I actually swam yesterday, batches of 50’s and 25’s avg pace 1:28 with a bit of kicking and single arm fly / Bs arms fly legs stuff as well. Im still crap the minute the reps go over 50, and I only sprinted a 50 (from wall) in 38…and was blowing hard after. I doubt Id beat my son anymore at FC. 
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Good job 
Did you help your son with his swimming? If so any tips?! My daughter goes to lessons but her stroke is still a bit wonky, she ignores anything I say!
If you call showing him videos of a French-Canadian dancing in his living room helping he did. 
(those vids helped me no end)
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I basically did the first 3 years, had him in the water every week since he was about 6mths, he could swim a width of a baby pool before i even got him into lessons, then lessons took over until he joined a club at 7. I’ve taken sessions with him in, but do try and take a step back, just give advice when asked.
My main advice for any parent though, even triathletes, is to get into a swimming club structure hopefully with a L2S section (ours is called tadpoles for instance) they will do an hour tops at the start, then 2-3 hrs per week when they get on the first rung of competitive squads. Most clubs are really friendly and accept that early specialisation isnt great and that kids need a range of activities to build a whole body and experiences for their future and that its about swimming for life, not just for medals so don’t push them into single sport
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Thanks, I’ve looked into the local club before. It’s 8+ and requirements are 100m free, 25m other strokes! We’re a bit off that atm. Current teacher, seems to spend ages telling the kids to turn their feet out in breaststroke but ignores that they’re all hands and legs at the same time. Another one they do is making them cup their hands in front crawl, seems like bad advice to me?
wow 8+, lots of clubs start from 5, but with less requirements. Expecting an 8yr old to do 25fly is tough also with no really coaching of it. El Nino only got into the competitive squads when 9 and was barely doing 25 fly then, he’s 12 now and still never raced 100fly, its too hard and big risk of DQ so not worth it until they are very good at 50, although i will get him into that this year . Breaststroke is a fantastic stroke to coach, so technical. the kick should be initiated at the same time as the recovery. Yes cupping hands seems odd.
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Last night I had my best swim set ever
5 * 100 Tempo (Zuri Schwimmen in Schwyzer Desutch)
2 * 400 Tempo
4 * 200 Tempo
4 * 50 Fast
All sets with 30s RI, with 50m backstroke between each set
I managed all the sets at a pace of 1:38-1:40/100m, the fast 50m all sub 1:30
I am swimming around 1:40/100m at 56 spm, although this increases ti 60spm as I get tired
The 50m were at 66-70spm, and at 70spm my pace is 1:22/100m
Feels like the past 3 weeks have been a real breakthrough
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Very nice 
If you can hold 2x400 and 4x200 at 1:40 with 30s rest now (although I imagine was likely a lot harser than ‘tempo’ if meaning being easier than threshold) it’s looking good for that 1 hour swim with another 5 months training 
I guess you are right, more like threshold than tempo, even though it was supposed to be Tempo. If i can get to Roth and be able to hold 1:40 or better, without over doing it, i would be delighted
Last year in Roth i was too slow to hold the feet of the swimmers (i was in the sub 10 category). If i get better at swimming, i sould be able to draft a big group, which will help massively
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Not so good last night. Still maintaining 1:40, however swim set was 50m and 100m, with shorter RI. Thought i would be faster on short sets. We started with 12x mini medley (12.5 fly, 12.5 back, 12.5 brest, 12.5 FC) off 1:05 i think that this destroyed me
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I’m assuming you’re not in a 12.5m pool so changing strokes mid-length and doing all that off 1:05 would destroy most I suspect. We do a few “fun” sets where we mess about with things like that and it’s always a killer as you just can’t get any rhythm and keep losing your momentum and having to build it up again.
Just keep the faith, it’ll come. Thursday I was frustrated I’m not seeing improvements I expected/getting slower, then yesterday I had a great swim, despite being on nights, putting everything right with the world.
Partly due to different pool. Tuesday was my first time back in the indoor pool for about 4 months. At least 2s/100m quicker consistently, think it’s my favourite pool I’ve ever swam in. Only Ponds Forge comes closes, but not swam in London Olympic.
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I am at least 10s/100m faster now than I was 4 weeks ago, so I’m really positive. Last week I just felt great in the water, it wasn’t that I was swimming everything in sub 1:40, it was how I felt. Last night I was still swimming sub 1:40, but it didn’t feel as good or as efficient.
If I can swim 1:40/100m in Roth (1h3 IM Swim) I will be delighted. I know that I am in the right ball park
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Yesterday on twitter I saw a post about one of the great male swimmers and how high they kept their elbow during the pull phase. I have heard/read people go on about a high elbow but they always seem to relate to the hand and wrist position. That is the first time I have seen it reference how near the surface the elbow is. @Hammerer is that what a high elbow means? The photo was head on, probabli mid-pull and the elbow was much closer than you generally see freestyle elbows.
I can’t find the flipping post which is really annoying.
high is good, about moving the arm as little as possible except when pulling back, so going deeper at the front potentially creates more downward force, ideally as you reach forward the arm shouldnt go lower (or higher) than the bottom part of the body (when rotated) it should extend straight out, and you hinge the elbow. It is not feasible for most though as we simply don’t have the shoulder mobility to pull it off so work within those constraints and do the best you can. Oh and some dry land mobility work never does any harm 
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Having the elbow higher definitely works the lat’s more than having it a bit lower. I never swam with a particularly deep hand and elbow but will focus on keeping higher.
First swim aimed at getting fitter at lunchtime today. W/U 600m SKiPs (this will go back to 800m when a bit fitter); 2x (12x 50m at 50s off 65s), 2 x 300m pull and paddles (friggin gloves as can’t use proper paddles); w/d easy mixed stroke 50m.
I am using 1:40/100m as TRP, although in reality I will select an actual TRP for the Outlaw nearer the time but using this an ambitious training target. Definitely below threshold at this speed and form didn’t really start to slip until rep 11 of 2nd set. Will repeat this set once, maybe twice before looking to add reps. Then do them off 60s, then increase to 100m reps and so on.
Current plan is to use 3 swims a week as one DPS, one TRP as above or longer aerobic reps, one doing above threshold 50m, which are my version of USRPT. I find the latter sets really improve my fitness and as soon as my form slips I can’t hit the rep intervals so pull the plug and then it’s pull and paddles until the session ends.
Does that seem a sound plan for February?
Another great swim tonight. 4 x 50, 4 x 100, 4 x 150, 4 x 200, 4 x 100, 4 x 50 (we skipped the second 4 x 150 as time was too short), Each set started 50m fast, then tempo, the aim was to hit 1:35/100 on each. I was 1:32 on the 50s, 1:35 on the 100s, 1:38 on the 150s and 1:39 on the 200s. RI was 20s on each
Pretty happy with the improvements I am seeing
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Probably the most significant improvement is that swimming 1:45 now feels easy, if I can maintain 1:45 pace in an Ironman I would complete the swim in 1:06
I have to say that sub 1:40 I really feel the pace, its OK over 200m, but not sustainable. 1:35 is only possible for a couple of minutes. It will certainly be interesting to see how much time I can take out
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Hearing that your second threshold sounds like it is around 1.42/3 pace, 1.40 is just over, maybe close to VO2 max and 1.35 will be utilising mainly anaerobic pathways
While waiting to get in the pool yesterday there was a chap there with zone3 neoprene jammers, shaved legs and a zen8 cap. When he got in the water I noticed he had his HRM chest strap and form goggles. The first pair I have seen in the wild. Full on, proper triathlete!
I did chuckle to myself as to whether he wears the cap while on the zen8.
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