Counting laps in the pool
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47 days
dlkincaid46 posted 6 weeks ago.
Another way to help count will be using the lane rope if it is loose enough. I use one piece as 50 yards (Down and Back).
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TriOnLife posted 6 weeks ago.
You're better than me. I have to chant the lap I am on AT ALL TIMES! unless I'm swiming a 50 short course or 100 long course. I do it according to what number I am on when I flip at the end I started from. Otherwise I go to flip and I think, "was that 2 or 3? Wait - I think I'm on 3 but ... well... hmm.... I guess this is 3 because I don't want to go short". Every time. I can pretty much handle a 100 in a 25 yard pool but after that all bets are off so it's 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1....... 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-......3-3-3-3-3-3-3..... the whole time. Every stroke. No daydreaming. Trying to count every flip doesn't work any better so I just gave that up.
Pathetic but true.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
338
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59 days
trigirltina2 posted 6 weeks ago.
I count in sets of ten and hit the watch too. It helps. I am with you though evey lap I'm thinking of a number. Too Funny!
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jtrimom posted 6 weeks ago.
yup, I think the number all the way down the lane, too, and if I get off track, I punish myself and make myself go to the last number I am SURE I remember saying (that makes me focus again, darnit!).
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Ironmom posted 6 weeks ago.
I find it easiest to count in 100's. So if I'm in a 25 meter pool, I count 1-1 the first length, 1-2 the second, 1-3, 1-4, and then I've done 100. Then on to 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4. At the end of each 100, I check my split just before I turn on the big wall clock, so I know what my split for that 100 is. If I'm in a 50-meter pool, it's just 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, etc. and I've even swum in 33.3 yard pools, so it's 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3. Works for any pool! I can swim 4,000 or 5,000 straight without losing track this way.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
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59 days
trigirltina2 posted 6 weeks ago.
I check time too. If the 100 was to long, I knkow I screwed up! Great idea with the 1-1, 1-2...
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362 days
vjohnson posted 6 weeks ago.
I saw a lady at my local pool show up with a bunch of pennies in a tin. She opened the tin so she had a bunch of pennies in the bottom of the tin, and the empty cover next to the bunch. After 2 lengths she would take a penny from the bunch and place it into the empty cover. She was done with her workout when she had filled the other side of the tin with pennies. I thought it was a cool idea, especially since she very rarely went into the right locker room. I don't know if your situation is that dire, but the idea my help.
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iamtb13 posted 6 weeks ago.
vjohnson wrote:
I saw a lady at my local pool show up with a bunch of pennies in a tin. She opened the tin so she had a bunch of pennies in the bottom of the tin, and the empty cover next to the bunch. After 2 lengths she would take a penny from the bunch and place it into the empty cover. She was done with her workout when she had filled the other side of the tin with pennies. I thought it was a cool idea, especially since she very rarely went into the right locker room. I don't know if your situation is that dire, but the idea my help.
If she could do it doing flip turns I'd really be impressed. ;)
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714 days
fastdog5 posted 6 weeks ago.
I use one of these:
In addition to counting laps, it gives you your fastest, slowest & average lap time. No pennies required, though they cost a pretty penny. Got mine on ebay for half retail.
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74 days
jonovision_man posted 6 weeks ago.
Cool... I need one :) I just can't keep track...
My mental conversation goes something like this:
My brain: "That's 3!"
(a few seconds pass)
My brain: "Now I'm on 4"
(a few seconds pass)
My brain: "Uh oh, am I done 4? Or is THIS 4? Crap!!!"
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631 days
TriOnLife posted 6 weeks ago.
jonovision_man wrote:
Cool... I need one :) I just can't keep track...My mental conversation goes something like this:
My brain: "That's 3!"
(a few seconds pass)
My brain: "Now I'm on 4"
(a few seconds pass)
My brain: "Uh oh, am I done 4? Or is THIS 4? Crap!!!"
:-)
Exactly!
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
551
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1301 days
vanjames posted 6 weeks ago.
I just revert to the last known lap and start counting from that number again. Sometimes my shorter swims become IM practice ;).
I find the shorter the pool the more difficult i find it to keep track. Luckily my most recent training has been in an outdoor 137.5m saltwater pool ; alot more accurate swims.
