Photo: Nils Nilsen

Learn how a pull buoy can help you become a better swimmer.

Written by: Sara McLarty

The pull buoy is a basic piece of swimming equipment used to improve a swimmer’s power. A buoy is typically held between the thighs to float the hips and legs at the surface of the water. The action of swimming with a buoy is called “pulling” because only the arms are used for forward momentum.

Triathletes can benefit from pulling during a workout (with or without hand paddles) to increase arm strength and upper body power. Any regular swimming set can be transformed into a pulling workout: long or short repetitions, fast or slow intervals, ladders or descending pace. Leg muscles consume significantly less oxygen while pulling, so hypoxic breathing sets can be easily incorporated. Athletes who still flutter kick with a buoy in place should use a band to strap their ankles together.

Using a pull buoy for more than one-third of total yardage, however, can be disadvantageous. Triathletes should train with naturally good body position in the water. Holding a buoy between the thighs or ankles causes swimmers to slightly arch their backs. This body position should be mimicked in regular swimming to keep the whole body horizontal at the surface, so use pull buoys only in moderation.

Photo: Nils Nilsen

A poor kick in the pool could be attributed to a lack of flexibility in your ankles. Triathletes coming from a running background tend to have long calf muscles and good dorsiflexion (bringing the foot upward toward the shin), while swimmers have short calves and good plantarflexion (pushing foot down like on a gas pedal). These physical differences can cause difficulty when runners try to swim and swimmers start to run.

While swimming, a stiff ankle places the toes perpendicular to the water and acts as a brake. Relaxing the ankle and allowing the toes to point straight back creates a natural flipper out of the foot.

Ankle flexibility is important, but there are other factors that could be holding your kick back. Continuing up the leg, the knees should also be relaxed during the kick motion. As the leg moves down, water pressure will cause the knee to bend slightly. When the leg moves up toward the surface, it will straighten out naturally. Don’t forget: The origin of the kick is from the hips. Strong core muscles are the driving force of all the action!

Swim fins are a useful tool for triathletes with a running background. I recommend full-length soft-rubber fins that are flexible and can help form a proper kicking motion (such as the Speedo Triathlon Rubber Swim Fins, $29.99 at Speedousa.com). If you’re just starting out, be prepared for possible calf, shin and foot cramps in legs that are not accustomed to a plantarflexion position.

Aspiring faster kickers can devote a few minutes each day to active stretching of both the calf and shin muscles. A gentle self-manipulation of the ankle joints will also increase overall range of movement.

Kick Set

The sets with fins are alternated with an easy swim to prevent cramping and provide an opportunity to practice good form without an aid.

200 swim warm-up (no fins)

4×50 with fins (25 freestyle kick/25 swim)

100 swim (no fins)

4×50 with fins (25 freestyle kick on your back/25 swim)

100 swim (no fins)

4×50 without fins (25 kick/25 swim)

200 swim cool-down (no fins)

Written by: Sara McLarty

Photo: Paul Phillips

Step 1: Swim toward the finish. Know the course and find tall buildings or trees to sight that are in line with the swim exit.

Step 2: Activate your legs. Kick a little extra during the last 200 meters of the swim.

Step 3: Keep swimming! Don’t stop or stand up until you have run aground in the shallow water. When your fingers scrape the bottom, take a few more strokes by pulling right under your torso.

Step 4: Stand up and lift your goggles onto your forehead. This action clears your vision for any potential hazard underfoot as you start to run out of the water.

Step 5: Unzip your wetsuit on solid ground. Running through sand and rocks is hard enough. Wait until you reach carpeting or pavement to search for that strap!

Step 6: Take off your cap and goggles when you see your bike. Abandonment of equipment can result in a penalty, so don’t risk dropping these small items

Click here for more articles on becoming a better swimmer.

Sara: A majority of the time spent in the water should be focused on improving technique, being more efficient and building endurance. There are no flip-turns in an actual triathlon—just steady swimming. Why spend time and energy learning something that you won’t even use on race day? A quick open turn on the wall is simple and comfortable.

Earl: Do you remember the movie “Scream”? That mask is all I can think about when I see a triathlete make an open turn at the wall.
You make an excellent point. There are no walls in the open water, so why waste precious training time working on tumbling drills? Because you need to learn to keep going to be successful in this sport. An open turn allows a mental and physical break in the swim.

Sara: An open turn can turn into a short break, but it doesn’t have to. Learning how to turn with grace is actually very simple. Swimmers who gasp for air during an open turn are nowhere near ready to learn a flip-turn. They first need to address their breathing and efficiency. Doing a quick open turn can also be an opportunity to glance at the clock. Checking your pace every 50 yards is a great way to learn how to control your mind and body in the water.

