Psuedo Friday Freestyle

[wawa]

It's the day before a holiday...it's like a friday, right?

I'm posting because I was searching for training plans to help me build up my swimming to my currently scheduled races (I've hit the point where I'm pretty sure I won't drown, now trying to figure out how to train to a race) and I found one that i cannot interpret to save my life.

www.trutrisports.com/swim-training/

Specifically this:

Workout 1 – Interval Swim

Olympic Distance Triathletes – complete 4 x (150 + 2 x 50)
1/2 Ironman Distance Triathletes – complete 4 x (250 + 2 x 50)
Ironman Distance Triathletes – complete 4 x (400 + 2 x 100)

It is important that you calculate your average time per leg from week one. You will use it in the interval training of week 2.

Here is how it works. You take your average time per leg from week 1 and round up to the nearest minute. For example, if your average time was 2:40 from week one, you will add :20 seconds to make your time 3:00 minutes. You will swim the first part of the workout in that time. Olympic Distance Triathletes would swim four 150 meter legs, 2 minutes each leg. The same goes for the other athlete categories. Once you complete this portion of the workout, you will then swim the last two legs with a minute rest between each leg. The time to complete each of the additional legs is only 1 minute.

The average time from week one part  is simple- that was a 10x100 workout with 10 seconds rest.  They wanted you to take your total time and subtract 90 seconds and divide by 10.  Easy.  The green part is where they totally lose me.  So if my time I calculated is 3:00 minutes, why do I only get 2:00 to do each 150?  Also...if it takes me 2:40 to do 100, in what universe can I do 150 in 2:00?  And am I doing 150 and then 50 and then 50 and repeating that 4 times, or am I doing 150x4 and then two 50's?  Because what that notation says to me is the first, but the text says the second.

The notation in the subsequent weeks does not clarify the situation.

Week 3

Workout 1 – Interval Swim

Olympic Distance Triathlete – 4x(100-3×50)
1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete – 4x(200-3×50)
Ironman Distance Triathlete – 4x(300-3×100)

Much like the week 2 workout, but the number of legs increases. Using the same average leg time and rounding up to the nearest minute. Once you complete this portion of the workout, you will then swim the last two legs with a minute rest between each leg. The time to complete each of the additional legs is only 1 minute.

Week 4

Workout 1 – Interval Swim

Olympic Distance Triathlete – 4x(4×50)
1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete – 4x(150 + 4×50)
Ironman Distance Triathlete – 4x(200 + 4×100)

Much like the week 3 workout, but the number of legs increases. Using the same average leg time and rounding up to the nearest minute. Once you complete this portion of the workout, you will then swim the last two legs with a minute rest between each leg. The time to complete each of the additional legs is only 1 minute.

Are there typos in there or does this actually make sense to people who aren't me?

[schrodinger]

That's poorly written. It seems like it would favor people that are in the X:01-X:15 average pace, and penalize people in the X:30-X:00 range. These workouts would be entirely aerobic or anaerobic depending on whether your time per hundred was 1:59 or 2:01, so which is it?

[bostonmichelle]

That is very confusing.

I did my first open water swim yesterday. I didn't have a panic attack in the water and therefore didn't drown!

[mrs.jacinthe]

That is poorly written. First, I take it as completing that entire series four times. So, 150, 50, 50 repeated four times. However, the later paragraph seems to indicate 150x4 on an interval, then two 50s.

As for the times, I think they just typoed on the timing. So, take your calculated 100 time from the last swim and round up to the nearest minute. If that was 2:40, then you are attempting your 150 in 3:00. This is silly. I'd just add a minute regardless. The 50s are on a minute with a minute rest.

This is what happens when non-swimmers write swim workouts.

What is your goal and how many weeks? I'll write you a training plan that is comprehensible.

[wawa]

Jul 4, 2017 11:02:19 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

That is poorly written. First, I take it as completing that entire series four times. So, 150, 50, 50 repeated four times. However, the later paragraph seems to indicate 150x4 on an interval, then two 50s.

As for the times, I think they just typoed on the timing. So, take your calculated 100 time from the last swim and round up to the nearest minute. If that was 2:40, then you are attempting your 150 in 3:00. This is silly. I'd just add a minute regardless. The 50s are on a minute with a minute rest.

This is what happens when non-swimmers write swim workouts.

What is your goal and how many weeks? I'll write you a training plan that is comprehensible.

