I really know very little about training for distance events so I am asking for help.My wife just finished the 5 K and decided she was not ready for the 10 K this year,but wants to be ready next year.She is 61 with a strong swimming background from college.She hurt her shoulder and life intervened so she didn't swim for about 20 years.She has eased back the last couple of years.She is consistently doing 1500M 3X per week.She thinks she is ready to increase distance and times per week,but every time she has increased very much she has gotten a return of the shoulder pain.She wants my help coaching so I am asking for yours.
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Typically 300 warm up,400 free,400 kick(she likes to kick and it rests the shoulders) and 400 Back(backstroke is her best pool event.) She was just under 2 1/2 hours which would have made the top ten for 60-64 last year.She split 2:45 100s for the first 1500 then steadily slowed to 3:05.She said after 1500 her arms felt like lead. It's an interesting case. Very interesting.
Your wife, though being very far from showing elite level performance, would benefit to be extra careful in the way she's going to increase her training load. Just like those Elites who train to the limit.
So in her case, the question isn't as much about the ideal program for preparing for a 10k, but rather how to start from where she is now and progress toward the optimal 10k based program.
If I understand well, she likes to make most workouts pretty much the same is that is? If so, she should definitely continue to do so. No fancy new stuff that she never tried before while she's going to be increasing the mileage.
Also, no intensity work while increasing the mileage as well.
In an ideal world, it would be good that she gets seen by a very good swim coach so that a technical injury prevention set be design specifically for her. Also, I would strongly recommend that she adds swim cords injury prevention before or after every swim workout. Exercises could be designed by a good swim coach as well.
Then, swimming wise, aim for a progression that is as smooth as possible. You can try some linear pattern where she increases by say, 100m per workout per week. Or you could try a pattern where you build for 3 weeks then ease off for a week then resume building for 3 other weeks etc.
My opinion, without injury prevention and without being extra careful in manipulating the workload increase, she might become injured again.
Typically 300 warm up,400 free,400 kick(she likes to kick and it rests the shoulders) and 400 Back(backstroke is her best pool event.) She was just under 2 1/2 hours which would have made the top ten for 60-64 last year.She split 2:45 100s for the first 1500 then steadily slowed to 3:05.She said after 1500 her arms felt like lead. It's an interesting case. Very interesting.
Your wife, though being very far from showing elite level performance, would benefit to be extra careful in the way she's going to increase her training load. Just like those Elites who train to the limit.
So in her case, the question isn't as much about the ideal program for preparing for a 10k, but rather how to start from where she is now and progress toward the optimal 10k based program.
If I understand well, she likes to make most workouts pretty much the same is that is? If so, she should definitely continue to do so. No fancy new stuff that she never tried before while she's going to be increasing the mileage.
Also, no intensity work while increasing the mileage as well.
In an ideal world, it would be good that she gets seen by a very good swim coach so that a technical injury prevention set be design specifically for her. Also, I would strongly recommend that she adds swim cords injury prevention before or after every swim workout. Exercises could be designed by a good swim coach as well.
Then, swimming wise, aim for a progression that is as smooth as possible. You can try some linear pattern where she increases by say, 100m per workout per week. Or you could try a pattern where you build for 3 weeks then ease off for a week then resume building for 3 other weeks etc.
My opinion, without injury prevention and without being extra careful in manipulating the workload increase, she might become injured again.
