Your Searched Swim Questions Answered

I play with the internet for a living so I have a tendency to pay real close attention to where my website’s traffic comes from. I took the searches that brought visitors to my site and picked out some of the ones that came in question form. I did this with my business’ web site a few months ago and it was kind of fun so I thought it would be amusing to do here too. So here we go… these are all actual searches.

  • Swim anyone??????????
    Yes please

  • How many lengths of a swimming pool is 2.5k?
    Depends… 50 lengths in a 50 meter pool, 100 lengths in a 25 meter pool, and 109 1/3 lengths in a 25 yard pool.
  • How to get a masters swim card?
    Click the giant “Join Masters” button on the left hand side of the site or go to www.usms.org/reg/ and follow the directions. You can do the whole thing online in less than 10 minutes, easy.
  • Masters swimming Sweden 2010 qualifying times?
    These were just recently posted, you can get the link to the time sheet here.
  • How good is the TYR Tracer Light?
    Personally, I really dig it. You can read my review here
  • How many swims does Tracer Light have?
    I’m up to 3 meets and 13 races and it’s still in great shape.
  • Are SwimPlan workouts good?
    They weren’t really my thing, but I think the site is useful and a good deal (it’s free).
  • Did the old Blossom Athletic center in San Antonio have a high dive board?
    No idea hombre.
  • Difference between Blueseventy Reaction and Sprint?
    About $100 :) Basically the Sprint is an entry level suit and the Reaction is more serious (I own a Reaction wetsuit). Check out the specs on Blueseventy’s website.
  • How do i get a second off my 100m?
    Swim faster by about a second :) If that doesn’t work, try focusing on tight streamlines off the walls. You’re never faster than when you’re pushing off a wall, don’t give up any of that momentum with a sloppy streamline.
  • How to tell if your lawn needs water?
    I seriously got a visit out of this? I guess if it’s brown it’s time to go to work. But don’t take my word for it, I rent.
  • I think rob like me
    Sure buddy.
  • Is 27.7 50 free yards good time?
    Anything can be a good time depending on age and physical condition. If you’re happy with your time it sounds like it’s a good time to me.
  • Is it good to swim without a bathing cap?
    If you’re bald like me, yes. If you have hair… I am not the person to ask.
  • What does swimming unattached mean?
    It means that you are a registered member of USMS but you are not a member of any particular team. Really the only thing it stops you from doing is swimming on relays.
  • What to expect at swim meets?
    I wrote a whole post about it here
  • What’s a good time in to 200 im in swimming?
    To me, my 2:27 (SCY) felt pretty good. I’d like to go 2:15ish some day.
  • Which suit is faster jammers or leggings?
    I’d have to say leggings. They’re giving you more slicker than skin surface to work with.
  • Who wears square leg suits?
    Not me, but I do own one.
  • Why do i get seasick when i swim laps?
    Sounds like a weird inner ear thing. Maybe you just need ear plugs. Ask your doctor.

    • So there you go. Random questions answered randomly. If you actually have a question for me feel free to ask. I can’t promise to actually know the answer to anything, but I might know the right person to ask. Worst case scenario I am an excellent Googler.

    April 11, 2009 | No Comments »

    US Masters Can Save 15% on B70 Until April 30th!


    As a public service I figured I would share the the e-mail I just got from USMS…
    Dear Rob,

    blueseventy, a U.S. Masters Swimming partner, is pleased to partner with Kiefer and Kast-A-Way to offer you an exclusive 15% off of your blueseventy purchase in the month of April. This offer is good only for 2009 registered U.S. Masters Swimming members and is limited to one (1) blueseventy suit per member. Your U.S. Masters Swimming membership number will be required at check out. There are three easy ways to redeem this offer:

    Visit www.kiefer.com and enter USMS in the source code at checkout to receive 15% off of one (1) blueseventy suit purchase. You can also redeem this offer through Kiefer retail shops or via phone order (1-800-323-4071). Please have your
    membership number ready for verification.

    Visit www.KastAWayswimwear.com, enter blue70usmsnero in the coupon code and be sure to include your U.S. Masters Swimming membership number in the “notes” field to receive 15% off of one (1) blueseventy suit purchase. You can also redeem this offer via phone order (1-800-543-2763). Please have your membership number ready for verification.

