I love to swim sprints in a masters meet but I also have enjoyed doing triathlons. It is very difficult to train for both. I'd love to hear from folks that compete in both masters meets and triathlons to learn how they balance training and competing in both.
I love to swim sprints in a masters meet but I also have enjoyed doing triathlons.
Sacrilege!!
Contact Geek for the updated "Idiots Guide to Training for Triathlons for Former USS/College Swimmers"
Rule #3; you are not allowed to swim any meet event under the 400/500 free and if caught swimming a 50 will be forced to turn in any paddles, fins, pull buoys, oversize goggles and bumper stickers that say my other car is a Cervelo".
PS: I'm very disturbed that a mother would be so selfish to swim in BOTH swim meets & do Triathlons. :thhbbb:
Sacrilege!!
PS: I'm very disturbed that a mother would be so selfish to swim in BOTH swim meets & do Triathlons. :thhbbb:
Don't tell anyone! I figured I had that coming!:oldman:
I don't call myself a real triathlete but I have done 2 in the last year. For me, I usually swim 3 days a week. Then I run 1-2 days a week and I take spin class 1 day. I'm not good by any means but that is how I balance it all out. My main focus is and always will be swimming in meets, though.
Now my sister is doing her annual Ironman tomorrow in Lake Placid. :cheerleader: She trains for hours a day to get ready. But she doesn't really do masters meets any more. She has in the past but it just got too much with training for her main thing - Ironmans.
I coach a number of triathletes...and not one single one has ANY interest in swimming in a swim meet. I can understand the mindset...but have tried to explain that racing is racing and so many multisport athletes right ff the swim leg...or think the best thing they can do is just bang our more mileage to try and get better. Enter meets, race almost every weekend whether that's a 5k run, a 100 mile ride or the 1500 at your local meet...IMHO.
An interesting article published in the current issue of ASCA by Scott Volkers an elite swim coach from Brisbane, Australia. I like what he has to say about Speed…listen up all you Triathletes, open water swimmers and distance swimmers who do not believe that speed work is important…your wrong!! A sample of the article:
“ Train like you race. If someone was to ask me what happens in Queensland compared to a lot of places, why do we go well? Across the board I think we train like we race. I have been pushing that for about 16 years in Queensland, about speed. Speed is important. Speed is the most important thing now. If you do not have speed you are in the wrong event. Look at Grant Hackett. He goes 49 (long course meters) for a 100 freestyle and he is going to swim 1500. If your best is 53, you are a little bit behind on the first lap. Then he can’t hang with any of the toughest guys around”.
I don't call myself a real triathlete but I have done 2 in the last year. For me, I usually swim 3 days a week. Then I run 1-2 days a week and I take spin class 1 day. I'm not good by any means but that is how I balance it all out. My main focus is and always will be swimming in meets, though.
Now my sister is doing her annual Ironman tomorrow in Lake Placid. :cheerleader: She trains for hours a day to get ready. But she doesn't really do masters meets any more. She has in the past but it just got too much with training for her main thing - Ironmans.
Your balance sounds like a great one. How many miles do you run each time?
Good luck to your sis!
I coach a number of triathletes...and not one single one has ANY interest in swimming in a swim meet. I can understand the mindset...but have tried to explain that racing is racing and so many multisport athletes right ff the swim leg...or think the best thing they can do is just bang our more mileage to try and get better. Enter meets, race almost every weekend whether that's a 5k run, a 100 mile ride or the 1500 at your local meet...IMHO.
An interesting article published in the current issue of ASCA by Scott Volkers an elite swim coach from Brisbane, Australia. I like what he has to say about Speed…listen up all you Triathletes, open water swimmers and distance swimmers who do not believe that speed work is important…your wrong!!
Paul, that has also been my experience with some triathletes that don't have a swimming background. I coached a masters group for eight years that was primarily made up of triathletes. I explained to them that doing a straight 2000 each time you practice the swim will not get you anywhere. Some had a difficult time understanding why we did drills, 25s, 50s, 100s , and 300s. Also, some didn't understand that swimming is very technical and takes time to master. Some would get frustrated when they weren't swimming fast times after just one year.
In defense of several triathletes I have coached, I did get several to swim in a masters meet and they loved it! Of the ones that did not do a masters meet, several expressed that they would not have a chance going up against all the former college swimmers. I can see how for folks that have never competed in swimming, the masters scene might be a little intimidating. Emphasizing participation in masters meet as a team effort has gotten some to the scene. They very much enjoyed being part of relays and contributing to the overall success of the team through individual events.
I love to swim sprints in a masters meet but I also have enjoyed doing triathlons. It is very difficult to train for both. I'd love to hear from folks that compete in both masters meets and triathlons to learn how they balance training and competing in both.
Don't do Tri's but do some OW. I put 1 workout a week in of 6 x 500 on 1 min or less rest.
Swimming crawlstroke in a wetsuit is incredibly easy compared to training butterfly. My training strategy has been to let my biking and running comprise my slow aerobic training. So in the pool, I work mainly on butterfly, and to a lesser extent, medley. I don't do crawlstroke sets in the pool. I do very little open water swimming. At triathlons I use the swim as a warmup and have been first out of the water more than once. At Masters meets I am prepared for the events I actually care about, fly and medley.
Wow! Sounds like a smart way to go about it! Will you share some of the fly and medley sets? Also, how much biking and running do you do each week and what type of workouts?
I do triathlons along with the swim team too. What I normally do is go for a short run or bike ride in the morning. I then go to swim practice in the evenings. During the weekends, I usally do longer runs or bike rides.
I focus on swimming most of the winter, since that is when swim season is for me. I do less biking and running during this time- and more swimming.
During the summer, however, there are a lot less swim meets going on, so I try to focus more on triathlons.
I'm not an expert by any means though. I have only done 4 triathlons so far- this year is my second season.
This makes so much sense!! How long are your runs and bikes when you are doubling up? I'm thinking about trying this to see if my body will handle it.
