I moved last Fall, and am now about 30 minutes away from a lap pool that is the opposite direction of work. So swimming 2-3 times per week would mean 2-3 hours of traveling. Sadly that just would not work for my busy life as a slow 40 year old dad. I love the sport and didn't want to stop. I really do enjoy training and the stress relief I get every morning. So I figured what the heck - I'd get a Vasa and see what happens. I bought the Vasa in October and started training on it exclusively for 2019 IMTX. I do not have a swim background, and really only started about a year before my first Ironman.
I've done 8 IMs (6x IMTX, IMFL and IMSR), and for each one I swam for at least 4 months leading up to the race, roughly 3 times per week for about 45 minutes each session. My 100 pace was around 1 min 45 sec per 100. My prior race swim times for the wetsuit IM swims were all between 1 hr 17 min to 1 hr 18 min. The non-wetsuit swims were all between 1 hr 18 min - 1 hr 20 min. I never swam hard, just got into a nice easy pace, and I would typically exit the swim feeling great.
Yes, I know these were slow race times, and I was not maximizing my potential because I wasn't swimming enough, my fitness could have been higher if I swam more, do more drills, triathletes that don't devote tons of time to swimming are idiots and leave all those fitness gains on the table, etc. etc. etc. I understand all of that.
I decided to use the Vasa the exact same way as my prior swimming - that is to use the Vasa 3 times per week for 45 minutes. I basically just did the exact same workouts as I previously did for yards and sets.
I did not swim in a pool at all before 2019 IMTX (yes I know this is idiotic, unsafe, etc, etc). I felt great during the race and finished in 1 hr 15 min. I will note that I could feel a bit of fatigue in my lower back that I don't usually feel, but it didn't affect my race at all. And the day after the race I noticed my triceps were sore, which normally doesn't happen. I also don't know how this approach would affect a non-wetsuit swim.
All in all I'm pleased with the results. I'll also say the Vasa is bloody hard! It was mentally taxing to stay on that thing, and I'd often think of it as a torture device. Certainly not a walk in the park. Anyway thought I'd share in case anyone is faced with the prospect of not being able to get to a pool as often as they'd like.
I've done 8 IMs (6x IMTX, IMFL and IMSR), and for each one I swam for at least 4 months leading up to the race, roughly 3 times per week for about 45 minutes each session. My 100 pace was around 1 min 45 sec per 100. My prior race swim times for the wetsuit IM swims were all between 1 hr 17 min to 1 hr 18 min. The non-wetsuit swims were all between 1 hr 18 min - 1 hr 20 min. I never swam hard, just got into a nice easy pace, and I would typically exit the swim feeling great.
Yes, I know these were slow race times, and I was not maximizing my potential because I wasn't swimming enough, my fitness could have been higher if I swam more, do more drills, triathletes that don't devote tons of time to swimming are idiots and leave all those fitness gains on the table, etc. etc. etc. I understand all of that.
I decided to use the Vasa the exact same way as my prior swimming - that is to use the Vasa 3 times per week for 45 minutes. I basically just did the exact same workouts as I previously did for yards and sets.
I did not swim in a pool at all before 2019 IMTX (yes I know this is idiotic, unsafe, etc, etc). I felt great during the race and finished in 1 hr 15 min. I will note that I could feel a bit of fatigue in my lower back that I don't usually feel, but it didn't affect my race at all. And the day after the race I noticed my triceps were sore, which normally doesn't happen. I also don't know how this approach would affect a non-wetsuit swim.
All in all I'm pleased with the results. I'll also say the Vasa is bloody hard! It was mentally taxing to stay on that thing, and I'd often think of it as a torture device. Certainly not a walk in the park. Anyway thought I'd share in case anyone is faced with the prospect of not being able to get to a pool as often as they'd like.
Last edited by:
RangersBouncy: May 10, 19 10:08