Feeling lost about how to train for speed

[lmonson]

Hi All,

I'm feeling lost about what training plan I should follow to improve my speed. I've been trying various things (tempo trainer progressions, maintaining stroke counts while adding repetitions, etc.) -- all taken from from the eBooks (and books) available here.

It is all seeming to be to no avail as, after a year, I'm no faster than I was. I've had some private TI lessons (from certified coaches), and my technique seems good, yet I consistently swim a mile in about 45 minutes, making me one of the last ones out of the lake on any given triathlon, and making me the but of various jokes about TI being a slow way to swim. My time in the pool is the same.

I believe in the TI system, and I'm not looking for instant speed. I just want to know that the plan I am following leads properly in the direction of speed. I don't care if the plan requires patience and builds slowly -- I'd almost prefer that, actually -- I just want to know I'm following a proper plan.

Is there any "official" plan or progression used to build speed?

Thanks for any advice, and I'm eager to answer any questions :)