Set of the Week - January 19, 2007

 Our Set of the Week is a distance freestyle set. Go Swim!

Why Do It:
1. This set allows everyone on the team -- all lanes -- to go on the same sendoff. This is good for building team unity and awareness.
2. The set builds mental toughness as well as physical toughness.
3. The set builds in intensity and in what it asks of the swimmer.
4. The set builds confidence that you can hang in there and go the distance. It's a great prep set for the USMS One-Hour Swim, for distance freestyle events, and for triathlon training.
5. The set plays out a little differently for each ability level. For elite and advanced swimmers, it demands more speed even as distance increases and rest interval decreases. For intermediate-level swimmers (most triathletes will fall into this group), it demands that you hold an even pace, even as distance and fatigue increase. And for beginners, it is challenging but not crushing (especially if they wear fins, which is OK).
6. The set sneaks up on you. :)

Black & White:
Choose your level from the four choices below. The number on the left is the distance. The middle number is your sendoff. The number in parentheses is the pace you need to swim to JUST make the sendoff. (Credit goes to Glenn for the elite-level set, which we then modified for Masters and age-group swimmers.)

Elite Level: 2100
100 on 2:00 sendoff (2:00 pace)
200 on 3 (1:30)
300 on 4 (1:20)
400 on 5 (1:15)
500 on 6 (1:12)
600 on 7 (1:10)
700 on 8 (1:08.5)

Fast Level: 2150
50 on 2:00 sendoff (4:00 pace)
100 on 3 (3:00 pace)
200 on 4 (2:00 pace)
300 on 5 (1:40 pace)
400 on 6 (1:30 pace)
500 on 7 (1:23 pace)
600 on 8 (1:20 pace)

Intermediate Level: 1650
50 on 2:00 sendoff (4:00 pace)
100 on 3 (3:00 pace)
200 on 4 (2:00 pace)
250 on 5 (2:00 pace)
300 on 6 (2:00 pace)
350 on 7 (2:00 pace)
400 on 8 (2:00 pace)

Beginner Level: 1400
50 on 2:00 sendoff (4:00 pace)
100 on 3 (3:00 pace)
150 on 4 (2:40 pace)
200 on 5 (2:30 pace)
250 on 6 (2:25 pace)
300 on 7 (2:20 pace)
350 on 8 (2:17 pace)

Technicolor:
Swim as far up the ladder as you can go. Everything is your choice of stroke, so long as you can make the sendoff. When you can�t make the sendoff, stop and cheer on your lanemates. Make sure each lane starts at the same time. And don't lose count!

Bells & Whistles:
Try doing the set with a Tempo Trainer and/or a Center-Mount Snorkel.

How It Plays Out:
You will have so much rest on the first few swims that you won't know what to do. Age groupers will usually spend the extra time talking to each other. Masters will usually be a little more quiet, calculating how soon the hammer will drop and wondering how bad it will be.

One Masters swimmer summed it up when she finished: "That was so tough...and just what I needed. Thanks, coach."

Have fun!