I often get the question, "How do I train in open water for distance?  What do I do?" I like to think of training in open water as similar to training in a pool. Of course it varies depending on the time of year and what you're training for, but the general outline goes something like this: warm-up, drill set, kick set, warm-up set, main set 1, easy swim, main set 2 (maybe), easy swim, timed sprints or X distance(s), cool down. Since I just wrote an article about this called "How Do I Train To Swim Faster In My Races" I won't get too detailed here. Instead I'll just give you another sample workout. Below is what I did the other day (July 27), which I would call a "moderate effort" workout in preparation for a 5k race in about a month.

There are many factors involved with swimming faster, both in competition and in practice (e.g. form, rest, hydration, nutrition, training schedule, warming up etc.) but the answer to the "train for race" question is simple: you have to swim faster in practice in order to go faster in competition. Seems pretty obvious to me, but I hear this a lot so I guess it isn't. But if you think about running, clearly a sprinter needs to sprint in practice to become faster, a distance runner needs to do longer intervals at higher levels of effort etc. in order to become faster. It's no different in swimming:  at some point in your training you actually have to "work", huff and puff, hurt a little (or a lot) and really push yourself in order to get faster. Puking is ok too, just like training for anything else (please, though, no dairy products before practice and please hurl your lunch in the gutter!).

Efficient Swim Training for Grown-Up Triathletes Who Have Jobs, Spouses & Children

Swimming is a practice-intensive (by necessity) sport and there is NO WAY around that and NO MAGIC SYSTEM for quick results! Please do not waste your money on products that make claims that sound too good to be true.  They are. However, if you are time-strapped you can improve your swimming by practicing intelligently. To do so you need the following:

Wow, adult triathletes can be such an argumentative lot!  I consider myself a former great swimmer and a very average runner. If I asked a great runner for advice on my technique and paid that person, why on Earth would I then argue the answers? I don't get it! So I'm kind of ornery today because I keep hearing the same stuff, and some of it is downright wacky! And I have to engage in these strange arguments about things that I obviously know a lot more about than the average person (swimming, for example). For the record, I do NOT like Total Immersion, although there is some overlap in that program and in how I teach. There is some overlap in how EVERY coach teaches with the TI program, because we are talking about the same thing: shipbuilding and how to build an efficient craft. There aren't all that many different designs that work. And no, they (TI) did not invent it! None of this stuff is new, but marketing methods are so good now. Shoot, that guy could sell sand to Egyptians and they'd buy it!

Boy, we must have been really suffering a serious case of the February "blahs"! Be forewarned:  the actions described in this article may not be endorsed by the Running Fit establishment (or any sane person, for that matter).  But we did it, and we're tougher for it!  And what, this "It"? Why, going swimming in the Huron River, of course! Thirty five degrees--no problem!

I get this question all the time from my beginner to intermediate level swimmers, pertaining to swimming freestyle: "Christi, I have such a hard time breathing. It seems like I can never get enough air.  Do you have any tips for how to make it easier to breathe?"

Yes, I do! Several in fact.  The first thing: realize and accept that you are swimming, not running or anything else, and you can't just breathe whenever you want.

Second: Hold your breath! What? Yes, hold your breath. Holding your breath will make your swimming breathing easier! Read on. . .

TRAIN

Yes, it's true. I really do love the Endless Pool! Now that I've had the opportunity to use it a lot and put it through some seriously hard paces, I'm really seeing its value in several important ways: first, it's a great way to train: swim easy, swim hard, work on your kick, do short sprints, long pulling sets, drills, drills and. . . did I mention drills?

Now that people are starting to really get serious about their training, or are starting to formulate their training plans for the upcoming season, they are also starting to buy equipment. Everyone at RF truly does care that you are pleased with your stuff and that you get the RIGHT stuff, regardless of sport. I was very glad to have had considerable input in the order of swim training gear and accessories that arrived here at RF-West. We have the complete kit--everything you need--in the Novi and Ann Arbor-West stores, and it's GOOD!

Today I'm going to talk about just one very important piece of gear: fins. Fins? Yes, fins.

An excerpt from a definition:

". . . by incorporating "purpose" to complement "function", where function is 'full spectrum work in multiple planes using multiple joints including full range of motion that is proprioceptively demanding. . .”   ACK!  ENOUGH!!

Tall talk and academic rumination don’t make champions.  (Blah, blah, blah, just get in the pool already!)  And as for what you should and shouldn’t do, well--the list is endless and often confusing.  The correct answer to how to train with purpose and attain success begins with simple steps: