McFuzz's New Athlete Group (CLOSED) (Page 14)

While it may seem intuitive to swim 500 yards at a time to build endurance, you're better off swimming 10x50 or 5x100 rather than 1x500.  As you fatigue, your form changes and you may reinforce bad habits in the last half of those long sets.  Keep each swim short and focus on form (probably instead of "fast" even).  You're getting 1200 yards a workout when you add it all up.  How long is the swim for your target race?   You may find that slowing down just a very small amount lets you swim for a much longer time without feeling winded.  If you swim 100 yards in 2:00 and then rest for 30 seconds before swimming another 100, try slowing down to 2:15/100 and doing 200 straight. 

Thats because swimming is like 75% technique so its obvious to spend most of your time doing smaller distances with as good technique you can do instead of doing longer distances and, like Mike said, let your technique get worse every training. Oh you will be able to swim longer distances this way too in the end, but at what cost? A very slow time and a lot of unnecessary fatigue.

That's because you need to learn how to float and glide through the water. Floating without speed is hard if you don't have the natural feel for it.

I'm sure of it!

First training with the club. And it was the first resistance training I had in about 15 years. I forgot how hard swimming can be. I got cramps from my little toe to my pinkie. I'm broken. (Feels goooood)

Originally posted by Lanne Ok nerves have kicked in today for next Tri, just checked out the swim course for Sunday first long distance in the ocean,since last panic attack, I need some tips to get past this as my husband is doing this one with me and wont be able to paddle next to me I am feeling really good about the run, I think my PT is paying off there. And I am questioning if I should ride with cleats seeing as I haven't done that much practice, but I think it is more controlled in the race than just riding on the road so I might be ok, ahhhh, what to do?

Can you get in the water early?  Maybe the evening before the race, or a half-hour or hour before? 

Spend a lot of time visualizing a POSITIVE swim experience.  Start today...imagine swimming in a serene, blue, lagoon with a gentle breeze...how graceful and smooth and relaxed you feel in the warm water with colorful fish dancing over the coral below.  Now add a few waves, but keep the serene feelings...imagine how you feel as you come out of the water after a terrific swim...Now add some jostling from other swimmers, but you are still calm and relaxed...Spend a lot of time visualizing positive swim experiences and banish anxiety and panic from your mind.  Every time you recognize this, stop immediately and replace it with that calm, peaceful image. 

Prior to the race, get your mind aligned with that "happy place" like you've done all week.  If you get anxious watching earlier waves take off, turn around and watch the crowd cheering instead.  Keep yourself calm, and hopefully you had a chance to get in and swim a couple hundred meters to ease your mind. 

When the gun goes off, slowly count to 20 as your wave splashes ahead of you.  Let them go...watch the crowd for those seconds, and then start your swim in the relative calm behind the wave.  Chances are, you'll start catching others in your wave, but by then, the crowd will have thinned and you can easily swim around them. 

As for clipless pedals...do what is comfortable...If you aren't particularly comfortable with clipless pedals yet, skip them.  Your mind will be revved at light speed and it's easy to get distracted and have a hard time clipping in or unclipping and down you go.

Love the trash talk guys!  We should have a McFuzz Triathlon--only you two race, the rest of us will be support crew!

Another super fast week here but have kept the training on schedule.  I had been doing an outside 8.25 mile hilly run every Wednesday morning before it got too cold out.  I had to switch to the treadmill in December and try to mimic the hills with incline work.  This morning I was able to get outside again for the first time in months--I crushed it!  I am always amazed that in my 40s I continue to get fitter and fitter.  I feel more fit now than I was a year ago.  I am just amazed that I continue to improve.  Training by heart rate has been a huge change and I believe that is why I'm improving.

Speaking of heart rate--a few questions.  First of all, the monitor itself.  I've never worn my monitor during an actual race.  Is it waterproof?  I'm not too concerned about heart rate in the swim but do want it for the bike and run.  Would I put the monitor on in T1? 

Another question--since I train predominantly in Z2--low to med, when I race do I want to push to upper Z2 or into Z3?  I'm thinking yes for my Olympic, but for the St. George HIM I would think I would want to keep that heart rate in Z2--it won't be so much about finishing fast but just finishing due to the difficulty of the course.  Any thoughts on these topics out there?

Great week for you Kim, and I'm glad that you're continuing to get fit and fast. 

Most HRM's are waterproof, but...if the watch has a plug to sync/recharge (like a Garmin 310) it ISN't usually waterproof.  Newer HRM's that charge inductively and link with Bluetooth are usually waterproof.  Look at your manual. If it isn't waterproof, go ahead and put it on in T1.  You may observe slightly higher heart rates during the race from the race-day stress and adrenaline. 

As for Z2/Z3...for shorter races, you'll probably be Z3/Z4.  For a HIM or IM, stay in Z2 when you can.  Obviously, you may have to get above Z2 on the hills at St. George. 

I haven't seen much of your media, but I can certainly appreciate the sensationalism and that thought has been rattling around in my head the few times I've done open water swims (I did the King's Mile in Hawaii, a night time manta ray dive in Hawaii, and a swim at Tangalooma near Brisbane) knowing that I'm not quite the top of the food chain out there...

The commotion of kayakers and earlier waves should scare away any preditors.  (Easy for me to say half a world away...)

Allthough I have no problem swimming in open water, I have some weird fear of swimming over or between seaweed. I always have this feeling a snake or other preditory water animal will come out and attack. Meanwhile, swimming in filthy brown riverwater (yes, thats how our waters look here) doesn't scare me at all. And the weird thing is, I just KNOW i'm being irrational because as far as I know, there aren't any lethal water animals to be found in Europe. (Some nasty biters we do have).

Where would we all meet for a race? 

Given we'd have people coming from around the world...it should be a destination with interests beyond a race...Orlando?  (Relatively easy to get to with lots of vacation activities.) 

For a sprint, everyone should compete.  We can negotiate how much time to spot one another...

Meet up before the race, and a celebratory dinner after? 

Though i'ld love to meet up, my finances doesn't allow me to just go to the US and da a tri. At least not in the first few years.

@Joe

though you see me more as dick dastardly, I see myself more like this: (woman optional, though strongly advised)

I'll buy the first round of drinks if we meet up. 

Yosemite is relatively close to SF (spent a few days there after Vineman in 2011).  Yellowstone?  Beautiful, but a pretty good haul from any major airport.  (SLC is about 6 hours away).  I wouldn't want travel to the venue to be the endurance event even if it would be to my advantage.