Speed Zone

Just lost my mesh bag with all my gear What a bummer! I hope you get it back. What gear is in your mesh bag and why ? Fins (orange and blue Speedos). I use these for building leg strength through kicking with extra resistance. I can't use them too much, though, because after a while one knee and the other ankle hurt in a way that probably qualifies as "bad pain." I kick more without them than with them. Finis Swimmer's Snorkel, a great swimming investment at $30 or so. Using it regularly has really helped me learn to keep my head more still. You cannot fool yourself about how still your head is (or isn't) if you don't have any reason to turn your gaze away from the bottom of the pool. It's also good for kicking on the front. I am way better at kicking on my back than on my front but I would like to change that. Pull buoy. When I use it in combination with the snorkel it really forces me to focus on using my abdominal oblique muscles to aid in rotation. It's also a fun bit of core work while the coach is talking to float on my back with the pull buoy upright under my spine and try to balance on it. I would sort of like to get a tempo trainer, because I think my shorter races would improve a lot if I could increase my turnover. OTOH, I also want a swimp3, which I suppose with clever music selection could sort of double as a tempo trainer.

talk with your coach talk with your lane mates let them know what you plan to do what your season plan is ie " I'm training for the 50 free and right now I'm in a phase where I'm not doing any aerobic training, so I need to modify this set. 10 x 200 on 2:30 doesn't work for me, on this set I'm doing swim a 50 rest a 50" most people are there for their work out and don't care what you do with your workout as long as you stay out of their way You can hang out on the wall and call out times as they come in on harder swims. Erik, I hope you enjoyed your vacation. It sounds like you're remotivated. I've got a question for you based on you last post. I don't swim in large group workouts and I'm usually able to tailor my workouts pretty specifically to my needs. However, some of my training partners do swim in large group settings occasionally with lots of tri hammerheads and I suggested (after consluting with the coach and their lanemates) that they could lead their lane and go at a much higher intesity but just not go the full distance. With the example you used of 3 X 200 on 3:00 - or whatever- what if they just cranked the first 100 and then moved out of the way for the swimmers following them. In effect they would be doing 3 X 100 on 3:00 and thus be able to swim at a much higher intensity while not disrupting the actual set. Would this be considered kosher? Would it piss lanemates or the coach off even if you explained your particular needs? I would never do this if I were a guest of some team for one or two workouts, but if you had to work with a tri oriented team would this be an option? Rich

Never got to finisgh my mesh bag list - and NO - I am not getting it back. I only found my kick board and drag suit. Although the kickboard is important - got to have a fast board .... Fins - I finally found good zoomers and I do use them now for 3 things: Fly kicks to get more power in my legs / core; Sprints = one of the ways to swim faster than race pace (also great for underwater feeling your best streamline position); occasionaly use them for longer aerobic sets to mix it up and swim clean (like 3 rounds of 3x150 > 1 without > one with PD > one with fins and paddles) -- but overall, I use them mostly for really fast stuff PD - I have to pairs and I use them for sprints (got to be careful with this) - it really helps my power and turnover (once I take them off afterwards); PB and PD = I hardly use them in regular workouts - maybe in the beginning of the season when it's a very choppy workout Tempo Trainer - as mentioned before, I use this for sprints; I am also planning on speeding up my SDK and think this could be good for footspeed. Drag suit - use this to build up to using the parachute > sprints and faster stuff only.

Hi Rich - Yes - I am ready to roll for the new year ---- got to break 21 this year - but also have some longer term goals -- so my strength training will not be perfect for May. About changing the workouts -- you do have to work with your surroundings and judge it on a case by case basis -- but you do have to make it work for your purposes first - that's just the reality. If you have the same coach at all your workouts, you should get on the same page and work out a basic plan that fits your goals. I work out on a large team with 10 different coaches and 3 different pools. I have no idea what coach will be at what workout - and worse, I have no idea what intensity may be planned on any given day. I do the major sprint sets on m y own. In terms of leading 1/2 of the set or distance and then swimming easy -- for me it works better to swim at the end of the lane. I give the last person plenty of space, so I won't catch them and then I swim fast and easy as needed. Also - I am probably "one lane" faster than anybody else in the lane to begin with - so my easy / recovery swim speed is about the lane's regular speed - I think it works best to move down one lane in order to get in the right workout in terms of sprinting. But - I also think you can lead - like if the set is 200s in yards- swim the first 100 hard - let everybody pass and then swim an easy 50 (instead of the entire 100) and get ready for the next swim. I think - as long as you are working hard and don't disrupt the lane, you should be fine. It's not ideal - but you have to work with what you got.

