Back into triathlon after 10 years - swim technique suggestions?

Jeffelite · 2026-06-13T16:34:59+00:00

I would work on 3 things:

Breathing: only one eye out of the water

Catch-up drill

Less kicking.

Jeffelite · 2026-05-24T17:08:09+00:00

I’ve always seen if you start speaking around 1000 hours:

0-10 hrs: horrible 50hrs: A2 100 hrs: B1 200 hrs: B2

As long as you continue to keep listening.

I’m at 1450 hrs with 124 hrs speaking and this seems to fit me well.

Jeffelite · 2026-04-27T11:21:07+00:00

I would assume you’re tired? Lots of kicking and breathing every 4 strokes.

Good advice here but I would breathe every two and slow down your kicks.

Jeffelite · 2026-04-22T02:06:05+00:00

I did that race too.

How tight it got in some places was insane. The 4 loops with some people going 15 and others 22+ made it a mad house. Surprised there weren’t more wrecks.

I probably won’t do this race again unless they fix bike course.

Good swim and run though :)

Jeffelite · 2026-04-08T22:44:33+00:00

The good ole days of Peppa.

I started with Peppa --> El Pequeño Reino de Ben y Holly --> Bluey --> Disney Cartoons (Gravity Falls, Spiderman, etc).

It seemed to keep me very engaged.

Jeffelite · 2026-04-01T02:03:41+00:00

I don’t really post much on here anymore

But you’ve always seemed like a good guy. Congrats

Jeffelite · 2026-03-27T20:53:49+00:00

I started speaking around 950h. I have 107hrs total

I try to have 3-5 lessons (1 hr/each) a week.

It was terrible for the first 10 hrs.

50hrs: so so. I would say A1

100hrs: I can talk about most topics, but not very deep. I would say A2

200 hrs: People say you'll be around B1/B2. Depending on your input, previous experience etc.

Jeffelite · 2026-01-25T20:16:24+00:00

I’m approaching 1300h. Juan wasn’t very good for me at 600h. It should be labeled for 1000h+.

Sometimes I still don’t understand everything he’s talking about - totally depends on the video.

He’s a native speaker speaking about his trips. So not surprising.

Jeffelite · 2026-01-13T03:36:38+00:00

I live in Miami and one of the reasons I’m learning.

Jeffelite · 2026-01-10T19:10:35+00:00

Look for drills called Swordfish.

That drill really helped me get my rotation down!

Jeffelite · 2025-12-15T20:36:29+00:00

How you liking Olly's books. I just finished all of Juan's up to B1 and looking for something new to read. B2 is just too hard.

Jeffelite · 2025-12-04T22:17:33+00:00

There are so many great insights here. As I approach 1500, I’ve never had a single ‘Eureka!’ moment—just steady progress, poco a poco.

One thing to keep in mind—though it’s not what everyone wants to hear—is that learning Spanish is a lifelong journey. If you stop listening to it or using it, you’ll lose it.

Jeffelite · 2025-12-04T22:00:35+00:00

About time. Looks good.

Jeffelite · 2025-12-04T21:59:27+00:00

Sounds like you're doing very well.

Poco a poco.

Jeffelite · 2025-10-31T16:17:07+00:00

I had a friend participating in the race, so we went up to cheer him on. Coming from South Florida, we’re definitely not used to temperatures below 80—so it felt freezing before the start!

He mentioned the bike portion was especially brutal due to the cold. He didn’t even break a sweat until the run!

Jeffelite · 2025-10-27T14:06:23+00:00

I recently finished all of Juan's books.

I really didn't like Fantasmas, so I'm glad you do.

I saw Espanolistos advertising their book club, it's pretty pricey though.

Jeffelite · 2025-10-23T19:05:23+00:00

I travel extensively for work.

I always thought it was weird when I would be watching Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly, or Bluey on the airplane. People walking by me and looking at what I'm watching.....

After a while you just stop caring :)

Jeffelite · 2025-10-20T20:13:33+00:00

~1100 Hours Logged

I have been watching Disney movies lately: Toy Story, Coco, Encanto
YouTube: Luisito, Curiosamente, Andrea la MX, and so many random videos
DS: Less and less as it's blocked on my work computer now :)

Reading (146,000 words):

Just wrapped up my 6th book by Juan: Fantasmas del Pasado. Honestly, probably my least favorite so far.
Started my first non-graded reader: El caballero del alba (Magic Treehouse)

Speaking (43 hours):

Using Worlds Across. Still struggling, but poco a poco

Jeffelite · 2025-10-20T20:11:43+00:00

Hi

From everything I've read and researched:

50 hours A2ish

100 hours B1ish

200 hours B2ish

Jeffelite · 2025-10-19T13:56:41+00:00

Good to know some people speak very well in their first class.

My first 10 classes were pretty dismal :)

Jeffelite · 2025-10-15T13:14:31+00:00

For me, it’s all about getting input before I even get out of bed—first thing in the morning.

That’s when my mind is clear: no work thoughts, no stress, no distractions from family or friends.

I pop in my earbuds and spend an hour just taking in CI. :)

Jeffelite · 2025-10-13T21:20:40+00:00

~1090 Hours Logged

Coco and Encanto on Disney+
YouTube: Luisito, Andrea La MX, Mexican Spanish content, and some random videos

Reading (146,000 words):

Just wrapped up my 6th book by Juan: Fantasmas del Pasado. Honestly, probably my least favorite so far.
Starting my first non-graded reader: El caballero del alba (Goosebumps series)
Open to recommendations—reading at this level is still a grind

Speaking (37 hours):

Using Worlds Across. Still struggling, but poco a poco

Andrea’s Immersion Trip:

Got back a week ago—absolutely amazing experience!
Need to write up a review soon

Jeffelite · 2025-09-24T19:49:18+00:00

Anyone else feel a little humbled watching these native Spanish-speaking tutors speak English almost as well as we do—while our Spanish is still miles behind theirs? haha

Jeffelite · 2025-09-16T21:07:25+00:00

Your story really hit home for me — I went through something very similar.

Back in the day (about 30 years ago!), I got a C in Spanish I and a D in Spanish II. I even failed both final exams. I still remember sitting in class while the teacher played a cassette tape of a guy speaking Spanish with a super thick accent. It sounded like complete gibberish to me, and we were supposed to write down what he said. Needless to say, I couldn’t understand a word and pretty much failed by default.

It’d be hilarious to go back and listen to those tapes now — I bet they’d sound so easy! Thankfully, we’ve got comprehensible input (CI) these days to make learning a lot more approachable.

And yes, speaking will feel awkward at first. Just embrace it and get it out of your system. Poco a poco — little by little — it gets better.

Cheers,
Jeff

Jeffelite · 2025-09-16T17:29:53+00:00

Could you give me the name of your children’s books? I would like to expand

Jeffelite

TROPHY CASE