Distance Training | Mediterra Swim & Run

First, Build A Sufficient Fitness Tank

by Coach Mat | 7 May, 2023

I wrote last recently on the idea of having two fuel tanks, one for fitness activities and the other on reserve for survival. Using that analogy as a reference point, and linking to the concerns I raised in the essay last week regarding knowing when you are ready for...

Take Your Training Plan To A Higher Level

by Coach Mat | 1 Feb, 2020

Just the other day one of my swimmers was describing his weekly training plan in order to get my input on it. His goal is to build up his capabilities over the next few months in order to prepare for his first Alcatraz Triathlon with a 1.5 mile swim (2.4 km), and a...

Don’t Stop At The Wall!

by Coach Mat | 29 Dec, 2019

Stopping Is Not Natural Can you imagine running 10 km (up to an hour for some folks) or even 5 km (up to a half hour) in a race or for fitness and doing it in a basketball court? And, rather than run loops around the perimeter of the court, imagine covering that...

Being Streamlined Is Not Enough

by Coach Mat | 28 Sep, 2019

Watching a nicely shaped boat cut across a smooth body of water is a wonderful thing to watch. Photo by Oleksandr Hrebelnyk on Unsplash Watching a nicely shaped swimmer cut across a smooth body of water is too! In moving forward most easily in the water, although...

The Lure Of High Lake Swimming

by Coach Mat | 3 Sep, 2019

At an elevation of 4,688 feet (1,428 meters), in the last week of August, Cultus Lake was just high enough to keep us above the unpleasant heatwave passing through the lower lands and yet not leave us quite breathless. The water was crystal clear, pleasantly cool...

Amazing Things Can Happen In A Week

by Coach Mat | 6 Jul, 2019

I would guess that the average number of practices a week for those reading this is three days a week. I know of some whose schedule permits less and some whose schedule permits more. When we add up the interruptions and challenges in our routines over the months, we...