Gray Guys/Girls Masters Focus Triathlete Forum--OPEN! (Page 20)

This is why I say you need to practice this.  To swim head up properly you shorten your stroke, maybe by half.  With your head up, your legs are going to drop and with the shortened stroke, clearly it isn't going to be fast.  However, it will allow you to see forward, which is precisely the point.  It works well in rough water and as you mention below, if you sight at the top of a swell it is effective in VERY poor conditions.  This is my 'go-to' sighting method when the conditions are terrible.

Congratulations!  You have taken the first step to becoming a good open water swimmer!  Perhaps the most important thing in open water swimming is preparing for the race.  In the case of my fictitious example, you looked at the situation, thought about it, and formulated a plan . . . BEFORE you were in the water.

I'll take a moment to share the story of how I learned the same lesson.  Unfortunately mine wasn't so pleasant.  Sorry to those or you that were in the mentor group with me "last semester" as this will be a repeat.

In the Southern California beach community of Seal Beach they have a rough water swim competition every summer.  It is important to understand that Seal Beach, on a 'big surf' day, typically has waves less than 3-4 feet.  The crowning event of the rough water swim competition is the 3-mile rough water swim which, during the years I did it, went from the base of the pier to an oil platform 1.5 miles off-shore and back.  By the time I was entered to do the race my third time, I had not only completed the race twice, but was swimming something like 15,000 meters per day, so the actual race was little more than a warm up.  When we got to the beach on the day of the race, there was a hurricane off the coast of Baja California, at Seal Beach the wind was upwards of 30 MPH.  There were 10-12 foot waves breaking on the beach, the pier was closed because there were waves breaking OVER the end of it, and beyond the surf line there was an 8-10 foot wind-blown swell (sound familiar?).

My first mistake was that I did not take the time to examine the conditions and form a plan.  My second mistake was starting the race without a plan.  I probably made a third mistake by actually starting the race.

The gun sounded and we were off, right into the teeth of the huge surf pounding the beach.  About 10 yards from shore I took in a mouthful of salt water and ended up not only swallowing it, but getting it down the windpipe into my lungs.  I couldn't breath and just that fast, I was in a full-fledged panic attack, right there in the middle of the surf line.  By shear force of will I finally caught my breath and got through the surf.  The water was so rough however, there wasn't going to be any freestyle swimming until I was much further out past the surf line.  I did butterfly until I got past the end of the pier, but my day was already done.  I made it 1.5 miles out to the turn around, at which point one of the lifeguards on a paddle-board came up, put a fork in my side, and said I was done.  I rode back to shore in a boat.  To add insult to injury, I got seasick on the boat and became violently ill before we made it back to shore.  All in all, it wasn't my best day.

I share this, not to frighten you or anyone else that may read it, rather I share this to highlight the importance of observing the conditions and forming a plan.  Had I done so that day, I would have, at the very least, been much more circumspect in the way I approached the surf line, had I chosen to enter the water at all.

Open water swimming is sometimes a challenge.  It certainly is different from swimming in a pool.  With the proper preparation BEFORE you enter the water, open water swimming can be a lot of fun.

Happy swimming!

Way to go Janet!  Enjoy the 3 mile swim!  (For those of you that missed it, that's a reference to a few days ago when I couldn't read).

I'm right there with you Steve, the word has gone out to my family and friends - "Don't bother me, it's Tour time!"

Hi Sandra,

A lot of this is a direct copy of a post I did during the last mentor group for a young lady facing a similar situation. Eleven weeks isn’t a great deal of time; however you should be able to get to where you are comfortable with the distance and confident in your ability.

So here's the first thing to becoming a successful swimmer - remember the phrase, "Technique, technique, technique."  Hang little post-it notes all over if need be to remember the phrase and constantly repeat it to yourself - "Technique, technique, technique."

I have said repeatedly that technique trumps everything else. You can get in the water and swim lap upon endless lap, but if your technique is flawed, you are wasting your time.

This is going to perhaps be counter-intuitive, but here is a plan that will get you ready for a sprint over the next 11 weeks. If my wife was going to train for a sprint, this is what I would suggest she do.

