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New to SFT website, we are looking for interesting stories of you and your swimming experiences. Whether you have achieved your goal, or overcome an obstacle to achieve your goal. We want to hear from you !! Thank you so much for the 121 swimming lesson and the notes you've given below - I really appreciate it and it has all helped me massively. I did have one question from the feedback below - when you say "two beat leg kick" is that where you only kick when the opposite arm enters the water? I looked it up and found a video that suggests that but I wanted to check. I went swimming in the Serpentine in my wetsuit on Saturday and was a bit downhearted as I thought I only managed 400m (a mixture of front crawl, breast stroke and breast stroke arms but kicking legs!) with two small rests. I was pretty exhausted by the end of it and after one length my technique was terrible, but I've just looked it up and it looks as though the Serpentine lido is 100m not 50m like I thought so I actually did 800m! That has made me really happy and boosted my confidence hugely! I am going swimming almost every other day from now on in a pool to really work on my front crawl technique as I can see that it is more efficient and then I'm going to the Serpentine again in two weeks and then the week after that as well to get more practice in open water in my wetsuit. I would certainly not be where I am today without your help, so thank you. My family and friends are amazed that I even got into a lake let alone swam and put my head in the water and got on with it. My confidence has increased massively and my technique, although not great by any means has certainly improved a lot from 10 weeks ago and I'm doing better than I ever imagined. Massive massive thanks for everything. Sarah
"Thanks for this morning, I was a bit daunted by the whole idea of a 121 but actually really enjoyed it and felt that by the end I was already swimming better so thank you. I will take those drills into my swimming and will definitely book another session with you for the end of May to assess whether any of it has gone in! Promise I will try my hardest."
" The SwimForTri team have designed an outstanding course that combines a back-to-basics approach to technique, careful attention to each participant and great enthusiasm to help swimmers of every level become more competitive. As a reluctant swimmer who was late to learn I was particularly apprehensive, but the team's intelligent build-up of drills matched with constant encouragement have made all the difference. Everyone on the course took a great deal out of it - if you are looking to move onto the next level, no matter where you are starting, take up the challenge, you will be delighted you did."
" Just a quick note to say thanks for getting me through my first triathlon! From not being able to swim front crawl at all 6 weeks (5 lessons) ago I completed the sprint distance course of the ITU Dextro Energy Hyde Park course on Sunday in a time of 22 minutes, without stopping and with no help (or scary moments!) ... and I wasn't the last out of the water!!
Brendan has been brilliant and I couldn't have believed 6 weeks ago I would be writing this! There is still loads of room for improvement - I could hear Brendan all the way round saying things like "don't lift your head" etc ... so I am going to keep up the lessons, and aim for an olympic distance race next year!
Thanks again
Peter"
"As promised a quick note to tell you that I finished the triathlon today and was slow but still finished the swim ok.
I was not the last out of my wave and even overtook 2 slow breast stroke swimmers from the wave in before me, which is unheard of beforehand! Many thanks for your help and lessons in getting me through this event, I really appreciated your private lessons in particular. If I can do it there's hope for anyone!
Thanks again and pls thank too the other swim for Tri staff.
Very relieved.
Bev"
In August 2009 I entered the 2010 London Triathlon Olympic Distance. As someone not capable of swimming 25m without stopping I knew swimming 1500m would be a challenge, so in preparation I had a couple of lessons at my local swimming pool and did a bit of swimming each week, but nothing structured and sure enough come race day I struggled. I exited the water completely exhausted and barely able to stand after 50 minutes of terrible frontcrawl, breaststroke and panic attacks.
Over the winter I decided I was going to have another go at triathlon, but I was going to take it a bit more seriously, and I set myself 2 Olympic distance goals, a sub-30 swim and a sub-2:30 finish. As a reasonable cyclist and runner this was possible if I sorted out my swimming, which meant learning how to swim properly and have some structure to my swim training.
I signed up for 10 1-2-1 lessons with Keeley and the London Bridge fitness sessions, in addition to the various swim sessions I was doing with Serpentine Tri Club. I made time for the drills Keeley suggested and tried to incorporate the improvements into my swimming, and my stroke started to improve, as did my speed but my stamina.
At the Steelman Triathlon at Dorney Lakes I managed a 29:30 swim and a 2:25:15 finish, and then a few weeks later at Hyde Park I went one better in the swim with a 28:14 as part of a 2:28:04.
Obviously, it was a lot of hard work on my part to go from a non-swimmer to a 28:14 1500m, but without the help and advice from the SwimForTri team I wouldn’t have achieved my goals.
Richard
“I attended the learning frontcrawl course with swimfortri in 2011 and went from being unable to swim more than a length at the beginning of March to completing a 3k aquathon in the August that same year as well as many triathlons. I loved the course and found the teachers really great –kind, knowledgeable and very helpful. I have come back this year to do the developing frontcrawl course and again am really enjoying it and can feel my swimming improve week by week. These lessons are a must for anyone who wants to do any open water swimming. I really can’t recommend swimfortri highly enough!” Victoria
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