[Darthwader]

Originally Posted by mm_dm

I would have to say endurance. You never know how far you'll have to swim and it helps to be able to keep on cranking. When I was getting ready for my DM swim test, I stated swimming regularly a few months ahead of time and worked my way to 1000 meters twice a week. Took me around a half hour to complete (I gained speed over time). When it came time to take the various swim tests I sqeaked by on the speed test and finished several minutes early on the longer fin/mask/snorkle test. Once, a guy was in the lane next to me and was determined to beat me from one end to another (he kept lookong over to check where I was at). After a few laps of that he started to slow and I overtook hi with my same plodding rate. He quit about halfway through my session, then looked over and laughed "tortoise and the hare, huh?". Just my 2 psi.

I never swam competitively, so I have no formal training; consequently, I'm not imtimidated by the swimmers who seem to crank out three laps to my one (seems that way anyway!). I kind of consoled/resigned myself to the fact that, I may never go as fast as I want, but I may atleast go as far as I want! I did notice however that as I improved in the pool, posture, technique, stamina, my times did improve. I think that I just need a good regimen and solid coaching to get my times down. There's an event in Chicago called the Big Shoulders swim that I'd derely love to attend, and complete, so I do need to focus more on the clock.
BTW, it was the DM requirements that got me thinking about distance. I'm not there yet, but I do want my DM cert. eitherway, I've found that swimming allwos me to enjoy diving more.

Originally Posted by mmdm

Check out the book "Total Immersion". I think it has a video as well. It shows you how to better position your body in the water and make better use of your stroke.

Thanks, I'll get it look