Running Brain.com

A length of a community high school or YMCA pool is usually 25 yards from one end to the other; a lap is 50 yards or two lengths.

1) Warm-up – 50 yards X 3, with rest as needed in between                                                 (Total 150)

2) Swimming “GOLF” – For 50 yards, count all arm strokes + time in seconds = GOLF score (Total 200)

3) Main set – 100 yards X 3 on 1:1 rest to swim ratio (you may have to start with 50's)              (Total 500)

4) Kick – 25 yards X 4 with rest as needed, preferably with no kick board                                   (Total 600)

5) Warm down – 50 yards slow X 3 with rest in between as needed                           (Total 750 yds.)

Takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

Your goal over time is to increase the main set distance to 200 yards and decrease the rest interval, then increase the main set distance to 300 yards X 3, etc. building up to main set of 400 yards X 3.

As your stroke improves, your GOLF score will decrease from a fair score of about 90 (45 strokes and 45 seconds for fifty yards), down to about 75 or less (35 strokes in 35 seconds to swim 50 yards or two lengths).

For the sprint distance, the race is 550 yards (500 meters) to 880 yards (800 meters). Being able to push off the wall makes this distance easier in the pool. To be ready, you need to be able to swim about 200 yards further than your sprint distance swim, with no rest as a minimum goal. During the sprint triathlon season, I swim three times a week. A one-mile swim in about 28 minutes, a half-mile time trial going for a goal of 12 to 13 minutes, and an interval session of 10X100 on a two minute interval. For an 800 meter swim, 12 or 13 minutes puts you in the top 10% at many local sprint triathlons.

You can learn a lot about stroke technique by going to You Tube and searching for "Total Immersion Swimming".

I used the Total Immersion swimming technique to reduce my strokes per length to about twelve to fourteen. Most people use 25 or more strokes per length and can swim fifty yards in about a minute (=Golf score of 25+25+60 or 110). An efficient swimmer can use 15 strokes per length and still cover fifty yards in 35 seconds (= Golf score of 15+15+35 or 65).