Coaching Smarter Triathletes

I'm a Triathlete, I Don't Need To Kick When I Swim! Right???

Now, It Makes Sense.

My plan of once-a-week speed intervals in the pool wasn't working out, mostly because the ocean temperature has been in the low 70s and swimming without a wetsuit has been so glorious.  No motivation at all to get in the pool!

But I did schedule a tune-up session with my swim coach, Rachel.  It had been awhile since our last session, and I was expecting a lot of correcting of old bad habits that I might have slipped back into.  Surprisingly, I was mostly still doing correctly the things she had taught me, so we moved on to some finer details. 

One thing I was cranky about, however, was my kick.  I had always thought that I didn't really want to kick during a race, as it would wear out my legs for the bike and run.  So I had learned to mostly drag my legs behind me--doing a quick flutter kick to help rotate my body, but then pausing and letting them coast while I completed each arm stroke.

I had never really understood the whole 6-beat or 4-beat kick thing, or how to synchronize my legs with my arms, and wasn't convinced I needed to.  So near the end of our session when I was tired and ready for lunch, I was cranky about tackling something new that I had such a mental barrier over.  But Rachel pushed me (I think it was payback for the all the times I've made her work hard on the bike...) and had me do a couple of drills.

And within two 50-meter lengths, something had clicked!  My legs were synchronizing with my arms, and my entire body felt smooth and flowing.  I really can't convey how much difference that one change made in my entire swim stroke, except to say that it fundamentally changed my view of how humans move through water. 

Here's Why We Triathletes Kick

Debates rage about whether or not triathletes should kick, usually revolving around whether or the added propulsion (it's not much) is worth the energy cost.  What's often missed (and what I didn't understand a couple of weeks ago) is the importance of the kick in body position.  As described by Mr. Smooth, the importance of the kick is two-fold:

1. It lifts our legs up to prevent drag.
2. It drives our body rotation.

And it can do those things without being strenuous, and without adding much propulsion.

I now describe not kicking correctly as similar to trying to run with our hands tied to our sides. Everyone knows we have to synchronize our arms with our legs when we run--it comes natural to us and it's almost impossible not to (go ahead, try it).  But, being land mammals, we don't have that same inherent understanding of synchronizing our legs with our arms when in the water.  But, now that I've learned it, I can't imagine any other way.

More About Mr. Smooth. 

Mr. Smooth is a website and free downloadable computer program that shows an animated "perfect" swim stroke.  It's an amazing tool for visualizing all of the verbal instruction we hear but that is so hard to see someone else do in the water.  One caution: it's easy to look at the animation and think, "Sure, I'm swimming that way."  (Hint: If you're a middle-of-the pack swimmer, you're probably not.) Which simply illustrates the difficulty of learning good swim techniques--it's very hard to teach and correct ourselves.

I recommend this: hire a coach to give you pointers on how to correct your stroke.  And then go home and watch Mr. Smooth to help visualize what you've been taught.

And A Blurb About Aquarium Fish.

A few months ago I spent an inordinate amount of time watching fish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I was trying to figure out how they swim.  Especially the ones with small fins, and very especially the big, fast and powerful ones (like tuna) that aren't particularly sleek (compared to other fish, that is).  And I started to understand that their propulsion comes from wriggling and snapping their bodies. 

It's hard to translate this to how humans swim, but after awhile (okay, it was a really long time...) I started to see the similarity.  If you get a chance, take some fellow swimmers to the aquarium and watch the fish with this in mind (Don't bring non-swimmers--they'll think you're crazy).  I found it fascinating.

Back To My Swim Progress.

So Rachel now tells me that I have a "near perfect" stroke.  Which is exciting (but also high pressure--it means I no longer have an excuse for middle-of-the-pack swimming!).  So I decided to try a coached Master's workout.  This was was my first speed intervals in over a month--my swim endurance is good (from ocean swimming), but my speedwork is extremely lacking.  I learned three things:

1. My timed sets were my fastest ever (in a 25-yard pool, 50"/lap for 300s, 48"/lap for 200s, 45"/lap for 100s).  And they didn't even feel that hard.
2. The on-deck coach gave me a couple of very minor pointers about stroke imbalance.  This is notable because prior on-deck coaches would say something like, "Wow...something's going on with your stroke that's really too much to put into words..."
3. The next day, for the first time ever, my lats were sore.  This is huge because it means I'm getting my power from where I'm supposed to--not primarily from my shoulders and triceps.