Just lost my mesh bag with all my gear -- got me an idea for a topic -- What gear is in your mesh bag and why ? I have (well had) a pair of Zoomers, 2 pairs of paddles, a drag suit, Pb, a fast board, and my tempo trainer.

Today... March 21st, I saw Erik Hochstein at the Santa Clarita Meet. I told him we missed him on the forum - we didn't care if his gear bag was missing pieces - and he should tell us how the heck he can swim the sprints, middle and distance so fast. Ah well... he swam in the lane next to me in the 400 IM (oh God...) and beat me by 59 seconds even though it was my best time. Hope he comes up with something to share with us during the upcoming Championship season. He had some pretty FAST SCAQ boyz swimming with him today!

Long Break in the Speed Zone --- the reason is somewhat simple -- Distractions The usual Masters swimming distractions are work, injury, family, time commitments and so on --- but for me you can another one to the list -- all those other events are actually a distraction. I swam some great times in December in the 50 Free --- but I also swam some good IMs (100, 200 and 400 -- I don't know why ?? and 50 Fly ). So that got me thinking about other events like IM, or maybe a 200 Back. Add all the longer Free events to the list, and it creates some very mixed workout goals. I admit it, I look at the top times and the records in my age group and I get tempted. I could probably do very well and all these events - but I would have to train for it. Maybe Phelps and Lochte can do it all -- but I have to pick and choose. Training for speed means letting go of training for a 500 or a 400 IM. That does not mean you can't swim these events at the end of a meet -- but you can't train for it without sacrifycing your sprint training. So here is the new question to ask myself and yourself before every workout and set: How does that make you faster in the 50 and 100 Free ? If you have to think to come up with an answer, you are probably not doing the right thing.

erik, How does that make you faster in the 50 and 100 Free? that's a great question! Ande Long Break in the Speed Zone --- the reason is somewhat simple -- Distractions The usual Masters swimming distractions are work, injury, family, time commitments and so on --- but for me you can another one to the list -- all those other events are actually a distraction. I swam some great times in December in the 50 Free --- but I also swam some good IMs (100, 200 and 400 -- I don't know why ?? and 50 Fly ). So that got me thinking about other events like IM, or maybe a 200 Back. Add all the longer Free events to the list, and it creates some very mixed workout goals. I admit it, I look at the top times and the records in my age group and I get tempted. I could probably do very well and all these events - but I would have to train for it. Maybe Phelps and Lochte can do it all -- but I have to pick and choose. Training for speed means letting go of training for a 500 or a 400 IM. That does not mean you can't swim these events at the end of a meet -- but you can't train for it without sacrifycing your sprint training. So here is the new question to ask myself and yourself before every workout and set: How does that make you faster in the 50 and 100 Free ? If you have to think to come up with an answer, you are probably not doing the right thing.

... for me you can another one to the list -- all those other events are actually a distraction. I swam some great times in December in the 50 Free --- but I also swam some good IMs (100, 200 and 400 -- I don't know why ?? and 50 Fly ). So that got me thinking about other events like IM, or maybe a 200 Back. Add all the longer Free events to the list, and it creates some very mixed workout goals. I admit it, I look at the top times and the records in my age group and I get tempted. I could probably do very well and all these events - but I would have to train for it. Maybe Phelps and Lochte can do it all -- but I have to pick and choose. Training for speed means letting go of training for a 500 or a 400 IM. That does not mean you can't swim these events at the end of a meet -- but you can't train for it without sacrifycing your sprint training. So here is the new question to ask myself and yourself before every workout and set: How does that make you faster in the 50 and 100 Free ? If you have to think to come up with an answer, you are probably not doing the right thing. So, while I don't aim to be a sprinter, I actually swam very fast for me in the sprints thus far (lifetime best in the 50) while training primarily for the 200 free and 400 IM and while swimming each event in the lineup at a meet over the course of this season. I don't know if I'll ever spend a season focusing on sprinting as I'm such a fan of variety (or I have some form of ADD), but I believe that training a variety of strokes and distances over the course of a season can be beneficial to sprinting. I'm not talking world-class / Cielo-level sprinting, but beneficial for most of us mortal Masters.

Chris, The truth is Patrick is finally hitting his taper from all the training he did in high school & at UT Didn't you also really ramp up your weights/dryland strength program this season? Perhaps that's a (the?) major factor in your newfound speed.