What is your favourite Workout for

Interesting problem training alone.... got me wondering how many others of you are in the same boat? Somewhere someone mentioned the real problem with training is boredom and I can sure agree, especially when we don't have the support of others to keep us going. That's when I have to use this forum and magazines (I love "Outside") for inspiration. Also... I found that I had to find other ways of training to break up the boredom.... discovered running in moderation and lately discovered bicycles, lots of fun but a little more dangerous. So, I run one day, swim the next, and bike after that, with some rest days inbetween. Anyone out there have some more ideas on training alone? barb in beautiful Wyoming where swimming is a real challenge

I did the whole four strokes at 200 yards. Started with butterfly and then backstoke and then breastroke and freestyle at the beginning of a workout.

I train alone a lot, too. I have been working on technique lately which in some ways is better alone (except that you don't have anyone to watch to see if you are drilling correctly, etc.). I find one of the keys for me is to have a workout written down before I go to the pool. Otherwise the workout I think up driving to the pool is more likely to get modified once I get in.

I train alone and with a team. This summer I have been by myself more often than not and have been in outdoor pools frequently. I used to be stuck doing 200 free intervals all the time because it didn't take much mental energy. Our coach started us on acending 200's for some of the open water, long distance postal swim training. These give you some long, technique stoking and sprints all wrapped up into one. Again its easy on the mind and has been fun.

Swim by myself and I too change some of the workouts that are in my head. I swim at a health club which is swallow and small and most people there do water aerboics. The people there think that I'm a really good swimmer. There are a few people that swim there. Also, I go once a week to open lap swimming where there are some better swimmers. I try to draw on my experances as a youth and read some of the workouts by the master coaches here. I tend to probably swim less freestyle than what I would if I where on a club. So, my breastroke is close to my freestyle speed for distances around a 100 yards. Also, in breastroke I usually can beat most people at these workouts. The first meet I attended since 1977 I swam pretty good in the 50 meter breastroke and I didn't do as good in the 100 meter breastroke. Is this because I swim on my own or because I didn't start working 4 to 5 days a week for an hour until July of 2002. Anyway, I try to also do fly and backstroke in all my workouts too.

I am in a position where I train both alone and with a squad. But I never seem to get bored on my own. I think the thought of improvement and to see how good I can be keeps me going .

Training alone can be a bit boring. I myself train with a team in the mornings but swim alone in the evenings. When I swim alone, its sometimes difficult to push myself since there is know one pushing me, however, that is when the time clock becomes my best friend. The clock does not lie when you are slacking but also shows when you are crusing. When swimming alone, I focus a great deal on techinque, you know, the streamline off the walls, not breathing out of turns, full underwater pull and recovery. So, instead of thinking of swimming alone is boring, use the clock to challenge you in the pool, after all, that is what we are competing against :-)