My goal is to swim a mile, FAST, by May/June of 09.
I am in the pool 3 - 4 times a week some days I just do drills, mainly finger drag and catch up, (50m at a time) some days I do intervals a few 4x100 with 20 - 30 seconds rest in between, sometimes a warm up with drills and 10x100m swim and a cool down or a ladder workout up to 150m and back down.
I'm wondering if I am on the right track to reach my goal. My form / breathing has gotten much better from the tips I got here and from stroke clinics. But I'm not sure if I am on the right track.
hofffam
Very Active Member
Dan
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 718
Re: Training Plan Question
Disclaimer - I am not a distance swimmer nor do I enjoy long events.
But based on what you wrote - you are not training properly for a FAST mile.
Of course it would help if you said what a FAST mile is to you. Is that a 20 minute mile? 25 minutes? 18 minutes?
20 minutes might be a typical fast mile time for a Masters swimmer. But look on this site for the results/times at Nationals for your age group to decide what FAST might be.
If your longest set is 10x100M you are way short of the training you need for aerobic development.
Others here are probably better sources for advice. But in general I think the main portion of your workout should be at least 30-45 minutes of solid aerobic work. I would swim single sets that take at least 20 minutes to complete. 15 x 100 swum upper moderate with 10 secs rest between repeats could take 20 minutes. Or some sets like 10 x 200 or 5 x 500 - all swum at a pace that puts your heart rate in an aerobic training range. Occasionally you should swim long repeats like 2 x 1000 so you get experienced swimming non-stop for longer periods of time.
Short course swimming requires lots of turns - so you need to get used to efficient flip turns. Your breathing needs to be smooth and efficient. And you need a kick that neither tires you or causes your legs to drag.
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You need to do longer swims. No set of 100 yard/meter repeats will prepare you well for a mile. I think it's useful to do sets where you're mixing some longer aerobic swimming (something like 300s or 400s) and some shorter, faster swimming (50s, 75s, 100s, etc.). I agree with Dan about doing long main sets. In my workouts the main set is often 3,000 yards or so. Sets like 10x100 have their place, but you need to mix it up.
You need to do longer swims. No set of 100 yard/meter repeats will prepare you well for a mile. I think it's useful to do sets where you're mixing some longer aerobic swimming (something like 300s or 400s) and some shorter, faster swimming (50s, 75s, 100s, etc.). I agree with Dan about doing long main sets. In my workouts the main set is often 3,000 yards or so. Sets like 10x100 have their place, but you need to mix it up.
