As I mentioned previously I’m competing in two triathlons this summer. For most competitors, their weakest event in a triathlon is the swim. I’m actually not a terrible swimmer, I’d say I’m decent. But it is definitely something I need to practice. I’m not very fast but I do have a good stroke and I’m excellent at pacing myself. Even if you’re not doing a triathlon, swimming is great exercise for you and very good cross training especially if you’re a long distance runner.
Here is a swim workout I do usually once a week: (1 lap=25 yards)
4X25 freestyle (focusing on form)
4X25 pull buoy between legs (working arms without legs/kick)
1×25 speed (as fast as you can)
1×25 kickboard (leisurely cooldown post speed lap)
1×25 speed
1×25 kickboard
4×25 sighting (in open water you cannot see the bottom of the water so you need to “sight” where you are in the water frequently- it’s actually a lot harder than it sounds to do while maintaining form and speed).
(Repeat 2-3x).
I usually do this work at least twice but feel free to do whatever feels comfortable for you. Also its important to have a basic skill level of swimming before jumping into the pool and swimming laps. Saturday is race day!!