Main Set Wednesday - February 1, 2012

Well... the water was freezing, so sometimes you have to abandon a regular workout plan, and improvise to keep people moving.

Active rest RULES!

One way to keep people moving, while giving them rest, is to not let them touch the wall on a finish or push off.  Turns in to a long set, but the comments after the practice were, "That went fast", "That worked well", and "How did you know the water was cold?"  I answered the final question by alluding so a mystical power that all coaches have in these things.  The toe!

Anyway, here's the set, and the group did a nice job.

Short Course Yards:
The interval was fairly easy, allowing the swimmer to decide if they swam fast for more "active rest" time, or swam smooth for less "active rest" time.

Active Rest in this workout means, that on the start of each swim, and the finish of each swim, you don't touch the wall.  You're allowed to stop at any spot inside the flags and tread water.  It's suggested that the hands are held out of the water, but if they need to go under, that's OK too.  Also, no touching the lane lines or walls.  You get all your turns during the swims, you just have to practice and open water start, and an age-grouper finish (the kind where kids get close to the wall, but never actually finish... you know the ones).

• 10 x 100 on 1:30 - active rest between swims
• 6 x 150 on 2:15 - active rest between swims
• 4 x 200 on 3:00 - active rest between swims

Pretty much, this is a 40 some minute straight swim.  The effort sneaks up on you because it's not so intense... you just never stop.

Enjoy.