I've been swimming masters now for well over a decade and I've hit a bit of a lull. Last year I set my Go The Distance goal at 550 miles and missed it, so this year I revised it downward to 500 miles and as of today I'm 66 miles behind the pace I need to be at to hit that goal. I just don't have the desire to get to the pool as often, or stay in as long, as I usually do.
With that introduction my question really is: how do YOU train long term? Do you try to stay consistent or do you vary from year to year? Historically I've been very consistent, but I wonder if intentionally varying things is a better long term strategy.
Hey Kirk!
I was starting to get bored with the swimming routine about 10 years ago and decided to add ice hockey as cross-training. Its a totally different experience and its been a fun 10 years on the ice making new friends and enemies every year. Thankfully, I'm still improving in both forms of water (frozen and liquid), and have started skipping swimming more often when a hockey/swim conflict arrives.
The last several years I've gotten bored of training for the 400/500 free (and other distance free) and been training mostly for the 100 fly and 1/200 IMs. Setting the same goal (4:59.99 500 free) and failing every year was wearing on me. Additionally, a lot of our workouts in the last 4 years or so have not had a lot of longer swims in practice, instead focusing on shorter, pace-oriented stuff. More conducive to something like the a 200 IM. Like you, I've also seen a decline in annual mileage - down from ~450 to about 400. And the last ~18mo, we've been taking extended post-season breaks for the first time.
However, in that time, I've managed to build a respectable breaststroke and am still being challenged by the blue muppet to try to stay with her in the backstroke. There are still a few events that are consistent with ~2005 muppet, but this shift/branching out continues to yield best times all over the board (except in the distance free, which hasn't been swum in a while). I've not questioned the breaks, lower volume, change in distance, skipping practice - all due to the results.
That's been MY experience.
As for advice, it seems the common theme here is a new goal in the water. When I met the blue muppet, all she did was 100/200 free and back. It took a few years of my nudging, but she finally branched out to the 50s of those, and then after a few more years of more intense nagging, she's developed a killer 1/200 IM. All this while continuing to kick butt in backstroke (best times in 100/200 this spring) and while she doesn't do much individual event free, she did have the fastest free split of anyone on our team in the 200 IM at nationals.
Her: 29.12 1:04.27(35.15) 1:45.34(41.07) 2:16.07(30.73)
Me: 27.22 1:00.43(33.21) 1:37.21(36.78) 2:09.14(31.93) oops - hey it was the last event, i was tired!
Hey Kirk!
I was starting to get bored with the swimming routine about 10 years ago and decided to add ice hockey as cross-training. Its a totally different experience and its been a fun 10 years on the ice making new friends and enemies every year. Thankfully, I'm still improving in both forms of water (frozen and liquid), and have started skipping swimming more often when a hockey/swim conflict arrives.
The last several years I've gotten bored of training for the 400/500 free (and other distance free) and been training mostly for the 100 fly and 1/200 IMs. Setting the same goal (4:59.99 500 free) and failing every year was wearing on me. Additionally, a lot of our workouts in the last 4 years or so have not had a lot of longer swims in practice, instead focusing on shorter, pace-oriented stuff. More conducive to something like the a 200 IM. Like you, I've also seen a decline in annual mileage - down from ~450 to about 400. And the last ~18mo, we've been taking extended post-season breaks for the first time.
However, in that time, I've managed to build a respectable breaststroke and am still being challenged by the blue muppet to try to stay with her in the backstroke. There are still a few events that are consistent with ~2005 muppet, but this shift/branching out continues to yield best times all over the board (except in the distance free, which hasn't been swum in a while). I've not questioned the breaks, lower volume, change in distance, skipping practice - all due to the results.
That's been MY experience.
As for advice, it seems the common theme here is a new goal in the water. When I met the blue muppet, all she did was 100/200 free and back. It took a few years of my nudging, but she finally branched out to the 50s of those, and then after a few more years of more intense nagging, she's developed a killer 1/200 IM. All this while continuing to kick butt in backstroke (best times in 100/200 this spring) and while she doesn't do much individual event free, she did have the fastest free split of anyone on our team in the 200 IM at nationals.
Her: 29.12 1:04.27(35.15) 1:45.34(41.07) 2:16.07(30.73)
Me: 27.22 1:00.43(33.21) 1:37.21(36.78) 2:09.14(31.93) oops - hey it was the last event, i was tired!
