I am a long-time OW swimmer. I do most of my training in a 25 yd pool with once weekly OW swims (mostly spring, summer and fall). I'm gradually getting away from wetsuits. I would like to enter 5K & 10K swims this coming season and want to train accordingly. Mostly, I just do straight laps (typically 1.5 miles/4-5 times per week); there is no interval training. I'm fairly competitive for my age but I just feel that I'm stuck in my workout routine. I need to be convinced that introducing some high intensity interval training - if that's what is called for - will get me to the next level. Any thoughts and experience? Any authoritative reading? I really want my workouts to count!
I have read that pro long distance swimmers do a variety of intervals. For a 2-mile swim, I have swimmers I coach do sets of 100's.
It is the best way to check your pace. 30 x 100 or whatever number gets you to the right distance. For swimming the mile, I like (15-18) x 100. Sometime a set of 400 or 500 helps. But be sure to do intervals to see how well you hold your pace.
I have read that pro long distance swimmers do a variety of intervals. For a 2-mile swim, I have swimmers I coach do sets of 100's.
It is the best way to check your pace. 30 x 100 or whatever number gets you to the right distance. For swimming the mile, I like (15-18) x 100. Sometime a set of 400 or 500 helps. But be sure to do intervals to see how well you hold your pace.
