can have 10 seconds rest; if you swim the 100m in 70 seconds you can have 20 seconds rest, and so on. Intervals must be set according to your current fi tness and what you are training for, and so will change as you improve. The surest way to improve your swimming technique and
fi tness is to swim frequently and regularly. Consistency is key. Swim as many times a week as you can, but don’t try to swim long sessions until you have the fi tness to swim properly throughout. It is better to swim fi ve times a week for 20-30 minutes than twice for an hour or more. Don’t do the same workout every time you swim. Again, a well- designed programme will split your time between technique work, endurance and speed. As well as consistency, you need patience. Improvements
rarely materialise overnight but need to be refi ned over months or even years. There’s no swimming equivalent to the saying: 'don’t try to run before you can walk', but the sentiment holds. You have to spend time on the foundations. Everyone is different. If someone comes to me who has a fear of water, it may take fi ve minutes or fi ve weeks to get over this fear. If you are not ready to move on, there is no point struggling with something too far beyond your current level.
WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE
Measure and monitor everything. Time the intervals, count your strokes, and always know how far you are swimming and have swum. I cannot emphasise enough the benefi ts you will see if you maintain a strict regime of measuring. The feedback will teach you when you are swimming well with good technique, and help you to judge when you are tired and should stop and rest. A super tool to help you measure is the aptly named ‘Pool- Mate’ watch, which can record laps, strokes per length, time and give you an ‘effi ciency rating’ for instantaneous feedback*.
surprise when I suddenly realised that I had surpassed my own expectations. From then on there was no stopping me, and the next session couldn’t come quickly enough for me to prove I could keep on improving.
“There were also early morning and evening open-water sessions at Heron Lake, Wraysbury, Middlesex, that some of us took part in for practice. To be so close to work geographically, and yet be swimming in such a calm beautiful lake was quite unreal.
“Later that summer I did the British Gas Great Salford swim in one hour and 12 seconds, which was just 12 seconds over my target but I wasn’t disappointed.
“Along the way I had encouraged yet another work colleague to swim, and he couldn’t believe how much he improved during the two months we trained together. He actually managed the swim in 38 minutes. “My next Great Swim is in June 2011 and I aim to take another 15 minutes off my time. I would seriously encourage anyone who has the slightest desire to do one of these events to just do it, and certainly to get on with some training. "The sense of achievement is indescribable and helps put other things into perspective. I always tell my 16-year-old daughter that she mustn’t think there is anything she can’t do, and I’ve proved it still holds true at my age.”
IT'S BETTER TO SWIM FIVE TIMES A WEEK FOR 20-30 MINUTES THAN TWICE FOR AN HOUR OR MORE
two of Rick’s training guide to conquering your fears, phobias and anxieties about open water swimming. ∆
*10% OFF POOL-MATE OFFER
Buy Swimovate’s PoolMate swimming watch through Rick’s website (
rickkiddle.com) using the code RKCPM001 and claim a 10 percent discount or write us a letter and have a chance to win one (see page 27)
Measuring and monitoring will also help keep you motivated, another vital component of success. Set goals to maintain your enthusiasm and to help you focus on the correct volumes and intensities of training. Monitor your progress against your goals. These can be short term, such as fi nding a coach, getting a programme to follow, completing your weekly sessions or setting some bench marks from which to gauge progress. Medium-term goals might be to achieve new speed or distance targets. Long-term goals might be to achieve a certain time or age-group position in a race, or to complete a specifi c swimming challenge. Finally, remember to swim because you love it. While pool swimming may not be to everyone’s taste, putting in the hours now will enhance your experience when you move back outside. Don’t forget to look out for the April issue of H2Open, for part
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