Ok...just returned to competitive swimming...doing pretty well (31.3 in 50 METER free, and I'm 54), but think I can do better. At 18, I swam low 28s...Yes, I'm much older, but back then, we never lifted weights (we were told it would make us sink or make us "tight"), and I actually used to smoke cigarettes (not heavily, but at parties) and weed pretty routinely. Would love to get under 30, or under 27 in yards.
I have met my goal of getting in shape, losing weight, and trying to stave off the onset of type II diabetes (was told I was borderline), but in order to be REALLY good, I realize I am going to have to put in more yardage and get some coaching on starts, turns, and mechanics. I've been doing 1/2 to 3/4 mile 3-4 times a week, with the occasional mile and even more rarely, maybe 2000.
I already work a full time job as a school administrator and I also teach college two nights a week. I have a g/f, 3 cats, and a full life (no kids)...suddenly, I have this new passion which I am excited about and it's good for me, but it seems like it will be hard to find time to put in the 3-4 thousand yards 5 or 6 days a week that a lot of folks seem to be doing. How do you find the time? And is it just a small minority who are really that committed? Do I really have to become a fanatic about this to be more successful?
PS...I would also like to the 100 at some point, but I know I need to build up my stamina a lot more for that.
If your workouts are intense and focused, I think you can improve a lot without having to worry about finding the time to do epic workouts.
I did 3-4k/workout, five to eight times a week, for quite a while and eventually just plateaued. I plateaued both in terms of speed and in terms of motivation. There was a lot of stuff in the workouts I was doing that I just found unpleasant, and looking back, it seems ridiculous to think that I would get any better at a 50 free by (for example) swimming a bunch of 300s at a speed much slower than my 50 speed with no rest. Sure, I got good and tired doing those 300s, but it didn't help my 50 at all. Mostly I was bored and pushed just hard enough to get through practice.
For the past month I've been swimming 3-4 days a week, about 2000 yards each day. However, instead of different sets of varying distances and strokes and effort levels, I've been swimming at the speed I intend to go in a race. And I feel faster than ever. There's a thread here on the forums called "Ultra short training Rushall" with links to the "research" behind the "plan" I'm using. Theoretically, even though I'm only swimming 25s and 50s, the endurance required for 100s and 200s will come, and I'll have done so many actual race-pace lengths that when race time comes around, the technique and pacing will be almost second-nature.
Of course, Rushall could be wrong, and I could be be too optimistic about the possibility of improving anything other than a 50 without increasing yardage. On the other hand, I'm enjoying the shorter workouts a lot more than the old ones, and I have a lot more time to spend doing important things, like sleeping, and eating, and watching TV, and spending time with my wife ;)
edit: of course, this takes just as much discipline, if not more, than the more complicated schedule required by more frequent workouts. You need to bring the intensity and effort to make the most out of your shorter pool time.
If your workouts are intense and focused, I think you can improve a lot without having to worry about finding the time to do epic workouts.
I did 3-4k/workout, five to eight times a week, for quite a while and eventually just plateaued. I plateaued both in terms of speed and in terms of motivation. There was a lot of stuff in the workouts I was doing that I just found unpleasant, and looking back, it seems ridiculous to think that I would get any better at a 50 free by (for example) swimming a bunch of 300s at a speed much slower than my 50 speed with no rest. Sure, I got good and tired doing those 300s, but it didn't help my 50 at all. Mostly I was bored and pushed just hard enough to get through practice.
For the past month I've been swimming 3-4 days a week, about 2000 yards each day. However, instead of different sets of varying distances and strokes and effort levels, I've been swimming at the speed I intend to go in a race. And I feel faster than ever. There's a thread here on the forums called "Ultra short training Rushall" with links to the "research" behind the "plan" I'm using. Theoretically, even though I'm only swimming 25s and 50s, the endurance required for 100s and 200s will come, and I'll have done so many actual race-pace lengths that when race time comes around, the technique and pacing will be almost second-nature.
Of course, Rushall could be wrong, and I could be be too optimistic about the possibility of improving anything other than a 50 without increasing yardage. On the other hand, I'm enjoying the shorter workouts a lot more than the old ones, and I have a lot more time to spend doing important things, like sleeping, and eating, and watching TV, and spending time with my wife ;)
edit: of course, this takes just as much discipline, if not more, than the more complicated schedule required by more frequent workouts. You need to bring the intensity and effort to make the most out of your shorter pool time.