Earl: Think about riding a bike. Do you get to the top of the hill, stop, check your pace and congratulate yourself, or do you increase the cadence and crest the hill? You move on, as you should in the swim. Plus a flip-turn can improve your bike strength—firmly planted feet on a wall simulate a squat. How about 20 squats for every 500 yards?

Sara: If an athlete has time to spend learning flip-turns, then I say go right ahead! But if you’re time-crunched, I highly recommend spending those minutes focused on getting better in the open water.

Earl: The off-season is coming, and if you have no other swimming goals for next month, you’ve just been given one: Learn how to do a flip-turn in four weeks. Ask a coach or friend for help or study this flip-turn video.

5-step guide to graceful turns:

Wall turn

Click on the image to watch an instructional video on doing a flip-turn.

Step 1: Swim into the wall with one arm stretched out.
Step 2: Touch the wall.
Step 3: Tuck your legs up under your torso.
Step 4: Push your upper body away from the wall.
Step 5: Plant your feet on the wall and push off.

Flip-turn

Step 1: Swim into the wall with one arm stretched out.
Step 2: Tuck your chin to your chest.
Step 3: Pull the outstretched arm to your hip.
Step 4: Throw your legs over your head.
Step 5: Plant feet on the wall and push off.

RELATED – Coach Debate: How Often Should Swim Tools Be Used?

Written by: Sara McLarty

Swimming technique, balance, body position and hip rotation are important elements of the freestyle swim stroke. A coach might critique your balance in the water but praise your hip rotation; or she might try to tweak your body position and ignore your balance. It is important to understand what each term means so you can make improvements.

First is balance. Your upper body and your legs should share the effort of moving you through the water. Specifically, your arms should make a 50 percent to 70 percent contribution to your forward propulsion while your legs should account for the remaining 50 percent to 30 percent. Swimmers who drag their legs behind their body, with almost no visible kick, are missing out on the potential core power that is derived from the hips. On the other hand, if your legs are tiring long before your upper body, consider lessening your kick to conserve energy. By swimming with a two- or four-beat beat kick (meaning you complete two or four individual kicks per complete arm stroke cycle), athletes can benefit from the power in their legs without tiring too quickly.

Balance in the water also means having the movement of the stroke come easily and naturally. A swimmer with good balance is not fighting the water; she is efficiently working with the water, gravity and her own body. Both sides of her body are making similar movements. And yes, balanced swimming requires bilateral breathing.

In terms of body position, try to maintain a constant position during the entire stroke cycle. Strive for a horizontal position in the water with your face pointing toward the bottom of the pool and your hips near the surface of the water. You can practice floating with a snorkel or streamline kicking to become comfortable in this position. Your position is good if your feet break the surface of the water with each kick.

Next, try to keep your body position in a straight line. Think about being “skewered” from the top of your head, through your neck and down your spine. You can rotate on this skewer but you cannot move any part of your body laterally. Drag and resistance are minimized with a streamlined position.

Finally, there is the fine art of hip rotation, which actually refers to shoulder, torso and hip rotation. To understand rotation correctly, you must first recognize “disconnect.” Rotation occurs from the middle of the neck to the middle of the thigh. The head and legs are disconnected from the rotation. When the hips, torso and shoulders are maximally rotated 45 degrees to the left or right in the water, your head and legs should maintain a horizontal position. This allows your kick to keep a steady beat at the surface of the water and it keeps your head still at the front of the stroke.

Your breathing is also disconnected from hip rotation. Breathe by rotating your neck just enough to get one goggle and your mouth out of the water. While taking a breath, don’t forget that you have been “skewered.” Head movement should be minimal and should not affect your balance, body position or hip rotation.

Sara McLarty coaches swimming at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. Submit your swimming questions to Sara at smclarty@competitorgroup.com.

Written by: Sara McLarty

You know what they say: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But not always. And I’m here to tell you that you really can improve your freestyle by fewer miles. There are three tools that you can use toward this end: swimming slower, watching other swimmers and visualization.

Swimming Slower

Vince Lombardi said it best: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” In swimming, the effort to go fast often results in imperfect practice. You’re so focused on getting to the other side of the pool as quickly as possible that you can’t think about the elements of good technique and your form gets sloppy. Before you go fast in the water, you must learn how to correctly swim slowly. Stroke technique can shine if speed is taken out of the picture. With practice, your muscles will memorize each new movement so you can eventually recreate it without thinking as you swim faster and faster.

