What's the ROI on that 3rd Swim
Some background on me. This is my second season swimming. Started swimming laps in March 2010. Swam 2 times per week through September 2010. Drank the EN Kool aid and wasn't in the pool from October 2010 through End of Feb 2011. I completed a full 20 week EN OS. My current T-Pace is 1:43/1000Yards. Only have a few Open Water experiences and 2.4 miles consecutively will be a PR for me for sure...
I currently feel pretty good (relaxed) in the pool. I have been following the Swimming workouts almost exactly.
Question: Now that I'm 12 weeks out from Lake Placid the Plan calls for 3 swims a week. What is the ROI on that 3rd swim? I have made a lot of progress on going to the pool 2 x/week and wondered what others have experienced. Like most of us, I'm trying to manage my time and the swim admin time is a bummer to say the least. I have more of a running background and know what I will get from running 4-5 times a week, but I don't have a swimming background so it just kind of feels like more of the same thing...i.e. back and forth in the pool. 
....sucking my energy....
I'm doing a lot of pull sets to save the legs so mostly the swim is just an energy depleter for me. Also, I typcially swim after work and do the run or bike in the morning; My point is that I'm already up early that day anyways so a 3rd swim isn't really an impact to my sleep but just overall energy reserves....
Thanks all...
Tough love is welcome...
Comments
I think you can make a rational ROI decision and decide that you are happy with your swim with 2 x per week and move on. There are lots of people that do even less than that out there.
That said, I think the common wisdom out there that you won't get (much) faster due to fitness changes at 2x/week is correct for swimming.
Your time is on the fast end of people who would benefit more from improved efficiency than from improved fitness...which is consistent with being a new swimmer... but in the absence of some expertise to comment on your particular situation, it's hard to say. You could be That Guy whose stroke is pretty good, and needs to get some swim fitness to get faster, even in that speed range. Have you taken a few lessons? Is that an option to consider for you?
The answer to that question obviously affects the ROI of the third swim...if it's about learning a better stroke, and the fitness is what it is, then getting a few lessons will make more difference than just going hard one more day.
It doesn't sound like you'll have any difficulty getting through the swim of your event and in an ok time, especially for your first IM. Getting to the starting line healthy is a HUGE priority, and if cutting down to 2 swims is the way you need to do that, then I say you've made the right decision. But do realize that you've made a compromise and will not be maximizing your swim potential.
FWIW I know I need 3 swims a week to, at a minimum, not lose whatever I've gained and hopefully pick up a few seconds on the 100m interval. Its that 3rd swim when I feel the improvement. I found that 2x a week for me is, at best, just maintaining current swim ability/speed, definitely not progressing. Actually 4x a week @ 2500 - 3500m would be perfect - but I can't justify that kind of time in the pool right now. But i guess its something that everyone has to discover on their own and a large part of the equation is where you think you need to spend your training time. I think if I ever get to the point that I could do a 59min IM swim - then, shoot, I'd be happy to do just enough to "maintain" that level - but I'm not there yet. That said, this week I'm moving the Friday swim for a 2.4 mile OWS this Saturday (followed by the bike w/o).
Maybe 3x a week focused on form would help preserve energy...
I'm in the same situation with my swim too. I want to keep up my running, biking and need to drop something. Because in my case I chose Sunday to be a family day so I'm OFF...
What I thought about was every other week put the 3rd swim in and drop a brick/bike or run for that week which gives a body part a little more rest and will tax the swimming muscle , and the head, just a little more.
This not being OS, being a specific race prep, I will disagree. At some point you will have to understand that race power/ pace will depend on your swimming fitness as well. The longer the race swim, the more taxing it becomes. If you are not adequately prepared to swim it, you will not see your power target on the bike and you will be walking your run. 2x week is barely getting by and if they are not made seriously hard, which you most likely cannot do without affecting your form, you will be wasting your time in the water entirely.
I understand that many will disagree with me here and that is ok. Just keep in mind that this is no longer Outseason. In the end, if you cannot swim 3x week, you cannot, that is life. Just adjust your race expectations.
@Paul and Aleksandar, thanks for the thoughts...
What Aleks and Paul said. One secret, hidden aspect of the no-swimming-in-the-OS thing is to keep you mentally refresh and bank those SAU's so you can apply your swim resources closer to the race, where it really matters. What I'm hearing is:
Those bullets above do not add up to a recommendation to only swim 2x per week now that you're < 12wks out from your race. If anything, they equal a recommendation to swim 3x, and possibly 4x/wk the last 4-6wks before IMUSA. I'm a big fan of a post long run/long bike flopping around in the pool, if you can fit it in.
