Trying to set one solid goal for next year. After a mediocre season, I've decided to focus on one event only for next year. I want to see if I can break 5 minutes for a 500 free.
Back in my college days (almost 30 years ago), my best was a 4:47, and I would routinely swim just under 5 in most dual meets. Since I started Masters swimming 4 years ago, my best has been a 5:10. Not bad, but I think I can do better.
Now here's the question for all the middle-distance studs out there: what are some good workouts/drills that you can do to A) increase raw speed, and B) increase endurance. As I mentioned in a different thread, I have been dealing with a mild anemia issue, which I'm pretty sure has been resolved.
I really like the 800 too. Like you say, at a 10 minute effort, it's challenging but more manageable than the 1500.
I'm definitely getting back into things slowly since recovering from the bike wreck I had. Been mostly kicking for the last 2 months. I'm finally getting my arms back into the mix now and swimming about 2000 yards each day while kicking another 1000 or so.
Impressive how much you're swimming and how much ande suggests you swim. Even when I was healthy, I was rarely getting in 4500 to 5000 yards a workout. What kind of sets are you doing right now?
Funny thing is, these good races I've been having the last few months are coming at the end of the worst year, swimming-wise, that I've had since I started swimming master's 4 years ago. What's changed is that A) I've started paying more attention to general health/diet; B) every set I do in practice is with a purpose, meaning no junk yards. And C) paying more attention to focused weight training.
On the health issues, for as long as I can remember, my blood tests have always showed me to be at the low end of normal for iron. Never thought much about this, until I had a physical after my horrible performance at SC Nats. Turns out that I had full-blown iron deficiency anemia. I've started taking an iron supplement (Proferrin ES) and that seems to have made a big difference in my endurance. The real benefit from the extra endurance is that now you can workout harder for longer.
As for workout quality, a lot of my past workouts where spent swimming hard to make the intervals, but worrying too much about having enough energy to finish a set. My approach now is sort of a "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" on everything, except something that's supposed to be a recovery/drill set. And even then, focus on quality/technique. Also, our coach quit a few months ago, and we've been having some of the lifeguards at the pool fill in. They all have college swim experience, so they have been giving quality workouts, but we all seem to work a lot harder because we have to prove to these 20-somethings that us late-40 types can still kick their butts!
One workout that we've been doing, that I got from sunruh, is 12x200's, broken into 4 sets of 3. First set is descend to all out; second is easy, all out, easy; third is all out, easy, all out; and the last is 2 all out, one easy. Do them on a 3 to 3:30 interval, and remember that the all-out ones are really all out.
For weights, I do that 3-4 times a week, and remember that "triceps are the Gods of swimming, so worship them". Strong tri's enable you to get the most out of each stroke. Notice that when your tri's get tired, your stroke gets very choppy and you feel like you're slapping the water.
Let us know how your 800 free goes. I'm doing a 1650 and 500 free on Nov. 9th. Hoping to break 18 on the 1650.
I really like the 800 too. Like you say, at a 10 minute effort, it's challenging but more manageable than the 1500.
I'm definitely getting back into things slowly since recovering from the bike wreck I had. Been mostly kicking for the last 2 months. I'm finally getting my arms back into the mix now and swimming about 2000 yards each day while kicking another 1000 or so.
Impressive how much you're swimming and how much ande suggests you swim. Even when I was healthy, I was rarely getting in 4500 to 5000 yards a workout. What kind of sets are you doing right now?
Funny thing is, these good races I've been having the last few months are coming at the end of the worst year, swimming-wise, that I've had since I started swimming master's 4 years ago. What's changed is that A) I've started paying more attention to general health/diet; B) every set I do in practice is with a purpose, meaning no junk yards. And C) paying more attention to focused weight training.
On the health issues, for as long as I can remember, my blood tests have always showed me to be at the low end of normal for iron. Never thought much about this, until I had a physical after my horrible performance at SC Nats. Turns out that I had full-blown iron deficiency anemia. I've started taking an iron supplement (Proferrin ES) and that seems to have made a big difference in my endurance. The real benefit from the extra endurance is that now you can workout harder for longer.
As for workout quality, a lot of my past workouts where spent swimming hard to make the intervals, but worrying too much about having enough energy to finish a set. My approach now is sort of a "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" on everything, except something that's supposed to be a recovery/drill set. And even then, focus on quality/technique. Also, our coach quit a few months ago, and we've been having some of the lifeguards at the pool fill in. They all have college swim experience, so they have been giving quality workouts, but we all seem to work a lot harder because we have to prove to these 20-somethings that us late-40 types can still kick their butts!
One workout that we've been doing, that I got from sunruh, is 12x200's, broken into 4 sets of 3. First set is descend to all out; second is easy, all out, easy; third is all out, easy, all out; and the last is 2 all out, one easy. Do them on a 3 to 3:30 interval, and remember that the all-out ones are really all out.
For weights, I do that 3-4 times a week, and remember that "triceps are the Gods of swimming, so worship them". Strong tri's enable you to get the most out of each stroke. Notice that when your tri's get tired, your stroke gets very choppy and you feel like you're slapping the water.
Let us know how your 800 free goes. I'm doing a 1650 and 500 free on Nov. 9th. Hoping to break 18 on the 1650.
