 I am constantly amazed at the number of toys that people take to the pool. Kickboards, pull bouys, snorkels, weighted gloves, fist gloves, fins, and paddles abound. I have yet to figure out if I'm a purist or a novice. When I go for a swim, I take two things. Goggles and a towel. The towel is optional. But you should always know where your towel is.
There is, however, one training aid I do put to good use. As a fan of visualization, I love videos that show proper swim form. Drills make a great deal more sense when seen done properly. Having access to underwater views is particularly helpful. And five or ten minutes of video of a strong swimmer in the water, from different angles, provides valuable imagery for my own swim sessions.
Currently, I am using the Swim Smooth DVD set. Paul Newsome put together an outstanding video that breaks down the swim stroke to its component parts. Coaches and swimmers demonstrate drills designed to correct and improve each phase of the swim stroke. The videos are laid out in a manner that allows the user to select areas of weakness and focus on those specific drills.
The DVD also comes with a CD full of resources for training. Included on the CD is an 8-week training program designed for use with the videos. And for those who have yet to pick up the DVD set, Swim Smooth has a bunch of resources available on their website.
Their "Free Articles" page is loaded with information from breathing to efficient stroke to nutrition. One new item recently posted is a "10 Step Performance Checklist" that can be downloaded or printed. It provides a general guideline of steps to improved swimming as well as the drills that will help along the way. With or without the video, these resources are wonderful tools for anyone looking to make quantum leaps in the swim skills, this off season.
Take a peek at what Paul and crew at Swim Smooth have to offer. And check back during the month as I offer in-depth feedback on those areas that receive my attention.
 At the Spirit of Racine half-IM, Mr. Iron Wil made several of us feel like rock stars. He was all over the course taking pictures of his wife, and went above and beyond by providing pictures such as the one on the left. These are the type of pictures triathletes long for because they are difficult to find. It is an amazing shot, it was sent directly to me, and it was at full resolution.
And it somehow manages to make me look like I know what I'm doing in the water. That is no small feat. Perhaps that is because it's actually just AFTER I exited the water. And it's a still photo.
This morning was the first swim of the 30-day swim focus Bigun and I will be completing. My goal was to get a relatively big swim on the books while providing a baseline for gauging improvement. Though I generally use a thousand yard time trial, I used a 2053 yard swim, this morning. My average pace came out to 2:14/100 yards. Though better than last year, I still consider that a relatively low bar.
As in "Nobody is getting under this limbo bar, so don't even try" low.
Today's swim reminded me of the room for improvement when in comes to swimming. Because triathlon is about more than just cool photos. It's about cool photos that hide the fact that the just completed swim nearly killed me.
November is nearly here. That means it is time to get your feet wet. We all know the offseason is the time to focus on improving our skill in the various disciplines of triathlon. There are a lot of different programs out there, and using the advice of Coach Mike Ricci, I am once again focusing a 30 day period to becoming a better swimmer. While it is nearly impossible to dedicate most training time to a single discipline during the race season, the winter months provide the opportunity to intensify our training in weak areas.
This year, there is an added opportunity. In addition to making dramatic improvements in the swim, those who complete the 30 swim plan (okay, 26 as I'm sure we'll all miss one or two) stand to gain some schwag in the form of energy gels. The first five to let me know they will be participating (and to actually complete the swims) will receive five Power Gels. If there are fewer than five participants, the case of gels will be divided among those who do.
Now, to be fair to Bigun, he would really prefer that nobody else join us. At this point, he is the only one who has notified me of his intent to participate. As it stands, he will be up an entire case of Power Gel by the end of November. He stands to lose Bigun-time if anyone else signs up. So if you hear anything from him saying you SHOULDN'T attempt this, remember he is biased.
Whether you are currently swimming a maximum of 500 yards or you are making the transition from short to long course triathlons, you will benefit from a heavy focus on the swim. If you are struggling to shave time off your favorite swim distance, 30 days of intense swim training will give you the opportunity to improve your pace. If there are specific areas in need of improvement, such as bilateral breathing or balance in the water, 30 days of drills provides plenty of time for drills. And if you are looking to improve your aerobic base, 30 days of swimming will move you well along that path to greatly improved fitness.
If you are interested in joining us, let me know by posting a comment or via E-mail. The more the merrier. Well, unless you're Bigun. If you're Bigun, it's "Go away! Clydesdales need big schwag!"
 Before anything else in this post, I want to thank Mr. Iron Wil for the picture at the left, as well as a couple of the images in the current header of this site. Every time I see him at a race, he is everywhere taking pictures. And while his main obective is to get pictures of his wife, he does an amazing job catching incredible shots of others. This is one of several he sent from the Spirit of Racine Triathlon.
This race is very interesting because the swim is essentially a straight line point-to-point swim. Other than short legs from and back to shore, participants can see exactly what a 1.2 mile swim looks like, because it is basically the distance they walk to get to the swim start. Oddly enough, I would rather see the course that way than try to conceptualize the distance as lengths in a pool or laps in a race.
While swimming a a mile or two in the pool might be less demanding in terms of conditions, I would much rather be able to stare the distance in the face and prepare for the challenge. Though waves, water clarity, other swimmers, and current can all add up to one tough swim, it is easier than trying to visualize a "point" in space when swimming the same distance in the pool.
I got to relearn that lesson, this morning, on the second day of my first real week of training since I completed Ironman Louisville. After nearly two years of training (18 months of real training), swimming 1000 yards is old hat. But after a summer of racing in big water venues, long pool swims are especially challenging. Apparently, part of the recovery process is regaining a "love" of the pool. Tough, since I never really HAD a love of the pool.
Those of you looking to regain your "1000 yard stare" in the pool, feel free to join me in November as I once again undertake the "30 Day Swim Challenge." As I learned, last year, it is far easier to make huge gains swimming every day for a month than swimming 3-4 times a week for three months. To make things interesting, the first five people to join me AND confirm they completed the swims will receive a four pack of energy gels, one for each week of training (your choice Power Gel or Gu). It's not much, but it's better than a poke in the eye. And to be reasonable, we'll allow for four missed sessions, since I'm unlikely to make EVERY day, myself.
If desired, I'll figure out some way to post some generic swim workouts that can be adjusted based on ability. That way, we can all work off the same program. And after one month of swim training, I am confident that we'll all be better swimmers.
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