Swim: Back in the Pool (2900 yards)

Got back in the pool at the local YMCA in Stratford yesterday.  This was my first actual pool swim since quarantine started.  COVID-19 kept me out of the water for twelve weeks, from late March to mid-June, but I've been swimming in open water since the water itself got warm enough.  That's given me six weeks of work but not a lot of training at tempo.

With my buddy Dave after a 3.25-mile open water swim last Saturday.

Alas, the coronavirus has made Connecticut really strict about swimming rules.  I had to reserve a time at my local YMCA, and they held me to a strict 45-minute time limit.  It was therefore important to go in there with a plan and to be very deliberate about what I was doing.  Thus, this workout wasn't quite what I wanted it to be.  However, it was way, way better than nothing.

My first workout back was planned as follows:

Warm-Up
8 x 100 free @ 1:30
200 kick

10 x 50 @ :45, breathing every third stroke


Main Set
7 x 200 @ 2:50 aerobic pace (80% to 85% effort)


Warm-Down
100 easy

I took a literal minute break between the 50s and my main set to stretch and to collect myself before amping up the effort level, and unfortunately, that cost me my warm down.  Yes, they actually kicked me out of the water at exactly 45:05.  They needed to "clean up".

Ugh.  I mean, I get it.  But yuck.


Going Forward
What I've learned is that swimming in open water is a lot like going out for a regular road run.  It's fine, but it's hard to measure pace and tempo or to be deliberate about training philosophy without definite distance markers at easy-to-use intervals.  In the same way that it's easier to run designed intervals on a track, it's way easier to swim at a measured pace in an actual pool.  For better or worse, swim training is mostly interval training.

Last Saturday's swim route, as tracked by my watch.  Intervals are 500 yards.

So. I have plenty of time to go long in open water, but my time to be deliberate and to swim with tempo is limited.  I therefore have to plan future pool work to be mostly shorter, faster stuff that I can then supplement with long, slow distance work either at the beach or off the docks at the Boat Club.

That's kind of a pain in the ass, but it's definitely manageable.  I made a little workout planner spreadsheet to help with future efforts.  We'll see how it goes this afternoon.

Last note: this year's Swim Across the Sound is a virtual event.  I created Team RBG 3.0 for the event.  If you're interested, sign up!  It's not just a swim event this year.