Training Schedule Posted

[UpThere]

Tank You Chris..!

[Chris Felgate]

No problem- as have said before, this program is a conservative start to the sport and the goal being to finish a sprint event comfortably and without injuries. If people feel it is too easy then it can be easily adjusted or tailored accordingly.. just let me know!

[Lizette Lamb]

Hi Chris,

I did the Prestige Olympic distance last week, my first attempt at a tri. I did swimming at school and then didn't for many years, only started swimming again in October. I enjoy the swimming training very much, and also enjoy swimming in the sea, and scuba diving, not matter how rough the water is - I have never been anxious in water. In the pool I felt so strong and very confident about swimming 1.5km. So I thought the open water swim is gonna be easy peasy. I was amazed at how claustrophobic I felt when the visibility was so bad in the brown Vaal water - I struggled for about 5 minutes before I could get my head in the water and do the swim, such a lot of time wasted.

I wanna do the Oylympic distance tri 6 Feb, and am looking for some tips to help with the open water swim. What can I do to make it easier next time? I currently swim about 2 to 2.5km 2 or 3 times a week - will stretching my distance help? Where in Gauteng can one go and try open water swimming? Will Germiston lake's water be easier to swim in than the Vaal, or also so little visibility.

How much does your time in the pool differ from your open water swim (without a wet suit?).

Please help.

[Chris Felgate]

Hi Lizette,
Apologies for the delay in response.
Firstly, you are not the only one who experienced swimming problems at the Vaal- due to the murky waters... so dont feel alone!

Swiming in open water does require a lot more strength than in the pool, especially if there is a current or you are caught up among a number of other swimmers. As far as training, I would stretch your swimming to 3 x 3km sessions each week. One of those sessions do a lot of strength work, ie: butterfly (start with one arm butterfly if you struggle with this stroke), pulling only, pulling with paddles and a band around your ankles (you can make this from an old tyre tube). With some of your interval sessions, start them under the flags and turn before the wall... this will mimic open water swimming as much as possible in a pool. If you swim with a partner, start some intervals together and practice pulling each others legs in the lane and swim almost on 'top of each other'. This will all hopefully assist in the conditioning of your body.

Victoria Lake in Germiston would be the best place to practice open water swimming. Emmerentia Dam may also be ok at this time of year as the Ecoli count will be low due to the flowing water due to the heavy rains.

If your training has gone well, your time inb open water should be the same as the pool (taking into account a rested, tapered body). For training purposes, open water swimming will be slightly slower than pool swimming due to no walls to push off.

Hope this helps somewhat... let me know if you have any other questions,

Kind regards

Chris

BSG Elite Team Manager

I have included some general open water swimming tips fyi:


- If you are a weaker swimmer start closer to the back of the field or on the sides of the field. Getting some 'clear water' will reduce the amount of stress and energy involved in fighting if you are caught in the middle of the field, even if you have to swim an extra 25m by starting at the back or on the sides.
- If you are caught in the middle and “arms and legs” are all over the place, try stay calm (the more you fight and stress, the more energy you burn). Rather try and move to the side and just below the waist line of the person in front of you- you may end up swimming slightly slower which will save a lot of energy for the cycle and run stages.Swimming on the 'feet' or just off to the side and below the waist of the person in front of you can save you 30% of the energy you use. Drafting can also happen in the swim stage!
- Try and warm up in the water for 5 minutes before the swim start- this will allow your body to get used to swimming so that when the race starts and you get caught up in the motion of the race, your body will be ready to handle the higher heart rate.
- If you are caught by stronger swimmers who seem to be swimming over you, try and stay as calm as possible. The stronger swimmers will not intentionally swim into or over you so try and stay where you are, tread water and do not panic. Once there is a small gap in between the stronger swimmers, swim as quickly as possible to the side and clearer water. Raise your hand so that a lifeguard can see you. Rest on the lifeguard’s board if you need to and then once you have calmed down, continue swimming.

[Lizette Lamb]

Thanks so much for the comprehensive reply, Chris, this will help me a lot.

[Chris Felgate]

Pleasure.
All the best!

[Jerome Sullivan]

Hi,

Thank you for the excellent 8 week training schedule that was posted. However, could you please elaborate on how I should structure my swimming training.

For instance, in week 2,

Should I first swim breast stroke (2 x 25m) then crawl (4 x 50m) and then breast stroke again (2 x 25m)?
Should I take a break and how long between each length?

Thank you so much.

Kind regards,

Jerome

[Chris Felgate]

Hi Jerome,

You can definitely start off doing breastroke then freestyle then breastroke for the sets, but by the end of weeks 3 and 4, try and do 75% of the sets freestyle.
In terms of rest, in between each rep of 2 x 25m, have as little rest as possible to start the second 25m.
Between the sets of 2 x 25m (here) 4 x 50m, have 1-2minutes rest to catch your breath and have something to drink.

Hope this helps!

Chris

[Desert Surfer]

Hi Chris, quick question are you going to post a 'harder' training schedule after this one?
I would like to do the ironman next year April, do you have any suggestions for me...
Thank you

[Chris Felgate]

Hi there. At this stage, I wont put up a harder program as this is really geared for the beginner wanting to do a sprint race. I would suggest getting in touch with an IM coach- you can DM Lynette van der Merwe who works in conjunction with Lucie Zelenkova, of TRIFACTRI...
Chris