Note that these changes came with only three individual coached sessions!  There's no guarantee that everyone will see such drastic changes so quickly, but for me these lessons have been by far the quickest, cheapest way to improve anything I've ever done in triathlon.

Becoming a Swimmer

Big Progress, Big Fun, Gosh this is Hard Work!
In my last post I discussed the immediate results I found from hiring a swim coach.  I spent two one-hour sessions with Rachel, and have since taken a few weeks to practice what I've learned.  Here's a recap of how it's gone:

• I'm still doing mostly ocean swims at a moderate pace.  I'm trying to build to a three-mile wetsuitless ocean swim by the end of summer.  So I'm focusing on building my base endurance, lengthening a long ocean swim each week (I'm now up to around 2 miles), and lengthening the time I can swim without a wetsuit (I'm now up to almost 1 mile, in 67 degree water temps).

• It can be hard to practice technique in the ocean, especially when conditions are rough.  My focus can switch from arm/body position to simply breathing and staying on course.

• I find that when swimming into a chop or current I really want to shorten my stroke and glide less so as not to come to near-stop on each stroke.

• I'm swimming 4-5 days a week.  I find this frequency really helps retain my comfort level in the water, and to not forget the things I've learned. 

• Some of my sessions are short--20 to 30 minutes.  I'm trying to be careful to not ramp up my swim hours too quickly.  In any sport, a sudden burst of training hours is a recipe for injury.

• I'm doing one session a week in the pool of speed work--sets of 50 and 100 yards.

The Results (so far)
My base endurance is improving drastically in ocean swims.  And I can generally keep up with people who I consider solid swimmers.

And as for my speed work in the pool--I'm extremely thrilled with my times.  I consider my swim fitness for speed work extremely low right now.  I've done very little since I was peaking for Wildlfower back in April.  Then I was doing sets of 50 yards, touching in 47 seconds and leaving every 60 seconds.  Yesterday, I did those same sets of 50 yards, touching in 45 seconds and leaving every 55 seconds.   I attribute all of that gain to stroke adjustments.

What's Next?
I (and a lot of others) think that success in triathlon boils down to daily exposure to at least one of the sports--week after week, year after year.  In the first few years of a new sport, that simple repetition--without even worrying about intervals and speed work--can bring huge improvement.
And only after those basic skills (technique and base endurance) have been established do intervals and speed work really pay off.

Looking back on my training diaries, I'm forced to accept that I've not done that with swimming.  While I'm finally dialing in my technique after 3+ years, for most of that time I was only swimming 2 times a week (sometimes less...).  Which was far less than I was running and/or cycling.  No wonder that swimming is my weakest sport.

So, first, I'll continue to swim 4-5 days a week (for frequency of exposure) and continue my long ocean swims to build base endurance.

But, like in other sports (once base endurance and technique have been established), if you only swim slow you'll teach yourself to always swim slow.  So I'll continue my once-a-week pool sessions where I'm doing intervals and speed work.  I'll build my fitness so I can do a mile's worth of intervals,  and then reassess when I get to that point (hopefully within 4 weeks).

How Valuable is my Swim Coach? At Least 5 Seconds per Lap.

How I Learned to Stop Whining and Love the Swim
Here's a timeline of my swimming progressions.  A lot of triathletes have a similar experience.

• November 2005. Take a swim lesson and swim my first 25-yard length.  Think I will die.  I have to swim 40 of these for a sprint triathlon?!?!?!

• January 2006.  Swim my first continuous 1000 yards.  Buy a pair of jammers.

• Summer 2006.  My swim time is middle-of-the-pack.  "That's okay, I'll just 'make up' time on the bike."

• Fall 2006.  Attend Masters swim sessions.  Hear this from the coach: "Uhhm, Brian, you swim like, well...a barge.  But we can work on that."

