8 Approaches to Survive Distance Sets; Where Do You Fit?
By Kokomi Flores & Michael Kidd
Reflecting on long holiday training sets, we realize that distance swimmers are a special breed. Let’s face it, many sprinters have trouble keeping count of distances over 100 yards. But the D crowd three lanes over can manage to churn out lap after lap after lap without losing their minds. Here are eight styles or approaches to survive the dreaded distance practice.
Goal Directed: A vivid and important goal will motivate someone through any distance set. Whether it is showing your coach that you have the chops to complete the hard set, or something grander. The storied distance swimmer, Florence Chadwick, who swam from the California coast to Catalina Island, noted that “difficult tasks are easier with a solid goal.” Lewis Pugh, in his 315-mile Hudson River swim, focused on communing with nature and keeping the river clean as he put in five hours per day for a month. One swimmer shared that, “during practice for me, although my goal is small, it is enough to get me through a long set. I don’t want to be the last person swimming because I lose motivation and I take my sweet time to swim, but I like to be in the middle or first so I push myself to make sure the person behind me doesn’t slow down for me and to make sure I am at a reasonable distance away from the person swimming in front of me. If I am first in the lane, I push myself to get the set over with quicker so that practice ends quicker.”
Lap Counter: Without someone at the end of the lane with the countdown (and most importantly that beautiful neon orange for the last lap), these swimmers must focus every bit of their mental power on keeping track of the lap count. A breaststroker told us that he repeats the lap that he is on every stroke from turn to turn. His biggest fear is that he gets distracted by someone else in his lane that he has to pass, or some walking on deck, and then is completely lost on what number he was on.
Mind Wanderer: Stroke after stroke, I glide through the water – a majestic dolphin, focused on the rhythmic motion. But wait, what was that sound? Oh, it’s just coach yelling from the deck. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, swimming. But you know what else requires speed and agility? Cheetahs. Those magnificent creatures can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour! I wonder if I could swim that fast if I had fins instead of arms and legs. Maybe I should start training with cheetahs. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll become the fastest swimmer on land too. Speaking of land, have you ever noticed how our school hallways resemble a crowded fish market during lunchtime? And let’s not even talk about the smell. Oh look, Emily’s fly is so graceful, like a ballet dancer in water. Maybe I should sign up for ballet classes. I could be the first ballerina swimmer! I can already see it now, twirling and pirouetting through the water, my tutu glistening in the sunlight. Pondering the mysteries of life while swimming laps can take you to unexpected places. Like, have you ever wondered what lies beyond our solar system? Are there other civilizations out there, swimming through the cosmic seas of space? Maybe they have intergalactic swim meets where they compete against beings from distant planets. Imagine if we had the chance to represent Earth in the Intergalactic Olympics. That would be out of this world!
Technical Focuser: Let’s face it, distance swimmers have pretty strokes. They look smooth and controlled, whereas a sprinter can often appear like a cat dropped in a bathtub. Having lap after lap to focus on hand placement and exactly where your feet hit the wall permits a technically focused distance swimmer to perfect every part of their technique. Especially because distance swimmers’ goals are not to be insanely fast it allows for these swimmers to use the long sets to make perfect breathing patterns, and extended streamlines off each wall.
Storyteller: A set of 4×1000 is a lot of time alone with your thoughts. Although you spend most of your practice underwater, a key part of even having the motivation to get in the pool is having people to swim with. A storyteller swimmer uses this to carefully examine every bit of gossip from school and the team. Who was wearing what, who’s crushing on who, who broke up with who, whatever the latest is? What are your teammates talking about doing in the off-season? You can go through every scenario of what they might be thinking to make those choices. A teammate told us, “Especially during a long set I like to use the time when I’m swimming to think about my own life, it’s very refreshing and it gives me time for my brain to take a break, it is relaxing to think about my life and organizing, it’s a necessary time to focus on myself, and what’s going on in my life – that is of course when I’m slacking on the wall.” If it is a long set, you can even make up some new stories for the rumor mill. Another great idea we heard is that, “Sometimes in a long miserable set I can distract myself by imagining obstacles like a shark is chasing me which is something that gets me to finish strong.”
Music Lover: The advent of good headphones for the pool has been the savior to music lovers. Now you can develop your playlist to get you through the two-and-a-half-hour practice. In the old days, you relied on singing to keep from going crazy. The special skill of the music lover is that they can tell you exactly which song to sing for which distance. Swimming a 500? Try pushing yourself and race against the music. Depending on your mood, create a playlist with all sorts of genres. For example, maybe you want to start smoothly and at a simple pace and listen to some simple R&B like Breakin’ My Heart by Mint Condition. Near the end of your set, maybe you want to push yourself to be faster and have some hip-hop music playing, maybe some Drake, or maybe your occasional pop classics like Britney Spears ‘Womanizer’. Of course, each individual is different in their variety of music choices, but the goal is to get through a long and dreadful practice and music most definitely helps, especially when it corresponds with the mood you’re feeling. If you’re feeling bold you could even create different playlists to match the weather, or season (like a special Christmas playlist). Depending on the type of practice, duration of a set, and mood of an individual, music can go a long way to motivate you.
Coach: Believe it or not, keeping count is a challenge for coaches. We know that there are swimmers who will lose count in the water or (gasp!!!) intentionally not do the whole distance. Some look at the clock and figure out how many lengths people should have done. Either that, or rely on someone trusted to do the right distance and keep track of how many times they lap others to help keep the group honest. Of course, coaches get distracted too, and can fall into any of the other categories from time to time.
Open Water: Open water swimmers are constantly on the lookout for any marine life that could pose a threat, such as jellyfish, barracuda, or sharks. The adrenaline rush when sighting one of these creatures is indescribable. You can imagine the feeling of your heart pounding in your chest as you try to determine whether you’re in danger or not. Sometimes, you’ll find that what I thought was a dangerous creature was just some seaweed or trash floating in the water. Other times, you are less lucky. An open-water veteran confided that she’s had close encounters with jellyfish that left painful stings and sharks that seemed to be following her. But despite the risks, she keeps pushing herself to go further and swim longer. “There’s something about the freedom of open water swimming that makes me feel alive and invigorated. I love the feeling of the cool water against my skin and the waves crashing around me. It’s a thrilling and challenging experience that requires focus, determination, and a love of adventure.”
What type of distance set survivor are you? Do these ring true or do you have other strategies?
Biography: Kokomi & Mike are a swimmer coach team representing the Naples Tiger Sharks, in Naples Italy. They are always looking for ways to improve the practice culture for swimmers.