Start by reviewing all the stroke technique information on my website, http://goscottgo.info/index.php/swimming-technique. I suggest you read all of the articles in reverse order of how they are displayed on the page (start at the bottom).  Pay particular attention to the 'body roll' and the 'catch and pull' articles.  Next, go to http://swimsmooth.com, and watch the animation of 'Mr. Smooth' swimming. We won't worry about the minor differences between 'his' perfect freestyle and ‘my’ perfect freestyle. The differences are minute enough so as not to matter. Don't be afraid to 'assume the dry-land swimming position' right there in your living room and making sure you understand proper technique (stand upright, bend at the waist until torso is parallel to the floor, one hand above your head, the other behind you as if you are horizontal in the water and "swim").

During EVERY rest period in each workout over the following 11 weeks you should be thinking about PERFECT technique. Review in your mind all the various tips you have heard. Maybe review my website and revisit 'Mr. Smooth' each week just to confirm proper technique in your mind.

During the first couple of weeks, while I use the term ‘workout’ the focus is on technique. Don’t worry about pace, don’t worry about distance, other than using it as a guide on how long to practice. I am not clear on the length of the pool you train in. You referred to meters, which are typically long course pools (50 meters) but also made a reference to ‘being gassed after 25 meters.’ Short course pools are typically yards. I am assuming you are training in a short course 25-yard pool as they are far more common. If that is not the case, let me know and I will adjust this for the longer pool.

If you have someone that can video you in the pool, I will be happy to look at that and offer some pointers on your technique. It doesn’t have to be wonderful quality so you don’t have to run out and buy a GoPro camera. A video done with a cell phone will be sufficient if it is possible.

Week 1. Next week, only do 3 swim workouts of 400 yards each. Get in the water and do 16 x 25 with 60 seconds rest between repetitions. YOU ARE NOT CONCERNED WITH PACE AT ALL. The ENTIRE focus of these workouts is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT STROKE TECHNIQUE. If you fatigue to the point that your technique breaks down, take an extra minute of rest. If that does not improve the technique, get out of the water, go home, and try again next time. This is important - when you have gone 400 yards, get out of the water and go home! Don't try and add yards, you will defeat the whole purpose which is to commit perfect technique to muscle memory.

If you can get with a coach, even for a session or two, this would be the time to do it! There is no replacement for a coach on deck.

Week 2. Do the same thing, 16 x 25, however with 45 seconds rest between repetitions. Everything else applies exactly as 'week 1.' Make sure that you are breathing to both sides (bi-lateral breathing).

Remember technique!

Week 3. We are going to begin to add some actual conditioning this week. Three swim workouts, however up the yardage to 600 yards per workout. 4 x 25 easy warm-up with whatever rest you need between reps. Then 4 sets of 25-50-25 ladder with 60 seconds rest between repetitions. To make sure it is clear, swim 25, rest 60 seconds, swim 50, rest 60, swim 25, rest 60, repeat. Follow with 4 x 25 easy cool-down, again on whatever rest works for you. The same thing applies here as all the previous workouts. If you fatigue to the point your technique begins to break down, take an extra 60 seconds rest. If that does not improve the technique, get out of the water, go home and try again next time.

I CAN NOT overstate this - if you are continuing to swim after your technique breaks down, you are doing yourself a disservice!

Week 4. Same as week 3, however reduce rest period to 45 seconds. Everything else applies as in week 3.

Focus on perfect technique!

Week 5. Three swim workouts and increase the yardage to 800 yards. 4 x easy 25 w/30 seconds rest to warm-up. Follow with 4 sets of 25, 50, 75 ladder @ 45 seconds rest. Follow with 100 easy cool-down (preferably swim 100 yards non-stop at EASY pace, enjoying perfect technique).

Week 6. Three swim workouts. This will be the first week of true endurance training. The goal is to build to at least 1.5-2.0 times the race swim distance in any given workout. Keep yardage at 800 yards. 2 x 50 easy warm-up. Then 6 x 100 with 60 seconds rest. Follow with 4 x 25 cool-down.
As the distance increases, it is very important you concentrate on proper technique.

