As I peruse the workouts that some of you do, and as I prepare for my first ever 3000m swim (12 March), I had to wonder how many forumites do subject swims on a regular basis.
I put a question mark beside the word "easy", because perhaps such swimming could be tempo/strong pace sometimes, vice recovery pace.
(Maybe such swims are done but are not worthy to be recorded as "workouts"?)
Thoughts?
But what about you sprinter/middle-distance types? Does 3km+ continuous (in a pool?) get done regularly?I always do my pool training focused on the 400 IM and 400 free, with occasional seasons when I focus on the 800 up to 1500. I would never do a long swim in a pool workout, and most of my sets are of distances from 50 to 200, with the occasional 400 thrown in. But, I've always trained primarily to race in a pool.
With that said, I also race open water, with my preferred distance being a 4K to 5K. But, even with OW racing events planned, I'd be more likely, in a pool workout, to do 10 x 150 trying to hold a pace than a 1500 straight.
Now, all of that was true until 2020 (and I've been swimming competitively since 1972). Last summer, when pools were closed and all I had access to was a lake, I did most of my swims as straight 2K to 4K affairs. I quite enjoyed those and it got me well prepared to do a solo 10K.
This year, I'll do long swims again in the lake, but I still doubt I'll do long swims in the pool. I can't explain it, but I'll get bored by a 500 in a pool, but be constantly engaged doing a straight 5K in a lake.
But what about you sprinter/middle-distance types? Does 3km+ continuous (in a pool?) get done regularly?I always do my pool training focused on the 400 IM and 400 free, with occasional seasons when I focus on the 800 up to 1500. I would never do a long swim in a pool workout, and most of my sets are of distances from 50 to 200, with the occasional 400 thrown in. But, I've always trained primarily to race in a pool.
With that said, I also race open water, with my preferred distance being a 4K to 5K. But, even with OW racing events planned, I'd be more likely, in a pool workout, to do 10 x 150 trying to hold a pace than a 1500 straight.
Now, all of that was true until 2020 (and I've been swimming competitively since 1972). Last summer, when pools were closed and all I had access to was a lake, I did most of my swims as straight 2K to 4K affairs. I quite enjoyed those and it got me well prepared to do a solo 10K.
This year, I'll do long swims again in the lake, but I still doubt I'll do long swims in the pool. I can't explain it, but I'll get bored by a 500 in a pool, but be constantly engaged doing a straight 5K in a lake.
