Changes in the water

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On Saturday, I finally did the filming before Masters practice, getting front and side video in full speed and slow motion for all four strokes. It's been something that Jamie (the coach) and I have wanted to do for a while, but haven't because of races. No races for a while, so now was the perfect time. After the filming, we did some work on my stroke. I know there are some issues - can tell while I'm swimming that there are a few areas that I can improve to gain some free speed. So that's my chore for the next few weeks. Make the changes permanent in my stroke. It's going to be hard - I've swum three times since the filming and have worked diligently on the timing, length, pull and getting my hips higher in the water. When it all comes together, it feels really good and I can tell the difference in speed and power. But it's not easy - mentally or physically. I don't really want to swim fast because I am focusing on the stroke and changing muscle patterns is exhausting. On top of that, because I'm utilizing different muscles and creating different forces, I'm tiring a lot quicker. I was quite happy that there were only two people in the lane this morning! I didn't have to stress about the workout and could just swim and do drills.

I did look at the video earlier today. The set up is really cool - front view above and below water of all strokes, side views above and below water of all strokes and turns. The slow motion is really telling for errors and areas for improvement. Jamie wrote some notes and I'm sure Adam will have some other pointers.

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