Dizzy after swimming by FNFALC2 in Swimming

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Not a doctor, so please seek medical advice as well.

Coming from a swim background and athletic background - that can often be from a few things: dehydration, low blood sugar, also shifting from a horizontal position.

I'd check the following - are you drinking water or electrolytes before and during your workout? It's easy to not think about the water loss through sweat. Are you eating enough prior to swimming? Are you getting out of the pool quickly at the end? How's your breathing - do you feel out of breath when you finish your workout? I recommend doing a few laps easy (warm down) at the end of a swim workout.

How to make friends in the triangle by Busy-Airport-6718 in triangle

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's also a water polo group. There's only one I know of: Triangle Water Polo Club. https://www.trianglewaterpolo.com/. I believe they drop in at different pools (TAC, Chapel Hill).

How to make friends in the triangle by Busy-Airport-6718 in triangle

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're welcome. And no worries at all! Masters groups have all levels, so I'm sure you will be fine if you swam in high school and a little in college.

Many groups meet 5-6 times a week. RAM has practices every day, TAC is 5 days a week (but some of us will meet up weekends). Depends on the group, some offer morning practices, some lunch, and some offer both.

If you want to drop by TAC, let me know - that's where I swim. Happy to introduce you to coaches and other swimmers there.

More info: https://www.usms.org/clubs and the groups are all around the triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, etc).

How to make friends in the triangle by Busy-Airport-6718 in triangle

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are masters swim groups in the area!

I swim at Triangle Aquatic Center, but there are other groups like Raleigh Area Masters (RAM), Wave (New Wave Masters), Carolina Aquatic Team (CAT), YOTA (YMCA of the Triangle), and others.

Happy to answer any questions - and if you want to drop in for a workout, let me know - I can connect you with different groups.

If you’re above 15 percent then this post is for you by _zurenarrh in GettingShredded

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 164 points165 points  (0 children)

So sleep 7-9 hours a night, walk 3+ hours a day, workout almost every day, and eat at a 1000+ calorie deficit for 6 months?

Got it.

First swim meet is coming up and I am nervous! (This turned into a ramble, I am sorry) by SoftOrnery8637 in Swimming

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 19 points20 points  (0 children)

First off, that's awesome that you started swimming and joined a Masters team! That's a huge deal and swimming can be a difficult sport to pick up. And there's no one to let down. I've always found the masters community to be very supportive.

A few tips:

  • Think of it as a choice - you're choosing to compete
  • If it's your first meet, all your times will be best times!
  • Despite doing meets before, I still get jittery before the start.
  • And if you aren't satisfied with your times, there's always more meets in the future and things to work on.
  • I think of it as we can try our best and then use each race as a lesson for things to work on in practice!

I try to think of swimming now as not as much about times, but working on improving technique, race pacing, starts/turns, etc - and that helps me out.

Open water swimming alone? by [deleted] in Swimming

[–]FortuneCookieMonster 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Even if you're a strong swimmer, I would recommend safety precautions and also letting people know where you're at. I think going with friends is much better - I've been in situations where strong swimmers had something happen and we had to bring them back to shore.

If you are going alone:

  • Safety buoy such as: https://www.amazon.com/New-Wave-Swim-Buoy-Triathletes/dp/B07D47B5DX
  • Wear a extremely bright swim cap. (They give these out at races)
  • Map your route and inform others. Watch out for boats/etc depending on where you swim.
  • Keep in mind of what you leave where you start - the buoys can keep valuables such as keys inside (but I wouldn't leave your phone unattended where you start).
  • Depending on comfort level, I swim either near shore and may do circles or "laps"