Where can my training take me?

By June 26, 2019Uncategorized

When someone asks me ‘do you think I can break x mins for y metres in the pool, in an OpenWater race or in a Triathlon’ I rarely say no. I can help provide the training and stroke improvements to get you there but you need to get to the pool, get your dryland shoulder strengthening done, stay healthy, rest well, eat well, slowly build volume and make sacrifices. By this I mean give stuff up to find time to do what you need to do.  Saying yes to you is the easy part but are you prepared to help answer your own question?

Impressions: I am writing this having just returned from Italy after another training camp. If you have not been on one it is a great mix of people from all walks of life coming together to swim. To swim further and faster then ever before perhaps, with better technique and to gain confidence in Openwater. Nervous laughter is apparent in the welcome meeting, some have not swum openwater before. This is going to take a great deal of courage and commitment for some. I observe and guess if the person is a Triathlete or OW swimmer, newcomer or experienced, masters swimmer or new to the sport. One of our swimmers, a most unassuming, down to earth, softly spoken Gentleman has just told me about his day job. Along with some other Physicists he is working in France to ‘create a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun and stars.’ 

Limitations:I am reminded not to judge a swimmer and their abilities from initial introductions and first impressions. I am also reminded not to judge what their limitations might be when it comes to their ambitions in the field of swimming. I am always amazed at how on these camps the lengths people go to finish sets, swim faster and learn more. Pushing themselves well beyond what might seem sensible! In the normal course of swim development and swim improvements what can be achieved? I have seen some amazing feats of endurance and events completed over the years. Levels of achievement from people of apparently limited ability, from people with injuries or disabilities to unfit, overweight, recovering from Stroke, DVT etc etc They have completed Ironman/The Channel and other events of amazing endurance. Working with the London Disability Swim Club leaves me mesmerized daily as to peoples achievements and the ability to keep coming back to the pool for more training. Shoulder pain? We can adapt swim strokes around that to an extent. Missing limbs? I have seen Butterfly swum and not be an issue.  Ironically for some thinking about target times for certain distances and events and whether or not they can achieve x time for a certain distance they don’t actually need to swim any faster then they do now. What I mean by this is for example the Triathlete looking to break an hour for the 3.8km swim. Many can hit the target 100m pace needed as a one off. The hard bit is then repeating this pace for the least energy expenditure and maximum propulsion 38 times. You don’t need to swim faster just avoid slowing down as fatigue sets in and technique starts to fail. You possibly can already swim fast enough to achieve what you want in our chosen event.

Commitment. This really is a two step process. In terms of committing to an event and committing to the training to complete the event. I am always saying get an event entered and the slight pressure that  process creates will help keep getting you to the pool/gym/out the door as appropriate. The hard part is probably typing in that first address/website, getting logged in and making a contract with yourself to then get the training done. Once you have that race date set and committed to, getting to the pool gets a lot easier but that is not the full story. I conducted an experiment this year after several people explained they had issues getting to one of our full swim courses I host. I allowed them the flexibility to drop in and pay per session, not ideal in terms of getting numbers balanced, coaches and lanes booked. This would also then create disruption at start of session as we would have to catch a few people up. They assured me it would be 1-2 sessions missed at the most. All 12 people I offered this to did not make it to a single session. This might have been a coincidence/illness or change of heart but if you also make a financial commitment to attend a course it probably will help. 

Psychology– be positive and attempt to set out and achieve great personal accomplishments. But don’t over achieve to the extent each training session or small race along the way is doomed. Set expectations sensibly. To break a world record, to win an Olympic Gold is to be the best on the Planet. Not just in your County or Nation but the sole single individual on the Planet. Thats asking a lot and I think as adults looking to improve we can put that to one side but I do hear some lofty ambitions being outlined.  Be realistic with what you set out to do or at least set intermediate goals that can be reached and ticked off slowly building a sense of pride and achievement. This time of the year I work with a lot of Triathletes who have entered their first Ironman. The sense of doom where the focus is on the all day event gets a lot of people down and deterred.  So late January or February you possibly are not going to be ready for an Ironman <or long distance swim, choose your event and level of dread here!> taking place in July. Focus on the sessions this week. Get them done, tick them off and focus on resting ahead of next weeks. Don’t let your imagination run away with you to race day too soon and be overwhelmed with how futile it seems now. You are not racing today. 

Training.More does not equal getting faster without appropriate breaks in training to absorb and improve. More does not necessarily mean better due to the technical nature of swimming. A 5mile run for the most part will be of more benefit then a 4mile run but a 2hour swim can easily be made to be less productive then a 1hour swim. Train appropriately, within a schedule that gradually takes you further, challenges you more but allows you to rest and absorb the training load. I can provide this in your quest to get you to your finish line but you will need to uphold the previous points to help me get you there. As a responsible coach I am not going to tell you something is not possible but it would be unfair if I did not point out the possible ramifications of proceeding against medical advice and what that might hold for a future sporting life ie might your career be cut short? Be responsible and sensible, help me to say yes to your objectives and we can work together to achieve them.

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