Off to the the pool I go...
Nothing like a motivational speech from Coach R to make one run for their training clothes
As a first-timer myself this year, I have found that hitting the pool 3-4x per week since I started the IM race plan has helped me become confident in the water. I have to hope that during these sessions I am also getting a little bit faster each time. I now know that it may take me a while to finish the swim, but will most likely finish it in time to get on the bike. So unless you are already an accomplished swimmer, swim whenever you can. At least that is my motto for this year!
When I'm in season, I swim 3 hours a week as two 90-minute masters practices. I will sometimes throw a third in, usually at the lake.
RESULTS: I swam a 1:09 at LP (I wore a wet sute). I'm totally amazed. I only started swimming in March 2010 and then took of 6 months during the OS. I lined up about 5 rows back15 feet to the right of the bueys. On the Friday before the race several ENers did a lap on the swim course. I put up a 33:00 during the race my first lap was a 34:00.
Again, totally amazed at my results. I'm very happy. Thanks to everyone for all the comments and especially the E-Swim book. The videos really showed me what to do under the water.
@Nate, awesome, nice work!
It could also be a good idea to add a 4th...or a 5th swim per week after your final RR. So as you bring the bike and run volume down during the taper, you increase your swim volume and frequency. Notes:
Larger point here is that swim frequency is a good thing, especially when applied closer to your race, and the reduced bike and run volume of the taper can enable that increased swim frequency to happen.
You mean what would I do or what do I think you should do
I recommend you just repeat 1-2 of the swims, assuming:
That said, your 15k/wk isn't my 15k/wk isn't someone else's 15k/wk, which is to say that everyone is all over the map with regards to how long a swim takes them and it's impact on your other sports. Personally, now that I feel I've build my shoulders and endurance back up to a decent level, I'm 100% pull 100% of the time. I dive into the pool with the pull buoy and don't actually "swim," ie kick, a single yard so my swimming has zero impact on my bike and run
We got into a discussion about this the other morning at masters swim. There is a guy in my lane that swims with a pool buoy 100% of the time, and I've always told him he is cheating. When we do sets with IM strokes, he just goes first and keeps pulling freestyle. Would you recommend this at heavy times of training (read, NOW) to save for the bikes and runs during the week? Or wait till the bike and the run volume drops?
If so...I'm goin to have my head down and tail between my legs at masters tomorrow
Besides, what are you going to do if the race turns out not to be wetsuit legal? It's happened several times this year already.
I agree that the pull buoy can totally be a crutch. I have swam longish pull buoy sets in masters swim -- but they are always with a focus of serious arm technique work.
On the 3x/week swimming - Totally worth it. I've been swimming 2x/week masters class and one open water swim. As a BOP and seriously improving swimmer this has been great:
1. It took weeks of repeating the same drills for their purpose to sink in, so drill-focused masters team rules there.
2. I think a lot of us improving swimmers have to work on learning how drills and swimming itself is supposed to feel and this is hard to get without a lot of time in the water. Ex. I've always been told that my balance was okay. Now, I've had some great balancing in the water epiphany. I just didn't know what it felt like until I found it. Then, magic! Bilateral breathing! Picked up in one session. Almost every other drill? Actually makes sense.
3. Since the other two swims are mentally and physically challenge, they are currently worth a pretty big chunk of my training focus -- and worth more than their measley TSS points. So, the third open water swim is usually the swim of zen for that reason -- and just liking being the open water and figuring out what it takes to translate pool skills to water skills are items on my swimming goal sheet. It is working for me to have one workout that isn't so structured and it is amazing how long/how much swimming happens there.
My thought here is that you have to figure out what you need based on your swimming level and goals. But this is tricky for those of us who are still trying to figure out what the h**l we are doing in the water.
It also might depend on where your base fitness lies in other sports. There is no way I would be able to get in all the workouts I do now two years ago, even though both summers involve the HIM intermediate plan. The huge running base I built last winter is probably making it easier to swim a lot because running doesn't tire me out as much as it used to do.
Using a pull buoy is no more cheating than using a wet suit - which is, indeed, cheating, when it comes to body position. Best to train for what you'll be racing in. If no wetsuit is a possibility, best to get some laps in without the "crutch". If it's salt water, though, remember that's more buoyant than fresh.
FWIW, I used a pull buoy a lot just to save my legs. I was also (at the time) pretty sure LP was going to be a wet suit swim. Towards the end I switched it up.
I have tried some longer sets with it and find it much harder to get good rotation. It seems to lock my hips and I swim flatter. Also, no doubt, I can feel it working my arms more.
Anyone swim slower with a PB? And no, I really don't kick at all...