I am a 50+ (actually 60+) female, and I thought it might be interesting for some older folks to post some workouts. This is one I did today.
400 easy
8 X 50 IM order - 15 seconds rest. Odds are building, and evens are 25 max plus 25 easy.
5 X 300 - (100 IM + 100 free + 100 stroke - 15 seconds rest between each 100), 30 seconds rest between each 300. Descend times for each 300.
250 cool down
total: 2,550 yards.
Descending the times for the 300 yard sets made this workout challenging and interesting.
I work out with a group twice a week and am left to my own devises other times. I happened upon this workout on the internet, and it kind of caught my eye - looked a bit challenging and like it would be interesting to try it. I printed it out and did it, though I guess it doesn't really have any purpose other than that. You might say that it is a good distance workout I guess.
This workout was adapted from a workout entitled "fly workout #2" on the Toronto Masters of the Universe website. It didn't look all that bad in print, but it turned out to be pretty challenging because of all the fly - when I added it up, there was some 1300 yards of fly in it.
1. 500 easy
2. 8 x 100 - 15 sec. rest
3. 3 x (4 x 100) - 30 sec rest
25 choice fly, 75 free;
50 choice fly, 50 free;
75 choice fly, 25 free;
100 fly.
4. 3 x (3 x 50) - 20 sec rest
#1: 25 free/25 fly;
#2: 25 fly/25 free;
#3: 50 fly fast.
5. 200 easy
TOTAL DISTANCE = 3150 yd.
600 easy
2 X each of the following with 15 sec. rest:
100 backstroke
150 breaststroke
200 freestyle
150 backstroke
100 breaststroke
50 butterfly
200 easy
Before the short course meters meet in Orlando last October I did something that I hadn't done before. A small group of us got together on Saturday mornings and did what we called a sprints workout. We would swim an fairly long warm-up and then do some drills. Then we would race. We divided into two groups - one group would time while the other group raced. We would cool down between each race with an easy 50 or 100. Because we alternated as timers, we had a long rest interval between each hard swim. In a such a workout we might do 3 X 100 (1 IM, one stroke, 1 free); 4 X 50, and 6 by 25 (we didn't time these - just swam hard). Then we would do an easy cooldown.
I was very pleased with my times in Orlando, and I think that practicing race pace helped.
I sometimes do practice 50 or 100 or 200 races in workout since masters swimming you don't have that many meets. Also, this holiday season I'm limited to only 2 workouts for chirstmas week and probably New Years week. This means that I have to swim longer for those two days. I don't plan my workouts in an advance like other people. Its in my head. But I did pace my 100 meter breastroke and was in better shape this last October than in July and swim the short course meters 9 seconds faster than the long course. However, because I did the 50 meter after the 200 meter, I swam the 50 meter 2 seconds slower. Waiting to compete in early Feburary in yards.
Each year, on or about my birthday , I
swim my age X 100 yards on a challenging interval--this year
on 1:30. No breaks.
By the time I'm 80, I may have to stretch out the interval
a bit:D
Hi Jean!
This is what I did this evening which is considerably better than some of the workouts (or lack of them) I did last week. This is being done to improve endurance.
1. 400 easy warm-up, including some drills (kick and pulls)
2. Set of three 200 yard ladders, one each of freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke at 50/100/150/200/150/100/50; varying speeds, but at least sprints on the 50's.
3. Rest interval 0:30.
4. 200 cool-down, nice and easy.
Total torture :D : 3,000 yards (Only kidding here, on the "torture!")
Who said we're getting OLD, Jim? I thought we're getting better?
All the best,
Mark
