Overload

The way forward in endurance sports, according to the experts, is to overload your training (i.e., do "more" in the current phase/period/cycle than was done in the previous) and then recover adequately. The experts say that, given the chance to recover, the body will super-compensate from the larger training load and will be "stronger/fitter/faster/whatever term you like" than before applying the larger training load.

I've put the overload concept into practice over the last four weeks with my swimming and dramatically increased the training load in my swim program during that time .
I looked back through my training log and found the largest swim week I'd ever done was 8700 yards. I've topped that number each week during the last four weeks.
Here's how each week totaled out:

Week 1: 8,800 yards

Week 2: 14,600 yards

Week 3: 15,400 yards

Week 4: 18,500 yards

This week, week 4, was a bit of a challenge with Thanksgiving mixed in. Both local pools were closed on Thursday, which meant I'd have to either swim on the weekend (which I rarely do) or double up and do two swims in one day…I chose to double up.
Here's how this week played out in the pool:

Mon: 3200 yards continuous, 1:00:37

Tues (A.M.): 3200 yards, masters swim, 1:07:13

Tues (P.M.): 3600 yards continuous, 1:07:05

Wed: 3500 yards continuous, 1:06:10

Fri: 5000 yards continuous, 1:34:11

I did the Tuesday evening swim at the Y. I'm usually in the pool between 5 and 5:30am and there are rarely more than 2 other swimmers there. Most mornings it's just me and the lifeguard. Well, let me tell ya, it's a different world at night at the YMCA pool.
The kids swim team was practicing (about 8 kids), 3 or 4 other adults were swimming, there were a couple of families with kids in the pool, ANNNND, two scuba divers. The divers scared the SHEOT out of me when I first saw them. They were just sitting on the bottom of the deep end blowing bubbles. Needless to say, it was a bit chaotic in there at times, but I made it through. I only ran into one person while swimming...

So, the training load has been applied, now onto the recovery. The big questions is, how much recovery? I'm thinking 3 medium distance (3k or less) swims per week for the next couple of weeks and then add a forth as part of my normal basic week and go from there. We'll see how it goes. I definitely don't want to throw away the work I've done over the last four weeks.
I've never really focused much on swimming as it's such a small part of the overall distance in triathlon. But, if I'm going to hit the goals I have for myself next year, I'm gonna have to focus on EVERYTHING.

Up next, running focus. Not just 4 weeks, 12, starting Monday.

That's all for now…..back to my leftover turkey sandwich.

Happy Training, TJ