Week 7-10. Three swim workouts. 2 x 50 warm-up. Follow with main set, building repetitions of 100's with reducing rest. Here is what I mean. Week 7 up yardage to 1,000 then add 200 yards each succeeding week through week 10 ( 7- 1,000, 8 x 100; 8 - 1,200, 10 x 100; 9 - 1,400, 12 x 100; 10 - 1,600, 11 x 100). Through each week, on each day, reduce rest period by 10 seconds per repetition (for example, Mon - 60 rest, Wed - 50 rest, Fri - 40 rest then reset to 60 seconds at start of next week with longer overall distance). Follow with 2 x 50 cool-down. If this doesn't make sense, send me a message and I will try and clarify.

Week 11 – final week before the race. We want to back off a bit so you can rest for the race. Three swim workouts. First one 800 yards, 100 easy warm-up, then 6 x 100 @ 1:00 rest, follow with 100 cool-down. Second one, drop to 600 yards using the same general format as above, then the third workout, an easy 400 swim – maybe 100 warm-up, then 200 yard easy continuous swim, then 100 cool down.

When you get to race day, trust your training. You will have been doing the race distance in training since week three. Through the remaining weeks, you are not only doing more than the race distance, but you are doing it faster and increasing your endurance in each workout.

Hope that helps. If you have any questions I will be happy to try and answer them.

WOW!  Great job James!  This is probably a better indicator of all the work you have done than anything else!

Hey Steve,

USRPT has been around for decades and gone through several cycles where it is popular, then falls off.  About a year ago there was another uptick in the popularity of the method.

My first comment is that they are talking specifically about training swimmers.  There has been no study with respect to triathletes.  At the longer distances I don't think it would really matter but just sayin'.

USRPT is really a modification of Intermediate Endurance training.  It favors shorter repetition distances, although as you are training for the longer race distances, the two methods converge and are almost identical.  If you compare the USRPT 1,500 training recommendations to what I put up about Intermediate Endurance training in the Threshold post just a couple days ago, you will see they are pretty much the same.  USRPT recommends 25-30 x 100 at race pace, I recommended 20 x 100 at STP (race pace) and add reps as fitness improves.

I take exception to the USRPT theory when you are talking about a base build at the beginning of the season.  USRPT would have you only doing short repetitions.  I favor 100's, 200's and the occasional set of 400's during Extensive Endurance build phases.  USRPT's rationale is that doing short repetitions avoids injury.  My position is that if an athlete is injured doing 200 yard repeats then the athlete had something going on already and likely would be injured regardless of what they are doing.  As often as not, injuries are a result of poor technique so using either method, there needs to be good coaching input on deck.   I also think that USRPT discounts the psychological factor especially with respect to the newer swimmer.  If a swimmer has only done 100's or less in training, I wonder how much confidence they are going to have when they get on the blocks at the start of a 400, or a 1,500.

One thing I do like about USRPT is that it discourages the use of drills, paddles, pull buoys, and kick-boards.  I generally limit the use of paddles to the technique focus training prior to the extensive endurance base build at the beginning of the season so I am OK with not using them (paddles) during the season.  I think there are quite a lot of coaches that are going to have a major hitch in their giddy-up if USRPT catches on, they aren't going to know what to do without all their toys and drills - they might actually have to coach!

Thanks for sharing the link.  It was an interesting read.  I don't see where there was any actual clinical testing and evaluation (did I miss it?), but having a published paper does give a bit of credibility to the training method.

As for me, I will stick to what I have been doing for the past 45 years.  It has served me pretty well.

Hi Nancy -

Another couple of thoughts.  Have you ever had a bike fit done? Might be something to consider if it has been awhile since you had it done and/or you never had it done.  I know having a bike fit done may seem kind of extreme, however, if it has been awhile, or you haven't ridden in a while, you may have aged a day or two.  Lots of things can conspire together to change your bike fit.  Just something to consider.  Also, most newer bikes have a stem that can be turned over making the rider position on the bike much more aggressive, which would mean your having to lift you head that much more.

Of course, if it has been awhile since you did any serious riding, you may just need to put in some miles.

Happy riding, and welcome to the group!

Sandra,

This is what you need to work on first.  Your technique breaks down quickly for a couple reasons, number one, your technique is probably not quite perfect yet, that will cause rapid fatigue.  Secondarily, your swim fitness is probably not where it needs to be.  The next couple weeks is focused entirely on stroke technique.  If need be, you can read the articles on my site and visit swimsmooth.com before you go to workout.  Then proper technique will be in your mind.

Good luck!