Use your practice at the pool to focus on one aspect of freestyle at a time. Do not look at the clock when you are improving technique. Instead, feel the water moving and watch the lines on the bottom of the pool to judge if you are going faster. Drill sets should not be performed on timed intervals. Instead, use a specific amount of rest between sets.

Some technique flaws are only visible when athletes swim slowly. If Sally always swims as fast as possible, using a six-beat kick and a quick stroke cadence, it may appear that her body position is correct, with her hips and legs at the surface. But her velocity and flailing arms may disguise a tendency for her legs to sink. If Sally cannot keep her body in horizontal alignment when she is swimming slowly, a major technique flaw has been discovered. In this case, Sally should work on floating (or swimming so slowly she doesn’t move at all!), improving her core strength and relaxing in the water. Eventually she will be able to swim at her familiar fast pace with much less energy expenditure.

Watching Other Swimmers

Why do all the swimming yourself? Let others do some for you! Go underwater at your local pool, buy a DVD, surf the Web or watch a swim practice. How do you know that you finally understand the basics of freestyle technique? When you start making mental notes and correcting other swimmers’ technique. If you can see flaws in others’ strokes and know how to make corrections, you are becoming aware of how to move through the water.
Pay attention to both the correct and incorrect techniques you see in other swimmers. For example, when you watch Athlete A swim, you might notice he has a very relaxed arm recovery with high elbows. In your next swim, visualize his arm movement and try to mimic it. Let’s say you also noticed that Athlete B’s hands crossed the center line of her torso. Keep this image in mind when you are swimming and think about where your hands are during the pull.

Visualization

You can use visualization to practice correct technique when you’re not even in the water. You can have swim practice right where you are sitting. Click your watch over to stopwatch mode and close your eyes. Start the watch and mentally swim 100 yards of freestyle. Think about every stroke, breath, turn and kick. Stop the watch when you are finished. Try to mentally swim your average race pace.

Becoming a better swimmer takes time and practice, but swimming more is not the only way, and often not the best way, to improve. Sometimes it’s the lazy way because it doesn’t require you to think. By bringing your mind into the quest to become a better swimmer—specifically through slow, mindful swimming, paying attention to other swimmers and using visualization techniques—you can make faster progress with less time in the pool.

Sara McLarty coaches swimming at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. Do you have a swim question you would like to have answered in this column? Send it to swim@competitorgroup.com.

Two American Olympic qualifiers and two American Olympic hopefuls highlight the women’s field for this weekend’s Hy-vee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa.

Written by: Sal Farruggia

Click here to read a men’s race preview.

The races transition to non-drafting gives Haskins the upper hand. Photo: Triathlon.org

Although Sarah Haskins has yet to be beaten this year in a non-drafting race, it’s safe to say she has yet to face competition quite like this. In addition to her American ITU teammates Sarah Groff, Gwen Jorgensen and Laura Bennett, she’ll also face off against the likes of Mirinda Carfrae, Lisa Norden, Liz Blatchford, Nicola Spirig and Alicia Kaye. A few others may finish on the podium should they be able to put forth heroic efforts. Here are a few of our favorites to take a podium spot.

Sara McLarty is one of the fastest swimmers in the sport. Photo: Paul Phillips

Florida-based pro Sara McLarty, known as one of the strongest swimmers in short-course triathlon, will be racing this Sunday at the second-ever Washington D.C. Triathlon, an Olympic-distance race now part of the World Triathlon Corporation-owned 5150 Series. We chatted with McLarty about her season, why she’s racing in D.C. and how the series is changing the perception of Olympic-distance racing.

Written by: Bethany Mavis

Triathlete.com: What made you want to race in D.C. this weekend?

McLarty: The main reason I’m racing in D.C. is because it fit nicely into my schedule for the season. It will be my third 5150 event of the year, and I wanted to make sure I got three races before Hy-Vee [the 5150 Championship race] to ensure earning a slot on that starting line! But, on the other hand, I’m really looking forward to the D.C. race. I haven’t been to the area since my eighth-grade class trip and I don’t remember much from that crazy week! My best friend is traveling with me, and we are staying through Monday evening to have an whole extra day to explore the sights. … Fortunately, my Masters swimmers forgive me for missing Monday morning swim practice. I leave them with a workout on paper for the dedicated athletes that still show up even when they know their coach isn’t going to be on the pool deck.

Triathlete.com: How do you feel the introduction of the 5150 Series has changed the sport?

McLarty: I was thrilled when WTC announced the 5150 series this year. I was just coming off a win in the LTF [Life Time Fitness] series and saw first-hand how much attention the non-drafting series was getting in America. Our country really doesn’t follow Olympic sports in the non-Olympic years, so these series help keep people interested during the other three years.

