How I count lengths
Nov. 26th, 2012 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackI find swimming 25m lengths rather than 91m lengths actually quite nice because I can vary my speed for a length without getting exhausted a 1/4 of the way along :)
But it's somewhat harder to count how many you've done because there's a lot more of them :)
Currently my best effort at not losing track is:
1. Count in pairs, naming even lengths only (since you can see which end of the pool you're at).
2. Don't try to remember the number, go from "done 24" at the exact moment when you turn round, to "done 24, coming up to 26" on the out length, and "coming up to 26" on the return length.
3. Repeat several times, so the number is (hopefully) stored in auditory memory.
4. Never anticipate. If you count number, I find myself a few strokes short of the end saying "that's about 26". But once that number is in my head, I forget if that's the number I've done or the number I'm coming up to.
5. At most once, when I'm at least half way to my target, I can reset and count from zero. Counting smaller numbers is definitely easier, but I don't want to do that more than once or I'll get muddled with previous counts.
But it's somewhat harder to count how many you've done because there's a lot more of them :)
Currently my best effort at not losing track is:
1. Count in pairs, naming even lengths only (since you can see which end of the pool you're at).
2. Don't try to remember the number, go from "done 24" at the exact moment when you turn round, to "done 24, coming up to 26" on the out length, and "coming up to 26" on the return length.
3. Repeat several times, so the number is (hopefully) stored in auditory memory.
4. Never anticipate. If you count number, I find myself a few strokes short of the end saying "that's about 26". But once that number is in my head, I forget if that's the number I've done or the number I'm coming up to.
5. At most once, when I'm at least half way to my target, I can reset and count from zero. Counting smaller numbers is definitely easier, but I don't want to do that more than once or I'll get muddled with previous counts.