Specific Skills | Mediterra Swim & Run

I Love Cool Pools

by Coach Mat | 13 Mar, 2011

I can’t complain that the pool we were giving our Portland OR workshop in was a bit cool for the level 1.0 drills we were working on today. 27 C is perfect for swimming laps, but for our short drills today it was giving us all the chills. A few laps however...

Improving ‘Endurance-Of-Focus”

by Coach Mat | 1 Feb, 2011

I swam 3750m at the Akdeniz University pool. The water was 30 C. Started at 9:00. 10x 50m gentle, ‘check-in’ warm-up 2x this set: 100 fist, 16x 25m FR 100 fist, 8x 50m FR 100 fist, 4x 100m FR Objective was to hold best SPL with fullest catch. Take 4 to 5...

Slow Work Produces Full Catch

by Coach Mat | 29 Jan, 2011

I swam 3250m at the Akdeniz University pool. The water was 31 C. Started at 10:50. 10x 50m gentle, ‘check-in’ warm-up 5x this set: 50 fist, 50 full-hand 50 fist, 100m full-hand 50 fist, 150m full-hand The objective was to maximize the catch, while holding...

In More Hot Water

by Coach Mat | 13 Jan, 2011

Unless the university pool heater breaks down again this year, or we just have extraordinary cold weather, I might have to get used to this hot water and scrap my plans to do sprint work this winter. [Olypmic swimming standards call for 25-28 C in a competition pool....

Hot Water, Good Opportunity

by Coach Mat | 11 Jan, 2011

I swam 2400m in our university pool today but it was a nearly painful 88 degrees (31 C). So I knew I needed to adapt and do slower work to keep my heart rate from shooting up under heat-strain. So I did 1200m (2×25, 2×50, 2×75, 2×100, 2×150,...

Boiled Like A Frog

by Coach Mat | 25 Nov, 2010

I moved from one end of the uncomfortable-water-temperature spectrum to the other. I jumped into the Akdeniz Univ pool today for the first time since last spring, and it was a stinking, boiling 31.5 C! That’s nearly 10 C higher than what I have been swimming in....