Speed Zone

Chris, I purposely did not select a first set of 100s or 200s b/c I'm very aware of how much that will hurt. I need to build up gradually to pain. With the 8x50s they were supposed to be all out. If we do 200 race pace (that same set), we'll do them on 1:00 and often 1 EZ / 1 FAST (not 2:00). I was thinking all out 100% should have been on 3:00 perhaps? And yeah, I don't want to think about 200s yet. Although to the coaches' credit we do always end the practice with a 200 or a few 100s or 50s fast for time. I don't know if that counts for speed work. I would guess not b/c we usually have done anywhere from 5,000 to 8,500 yards by then. So part of the issue is that the following terms often get confused or are used interchangeably to mean "quality training." There is overlap, of course, but there are some differences. Speed work. I view this is very short (mostly 15s and 25s; sometimes 50s) with lots of rest. This is almost as much about technique (breakouts, turns, starts, turnover) as about physiological training. However, there is an energy system (I forget the name) that is specifically stressed with this kind of work. In speed work, lactate levels should not rise very high. It is tiring, but not really that painful. I don't do enough of this because I dislike it. But if you want to be fast in the 50s, you need to do this. Lactate Tolerance. This is basically any set where your lactate levels spike high; in other words, they hurt the most. You are training your body to buffer the acid and clear out the lactate. There are lots of ways to do this kind of set. You need to have enough rest to be able to push it hard, but it doesn't have to be a huge amount. We do a lot of training (maybe too often) of this type. Some examples of "test sets" we do: 10 x 100 on 2:00 from a push, hold best average 5 x 100 on 4:00 off the blocks, hold best average 5 x 200 on 7:00 off the blocks, hold best average Our coach also loves sets like the following; we'll do 2-3 cycles through, often at the end of practice. 200 strong + 50 easy on 4:00 200 broken on 4:15, done as: 150 strong, rest 10 sec, 50 fast (at race pace). Add up time should be faster than #1. Then do an easy 50. 200 broken on 4:30, done as: 2 x 100, rest 10 sec between, faster add-up than #2, then 50 easy 200 broken, done as 4 x 50 with 10 sec rest, fastest add-up, 50 easy 1-2 min rest before next cycle. The more rest you get, the closer to race pace you should be able to go. But that doesn't necessarily mean you are producing more lactate, or training your body to handle it any better. But there are additional advantages to race-pace training. You have to be careful with lactate sets. If you do them too often, you'll overtrain and regress. Race pace training This is actually a specialized form of lactate tolerance, where you get enough rest to hit your goal race pace. You should know what your race pace is for all your races: last 50 of your goal 100, last 3 50s of your goal 200, that sort of thing. Besides all the advantages of lactate tolerance, swimming at race pace has additional advantages: -- you learn what the pace feels like, the relationship between perceived effort and speed. This is huge, IMO, especially for 200s and longer, where you have to control yourself going out. -- you learn the proper technique for race pace strokes and turns. Stroke mechanics, breakouts, underwaters: all those things can change in a race compared to practice (where you are usually swimming slower). You want to make sure that you find and correct problems in practice, BEFORE the race. Broken sets are a traditional way to do this. But whatever you do, it has to be shorter than the race, obviously: you can't expect to do season-ending times in practice during the season (if you can, then you need to revise your goals). There are other types of "quality work" you can do. Sometimes I'll work on power -- not quite the same as speedwork -- by using a parachute; others use stretch cords. Doing weights also works on power, of course, but it is nice to do something in the water to make sure that any power/strength you gain in the gym can be applied in the water. This isn't really "quality," but I also like doing longer pull sets where my HR doesn't necessary get too high; this is more for what I would call "aerobic power," training my slow-twitch muscles to have some power/endurance. You probably do stuff like that a lot. I recommend reading Maglischo's book, it is a little dry but also has a lot of good concepts. As with anything (including this), take it with a grain of salt and combine it with your own experience for the best guide. Paul is a real coach (I am not) and probably has more good things to add. Have fun!

