Tri-ing to be...a Swimmer?

Last week I decided that I would try something different with my swimming.  I've been working on the basics for years now, and after trying out that Masters class last year, I knew that a true swim workout would give me more to focus on than just how many laps I was swimming.  I searched on the ol' Google, and ended up with a simple plan from USA Triathlon.

I wrote out the workout, taped it to my water bottle, and headed off to the pool feeling like a real swimmer.

Watch out, y'all.

HERE IS THE BREAKDOWN.

Warm Up 5x100 with 10-20 second rest

What it means:  Swim 100 yards (2 laps), rest 10-20 seconds, repeat 4 more times.
The goal:  Get the blood moving through the muscles and loosen up the joints to get ready for the workout.
How I did:  I warmed up.

Typically, that's about half my regular swim workout.

Form drill 6x50 with 20-30 second rest

What it means:  Swim 50 yards (1 lap), rest 20-30 seconds, repeat 5 more times.
The goal:  Improve technique which will lead to faster swimming
How I did:  Since I have no idea how my form is, I just went with the usual swimming deal: move my shoulders, kick from my hips, work on bilateral breathing...and then essentially forget everything as I try to concentrate on it all.

While working on said form, I got whacked mid-thigh by another swimmer...who was not even in my lane!

I wasn't even mad, I was impressed.

Main set 10x100 higher effort than steady swimming with 10-30 second rest

What it means:  Swim 100 yards at near lactate threshold, rest 10-30 seconds, repeat 9 more times.
The goal: Increase effort to 90 percent maximum range.  In other words, swim as hard and as fast as possible without drowning.
How I did:  I did not drown.

I was like an iceberg: lots going on under the surface but barely anything to see from above.

The further I got into my set, the more I struggled to keep track of my laps.  I had to calculate how many total laps I would be at once I was done with the set, including the warm up and drill.  Then I had to look at my watch to see how many laps I had actually done, and figure out how many were left.

I don't do math well at the best of times.  This was not the best of times.

Kick drill 1x100 kicking

What it means:  Kick only, I assumed with a kick board.
The goal:  Don't ignore kicking.
How I did:  I may or may not have totally cheated on this and scissor-kicked a bunch of times to get to the end.

Kicking is hard.

Cool down 1x100 easy swim

What it means:  Swim as effortlessly as possible.
The goal:  Cool down.
How I did: This was very interesting as my body felt pretty floaty, but otherwise it was just a normal couple of laps.

At the end of it all I had swum 1950 yards, or 1.107955 miles (I looked it up). Which is a lot for me.

And it took me an hour.

So, who knows some good swim workouts for someone who only wants to do front crawl/freestyle??

UPCOMING POSTS: YOGA, RUNNING, MORE RUNNING