With Spring "peak-time" here for so many athletes, Brad shares a few thoughts on getting through big blocks of training. Brad's Blog

Efficient Swim Training for Grown-Up Triathletes Who Have Jobs, Spouses & Children

Swimming is a practice-intensive (by necessity) sport and there is NO WAY around that and NO MAGIC SYSTEM for quick results! Please do not waste your money on products that make claims that sound too good to be true.  They are. However, if you are time-strapped you can improve your swimming by practicing intelligently. To do so you need the following:

Wow, adult triathletes can be such an argumentative lot!  I consider myself a former great swimmer and a very average runner. If I asked a great runner for advice on my technique and paid that person, why on Earth would I then argue the answers? I don't get it! So I'm kind of ornery today because I keep hearing the same stuff, and some of it is downright wacky! And I have to engage in these strange arguments about things that I obviously know a lot more about than the average person (swimming, for example). For the record, I do NOT like Total Immersion, although there is some overlap in that program and in how I teach. There is some overlap in how EVERY coach teaches with the TI program, because we are talking about the same thing: shipbuilding and how to build an efficient craft. There aren't all that many different designs that work. And no, they (TI) did not invent it! None of this stuff is new, but marketing methods are so good now. Shoot, that guy could sell sand to Egyptians and they'd buy it!

I get this question all the time from my beginner to intermediate level swimmers, pertaining to swimming freestyle: "Christi, I have such a hard time breathing. It seems like I can never get enough air.  Do you have any tips for how to make it easier to breathe?"

Yes, I do! Several in fact.  The first thing: realize and accept that you are swimming, not running or anything else, and you can't just breathe whenever you want.

Second: Hold your breath! What? Yes, hold your breath. Holding your breath will make your swimming breathing easier! Read on. . .

TRAIN

Yes, it's true. I really do love the Endless Pool! Now that I've had the opportunity to use it a lot and put it through some seriously hard paces, I'm really seeing its value in several important ways: first, it's a great way to train: swim easy, swim hard, work on your kick, do short sprints, long pulling sets, drills, drills and. . . did I mention drills?

Now that people are starting to really get serious about their training, or are starting to formulate their training plans for the upcoming season, they are also starting to buy equipment. Everyone at RF truly does care that you are pleased with your stuff and that you get the RIGHT stuff, regardless of sport. I was very glad to have had considerable input in the order of swim training gear and accessories that arrived here at RF-West. We have the complete kit--everything you need--in the Novi and Ann Arbor-West stores, and it's GOOD!

Today I'm going to talk about just one very important piece of gear: fins. Fins? Yes, fins.

Yo Tri Gang,

Many of us came to the 3 disciplines from one discipline and suffer from this dilemma (me included.) The runners run, the bikers bike, the swimmers swim. It’s hard to get our focus away from the sport we have had success at but we all know that the greatest gains we can make in triathlon will come from concentrating on weakness first… Dang.

One way to help this happen is to train specifically for a major event in your weak area like an open water swim (me), a bike

An excerpt from a definition:

". . . by incorporating "purpose" to complement "function", where function is 'full spectrum work in multiple planes using multiple joints including full range of motion that is proprioceptively demanding. . .”   ACK!  ENOUGH!!

Tall talk and academic rumination don’t make champions.  (Blah, blah, blah, just get in the pool already!)  And as for what you should and shouldn’t do, well--the list is endless and often confusing.  The correct answer to how to train with purpose and attain success begins with simple steps:

It’s official! The days are getting longer and you can flip the countdown to spring switch ON!

What to do in the to hurry it up? While you might not have a triathlon on your immediate schedule don’t rule out putting one on your radar! Having something to train for will give you a reason to get out one these blustery beautiful winter days J

The first T-rex series sprint race is only 25 short weeks away!?! Don’t miss out on your chance to compete in this popular evening series in Southeast MI. 2 of the 3 races sold out early last year leaving lots of folks on the sidelines wishin’ they were out playin’!! You heard it here first…..get your registrations in early for the T-rex series so you don’t have to come whinin’ to us about missin’ out! The 2011 dates will be June 15 – Triceratops, July 20 - Pterodactyl, August 17 – T-Rex. Registration will open in January, 2nd, 2011!! Watch the T-Rex website for the Registration Link!