So when I started in this whole triathlon thing I wasn't exactly a competitive swimmer (and for the record I'm still not). I grew up on a lake and spent summer days "swimming". Well if you count doing cannonballs and dives off the springboard on our dock as swimming. Not the kind of swimming that makes you fast or efficient.
My first year in this sport (3 years ago) I was swimming 1-2 days a week and mostly in the lake because I hated the pool, to be fair I wasn't comfortable in the pool (I couldn't do flip turns..still can't). In my second year I didn't improve much but neither did my volume or focus on my form.
Last year I got a coach and my swimming world changed. Not because he was standing on the deck criticizing my every interval because he is in Canada and I'm not, but because he focused me. He focused me, focused me on every workout. Now I don't swim more times per week or significantly more per workout but my focus is deep. I now don't do a workout without a focus, every set, every interval, every lap and yes every length of the pool.
It's been a very simple recipe really, just break down the stroke in the pieces and focus on the little things and repeat many, many times. This is probably one of my strengths; the ability focus on the routine without becoming bored. This has served me well in the pool and in the evolution of my swimming and it has evolved. I have the ability to repeat a drill lap after lap after lap. The real break through has really only occurred recently as I have begun to put all those little pieces together at one time in my stroke and shazam I'm swimming faster.
A year ago I did a set of six 200's (2 x (3 x 200yds)) and I was estatic with a fastest interval of 2:53 and towards the end I was gasping for air and could only manage a 3:01. Today I did 10 200's (2 x (5 x 200)) the first set was supposed to be for pacing and the second set was suppossed to be for speed. Now I still don't fully get the the pacing thing in the water (although I'm getting better) unlike on the run if someone tells me to run 7:00/min mile pace I can pretty much go out and hit that without even the slightest hint (probably the 35,000 miles I've run in my lifetime). Now back to today's swim I got out hot in the first set but my intervals looked something like this 2:47, 2:48, 2:46, 2:48, 2:51, 2:45, 2:47, 2:48, 2:50, 2:51. That is improvement and the best thing about it was that except for the last 3 intervals these felt pretty controlled and comfortable and that control and comfort came from better, more efficent form born from focusing on the little things.
So what have I learned about improving your swim. Be patient, be focused and be consistent and improvement will come. I really can't wait to see what this seasons swim performances look like.
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