Challenge Zone Data Collection for 2014

[andyinnorway]

Well it seems I have to accept defeat on achieving a PB over any distance in 2013, despite knowing my swimming has improved technically considerably in the last 12 months.

In the middle of the year I swam very little and my form slipped back.

At the end of the year I'm knocking on the door of most of my best times for any given distance over 100m, so I feel optimistic and motivated to get in the water in 2014.

My focus for 2014 will be performance consistency so I have decided to measure how often I swim within a certain standard. I think this will have more value than looking for a single great swim in a year.

e.g. Instead of trying to swim 400m in 6.36 I will be measuring how many times in the year I can swim under 7 minutes. This should also make practices more engaging as points will also be available.

I am calling these times my 'challenge zone' targets. By setting them as roughly (perhaps exactly next year) as my best time for the last year plus 5% its also a system I can take into old age and still aim for higher scores with progressive years even as speed slows.

These are my challenge times

2014 sub 1:30 100m (0) sub 3:15 200m (0) sub 7:00 400m (0) sub 27:00 1500m (0) session total 2014 (0) metres swum 2014 (0)


and in italics are my estimates for how I might have score in 2013 if I had been keeping records. I've done a lot of swimming and made some improvements but I haven't consistently put myself in the 'challenge zone' so this is the goal for the next 12 months.

2014 sub 1:30 100m (6) sub 3:15 200m (2) sub 7:00 400m (4) sub 27:00 1500m (1) session total 2014 (?) metres swum 2014 (?)

[CoachSuzanne]

Originally Posted by andyinnorway

Well it seems I have to accept defeat on achieving a PB over any distance in 2013, despite knowing my swimming has improved technically considerably in the last 12 months.

In the middle of the year I swam very little and my form slipped back.

At the end of the year I'm knocking on the door of most of my best times for any given distance over 100m, so I feel optimistic and motivated to get in the water in 2014.

My focus for 2014 will be performance consistency so I have decided to measure how often I swim within a certain standard. I think this will have more value than looking for a single great swim in a year.

e.g. Instead of trying to swim 400m in 6.36 I will be measuring how many times in the year I can swim under 7 minutes. This should also make practices more engaging as points will also be available.

I am calling these times my 'challenge zone' targets. By setting them as roughly (perhaps exactly next year) as my best time for the last year plus 5% its also a system I can take into old age and still aim for higher scores with progressive years even as speed slows.

These are my challenge times

2014 sub 1:30 100m (0) sub 3:15 200m (0) sub 7:00 400m (0) sub 27:00 1500m (0) session total 2014 (0) metres swum 2014 (0)


and in italics are my estimates for how I might have score in 2013 if I had been keeping records. I've done a lot of swimming and made some improvements but I haven't consistently put myself in the 'challenge zone' so this is the goal for the next 12 months.

2014 sub 1:30 100m (6) sub 3:15 200m (2) sub 7:00 400m (4) sub 27:00 1500m (1) session total 2014 (?) metres swum 2014 (?)

Go swim an 800 for time!

[andyinnorway]

Originally Posted by CoachSuzanne

Go swim an 800 for time!

I put 800 in my signature a couple of years ago after you asked me to, but have never found the purpose of it between a 1500m time trial and 400m intervals.

no swimming this week as tiles are being cleaned until 30th. Christmas week is always good for running though, feels good to burn off the food excess.

[andyinnorway]

Challenge zone training looks promising after 3 sessions.

Session 1

3x600m technical
4x100m

first swim after 10 day xmas close down, the pool was lovely and clean but I was really slow 45-60s off pace on my 600's and 5-10s off pace for my 100's

After this swim I remembered why I should always do a tune up

Session 2
8x25 tune up
3x(2x200,1x400)

aiming for sub 3:20 and sub 7:00

I was only able to complete the first 5 intervals as the pool became unswimmable (I'm in Norway for the weekend) but I scored a point on all 5 intervals and matched my 2013 best times on 200 and 400

Session 3
8x25 tune up
10x100 (aiming for sub 1:30)

I scored 9 points here as I swam 8x1:27,1:31 and 1:30

one of my best swim sessions in a long time.

[andyinnorway]

session 4 and still making progress.

8x25 tune up. I use this to check my switch co-ordinations and full body connection. I also pick which grout line to follow up and down depending on the lane setup for the day and stick to that for the session.

4x400m - target swim them all under 7 minutes without a TT off 9 minutes.

6:54,6:39,6:45,6:45

this felt measured comfortable and consistent and my best interval was 8 seconds faster than anything i managed last year.

Challenge zone training could be something that suits my workout style.

[andyinnorway]

After a week off from swimming yesterday felt challenging but I managed to just hold my interval times, another benefit I think of having baseline targets.

8 lengths tune up
2x(200,200,400). I picked up 6 points, holding the 200's below 3:20 and the 400's below 7:00

My next session is 3x600m technical so I finished this session timing 50's of the different technical elements and was surprised how close the times were.

All 50m times

breathing every 4 strokes 45s
fast stroke rate 45s
open water sight every stroke 46s
long strokes 47s
left side breathing 47s
breast stroke 55s

since my target pace for the 600's is 53s/50m I now know if I relax more during the technical elements then my times will stay on target.

[andyinnorway]

today's session

8x25 tune up

3x600m technical drills/full stroke 5 minute rest inbetween each interval.

Today I found out what it feels like to miss a time by 1 second. For the second two intervals I learnt how it feels to swim a hard 100m at the end of a firm 500m :)

10:41
10.37
10.36

so 2 points not 3 for my chart but another point for completing the session as planned. I swam better technically in the tune up and the warm down than I managed in the longer intervals but I was significantly less out of breath after interval 3 than interval 2 so all in all a good effort for my least favorite (toughest) set.

4x25 @12/13SPL warm down.

[andyinnorway]

8x25m tune up, I like this and it's becoming a habit

8x100m aiming for sub 1:30

I missed interval 4 and 7 but made the others.

I probably should have swum some more intervals but that's tougher mentally?

hmmm

[andyinnorway]

an encouraging swim today.

2x(200,200,400)

my times had all improved since the last time I swam this set, my 200's were heading the faster side of 3:15 and my first 400 I did a technically solid 6:43
which is only about the 4th time I've swum under 6:45, and a couple of those were early on in my swimming training when lap counting was a bit suspect.

I did fail the task as 150m into my second 400 I had an overwhelming urge to eat breatkfast so I cut it short, swam a 4x25 warm down holding 12SPL and then went off to satisfy my hunger pains.

5 more points for this year's consistency tally though so very happy with that.

I realised today how marginal gains will add up over the course of a year of consistent training.

I aim to swim 3 times a week and to keep things simple have settled on 4 baseline sets which I swim on rotation.

This means that over the course of a year I might get to do today's set 3 times a month. If I improve my 200 time only 1/4 of a second each time, then over a year that equates to 12 seconds or a pace improvement of 6s/100m which would get me to my gold benchmark ambition of swimming a mile in 24 minutes in 3 years.

Historically I've been guilty of wanting to see multiple second improvements each time I repeat a session but I can see now I don't need to do that if I keep up the consistency and stay in the challenge zone.

Now I'm off to hunt for a battery powered red LED second counter I can have next to the pool lane, save me looking up at the wall clock every 50!!

[andyinnorway]

more good news today :)

8x25 warm up, 2x600m technical, 6x100 off 2:00, 4x25 12SPL

I pb'd my 600m technicals with a 10:26 and then I think 11:05 with a 650m miscount

my pace for the 2 minute send off 100's is moving consistently the faster side of 1:40 and I like to put in the 12SPL lengths at the end to check end of session flexibility.