Lol, I'm glad I'm not just stupid.
If you are willing to help I'd be eternally grateful.

It's 6 weeks to a 1k (sprint tri) and then another 6 to the 1500 (oly) In a perfect world I'd be holding a 2:00 pace for each, but that feels like a stretch. Maybe. Do you need additional details?

[mrs.jacinthe]

Jul 4, 2017 16:23:15 GMT -5 wawa said:

Jul 4, 2017 11:02:19 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

That is poorly written. First, I take it as completing that entire series four times. So, 150, 50, 50 repeated four times. However, the later paragraph seems to indicate 150x4 on an interval, then two 50s.

As for the times, I think they just typoed on the timing. So, take your calculated 100 time from the last swim and round up to the nearest minute. If that was 2:40, then you are attempting your 150 in 3:00. This is silly. I'd just add a minute regardless. The 50s are on a minute with a minute rest.

This is what happens when non-swimmers write swim workouts.

What is your goal and how many weeks? I'll write you a training plan that is comprehensible.

Lol, I'm glad I'm not just stupid.
If you are willing to help I'd be eternally grateful.

It's 6 weeks to a 1k (sprint tri) and then another 6 to the 1500 (oly) In a perfect world I'd be holding a 2:00 pace for each, but that feels like a stretch. Maybe. Do you need additional details?

Ok, so your current pace is a 2:00 100? Does that give you any rest at all or are you dead on at 2:00?

Do you have a time goal for these?
How many days/week are you swimming?
What is your weakness?

[Deleted]

Wow - that is mega confusing. Also, not everyone got a holiday this week
In order to build up speed, I have done some drills and whatnot, but honestly, my speed has naturally increased the more time I have spent swimming. Last year when I started, I couldn't do more than 2 laps front crawl (freestyle you guys call it) and my average time was 3:00/100m. This year, applying some effort, it's closer to 2:00/100m. The thing that has helped me the most is to focus on my stroke and bilateral breathing.
Also, a group session that focuses on OWS techniques where you swim in close proximity and draft has been hugely beneficial.

[wawa]

Jul 5, 2017 2:09:48 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Jul 4, 2017 16:23:15 GMT -5 wawa said:

Lol, I'm glad I'm not just stupid.
If you are willing to help I'd be eternally grateful.

It's 6 weeks to a 1k (sprint tri) and then another 6 to the 1500 (oly) In a perfect world I'd be holding a 2:00 pace for each, but that feels like a stretch. Maybe. Do you need additional details?

Ok, so your current pace is a 2:00 100? Does that give you any rest at all or are you dead on at 2:00?

Do you have a time goal for these?
How many days/week are you swimming?
What is your weakness?

Depends on the day - on a good day I can come in at 1:50 steadily, but on a slow day I'll be hitting it dead on.  Open water practice (up to 700m) with some plus or minus on the measurements I've been around 2:10.   The sprint earlier this year I did my watch says it was .5 miles, the course map says .35 - so depending on how far I actually swam I was somewhere between 1:46 and 2:32 (but that was with a strong current).  My settle in for a long straight swim pace has held steady around 2:20 for a while now.  (I just spent way too long looking at my workout history)

I don't have a real time goal for either swim.  They're both new distances for me, so I don't have a great sense of what to expect.  I suppose once we get out for an open water practice for the longer distance I'll have a better idea.  the oly has a 1 hour cutoff on the swim, but I can't imagine that's going to be an issue.  I just want to know that I did the best I could do with my training within my constraints and right now I feel super aimless.

I swim minimum one weekday and one weekend day.  Weekday is always in the pool, weekend day depends on weather and other plans, but it sometimes open water and sometimes in the pool.  I've been contemplating adding a 2nd weekday pool day.

My weakness...I care too much.  No, wait, this isn't an interview. 
Uhhh...I'm not sure I know enough to identify where I'm weak at this.  I always try to do at least a few sets either bilateral breathing or breathing on my weak side, but I pretty heavily favor my left side and I suspect some imbalance related to that is why I pull hard left in open water.  I feel like I only have two speeds - as fast as I can go and my swimming equivalent of a walk and there's not that much speed difference between them.  Oh and my kick is weak AF (I dread kick drills.  haaaaaaate.  I am sooooo sloooooow) but I figure this is for triathlons so that's a pretty low priority, right?  I have no idea if any of that answered the question...

[mrs.jacinthe]

Ok, I'm working on this now, give me a day or so.