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Training Question?
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Although today's discussion has been fun, I have a philisophical (?) question about training.

Why do swimmers train 10K a day to race 1500 but runners train 5-20K to race 44? What is it that makes this the right way?

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"which is like watching one of your buddies announce that he's quitting booze and cigarettes, switching to a Vegan diet and training for triathalons ... but he's going to keep snorting heroin." Bill Simmons, ESPN
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Re: Training Question? [Yarf] [ In reply to ]
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I can give you a few possible reasons:

1. your heart doesn't have to fight gravity when you're swimming like it does in running, = harder to get fatigued (once you're in shape)

2. it's not as weight bearing, less chance of injury. Runners are much more prone to injury and can't revert to kicking and pulling when something gets injured.

3. it's an unnatural motion so there is a lot to work on. We aren't swimmers and we weren't made to be in the water. Most of our training involves training your body to be efficient and feel natural in the water. Running is somewhat close to walking, something we've been doing all our lives. Swimming involves sticking our head in the water, breathing at just the right time and being aware of where are limbs are 100% of the time when we can't see them. Olympic swimmers admit to always refining and learning their strokes and getting the best "feel for the water" or most efficient pull.

4. there are a lot of things to train: four strokes, kicking, pulling, breathing technique, your arm pull, your body position. Running is one "stroke" and doesn't involve as much technique.

5. I'm not as sure about this one, but we are a swimming country and not a running country. I know part of the reason for the Kenyans success is that they run everywhere they go and do long runs twice a day.

Hope that helps.
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