    Visit www.blueseventy.com, enter blue70usmsnero in the coupon code and be sure to include your U.S. Masters Swimming membership number in the “comments” field to receive 15% off of one (1) blueseventy suit purchase.

    So if you want a Blueseventy, get’em while they’re hot and legal! This offer expires at the end of April!

    April 3, 2009 | 5 Comments »

    So That’s What 53° Water Feels Like

    I ventured into the ocean for the first time with my new Blueseventy Reaction wetsuit today. It’s kind of cold out in Pismo today, but nothing compared to the water. A lot of the surfers were out there with hoods and gloves and booties… the whole kit. After a few minutes in the water I got kinda used to it but it was still really cold, like hard to take a whole breath cold. The suit itself fit really well and was easy to swim in plus it was plenty buoyant. If I were out surfing I don’t think it would have been thick enough for the water temperature but it’s adequate for swimming. I swam parallel to shore for a while in the rougher water and then tried to body surf a few waves. The surf was kind of weak and a little blown out so I didn’t really have any luck with that.

    Today was just an “orientation session.” No serious swimming, I couldn’t have been in the water for more than 20 minutes. I just wanted to get used to my wet suit and being in the ocean and the surf. I’m still trying to figure out how to make this a more regular occurrence. I’m yet to find any local open water swimming volunteers.

    Heidi snapped few pics while she was keeping an eye on me from the shore.





    March 15, 2009 | No Comments »

    Got Myself a Blueseventy Reaction Wetsuit!

    The Rob D. Swimmer Stimulus Package keeps rolling along… I finally made my way up to Atascadero to visit the guys at Go For it Sports and find myself a wetsuit. I’ve been having a rough time finding anyone with non surf/scuba wetsuits in stock. I had Heidi drop in there earlier this week to make sure it was worth me driving up and these guys have all kinds of stuff available. Apparently they’re one of the biggest Triathlon stores on the west coast.

    While I was there I got a bunch of help from Scott who I think either owns or manages the place. He spent some time with me figuring out what size I would need and picking out suits for me to try on. I ended up trying on a Blueseventy Reaction and a Quintana Roo Superfull.

    The Blueseventy Reaction went on first. I tried on a Large which is made for guys that are 5’11″ to 6’4″ and 192 to 220. I’m 5’9″ and about 225 so we weren’t sure how this was going to work out. It went on surprisingly easy. I had a hard time getting it zipped up in the back but once it was all together I felt pretty good in it.

    The Quintana Roo Superfull didn’t work out as well for me. It’s a really impressive suit in a lot of ways but it doesn’t fit my build. I couldn’t even get it over my legs. It’s also not set up to be as tough as the Reaction suit. I think it’s the difference between a workout suit and a racing suit. The racing suit is cool but you can’t wear it every day.

    I’m really glad I had Scott there to help me pick out a suit. It’s nice to go into a store where they know what they’re talking about and actually try to help you find what works best for you. I ended up getting a pretty smoking deal too. I tried on a rental suit that had been used one time and he offered me $100 off the msrp on it… pretty hard to say no to that. So I got my wetsuit for $199, awesome! I also picked up a pair of B70 Vision goggles and some Body Glide on the way out the door. I’m leaving for LA in a couple of hours so I can’t try out all my new toys and review them right now but hopefully sometime next week I can get myself into a large body of water of some sort!

    March 7, 2009 | No Comments »

    Swimming in a 25 Yard Bath Tub

    Went to the pool tonight for my first real swim in what felt like forever. I could really feel my prolonged absence from the pool. Hopefully I can bounce back quickly. I don’t have any plans to leave town again until the Las Vegas Masters meet towards the end of January so I should be able to get back into a good groove.

    It’s been pretty “cold” by coastal California standards and I think that they’ve been cranking up the heat in the pool to make up for it. I felt like I was in a chlorinated bath tub. My workout wasn’t very long but it was a start.

    Warm Up
    400 free
    100 kick
    100 free

    8 x 50 in IM order

    100 free
    100 kick

    200 cool down

    1400 yards total

    In other masters news… there’s been some sponsorship developments recently. Most notably BlueSeventy has announced that they are becoming an official sponsor of USMS. There is also a discount program in the works for masters swimmers. Sounds like they’re betting pretty hard that FINA won’t ban their suits. I’m definitely curious about their suits but they aren’t cheap. If the discount program is good enough and I shed a few more pounds I might give them a shot come nationals in May.

    December 23, 2008 | No Comments »
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