Main Set Wednesday - March 21, 2012

Trying to convince people to plan for what's to come is sometimes tricky.  Today was no different than yesterday... almost like a theme is building.  Going to have to mix things up a bit more tomorrow.

This set is a mind set, it requires planning, and constant attention to what you're doing.  Unless you've been counting strokes for years, and know the clock like the back of your hand, this set can prove quite daunting.  If that's the case, spot check your stroke count every once in a while, and make sure you remember what your goal times are prior to increasing any of the distances.

Main Set (Short Course Yards):

 - 10 x 25 on :30 - count your strokes and find a very comfortable count that you could hold all day.
 - 10 x 25 on :30 - maintain the stroke count you just found, only this time get your times, and come up with a comfortable pace.
 - 10 x 50 on :50 - now you'll need to maintain the stroke count, and the 50 should be twice the time of the 25... maintaining pace.
 - 10 x 75 on 1:15 - same stroke count, same pace... it's about here you're thinking... maybe that first pace wasn't quite comfortable enough.
 - 10 x 100 on 1:30 - yep... same stroke count, same pace.  All of the sudden, this nice, smooth, easy set became brutal.  Enjoy.

The goal of sets like this, and yesterday's is to awaken everyone to the planning of how they swim a practice, the understanding of what their real pace is, and to learn how to back load a race or workout.  Especially as we get older, making sure you don't attack the front part of a race, or a workout like you're 12 can be a much more enjoyable experience.

The comments here are intended for masters swimmers.  If you are 12... forget everything said and go for it! :)