currently swimming 4 times a wk before work.have built up to a mile each session.i enjoy it enormously but would like to build up speed.
any advice as to how i can use this session productively as i now feel i'm swimming the running equivalent of "junk miles".
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You could try doing 100m swims. Good if your pool has a seconds clock to time yourself. See what you come in on and then give yourself 30secs rest and off go again, trying to maintain your first time that you came in on. Start with 6 and build up.
Then perhaps go to 200m.
Where do you swim, I know you are near me?
warm up (400m, nice an easy, include drills)
10x100m
200m cool down
How fast you do the 100s depends on how fast you swim - you want to be doing them fast but sustainable, so your 10th is the same speed as your 1st, and you want 10-15s rest inbetween.
You can either do them on a RI (rest interval) or SI (swim interval) - so I might do them
10x100 on 2:05 SI (which means 2:1o to do teh swim and the rest, no matter how long it takes you to do the swim)
or
10x100 15s RI - which means just swim it then take 15s rest
I think doing them on a SI is best....
But you could do 200s, 400s, a couple of 800s...whatever
Or if you want to really go for it you could do a pyramid like
4x100
2x200
1x400
2x200
1x100
the possibilities are endless..
but they will all teach you to work anaerobically, which will get a bit of speed under your belt..
Just like a track session in a week of LSD runs.
ta! :-)
Mermaid do you swim with a club anymore (not that type of club, I'm just a baby seal), or do you just do your own thing?
I'm tryin out a new club tonite, don't feel too settled in the one I left, and just started with again, it could be falling apart, they are looking to knock down the pool, so going to check out a bigger club tonite.
knew the girls would come up trumps!!
dr,nic, great advice ,i shall follow it up.do you recommmend the speed session once a wk only?
mermaid,
luckily we have a good 33m poo under the college where i work.(WFC)so 9i get in there early,7.30, and have been doing a session on the advice of my physio.having built it up gradually over the lsst month i need to put some variety to improve speed,hence the posting.
Good luck with the club, I think they are invaluable to train with. Am about to leave mine this week (moving cities) so hope to find another good un!
TB, go for it. More than once a week if you can but jsut as with running you need to get the balance right and not knacker yourself!
I find this good....:
Waterproof book of swim sets!
But all the sessions are quite long so may look intimidating to a novice (apols if you are not!!) - you can always only do a few reps rather than the whole lot.
will try once a wk to begin with.i am running about 4 times a wk too so am getting used to the demands of both run and swim.find that running after a swim is a lot harder than running first.anyone agree?but the swim sessions have improved my lung capacity so the faster runs are getting easier.
Travis, know WFC well. It's a good pool for training. Good luck with the training and glad you've found the water of benefit.
I'm looking to go on a Watsu (Shiatsu in Water) course, therapeutic water massage, which I'm really excited about, later this year.
But I've been doing a session (suggeted by 220 mag) which helps ...
1x50 (15 secs rest)
1x100 (15 secs rest)
1x150 (15 secs rest)
1x200 (15 secs rest)
3 minutes rest
... and repeat
This session (just 1000m, excluding warm up/down) makes me more tired than swimming a mile! So it has got to be working ...
Don't know what times you do, but as a guide I come in on my 100's about 1.25, and usually would do the 8 on 1.45 (swim interval as nic said, ie if i swim slower i get less rest = more incentive) so giving myself about 20 s rest between each. If i'm feeling nasty i would go on 1.35, but i'd usually feel sick by the end.
The sprints i usually do the 50's on either 50s or a minute, and would come in on about 40s, so again 10-20s rest. The 25's would go on 30s, so 10s rest ish.