimming, I took my new SwimP3 mp3 player. I wear silicone earplugs, so I inserted those first. Then I put on my goggles. The SwimP3 has two little “speaker” parts. These are tucked under the goggle straps on either side. I turned the SwimP3 player on. I could hear the music. It got louder as I was in the water. I was able to swim and listen to my tunes. Interestingly, when I get out of the pool, and take my earplugs out, the music gets much quieter. So I think it helps to wear ear plugs. My Finis SwimP3 V2 mp3 player really helps the laps go faster. I did find one song on my mp3 player that probably does fit with swimming; Bob Seger-Like A Rock. On the other hand, Life in The Fast Lane by The Eagles works very well. The sounds quality is good. Not as good as wearing headphones. But pretty good considering you under water.
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Aqua Sphere Vista Goggles
SUMMARY: Very comfortable, seal well, but fog up quickly.
I had some Speedo Sprint goggles that seal well, but are tinted blue, and I get double vision when looking at the bottom of the pool. I also had some clear Tyr goggles that I see very well out of, but they don’t seal vey well. I started researching new goggles and masks. I read that goggles don’t give the greatest peripheral vision for open water swimming. I read that some people use swim masks. I have seen Aqua Sphere masks and goggles at my local sporting good store. I tried both the Aqua Sphere Vista mask and the Aqua Sphere Seal Mask. Both style of masks fit and sealed very well. The Vista mask lenses were a little smaller than the Seal Mask lenses. But the Vista were supposed to be the better mask (according to the packaging). I ended up buying the Vista swim mask.
I was excited to try them. I was scheduled to swim the night I bought them. As I said, they sealed very well. They had a very good field of vision. Much wider than the other regular swim goggles that I had. One thing I noticed was that mask fogged up quickly. I tried spitting on the inside of the lenses, but this didn’t help much. I called Aqua Sphere customer support and they sent me some anti fogging drops. I tried these, and they helped some. So instead of fogging after a lap, they fogged after about 5 laps. I contacted the Aqua Sphere customer support and they offered to replace the Vista mask. I also have a Aqua Sphere Seal Mask and I haven’t had the fogging problem with those. So the issue may be unique to the Vista, or maybe I got a mask with bad anti-fog coating.
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A friend of mine wanted a base time. There’s a base time. Slow as mud. I am getting better. Keep in mind I am just starting to really learn how to swim. I never swam as a kid due to ear problems. I took four swimming lessons in June, one of which was a waste with two teenage girl lifeguards that were subbing for the teenage kid who was the regular teacher. At least the girls were cute.
But I swam 1000 yards (40 lengths in a 25 yard pool) today after work. I was able to swim 50 yards at a time instead of 25 yards at a time before stopping to catch my breath. And today I wasn’t as out of breath between laps. I mostly did front crawl, with a little bit of breast stroke.
I am hoping to swim 3 times a week til I get it down. It’s definatly my weakness. And I probably wont be able to wear a wet suit in Louisville.
Are there like neoprene jammers? Would they be legal in warmer water, and would they give much floatation?
With the Louisville Ironman about a year away, I need to get serious about swimming. I have cycled 100 miles, and run multiple marathons. But swimming is my weak point.
Tonight my wife and I headed to the pool. I managed to swim 17 laps which almost half a mile. Actually 17.5 laps would have been about a mile. So I was close. Anyway, I swam it 25 yards at a time. I was actually getting a little smoother towards the end.
I need to get different goggles. I have some Speedo goggles that seal really nicely. But when my head is in the water, I see the bottom in a double vision that is sort of disorienting. They also have blue lenses. I have heard that I will want clear lenses for the river at the Louisville Ironman. My clear lens Tyr goggles just dont seal well.
I was swimming okay. I swam most of it doing the front crawl, but I swam a couple laps using a breast stroke. I probably could have gone a little farther, but I had pulled out my ear plug to talk to my wife, and with my ear a little wet, it wasn’t sealing very well. This was the farthest I have ever swam.
I want to get an MP3 player designed for swimming. I think that would encourage me to stay in the pool longer. I need to work up to where I can swim more continuously. I will get there! I am going to try to swim two or three times a week.