Distance Training | Mediterra Swim & Run

10 km Within Reach

by Coach Mat | 5 Jul, 2011

Swam 2 hours 43 minutes yesterday morning. Just under 10 km I estimate. It felt great! No breakfast before (which has been my habit for years), and no food breaks during the swim. My slow-fuel system is dialed in, though I felt the energy drop on the last 40 minutes...

A Natural Reward For Facing Fear

by Coach Mat | 7 Jun, 2011

I felt it was time to return to my swim route out along the cliffs. I start where the 40m cliffs that hold up the downtown part of the city, meet the Konyaaltı Beach stretch. Instead of heading West where all the bathers play, I headed East along these cliffs, where...

Critical Skills For Mastering Waves

by Coach Mat | 2 Jun, 2011

Here on the Mediterranean Coast off Antalya I have a mild selection of adverse open-water conditions – the coldest the sea gets, in February, is 16 C. By May it is up to 20 C, and by mid-August up to 29 C. The afternoon swells and waves, except during a storm,...

Using A Tempo Trainer- SPEED IT UP!

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

Using A Tempo Trainer – SPEED IT UP! If you’ve read the previous two lessons then great. Let’s procede. If not, I suggest you take a moment to go back to the Intro and see how those two lessons set the stage for this one. Speed = Stroke Length (SL) x...

Using A Tempo Trainer- SLOW IT DOWN

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

Using A Tempo Trainer – SLOW IT DOWN! If you have not read the Introduction, I invite you to do so now to get an idea of what I’m trying to explain with these Tempo Trainer lessons. If you know your current normal SPL and SR for your targeted distance event,...

How To Use A Tempo Trainer- INTRO

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

An Introduction To Using A Tempo Trainer First, a few definitions: Stroke Length (SL) – the distance your body travels forward in each stroke cycle (of each arm). For instance, Coach Mat is 1.76 meters tall and has a comfortable SL of 1.2 meters. For more...