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Swimming full 1500m straight in training - good or bad?

I have just started training for the London Tri and are relatively useless at swimming. I generally detest swimming but as it is currently all I can do I through injury I am loving it! whats more I have judt started swimming the full 1500m and am getting allot out of just swimming it faster to try and beat my PB. I have heard allot of very complicated training regimes for swimming but what really if any is wrong with just bashing out the full distance as fast as you can? Boredom over time maybe but is not beating your PB motivation enough?! It is for me ! - for the moment at least!



Your predictions would also be very much appreciated on what you think my final time for the swim will be in August 07 (given that I will be training) - swum 1500m 3 times in my life so far - current PB last night of 47 minutes....

Comments

  • London Tri results were all posted on the web, but for some reason cannot now be accessed as the links bring up an error page. I have found some Olympic Distance results but am not sure of the age group. http:////olympic.triathlonresults.co.uk/ResultODMenOpenHeat2.htm I would say that you will be doing really well to get your time down to around 35 mins. I spent 10 years as a competitive club swimmer and do around 25 mins. Try to train at different speeds/distances and concentrate on your stroke/technique. Hope this helps.
  • I have been entering triathlon for a year now and started exactly the same way as you did. I still do my running in a similar way, but as for the swimming I joined a masters club and have cut my times for a 1500 swim to 34mins.

    I think you will get stuck in a rut if you keep just plodding the lanes. If you trawl the net you can find plenty of sets/drills to make it more interesting.Good luck and think about technique.
  • The problem with ploughing up and down is that you could well be reinforcing any flaws in your technique. The tireder you get the more you reinforce them. Practice shorter distances concentrating on good technique. I currently don't do more than 6 length intervals at a time, as my technique starts to go after this distance. I am slowly increasing the distance whilst maintaining my technique. I count strokes per length (no more than 20) and occasionally time myself.
  • RewRew Posts: 62
    Last season I used a prymid system whereby you swim

    100,200,300,400,300,200,100m Then you are swimming distance but breaking it up you can also go that bit faster doing sets like this as well. Rest for 1 minute between sets.



    Last year I managed to throw an extra 500 and 400m in there to make 100 lengths (25m pool) for a 2.5k total.



    When it came to London I had my best swim time at 31 minutes dispite my timing chip coming off my ankle and someone on the boat trying to put it back on for me just as they started the countdown form 5. I had to pick my way through the backmarkers as well.
  • tomroomtomroom Posts: 33
    Swimming the full 1500m is very important but how you do it should be given a different emphasis at different times of year.



    At this time of year I would use it to learn about pacing. Work out you current 100m time from your PB and hold even splits. Just learning to swim it more efficiently should lead to big improvements. Also at this time of year you don't neccessarily want to be breaking your PB or even hitting it week in week out could be tough so maybe go off 100m +2/3 secs.



    Variety is very important not only mentally but physically. Doing the same session every week can get a bit soul destroying especially when your times start to plateau. This is why you need to vary your sets. The set recommended by Rew is a good example. Another one would be 20*100 trying to hold you 100m split for 1500m as your coming in time and going off +10/15 secs. This way you build the added endurance necessary to go faster and by breaking it up it gives you more time to concentrate on technique.



    As the season draws closer then I would shift the focus more to time trials, both 1500m and shorter distances.



    Tom

  • Hi,



    I started tri just over a year ago and at the beginning i couldn't swim more than 2 lengths without the need for a rest! As my breathing and fitness got better i gradually increased the distance over a period of about 6 months and was than able to swim 1500m with stopping in a time of about 40mins.



    After repeating this session after session i realised i wasn't getting any quicker, after a little advice i enrolled on swimming technique course which was run by the head coach of my tri club.This helped massively and i can now swim 1500m in under 30mins with 27mins being my PB.



    I now swim 3 per week:-



    Session 1. Drills and technique

    Session 2. Intervals/ speed work

    Session 3. Endurance



    these session rarely last any more than 45 mins.



    I strongly advise getting some coaching if at all possible rather than beasting yourself and seeing little improvement thus losing motivation.



    Hope this helps



    Lee
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