Seeking advice regarding how/when to taper for Potomac River 7.5 mile swim (race day is June 4th). I have been swimming the following work-outs for the last month:
Saturday - long swim, started with 3 miles and worked my way to 5 miles. I will swim 6 this Saturday. (at Barton Springs)
Sunday - Easy recovery swim usually 4K - 5K. (in Lake Travis)
Monday - 5K with at least 2K of fast repeats (ex. 10 X 200 on the 3 mins.) (in Deep Eddy)
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Long swim up to 4 miles. (Barton Springs)
Thursday - Rest
Friday - 4K - 5K tempo swim (usually mix up sets at 85%) (Deep Eddy)
When should I start to taper and how much should I swim the week before the race?
thanks
Kevin,
What do you mean by "VO2 max intervals"?
A somewhat typical workout includes 300 to 600 yards of warmup, some drilling or kicking or pulling and a main set or two.
Well a few days into the taper you'll be doing 2,000 or 1,200 or 800 yard workouts. Once you do a warmup you don't have much time left.
So instead of doing that 800 easy you might normally do as part of your main set, you get rid of that and do 1,000 or so of threshold swimming. 10 x 100 (:10) at your 2,000 pace or critical pace, best average will probably give you the same type thing.
But in another day or two you are now down to where your sets aren;t even 1,000 yards long. The usual guidelines are that you need about 15 minutes of swimming for threshold swimming to work. That's probably not exactly true, but nevertheless since you are under 1,000 you can fit in a VO2max set nicely.
VO2max set is something that gets you to your max effort.
A 400 time trial, psych yourself up and go do it, will get you to vo2max if you put the right effort into it. 4 x 100 (:10) absolutely going as fast as you can will also get you close, as would 8 x 50 (:05). The rests aren't that important, but the effort is all out on the swims.
Another one that will get VO2max is an un-paced all out swim of 3 minutes. Figure out about how far you will need to go and then go do it. But here's the key, swim each 25 as if you were swimming a 25 at a meet, with no regard to having to do another immediately after. This makes it easier to hit VO2max.
It's a terrible way to swim a race, but for these purposes should be OK.
If I swam the day before the swim it would be something like 500 to 1,000 easy, or some technique work.
Kevin,
What do you mean by "VO2 max intervals"?
A somewhat typical workout includes 300 to 600 yards of warmup, some drilling or kicking or pulling and a main set or two.
Well a few days into the taper you'll be doing 2,000 or 1,200 or 800 yard workouts. Once you do a warmup you don't have much time left.
So instead of doing that 800 easy you might normally do as part of your main set, you get rid of that and do 1,000 or so of threshold swimming. 10 x 100 (:10) at your 2,000 pace or critical pace, best average will probably give you the same type thing.
But in another day or two you are now down to where your sets aren;t even 1,000 yards long. The usual guidelines are that you need about 15 minutes of swimming for threshold swimming to work. That's probably not exactly true, but nevertheless since you are under 1,000 you can fit in a VO2max set nicely.
VO2max set is something that gets you to your max effort.
A 400 time trial, psych yourself up and go do it, will get you to vo2max if you put the right effort into it. 4 x 100 (:10) absolutely going as fast as you can will also get you close, as would 8 x 50 (:05). The rests aren't that important, but the effort is all out on the swims.
Another one that will get VO2max is an un-paced all out swim of 3 minutes. Figure out about how far you will need to go and then go do it. But here's the key, swim each 25 as if you were swimming a 25 at a meet, with no regard to having to do another immediately after. This makes it easier to hit VO2max.
It's a terrible way to swim a race, but for these purposes should be OK.
If I swam the day before the swim it would be something like 500 to 1,000 easy, or some technique work.