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110 days
thesonicson posted 6 weeks ago.
This is hilarious!!! I am always day dreaming about what I'll be doing later, what I'm going to cook for dinner, then POOF!! Crap..... what lap am I on again.......16???? did i say 17???? how many laps ago did i say 16????? i think it's 17.......i didn't say 17......that's because you were wondering if you would ever get the nerve to talk to the blonde who always says hi to you at the gym, idiot...........
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1550 days
kylie posted 6 weeks ago.
thesonicson wrote:
This is hilarious!!! I am always day dreaming about what I'll be doing later, what I'm going to cook for dinner, then POOF!! Crap..... what lap am I on again.......16???? did i say 17???? how many laps ago did i say 16????? i think it's 17.......i didn't say 17......that's because you were wondering if you would ever get the nerve to talk to the blonde who always says hi to you at the gym, idiot...........
Just go say hi to her and it will make it all better :-D
Lately I've been using my stopwatch when swimming, and since I know my rough pace I know where I am in the interval based on how much time has gone by. And sometimes I just make me trust myself -- I'm often right about what number I'm on but like to second guess myself.
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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390 days
TryScott posted 6 weeks ago.
Last time I used the alphabet to count. For every letter I thought of all the triathlon related stuff for 50m. Finished my 1300m without once losing count. I think it's the first time ever that didn't lose count. The idea was from another thread I just saw on TriFuel.
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140 days
miner06 posted 6 weeks ago.
Instead of counting the laps, I just add up the distance. I swim in a 25 yard pool and I just add to the distance every 50 yards. Has worked for me so far.
"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible."
- Arthur C. Clarke
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beads1985 posted 6 weeks ago.
Sometimes I give up on the lap count and swim for a set amount of time.
''Nothing to it, but to do it''
http://beads1985.trifuel.net/
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tri-ac posted 6 weeks ago.
kylie wrote:
Lately I've been using my stopwatch when swimming, and since I know my rough pace I know where I am in the interval based on how much time has gone by.
i'm too dumb during exercise to do time based math (my basic counting suffers like most above)...if I were closer to the 0:30's or 1:00's, it'd work better for me. so, should I work on getting slower or faster to make this work? :P
I have, in the past, used my timer to beep at me on an interval. this works well on long swim days for the reason Kylie gives. when it beeps at you, you don't have to do math but you can tell where you are in the lap, ahead or behind. Now, that I've written that out and remembered it, I might have to go back to it!
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631 days
TriOnLife posted 6 weeks ago.
miner06 wrote:
Instead of counting the laps, I just add up the distance. I swim in a 25 yard pool and I just add to the distance every 50 yards. Has worked for me so far.
I don't get it. Id be going "Is that 150 or 200? Wait - I'm pretty sure it's 150 but did I add the last one? What about the one before that? Maybe I've only done a 100??? Crap!!!"
I like the alphabet idea and might have to try it since I couldn't manage to count to 3 today.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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666 days
thebeatcatcher posted 6 weeks ago.
i count every single length, but if i screw up and can't remember i always round down as kind of a penalty so it keeps me on my toes.
for example, if i say to myself, "was that 14 or 16?" well then, it's always 14 so suck it up and focus on what you are doing in the pool and if you feel like day dreaming then you'll swim longer.
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6 days
Saidin posted 6 days ago.
It's very important to watch your technique all the time, and I find that I forget how much I swam when I'm concentrating on my technique.
Counting laps has always been difficult for me, so I use to count in these ways:
1. counting 50m's, and not as 50m-100m-150m etc., but as 1-2-3
2. 100m's by looking at the clock, after I push of and about 1min.15sec's have passed I know I've done 100m.
3. changing every 4th lap to a different stroke (I prefer backstroke). This is also good for your muscle development
Good luck!
Creating a triathlon training schedule. It'll get better, promise. :)
Like many - for some reason, I'm challenged when it comes to counting laps in the pool. After one of the last threads, I decided to try just counting push-offs. It actually worked great - it was very easy to remember the number I was on at the time. I just had to workout how many push-offs I needed to make for the intervals I was doing. I found it very helpful for me to keep track of my distance.
To tri or not to tri - that's not a question at all!