Today I went to the pool to test out bilateral breathing, as well as to get a good long swim in. Up till this point, swimming has been somewhat of an afterthought, with little structure to any sort of training. Part of this is because I've been focusing more on the run - but part of it is also because it just takes me time to formulate even a loose training plan to follow.
I've spent some good time in the endless pool, and have come to the conclusion that it is useful in very focused applications. First, it keeps the arms moving, so at the very least it is better than not swimming at all. Second, it is good for form and mechanics practice. However, there is a big difference between simply overcoming a counter current vs having to actually propel yourself. For this reason, I think I'm going to have to supplement endless pool swimming with the real thing on a more frequent basis.
However, that more frequent basis may not be until the winter - when my running training concentration will have subsided and I can begin to focus on swimming and cycling. In the mean time, however, I can start to piece together what works for me as a swimming training plan.
When I started out today, the bilateral swimming was working ok. Unfortunately, it didn't take more then about 150 yds for me to start getting out of breath - the extra half stroke was becoming a bit too long for my current level of conditioning. Unsure whether I'd be better off just sucking it up, or reverting to my old breathing - and not really having the time to fully think it through, I decided to continue using my old breathing method. My reasoning was that if I don't have the aerobic capacity for bilateral breathing, maybe I should work on aerobic capacity first.
Time HR (avg) distance
00:00:50 50 yds
0:01:39 135 100 yds
0:06:24 153 350 yds
0:03:36 154 200 yds
0:15:31 160 800 yds
0:00:44 136 end 50 yds
0:00:44 164 end 50 yds
0:00:46 160 end 50 yds
0:00:46 169 end 50 yds
0:07:51 158 400 yds
0:00:45 121 end 50 yds
0:00:50 163 end 50 yds
0:00:47 154 end 50 yds
0:00:48 166 end 50 yds
0:08:04 147 400 yds
After the 800 yd portion, I needed to vary up the routine a bit, so I did a few 50 yd sprints. For these, the HR information is more valuable showing what it was at the end of the period. After 4 x 50yd sprints and some rest, I did another 400 yds continuous. This routine of 50 yd sprints followed by 400 yds continuous at a slower pace was repeated twice.
Total distance was 2700 yds, which is about 1.5 miles. It is the longest distance swimming session I've had since high school, by quite a margin - so I'm rather happy about that.
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