Shawn's post about saving the swimming for last in his aerobic conditioning lends me to tell a story about what I saw as a strange phenomenon in the triathlon I did last August.
I concentrated on running for the most part. I got real intense about the biking about 8 weeks before hand. The swimming, well, I went once a week for about 8 weeks, but I missed a couple weeks and if it hurt real bad I slowed down. What I realized is that this is what most people do. They didn't focus as much on the swimming. So here was my phenomenon. You know how they say the parts are not equal to the sum. Well my parts did not equal the sum. I finished 89 out of about 275 individuals (I leave out the teams because they are a bunch of cherry pickers). Well I didn't finish 89th or better in any single phase. Swim I was 117, Bike I was 94, and run I was 97. The person in 90th position was (I looked this up to make my point) 160 in the swim, 132 in the bike and 62 in the run, huh. So my belief is to do well in a triathlon you have to be proficient in all three without being a master in one.
Of course if you are a master in one, stop working so hard at that leg and improve another leg. You will lose a lot of energy by thinking you will limp through one leg. My bike suffered because I was not as prepared in the swim as I should have been.
Another point was a guy in my heat came out of the pool (no pool at the Mooseman, just 62 degrees of the cleanest lake in New Hampshire) like a minute after me. He blew by me on the bike like I was standing still. Then I blew by him on the run like he was standing still. I said something to him after the race. He said he was a biker and was trying triathlons and figured he could get by with his bicycling skills. He definitely said he wished he had run a little more.
You may not care about anything above, because you figure you just want to finish and don't have to compete, even so the swim will be miserable if you don't get some laps in.
3 comments:
Here is my current swim plan. We visited the 2nd Y last night. All that facility has is a large pool and locker rooms.
We figure we will join before the end of January as it saves us $200. Then we have 10 weeks before the next "program cycle" begins.
So we will try to build up enough endurance to join the "Triathlon Swimming Class".
Hopefully these coaches will have some great advice which I can pass on to everyone here.
As for the Jack of all Trades... I feel that is my profession but I call it "Master of Nothing!"
Am I right in thinking that swimming would actually be the best core strengthening workout of the 3?
I would say yes. Running & biking great aerobic, but lack upper body strength development. Swimming definately gives you the aerobic plus you use about every muscle. When training for the swim leg of the triathlon you want to breath more often then if you were just swimming. This makes it more aerobic, plus keeps your heart rate slower. Which is where you want to be when you get on the bike, rich in oxygen and slower heart beat.
Post a Comment