The other day, Triathlete magazine posted a link on their website to the "birthday swim workout".
My birthday is this month so I clicked on it. Yes, it was that easy to make me click on a random link.
In fact, if you're interested in reading about it, click here.
Anyway, so I clicked on it and was taken to an article about a swim coach who designed a 'birthday swim workout' that he would toss at his team when it was someone's birthday. As I read it, I thought it might be a fun thing to do on my birthday. I have the day off that day and it's a regular swim day for me so I toyed with the idea of doing it.
Then I got to the part about the actual workout.
It's 100x100m.
I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.
100x100m = 10km of swimming. That, I would guess, would take me roughly 5 hours.
They even build in 'fuel breaks' to make sure you don't die before the end which is kind of them.
To put this in perspective, I swim about 3.4k every time I go to the pool. That includes a warm up, main set and warm down. That takes 90 minutes to do. I could definitely do more at the end but I don't think I could do it twice more.
On many days our main set in the pool involves a workout I consider pretty tough like, say, 16x100m. on 2:00. Fifteen seconds rest (at most!) between each 100m means you're basically swimming 1.6km with hardly a chance to catch your breath.
This birthday workout includes things like 30x100m on 2:00, a break, and then 15x100m using a pull buoy. Which means you don't kick. Which means your arms are pulling you for 1.5km. After you've already warmed up with 20x100m and then done the 30x100m thing.
As much as I'd love to say I did the famous birthday swim workout on my birthday, I don't think I'll be doing that. There is ambitious and then there is another category entirely.
It's kinda like running 10k runs and then, on your birthday, deciding to wing a marathon. Not the smartest move.
But if anyone else feels like doing a birthday swim workout on my birthday for me, let me know how it goes eh?
kind of like my 20 times up Sydenham.
ReplyDeleteI think the only reason I did it was because it was spur of the moment. I went into it knowing it would take me more than 4 hours because you have no choice but to take it easy if you're committing to such a daunting task.
I'm no swimmer but that looks like insanity. I guess that's the appeal though
I saw that birthday workout in the magazine and thought, "Oh HELL no."
ReplyDeleteBut I bet it would only take you four hours...