Distance Training | Mediterra Swim & Run

Endurance

by Coach Mat | 18 Mar, 2012

Endurance. What does that word mean to you? What kind of images of athleticism does it conjur up in your mind? For me it used to mean: Tough. High threshold for pain in the body, and a high threshold for monotony in the mind. Now: Effortless. Focused. Thrilling. This...

Using A Tempo Trainer

by Coach Mat | 27 Feb, 2012

I am committed to being a content-producer, so I rarely repost someone elses work, but TI Head Coach Terry wrote a marvelously concise primer on the advantages of working with a Tempo Trainer and included 5 practice set templates at the end. If you have interest in...

Simple Math Can Swim Fast

by Coach Mat | 24 Dec, 2011

It is the basic math of SL x SR that tells us where we are at and where we need to be in order to reach our goal. If I set a target of 17 strokes per 25m, starting with 1.20 second tempo, and I find that is it easy for me to hold optimal stroke overlap, the challenge...

Be Slippery When Wet

by Coach Mat | 23 Dec, 2011

For the last several practice sessions in the sea I was working on improving my ability to hold a long stroke at higher tempos. For me, my goal is to take the long-stroke I enjoy effortlessly at 1.20 tempo, down into my race level tempo range of 1.00 to 0.90. Here was...

Overlap For Length

by Coach Mat | 19 Dec, 2011

I was inspired to write a few essays on this topic of stroke length because of my open-water swims last week. I was working with a Tempo Trainer, concentrating on my stroke-lengthening skill over 3km distance- increasing tempo, while holding stroke length. Stroke...

Under-Estimating 10 km Recovery

by Coach Mat | 13 Jul, 2011

I am not a marathon runner. I’ve heard though that it takes some time to recover properly from that kind of running. Instead I’ve become a marathon swimmer these past couple years- by the definition of swimming 5km or longer. I took it for granted being...