lightheir wrote:
@velocibuddha -
Honest question, how did your swimming hold up after a prolonged break in COVID? I'm sure it comes back fast for an ex-D1 swimmer, but curious as to how things held up over all that time for you given your deep background in technical swimming.
Yeah.
I did no swimming from March- August.
No open pools!!
Master's swimming was the only option in August.
When I got back in the water- even very low yardage made me very tired.
But my overall conditioning recovered really quickly (with the higher intensity more varied masters program).
This fast improvement came at the expense of making me tired on the run and bike.
With the master's swimming program I have been doing I feel that:
1) My swim speed and power is probably the best it has been in years.
2) My ability to swim a fast 500 or 1650 is NOT better.
But probably not worse.
3) Once or twice a month I try to out swim an older but probably faster (ex-D1 swimmer) and I am totally wrecked for a couple of days.
In summary:
I have been doing more intense, more varied training, with slightly less yardage.
It has only been 3 months but I feel I am a little faster than ever (post college) in 50- 200 free.
A lot faster in IM, breast, fly.
I have a stronger core (from lots of butterfly kick) and am probably stronger in most other ways also.
I doubt my 500 or 1660 would be much faster.
And my running and cycling has been more inconsistent because of being tired from swimming.