When I used to run, some days were awesome, some were tough. Sometimes when I swim 4 days straight, I get better. Today I felt sloppy, no rhythm on freestyle, hips were tired. Ugghh. Does anyone else experience that? Do you plug on through or cut it short? I'm betting most get through the workout.
I cannot count how man times I have jumped into the pool, swam a 400m warmup, then climbed out.
A big key is ability to adapt your workout to how you feel. I usually come in to a practice knowing what I want to focus on that day (endurance/aerobic capacity, I.M., VO2 max, lactate production, etc.) and then have a few "main sets" to choose from: my "goal" set (the one I most want to do), a scaled back set if I am not feeling it or if some outside force like time or weather interfere, and a "today is not my day" set. The last is usually some drilling/smooth kicking/turn work. When I swim the first 400 and I am like, "wow I feel like dogsh*t today," I tell myself there is always something I can work on to get better in the pool. Sometimes that "something" is just 20x50 "Progressive Freestyle" (see blog if you want to know), or 8-12x125 kicking with fins with underwater work mixed in.
However, if I plan a dive set for a particular day and I get in and feel crappy, I push through that for the mental strengthening. I don't ever deviate from a pure lactate set :)
I cannot count how man times I have jumped into the pool, swam a 400m warmup, then climbed out.
A big key is ability to adapt your workout to how you feel. I usually come in to a practice knowing what I want to focus on that day (endurance/aerobic capacity, I.M., VO2 max, lactate production, etc.) and then have a few "main sets" to choose from: my "goal" set (the one I most want to do), a scaled back set if I am not feeling it or if some outside force like time or weather interfere, and a "today is not my day" set. The last is usually some drilling/smooth kicking/turn work. When I swim the first 400 and I am like, "wow I feel like dogsh*t today," I tell myself there is always something I can work on to get better in the pool. Sometimes that "something" is just 20x50 "Progressive Freestyle" (see blog if you want to know), or 8-12x125 kicking with fins with underwater work mixed in.
However, if I plan a dive set for a particular day and I get in and feel crappy, I push through that for the mental strengthening. I don't ever deviate from a pure lactate set :)
