Racergirl

Hey Mel,

Big fan here...learned about you and then became a really big fan through the Kahuna at trigeekdreams.

I have recently gained access to a 25 yd pool and am looking for some good beginner workouts. I have been running and cycling for a few years, but my swimming is not where it should be. I am a decent swimmer and am comfortable in the water; I have just not ever swam for any long distances...

What should I start out doing? What is a good distance to begin with and how do I structure it???

Thanks,
Flatman
www.flatman.blogspot.com

Hi flatman.... welcome to the dirt side...

Regarding swimming.. I always advocate a coached group session. It makes such a difference having someone giving you tips on better stroke technique while you train. Plus, swimming can be tedious (for me)so having people around often helps you stay in the water longer and makes it a lot more fun.

Failing to have group sessions... my advice is to get some lessons once or twice a week, and then spend any other time you have swimming open water. I get so much more out of open water swimming because it is much more specific to racing. No flip turns in Xterra. A cool gadget to add to your open water swim workouts is a Tempo Trainer. It is a little round beeper that will set a stroke rate for you and keep you on task when it is tempting to settle in (aka slow down).

Mixing sets where you do 20 strokes hard/10 easy also works. It is important to work on fitness through stroke rate, but also to try and maintain as much efficiency as you can with some technical training.

My last tip is to wear your wetsuit often if your "A" priority race is a wetsuit swim. Swimming with a wetsuit on changes your body position and your stroke so you want to do as many specific workouts you can so that you will feel comfortable on the big day.

Wintertime is a good time to work on major technical changes in your stroke. Now that we are getting close to GO TIME in the season, work on your stroke rate, try to swim shorter sessions more times per week (I believe frequency works much better than volume) and find some friends to keep it fun.

m

Thanks for the suggestions, Mel! You rock.

Hope to see you and the Kahuna at Temecula next year. Rumor has it I will be conducting a cycling for triathlon training camp there next year, so you guys can get a sneak peek at the course while training there if you sign up!

Good luck with the rest of your races..... Mel