Training for the 1500/1650: Suggestions?

Every third, switching to every other for the last few hundred. I am curious about the bilateral breathing. Do you do this because you can detect actual improvement in your swimming performance, or do you do it based on the theoretical belief that it balances your stroke in some way? I don't mean to sound flip here, it's just that there are a number of swimming technique aspects that sound good on paper, and make intuitive sense, but don't necessarily work well for every individual. I had the chance to interview Dara Torres a few years back, and I asked her about breath restriction and SDKs on her 50 and 100. She told me she tried both these things but then, with her coach's backing, abandoned them because they weren't helping her swim faster. She said she breathes every stroke on the 50, which I don't think is technically true, but I know she breathes much more often than the sprinting orthodoxy recommends. Anyhow, I have never found bilateral breathing to be at all helpful for me at any distance. During practice, maybe, it can be a useful exercise and distraction on occasion. It's not just that I run out of air because of having to wait the extra arm stroke. It's more that I can't breathe as efficiently on my non-normal breathing side. It's actually easier for me to breathe every two complete cycles (4 individual arm pulls) than to bilateral breathe (i.e., every 3 arm pulls.) Ditto for sneaking a breath after surfacing off the walls. I do try to take the first pull with the arm on my non-breathing side, which delays the pop up slightly. But trying to go much further off the walls without air, especially on 200s and higher, seems to hurt me more than help. Bottom line: maybe the next time you do a 1650 in practice, try swimming without any bilateral breathing and see if this slows you down, speeds you up, or leaves things unchanged. If either of the latter two prove the case, I say abandon the strategy unless it makes you feel more comfortable during a race.

Thanks for the suggestions. Swam a 1650 in practice this morning and went 20:37, holding 1:15s from start to finish. Fought off the demons at 1000. One of my training partners took off fast, splitting 6:00 for the first 500, and I let him go; mentally that was very tough, but he faded and actually stopped at 1000.

What breathing pattern did you use, same as the race? Every third, switching to every other for the last few hundred.

good job how was it? what were you hoping for? splits? ande 19:55.13 Swam the 1650 today at, approprately enough, the First Colony Masters "There's a First Time For Everything" meet in Houston.

Nice time, I wish I could do that !

19:55.13 Swam the 1650 today at, approprately enough, the First Colony Masters "There's a First Time For Everything" meet in Houston.

good job how was it? what were you hoping for? splits? ande My goal has been to break 20:00. Held 1:12s, which was my plan. The last 400 hurt. Wore a B70, rested a few days this week.

Hi gull! Congratulations on a great mile! How long did it take for your impingement to go away after you started bi-lateral breathing? Did you do anything else to treat the problem? thanks, Impinged in Indiana

Thanks Gull! I'm going to a Chiropractor, getting Graston Therapy, and starting to get serious about RC exercises. I'm not sure if I have an actual impingement but my left shoulder is constantly stiff and radiates into the neck. It doesn't bother me much when I swim. I'd say driving is where it causes me the most problems. What exercises did you feel were the most beneficial to you?

It requires constant maintenance. Here is what I did beginning in 2003: 1. Saw a PT and did RC exercises (which I still do regularly). Without my PT I would not be swimming. 2. Used ice and anti-inflammatories (Vioxx was amazing). 3. Modified my workouts, avoiding paddles (which I now use) and fly (which I am swimming again). Started to see improvement after six months. I switched to bilateral breathing later (2005?), but it took quite awhile to feel natural. Ditto congratulations on an excellent 1650. In terms of item #2 on your list, what do you--as a cardiologist--think about the following: Vioxx's link to heart problems (knowingly suppressed for four years) that damaged Merck's once admirable reputation the idea that plain old generic ibuprofen and naprosen are Cox-2 Inhibitors, though not selectively so--why would Vioxx be any better? Just an individual response on your part? the idea that shoulder overuse problems (including rotator cuff "impingement" problems) are increasingly viewed by orthopedic researchers as tendonosis rather than tendinitis, and that kiboshing inflammation is exactly the opposite of what you want to do that most of these problems, unless there is traumatic damage (SLAP lesion, rotator cuff tear, and so forth) are self-limited, and that you might have healed over time without VIOXX, perhaps even faster and that the RC exercises (and ice) may have been the most valuable elements here by 1. tightening an overly lax capsule, keeping the humeral head stabilized, and 2. providing some pain relief and increased blood flow? The reason I ask is that it seems to me there really has been a sea change in how swimmers shoulder is being viewed--and yesteryear's idea of attacking inflammation (via NSAIDS or cortisone injections) is more and more emerging as counterproductive (there is no evidence of inflammation, for one thing) and injurious (retarded healing rates and, with cortisone injections especially, evidence of weakened connective tissues.)