Training Day #24

Yet another swim day! Todays’ swim workout was very similar to Monday’s workout. The planned training was “Tech Swim.” The routine started with a mixed swim of 200 meters to get warmed up. I began with the basic freestyle swim with no paddles for 50 meters. Then I moved into sidestrokes (apple pickers) for 25 meters on each side. I then grabbed a kickboard and practice kicking for 50 meters. I use a freestyle stroke now and then to keep me moving at a little quicker pace. I am plodding when it comes to just using the kickboard. After the kickboard, I did about 50 meters of the freestyle swim and focused on kick rhythm.

After the warm-up, I did the “Tech” part of the routine. First, I swam two 25 meter laps at a fast pace with a 30-second rest in between each 25-meter lap. Then I swam one 75 meter lap at a quick but consistent rate. At the end of the last lap, I rested for one minute before starting over.  This was one repetition that I completed three times.

The second part of the workout was a 150-meter freestyle swim. The main focus was to swim continuously for the duration. I took this opportunity to practice the underwater flip turns. The purpose of this is to help stop wasted energy from stopping at the side of the pool to turn and push off again. The first time flip turn was terrible. I got disoriented for a second and a lot of water when right up my nose. It was uncomfortable! However, as I continue to practice, the better I got! Minor improvements are all that matters!

Overall, it was a good workout! Every day I spend in the pool, the more confident I am. Tomorrow is a rest day!!

Key Learning Points:

1. Focusing on the kick rapidly increased my speed!
2. Water will go up your nose during a flip turn if you don’t breathe out!