I added wrong! I've been swimming 14,000 yards per week for the last 15 years, not 30,000! :afraid:I recently hit 60 and have begun to wonder if my times would improve if I did less yards and incorporated more quality workouts in. Since I have a bit of OCD, I would like your input for those 50 and over. How many yards a week do you put in?
Elaine, hi. I'm a former competitive runner. I never enjoyed competing. I don't compete as a swimmer.
If you don't compete then I'd say do whatever you get the most enjoyment from. By definition you have no "race pace," so race pace training is out.
I have been swimming masters since 2007, and like many I have an OCD streak that compels me to track yardage and–in recent years–practice times. Over the holidays I compiled all my data from the last 7 years and compared my meet performance with my yardage totals. The first year (2007) I piled up tons of distance and aerobic endurance stuff. In my highest total years, I put in north of 500,000 yards. Last year I swam 330,000 yards, but achieved masters personal bests because I focused more on high intensity sets. I don't really swim events any longer than 200 yards/meters, so conditioning has limits. Far better to focus on speed, interspersed with recovery. My working goal remains 10,000 per week. Distance matters to me as a cumulative achievement for health reasons, but I have decoupled yardage and performance. At the end of the day, going faster matters–even if (when I am honest with myself) it's nothing more than a ruse, to keep me in the pool at all.
I'm 73 and race well if I get in 10,000-12,000 per week. Ideally, I'd like 5 days at 2,500, but I rarely get it. Right now, I am aiming for 4 days at 2000. I hope to increase it in the next month or so. I also lift weights with a trainer twice a week. Weights are a big help.
Isn't swimming great! There is something for everyone it seems.
Everyone on this thread seems to be doing the perfect yardage, race pacing, easy swimming, etc for them at this moment in time.
And that's as it should be IMO.
I'm doing about 21000 yards pw at the moment - good distance training for the summers open water events - good pace changes within to help with early season competitions - no dives as shoulder injury not quite improved enough - great company in public sessions (5 or 6 times a week) - one club session (good change of pace time) a week until shoulder improves further
But thats NOW. I know things will change and adapt as my 62 yo body lets me know how I feel at any point in time.
Isn't swimming great!
T
I agree with all the points made in this interesting post. Swimming is totally a different strokes for different folks sort of workout activity .
I have noticed lately that "sprint-based practices" including close to race pace efforts with lots of rest and less yardage leave me feeling exhausted but intensely satisfied and happy. My 50 free time is also dropping which surprises me at my advanced age (59). I am not a sprinter at all, but I enjoy watching my time and effort improve.
