Open water swims vs. Pool time
Hello,
I am in the Advanced HIM plan getting ready for Silverman 70.3. I can get open water swim time in up to 3 times per week when my work schedule allows. Can I substitute OWS for pool time? Rather than spending time at the pool and do "pool workouts", is there anything special I can do workouts in open water? Open water swimming is much more fun than pool time and it's only available for limited time here in Colorado! Thanks.
Later,
Duane
0
Comments
Pool swimming is the best way to get faster. OWS is good for building endurance. I suggest you do the longest schedule swim of the week as an OWS swim. I supposed if you wanted you could duplicate the swim workout (ie, intervals and such) in the lake, otherwise you can just swim, becoming more familiar with OWS, working on sighting, etc.
All of this is to say that OWS isn't "bad," just that swimming in a pool and doing the interval I've scheduled for you is the best way to get faster. "Real," competitive swimmers don't do long continuous swims at a steady/endurance pace. They do lots and lots of hard swimming, the kind of stuff I've scheduled for you that's difficult to do in a lake.
I'm moving this thread to the General Discussion forum, where you'll get more eyes on it.
Coach Rich,
Thanks. I need speed more than I need endurance, so I will try and aim for one OWS and the rest I will focus on speed in the pool.
later,
Duane
x2 what Rich says. (Of course!) Long steady effort 80% OWS once a week is invaluable, it will build your endurance, OWS technique and confidence in pacing and perceived effort. Just as valuable is a regular weekly threshold set in the pool, which builds your speed. You also need regular technique drills, to keep reinforcing muscle memory on good position and stroke, and preventing bad habits from sneaking in. Yeah you probably could do these in the lake, but without the wall and clock it'd be hard to know your really hitting your paces and keeping your technique in check I think.
Now if you wanted to do a swim build block, (when not getting ready for a race!) by all means swim OWS 2500-3500 3-6 days a week. You'll get crazy strong, build better position, and by extension get faster. I did this on vacation in June when I had no access to a bike, but could swim in the ocean every day. It was way more fun than the pool, and I built a lot of swim strength.
I totally get the idea that OWS is more "fun" than pool swimming, especially when it is a seasonal treat as it is for most of us. Like the difference between running on a street vs a wooded or mountain trail. May-Sept (Oct if Im lucky) I try to get in one OWS weekly. But more than that, and the admin cost starts to mount. While the drive is no farther than going to a the pool, there are added issues of cleaning my wetsuit, worrying about infections (last week we had a norovirus outbreak in the lake, in years past there have been toxic algae blooms, etc), and no having easy access to a changing area or shower.
The pool is like the trainer for the bike, or the track for running - a great place to focus on hard effort and improved interval times. For me, the fun of those sessions is both the actual work involved, and watching the improvement in my fitness over a 1-2 month stretch. And just like a higher FTP or VDOT, faster 100 meter times translate into a better swim leg.