• Winter 2006/2007.  Do two hard Masters swim a week, learn a lot of basic stroke techniques, and gain a lot of swim fitness.  Struggle in the water.

• Summer 2007. My race swim times don't improve much from the previous year, but I leave the water with much fresher legs.  "I'm okay with my middle-of-the-pack swim time because  I love passing collegiate swimmers on the bike."

• Fall 2007.  Spend a couple of weeks in the Caribbean and think I'd become a good swimmer if I could swim in the ocean every day.

• Winter 2007/2008.  Drop out of Masters swim and spend a few months teaching myself the Total Immersion drills.  Finally start to feel somewhat smooth in the water.

• Summer 2008.  My race swim times get a little faster, but I've learned to swim almost completely without my legs (especially with a wetsuit).  This has huge benefits for my bike and run.  Maintain a love/hate relationship with swimming.

• Fall 2008.  Move to San Diego, fall in love with swimming in the ocean.  Become very comfortable in rough water and longer distances.

• Winter 2008/2009.  Cold ocean temperatures force me into the pool.  I feel frustrated because my times have plateaued. 

• Spring 2009.  Realize that my bike and run splits are now fast enough that my wretched swim times are having a significant effect on my overall finish position.

• Ten Day Ago.  Overhear that Rachel, one of the fastest ocean swimmers in San Diego, is offering swim lessons.  Schedule an appointment with her on the spot.

• Today. Having now taken two one-hour individual sessions with Rachel, I love, love, love to swim.  It's easier, I'm faster, and I feel graceful in the water.

Isn't Masters Instruction Good Enough?
In my and a lot of of other people's experience, Masters sessions are great for learning basic stroke techniques, and for vastly improving your swim fitness.  I've had two Masters coaches who taught me a lot.  But a Masters coach is likely trying to focus on 10-20 other swimmers, and can't really devote a lot of individual time to you.  Plus, there's only so much about your stroke that can be seen from on deck.

What About a Swim Clinic?
I put swim clinics in a similar category as Masters.  They're probably fine for someone in their first year of swimming.  They're really good for basic stroke corrections, but generally don't offer a whole lot of one-on-one time.  Plus there's no ability to learn something new, and then get feedback on how well you've learned it.  Bad habits are hard to break...

Here's What I Love About My Coach

• It's a one-on-one session.  I have her complete attention, and I can ask detailed questions without feeling like I'm wasting other students' time.

• She swims in the water with me, and gets an up-close underwater view of my stroke.

• She gives me very detailed instruction on every part of my stroke.  From the position of my hands, rotation of my hips, motion of my legs, and angle of my elbow. 

It Seemed Like Nothing Revolutionary
After our first session, Rachel left thinking that she hadn't offered me much.  She had said my stroke was fundamentally sound, but tweaked a few things.  Most of these were a product of the exaggerated side-swimming in the Total Immersion drills--I was still doing the exaggerated motion during actual swimming.  My biggest problem was over-rotating at the shoulders--which set in motion a whole other set of problems. 

Other things she told me:

• Snap my hips instead of letting them roll along behind my torso.
• Apply power from my core.
• Keep my hands shoulder length apart (instead of on my centerline).
• Bend my elbows a little more.
• Point my elbows out, not down. 
• After my lead hand enters water, surf it along close to the surface instead of diving it down.
• When breathing, keep my head in line with my torso.
• Change the angle of my pulling hand throughout the stroke.
• Kick from the hips/quads, not from the knees.

Again, none of these were major changes--most of them minor adjustments of an inch or two.  I still haven't pieced them all together yet, but even now the cumulative effect has been immense.  My swim fitness is fairly low right now--especially in speed (I've been doing a lot of 1-mile ocean swims at a fairly easy pace).  But just for fun I tried a couple of 50 yard sprints.  I came in at 39 seconds--which is 6 seconds faster than when I had last tried that a few weeks ago.  And even a couple of seconds faster than when I was doing a lot of pool speed work in the spring.

Most importantly, I feel fast, powerful, and smooth.  I'll keep you posted on progress...