Swimming in the dead of winter, how to keep motivation up and boredom down.

When I was an undergraduate in New Hampshire, there were more than a few occasions when my swim workout ran a little long and I ended up rushing into class with frozen hair. Walking outside into the bitter cold with wet hair may not the most enjoyable part of triathlon training, but the winter is a very important time for making improvements to your swimming performance.

It’s very difficult to consistently work on improving your stroke while you’re also working on endurance and speed before and during the racing season. After the competition season is over, however, you can bring the intensity of your swim training down a notch and boost the focus on technique. The more efficient you are in the water, the less energy you’ll expend to swim fast, leaving more energy for the bike and the run. Developing your “feel” for the water, or learning to optimally position your body in the water is important for speed and efficiency, is a process of teaching your muscles and nerves to adapt by repeating specific actions over and over. The winter is the perfect time to work on these adaptations because they’ll be fully engrained when spring rolls around and it’s time to once again focus on developing speed for competition.

Think about babies just learning how to walk; they expend a lot of energy, flexing every muscle in their body (often including their faces - which makes for a great show) in order to figure out how to move their bodies in an upright position on two wobbly legs. Now picture that in the pool. When we first learn to swim, we muscle our way through the water, flexing everything, fighting against the liquid just to make it to the other wall. Now think about how easy it is for us to walk around as adults – you’ve come a long way baby. The same is true in swimming. The more we practice the fundamentals of the movements, the more refined they become, and the less we have to concentrate in order to perform them perfectly.

Take the time now to “re-learn” the task of swimming, to improve your technique, so you don’t even have to think about it when you are working on building your stamina and speed later in the season. The drills listed below will help, but first we have to address motivation – because drills won’t do you any good if you don’t go to the pool in the first place.

Keep your motivation up and boredom at bay this winter by:
1) Joining a masters club. Masters programs have swim meets as well. Make some personal time goals to focus your workouts and to keep yourself motivated during the off season.
2) Find a swim camp. Having someone watch your form from deck is very helpful, and you’ll walk away with a toolbox of new skills and drills to keep your progress moving. Having external feedback from a “bird’s eye view”, and/or underwater video is invaluable and will certainly drop your swim split come race season.
4) Organize a threesome. Get your mind out of the gutter… I’m talking about having two training partners instead of just one. That way, if one person can’t make it, there’s still another buddy waiting for you.

Whatever it takes, get yourself to the pool even in the blustery weather. It will pay off in the end!

Some Drill Ideas:

Count your strokes- Work on increasing the distance covered per stroke to increase feel for the water, strength and stroke efficiency. Take as few strokes as possible and try to elongate each one. If you are at 30 strokes or above for 25 meters try decreasing your stroke count by one or two per 25 each week. Decreased stroke count means increased efficiency, so a stroke count of 12-15 is far more efficient than a stroke count of 35.

Golf Drill: This is a fun drill to do with stroke count and speed. Count the number of strokes you take over 50 meters and add that number to your 50 meter split time. Now, as in golf, try to decrease your score by either swimming faster, or taking fewer strokes.

Rotate to breathe: Place a tennis ball under your chin. Swim freestyle but as you turn to breathe keep your head down and try not to let the tennis ball pop up. This drill is difficult, but very helpful emphasizing proper rotation and breathing technique. Keeping your head down in order to keep the tennis ball in place emphasizes proper head positioning particularly in the breathing phase of the stroke. Proper head alignment is key as our legs drop to counter balance a lifted head, ultimately creating more drag and a slower swim split. By keeping the tennis ball tucked securely under your chin you will ensure proper head positioning for the roll to breathe and minimize any leg drag associated with lifting your head to breathe.

Abby Ruby is an Expert Coach with Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. and an experienced triathlete who won her 19-24 year old age group in the 2003 Ironman Brazil. To find out what CTS can do for you, and to sign up for our nutrition and fitness newsletter, visit www.trainright.com/newsletter.