With the weather getting cooler and many of us having completed our A-priority race for the season, it’s time to take stock of our accomplishments and begin the transition into thinking about our winter training and what we would like to accomplish next season. If however, you are one of the late season racers who has yet to race their A-priority for the season, never fear, this article will provide insights that are useful to you as well.

With the close of another triathlon season it is important to take stock in your accomplishments. Take a few minutes, sit down and critically evaluate your season. Note the highlights from your races and begin the critical process of identifying your limiters. Did they change this year or are they the same? Review your race reports and note the lessons you learned this season. For the sake of argument and this article, let’s assume that you have completed all the above and the important thing you discovered is that swimming is your limiter and the goal you want for next season is to improve your swimming portion of triathlon. Now, what about your swimming do you want to improve, endurance, technique, efficiency, or just swimming in the open water with more strength and confidence?

In planning the transition phase of swimming there are several things that you can focus on to improve your swimming. These are presented in no particular order and each applies directly to one of the questions listed above.

• Attend a swim clinic. Swim clinics are a great way to continue to train during the winter months and the majority of these clinics focus on technique improvement and more efficient swimming. Clinics generally run for four to six weeks meeting once a week. During a clinic you will receive instruction in stroke improvement through the introduction and use of drills to correct flaws in your mechanics. A good clinic will provide video capture of your swimming stroke on day one and then again at the end of the clinic to show the improvement in your mechanics. You should also receive one on one feedback from the coach/instructor on what you are seeing on the video.
• Join a Masters Swim Program. You can find these programs anywhere in the country. If you are trying to improve your endurance, this may be the best bet for you. Find a program that suits your goals and philosophy. With the hundreds of programs out there, make sure you find the one that best meets what you are trying to accomplish. I refer you to a blog by DrCoachChris, on finding the Masters program.
• Private Instruction. If you prefer the more individualized approach, perhaps individual instruction is the best bet for you. There are coaches out there who will provide individual, customized instruction to help you improve your swimming. Most lessons run between 30 and 60 minutes and address your specific goals and technique flaws. Individualized instruction can be as a part of your coaching package for Triathlon in general or just separate instruction specifically for swimming. [Disclaimer: Of course if you are reading this article as part of the BTMS Newsletter then you already know that we provide those services.]

Now, with regards to the final part of the question above, Open Water swimming, I saved this for last since what I am going to write can apply for the current season or the winter training months so PAY ATTENTION!

You wish to work on improving your open water skills but, the beaches are closed, the mornings are too dark, and the weather is too chilly to swim outside. Here we go, training for open water in the pool environment.

There are four areas of open water swimming that we can focus on in the pool. These are the Start, Turns, Drafting, and finally, the Finish. Incorporate these into your pool workout and you will be ready for your next open water race.

• First, the Start: Alter your swimming sets – put your fast interval at the beginning of your set. Your interval set would go like this. Swim 3 sets of 3x200 swims. The first set would be fast; the second set would be your normal interval pace and finish up with another fast set of three. The benefit to this is that it more closely replicates transitions in open water. You are fast at the beginning as you find your space in the crowd and fight through the masses. Then you settle into your rhythm and pace for the middle portion of the swim. Finally you are fast at the end as you begin to engage your legs in preparation for the transition to biking and running and exiting the water.
• Next are the Turns: In order to replicate buoy turns in the pool environment try the following during your long easy swims. Eliminate your turns at the wall. We all have a tendency to rest on the walls when we are swimming in the pool. Swim between the backstroke flags at each end of the pool and make your open turns there. The benefit to this is to make you swim continuously without hanging on the wall and by turning at the flags with no wall it more closely replicates going around the buoy in an open water swim.
• Third is Drafting: In order to replicate and practice “drafting” for open water try some pace line swimming. Pick a distance (something like 500 yds or more), and with two or more swimmers swim in a line drafting off the feet of the swimmer in front of you. Change places in the line at the end of each 50 yds of swimming. Benefits of this are to allow you to practice finding the “sweet spot” in drafting without running into the feet in front of you while also practicing pacing for a measured distance.
• Finally the Finish: Learn to manage your heart-rate spike as you exit the pool. Swim a fast set of 50’s with climb outs at the end of each 50. By this I mean swim a fast 50 and then climb out of the pool and stand up, turn around and drop back into the pool. Do this for a complete set of 50’s. This will closely replicate the heart-rate spike that you get when you go from the prone position of swimming into the standing position of exiting the swim. Benefit of this is learning to manage and control that heart-rate spike while exiting the open water and beginning your jog towards transition.

If you are in the Chicago area, head over to the Break Through Multisport website and take full advantage of our Swim clinics and/or private swim lesson, it could make all the difference for 2010!

Mike Koerner is a USA Swimming and ASCA Level 2 certified coach in Illinois with over 30 years of competitive swimming experience as either a swimmer or coach. He is also an accomplished triathlete at all distances from Ironman to Sprint. Mike is a retired Naval Officer and the Director of Swimming for Break Through Multisport Inc., a National triathlon and endurance sports coaching company that is based out of Chicago, IL, that provides professional coaching for triathletes, swimmers, cyclists and runners of all levels and abilities. Mike coaches competitive triathletes and swimmers from the age group ranks up through Masters swimmers. Additionally, he is a regular contributor to Breakin’ Through, Break Through Multisport’s free monthly newsletter. Break Through Multisport provides personal coaching, training plans, training classes and training packages for clients across the country. For more information, please contact Mike Koerner at (858) 245-4307 or at