ASK THE DON & READER Q&A
Any tips for making pool swimming more fun? If I knew I was doing The Don’s sessions, it’d be a lot more bearable!
The tri legend on how to make pool training enjoyable. Plus, expert advice on post-pregnancy performance, carbon quality, swim kicks and hydration
Come on, Katie, swimming is not that bad, really! I mean, it is one third of a triathlon and I always say you can’t win a race in the swim but you can certainly lose it.
I get that you’re not a fan of, maybe, pool swimming and if you try and swim in public pools in an open swim session, oh my, it’s tough! Pool etiquette is not really the best, everyone wants to swim in the fast lane and it’s near-on impossible to get a quality session in while you’re pushing off the wall at the same time as someone tumble turning!
JOIN A SQUAD
But the best thing to do, in my opinion, is to join a squad. If not attending a few times a week then at least once a week, or try and meet up with a few friends to get a session done together. If you turn up to a pool session with a clearly defined purpose, it makes following the black line a lot more fun – trust me. You’ll also feel like you’re really getting something out of the session.
MY FAVOURITE SESSIONS
Here’s a couple of classic sessions that I’ve been doing for well over 20 years (yikes!). This one’s from an Aussie swim coach I swam with in the 90s, simple (ish) but effective:
400-600m warm-up, mixed strokes 4 x 25m as: 12.5m fast, 12.5m easy; 15secs rest 100m easy 16 x 50m with 10secs rest every 4th 50m 12 x 50m with 15secs rest every 3rd 50m 8 x 50m with 20secs rest every 2nd 50m 4 x 50m, 30secs rest 200-400m easy
Another classic: 400m swim 300m pull 200m kick – not my favourite! 100m, build every 25m 20-30secs rest 12 x 25m (three fast, one easy), 15secs rest 100m easy 18 x 100m with 10-15secs rest after each 100m, descend 1-3 x 6 from easy to race pace 200m easy cool-down
DO THE DRILL WORK
I’d also suggest working on drills. You can be as fit as a fiddle but go nowhere fast wasting a lot of energy thrashing around, but drills are so specific for the individual depending on your weakness within your stroke. If you can, get in an endless pool with a specific swim coach and get it filmed. Okay, yeah it might cost a few bucks (approx. £100), but if you weigh it up that’s not as much as a deep-rim wheel and it really can have such a positive impact on your stroke, efficiency and, ultimately, your race-day performance.
And/or check out Mr Smooth [on YouTube and via an app from swim coach specialists www.swimsmooth. com] and his swim stroke online, get your mates to film you to see what type of swimmer you are and look at drills that can help you improve your stroke.
It’s all about breaking it down and really focusing on the process. Don’t just see swimming as the pain you need to endure before you get to the bike and run. As it’s the most technical of the three sports, you can make some great gains by working hard and implementing the changes required.
GET OUTSIDE ASAP
It’s an obvious one, but when the weather gets warmer get outside as soon as you can for some open-water swimming. It’s no good being a good pool swimmer if you can’t transfer it to the open water. Also swim in your wetsuit at least every 2-4 weeks, even in the pool as your body sits differently in the water and the feeling is so different – train like you race!
OPEN YOUR MIND
Swimming is a tough sport to master but by opening up your mind to that process over the winter, and in such a controlled environment, you can really make big gains. Gains which will have a massive knock-on effect for your bike and run, as you’ll come out of the water fresher, faster and not having used as many matches. So, embrace the swim!
Need some advice from The Don? Send an email to askthedon@220triathlon.com