HARD swim workout
This morning's swim workout was tough. Well, at least one set in the workout was REALLY tough. Typical warm-ups recently have been 3x300 (swim, kick, pull). Today it was 5x300 as follows:
2x300 (alt. swim 25, kick 25)
3x300 swim descending
After that we did some serious kicking:
600 kick (alt. easy 25, hard 25)
450 kick (alt. hard 50, easy 25 )
But then came the butt-kicking. Mitch said there is a thousand different ways to accomplish the same result. I'm not sure if the intended result for this set was to help increase speed or to guarantee puking at the end of it. The set was 6x150 swimming hard for 75, taking a ten second break, then swimming a harder 50 followed by another ten second break, and then swimming all out for 25. These were to be done on the 4. I ended up doing 5x150, with a 50 sprinkled in the middle when I had to take a bathroom break. Would be interesting to see what my heart rate was during that bathroom break because it came after the 3rd 150. I was breathing hard.
I cooled down with a quick 100 yard swim.
Total yardage was about 3450.
I appreciate doing the fast stuff, but towards the end of those sets, I wonder how much good is being done. My form tends to fly out the window and I'm just doing whatever I can to do the set. I try to focus on lengthening the stroke and kicking harder, but that lasts only so long. Then come the doubts and me wondering what the heck i'm doing to myself.
Overall, it was a good workout. In order to improve, I will need to push myself. Swimming in a group with a coach ensures that I will push myself.