jldicarlo's group -- FULL (Page 5)

redhiker702 - 2007-03-01 9:36 AM We practiced stroke-stroke-stroke head forward to breathe and site...repeat. The coach hung out at the end of the lane and lifted either his right or left hand in a sequence and we had to tell him the order correctly or do 50 situps on the deck. Fear of situps is a great motivator! I also have a swimmy question, about the clock. At masters I kind of just go with the flow when he throws out the times but i think I need to learn what I should be doing. Using Naners last swim as an example: 4-150's on 2:20 (50 easy/50 hard/50 easy) 4-50's kick on 1:30 Does that mean you have 2:20 min to complete the first set? (and if you get done before the 2:20 you get to rest?) How do you keep track of the times in your head? I would be focusing on stroke count and number of laps but not sure how to get that last number straight in my head....

You don't use your head...you use the clock.  Is there a pace clock on the pool deck?  If so, if you were doing sets on 2:20 you would start at the "top" (the second hand at the 12 o'clock position) and know that next time you left tthe wall he second hand would be on the 20" marker.  Does that make sense?  If you're doing 50's on the :55 you can keep count by starting on top (on the 60) and knowing the next will be on the 55" mark, then the 50" mark, etc.  Um...does that make sense?  You don't have to keep adding large complicated numbers...generally you can just get a rhythm going and add small numbers.

Option B: Use a watch with an interval setting.  Set it to beep every 2:20 (or whatever interval) and go when it beeps.  No math required.

And you are correct...it is 2:20 to finish the set...the faster you go, the more rest you get.  This is contrast to doing sets with "xx" rest inbetween (RI).  There are benefits to both.  If you go out thinking you'll do 100's on the 1:30 and don't have 1:30 in you that day you get frustrated.  If you go out thinking you'll do 10" RI then you can go with whatever speed your body wants that day.  But there will be days doing the RI method will make you lazy.  It makes you push yourself if that makes sense...you need to make yourself go faster and get the RI versus being lazy and going slower and getting the same RI.

I'm babbling.  Done now. 

Sorry I've been gone.  Rough week.

Open water swim sighting...I just look when I need to.  Sometimes I try to swim off the person next to me for awhile and if they are going pretty straight I stick with it.

But generally, I just look forward as I'm breathing when I need to look....

This is DEFINITELY something you just need to get out in a lake and practice...