Chris, I purposely did not select a first set of 100s or 200s b/c I'm very aware of how much that will hurt. I need to build up gradually to pain. With the 8x50s they were supposed to be all out. If we do 200 race pace (that same set), we'll do them on 1:00 and often 1 EZ / 1 FAST (not 2:00). I was thinking all out 100% should have been on 3:00 perhaps? And yeah, I don't want to think about 200s yet. Although to the coaches' credit we do always end the practice with a 200 or a few 100s or 50s fast for time. I don't know if that counts for speed work. I would guess not b/c we usually have done anywhere from 5,000 to 8,500 yards by then. So part of the issue is that the following terms often get confused or are used interchangeably to mean "quality training." There is overlap, of course, but there are some differences. Speed work. I view this is very short (mostly 15s and 25s; sometimes 50s) with lots of rest. This is almost as much about technique (breakouts, turns, starts, turnover) as about physiological training. However, there is an energy system (I forget the name) that is specifically stressed with this kind of work. In speed work, lactate levels should not rise very high. It is tiring, but not really that painful. I don't do enough of this because I dislike it. But if you want to be fast in the 50s, you need to do this. Lactate Tolerance. This is basically any set where your lactate levels spike high; in other words, they hurt the most. You are training your body to buffer the acid and clear out the lactate. There are lots of ways to do this kind of set. You need to have enough rest to be able to push it hard, but it doesn't have to be a huge amount. We do a lot of training (maybe too often) of this type. Some examples of "test sets" we do: 10 x 100 on 2:00 from a push, hold best average 5 x 100 on 4:00 off the blocks, hold best average 5 x 200 on 7:00 off the blocks, hold best average Our coach also loves sets like the following; we'll do 2-3 cycles through, often at the end of practice. 200 strong + 50 easy on 4:00 200 broken on 4:15, done as: 150 strong, rest 10 sec, 50 fast (at race pace). Add up time should be faster than #1. Then do an easy 50. 200 broken on 4:30, done as: 2 x 100, rest 10 sec between, faster add-up than #2, then 50 easy 200 broken, done as 4 x 50 with 10 sec rest, fastest add-up, 50 easy 1-2 min rest before next cycle. The more rest you get, the closer to race pace you should be able to go. But that doesn't necessarily mean you are producing more lactate, or training your body to handle it any better. But there are additional advantages to race-pace training. You have to be careful with lactate sets. If you do them too often, you'll overtrain and regress. Race pace training This is actually a specialized form of lactate tolerance, where you get enough rest to hit your goal race pace. You should know what your race pace is for all your races: last 50 of your goal 100, last 3 50s of your goal 200, that sort of thing. Besides all the advantages of lactate tolerance, swimming at race pace has additional advantages: -- you learn what the pace feels like, the relationship between perceived effort and speed. This is huge, IMO, especially for 200s and longer, where you have to control yourself going out. -- you learn the proper technique for race pace strokes and turns. Stroke mechanics, breakouts, underwaters: all those things can change in a race compared to practice (where you are usually swimming slower). You want to make sure that you find and correct problems in practice, BEFORE the race. Broken sets are a traditional way to do this. But whatever you do, it has to be shorter than the race, obviously: you can't expect to do season-ending times in practice during the season (if you can, then you need to revise your goals). There are other types of "quality work" you can do. Sometimes I'll work on power -- not quite the same as speedwork -- by using a parachute; others use stretch cords. Doing weights also works on power, of course, but it is nice to do something in the water to make sure that any power/strength you gain in the gym can be applied in the water. This isn't really "quality," but I also like doing longer pull sets where my HR doesn't necessary get too high; this is more for what I would call "aerobic power," training my slow-twitch muscles to have some power/endurance. You probably do stuff like that a lot. I recommend reading Maglischo's book, it is a little dry but also has a lot of good concepts. As with anything (including this), take it with a grain of salt and combine it with your own experience for the best guide. Paul is a real coach (I am not) and probably has more good things to add. Have fun!