How to make swimming less boring? (Page 2)

Other options to keep you mentally stimulated somewhat are to mix up the pace within an interval.  So again on the 1500 main set line, do 10x150 as:

1 - 100 easy, 50 fast
2 - 50 easy, 50 fast, 50 easy
3 - 50 fast, 100 easy

Repeat that 3 times and then the last one is 150 fast!  Or at least whatever you have left in the tank.   

I think that's 2500 main set. But I get the idea

I am just starting to add speed drills. I really just started swimming properly this year. I did some sprints last year but gave up on swimming. This year really worked with a coach on form and endurance.

10x150 is 2500?  What kind of funky stats math do you use?  

His workout:  100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 200  == is a 2500 main set.  :-)

Gak!  Math fail on my part....

I was converting from yards to meters.... yeah, that's it!  

It's always the Canadians.

This may come across as a bit snarky to some, but it really can help. It becomes a game where the thrill is how deep I can push myself to by the end of the workout. When that concept sticks, it really works.

I really was serious as you pointed out. I'm sorry if it came across badly. I am just speaking from experience. If my mind wanders in the pool I get bored. But when I am swimming hard and focusing on my stroke, I never get bored. On the other hand in my longer marathon swims my mind goes someplace and I just swim moment to moment. Frankly, I'm not sure what I think about most of the time, but then again I am not a fast marathon swimmer. I'm sure those at the top have the ability to swim hard and focus on their stroke the whole time.

OK, I taught a class on Bayesian analysis, I can do this Most of my tri and running club are scientists or teach college, we have some seriously weird conversations while training. We were in Lake Placid doing a run this week, my phone rings, and I switch from talking about peeing on the bike to how a project is coming that I'm doing modeling a drug into a crystal structure, and back to bike pee, all in about 2 minutes. My friend could not stop laughing. Hey, bike pee is an important topic!

Some good ideas here, maybe what I really need to do is vary my routine more. I am doing small variations on the same workout every time I'm at the pool. Being a relatively new swimmer, this is all I know.

Do you pee on it before you get on it in T1, or after you get off in T2

 Swim in freezing water lol

Once I had a swimming lesson in a swimming pool without heat (the heater broke. )  I swam so fast that  had no time to be bored.  As soon as I slowed down or stopped for a second my body started to shiver. Did I mention that I hate cold?

There is definitely a lot of truth in that statement. One of the reasons I like open water is that mentally it is much easier to swim in - that's assuming the temperature is not colder than 64°. After that it becomes mentally tougher.

Not sure where you get your workouts but I've found the site ntcmastersswim.blogspot.com a useful source of workouts. It's basically a free online master's program put out by pro triathlete Sara McClarty. There are three levels of workouts--A, B, and C; new ones are usually posted three times a week. The "C" workouts are usually in the 2500m range; you can easily modify the distance or splits as needed. I usually do B, A is for true fish. There's a consistent format that includes warmup, drills, main set, cooldown. The drills are pretty clearly explained on her site; some have videos. A lot of tri-oriented stuff. One workout each week focuses on endurance/strength, one on technique, and one on speed.  The workouts always have lots of different things to do, which keeps me from getting bored even though in the past year in Saigon my swimming has been almost entirely solo. I've gotten stronger and faster at distances (at least in the pool, hard to tell with OWS) even without a coach this year, mostly from doing these workouts.

If you are bored when you are swimming you aren't concentrating hard enough.  There is ALWAYS something to think about and concentrate on when you're swimming...pace, form, lap count, etc. etc.   I am CONSTANTLY thinking and thinking the whole time I'm swimming...never bored.

My advice is to concentrate more on what you're doing...you'll become a better swimmer and you won't be as bored.

E=H2O - 2012-07-27 5:43 PM

siouxcityhawk - 2012-07-27 2:28 PM

OK, I taught a class on Bayesian analysis, I can do this Most of my tri and running club are scientists or teach college, we have some seriously weird conversations while training. We were in Lake Placid doing a run this week, my phone rings, and I switch from talking about peeing on the bike to how a project is coming that I'm doing modeling a drug into a crystal structure, and back to bike pee, all in about 2 minutes. My friend could not stop laughing. Hey, bike pee is an important topic!

Some good ideas here, maybe what I really need to do is vary my routine more. I am doing small variations on the same workout every time I'm at the pool. Being a relatively new swimmer, this is all I know.

 

Wait a minute.... you pee on your bike?

 

 

Do you pee on it before you get on it in T1, or after you get off in T2

It's a poisson distribution, I pee in my wetsuit.

Know mp3 players have been mentioned. I used the Finis player when I first started swimming and liked it a great deal. Eventually I got to where I didn't feel like using it anymore but it sure did help those first few months of splashing around trying to learn how to swim.

http://www.finisinc.com/swimp3/

Know mp3 players have been mentioned. I used the Finis player when I first started swimming and liked it a great deal. Eventually I got to where I didn't feel like using it anymore but it sure did help those first few months of splashing around trying to learn how to swim.

http://www.finisinc.com/swimp3/