Training, our direction.

Dear Team,

Our training is finally set off again, after a crazy short race season of Singapore Biathlon, Osim Triathlon, then Tribob Triathlon!

As far as I'm concerned, I believe we've toned down quite enough and instilled quite a fair bit of intellectual stuffs into our training. I firmly believe this is what base training/off season is about.. picking up new techniques and polishing rusty tools and minds.. :)

Am really glad to have new people joining, slowly the group is growing and I believe in time to come, its going to get large! Then we're gonna have sub coaches and also dfferent training squads! It is something I'd hope for but don't wish to purposely advertise for. Reason is I'd rather let those interested come to me than to drag people's feet to our training. Reason is simple, those who're truly interested will come, And stay.. those who're not will leave no matter the cost, no matter the value of the training can bring. :)

As you can see from last training session, we're slowly migrating from pure drills teaching to what we'd call drill-swims... I'd call them Practices, not really training. At this instance, base mileage is a by product of our drills and drill-swim execution... not the primary concern at all.
And the least important thing to think of, will be your timing.

We take timing of laps now to see how well you can maintain your stroke integrity, not how fast you can swim. We take timing to have a feel of how it is like to push the stroke integrity to its limit before it breaks, and then see how fast you can do without allowing the breakdown to occur. All these are good pointers and guidance for oneself..

I personally find that Time Trial of 1.5km swims or even 100m is rather useless at this point of time that our strokes are not mature.

We have to look much further in front to realize that we'll eventually venture into the anaerobic region of swims and there'll be time when you'd feel that you can't feel your arms anymore, the lungs are bursting and your heart is raging like the beats in a digital techno dance mix, the sound of the heartbeat literally blasting in your ears as you swim on.

If we don't take the time now to make swimming correctly automatic, I'd bet 1 million bucks that you won't be thinking about straightening your body straight with pukes near your throat as you wack that 12th x 100m in Race pace.

Solution? You need to practice them now, and make them AUTOMATIC.

Yes, some fish like pple trains up to 4 or 5km ALL season, for EVERYONE, and its definitely ego boosting to say to your mate "Hey, I did 20x 100, and then 500m TT, and then a pyramid of 100-200-300-400-500-400-300-200-100 etc... Cool down was 1000m!".. Gosh.. big numbers. But really, how many times are you wielding those arms through the water with no efficiency? Its scary to think abt how the stroke rate can increase as the mileage adds up with no primary drilling of good stroke technique.

The time comes when during the race, people clocks 33mins for swim and came out huffing and puffing whilst I clock 33mins too and came up feeling ready to go for another 3km swim.

The time comes when people like marianne, lawrence and sam came out of water and do their first biathlon finishing with a smile despite not training much for the run unlike me and ryan.

I'd anytime give that ego and pride to anyone who wants and tell them "I did 8x50m last night in training and none of them are speed work." if that is what it takes to feel strong out of water. That is what multisport is about, or rather, specifically, multisport with swim as the start is about.".

With that, I beg of all of you to be patient with me. I will help each and everyone of US (me included) to be the best triathlon swimmer that we can be.

Cheers
KK

PS - Can you please comment in this post what is the next race you intend to do? And the date. I need to know, so I can plan the future training program direction.
Thanks.