Triathlete.com: How does your bike strategy differ from a non-drafting event versus a drafting event?

McLarty: Non-drafting: I go hard, go fast and don’t ever slow down! Drafting: I wait for a couple girls in the first mile and then motivate them all to work together to stay away from the main chase pack. My bike strategies in the two types of races are actually pretty similar. I just try to bike as fast as possible to get the biggest lead I can going into the run. It doesn’t make for a good “element of surprise.”

Triathlete.com: How do you like racing in a big city?

McLarty: One of the main perks of being a pro triathlete is all the places that I have traveled to just because there is a race in that city or town or country. As often as possible, I stay an extra day after the race to explore the area and do some sightseeing. I always say that I might never travel there again, so I must take advantage of the opportunity the race has provided for me.

Triathlete.com: How do you deal with knowing that as the fastest swimmer you’ll basically be hunted throughout the race?

McLarty: I have found that it is really hard to go fast without a “carrot” dangling in front of me. I tend to do better in the races when we start with the men or really close behind them, and I catch or pass most of them in the water, because then I have someone to bike with and stay motivated—and have some good looking rear-ends to watch. You would think that by now (seven years into my professional career), I could race off the front, but I think it’s because I come from a swimming background where you see all your competitors all the time and they provide constant motivation. So, I’m working on some tricks, like wearing a HR monitor, to stay focused and keep pushing the pace all by myself.

Step 1: Swim toward the finish. Know the course and find tall buildings or trees to sight that are in line with the swim exit.

Step 2: Activate your legs. Kick a little extra during the last 200 meters of the swim.

Step 3: Keep swimming! Don’t stop or stand up until you have run aground in the shallow water. When your fingers scrape the bottom, take a few more strokes by pulling right under your torso.

Step 4: Stand up and lift your goggles onto your forehead. This action clears your vision as you start to run out of the water.

Step 5: Unzip your wetsuit on solid ground. Running through sand and rocks is hard enough. Wait until you reach carpeting or pavement to search for that strap!

Step 6: Take off your cap and goggles when you see your bike. Abandonment of equipment can result in a penalty, so don’t risk dropping these small items.

You can also see Three Quick Kick Tips with Sara McLarty by clicking here.

1. Watch other swimmers in the pool. Look at their lower body above and below the water. Observe the fluid motion of their legs, the cadence and tempo of the kick and the position of their body along the surface. Notice how the powerful action starts at the hip, flows through the leg and finishes with pointed toes.

2. Emulate fast, strong kickers. Dedicate a few minutes in the pool to testing your observations. Discover what gives you forward movement and what does not.

3. Mix up your kick. Kick with fins to help build ankle flexibility and stronger muscles. Kick on your back to change the view and confirm your knees are not bending and exiting the water. Kick strong during drills like catch-up and six-kick switch to improve the connection between your upper and lower body.

Written by: Sara McLarty

Your recovery arm plays an important role in your stroke. Photo: John Segesta

The fourth phase of a swim stroke is recovery. It starts when the arm exits the water and ends when the arm drops back into the water. The key to good recovery technique is to do as the name implies—recover.

When a recovering arm is completely out of the water, it is not moving the swimmer forward in the water. Swimmers should use as little energy as possible during the recovery. Try to relax all unnecessary shoulder, arm and hand muscles. Let the arm lift out of the water as if the elbow was attached to a puppet string. Relax the shoulder and arm as the hand swings forward in an arc.

Novice swimmers can suffer from sore shoulders and fatigued muscles from keeping their hand close to their body during recovery. This is an example of unnecessarily expended energy that does not help with forward propulsion. Each athlete will have a natural recovery path based on personal flexibility.

When the arm is almost fully straight in front of the head, let it drop into the water with a splash and a plunk. Once the arm is submerged, the strong catch phase begins and the relaxed recovery is over.

Click here to see more swim-related content.

Written by: Sara McLarty

I received a strange request from an editor at Triathlete Magazine last week. His email included a link to a YouTube video and the question: What can you do with a few seconds of shaky, lop-sided, underwater footage of the world’s most famous cyclist swimming in the open ocean?

I’m not one to say no to a challenge, but this was one very intimidating request!

As you may have already seen, there are 17 Lance-filled seconds somewhere in the middle of 66 seconds of watery video footage. With an over-worked pause button and a very steady mouse-hand, I managed to pick out a couple of good and not-so-good aspects of Lance’s swimming technique.

Long before the world championship, the battle with cancer, and the seven Tour wins, Lance Armstrong was a rising star in the sport of triathlon. As an 18-year-old, he battled with the best in the sport to win the U.S. National Championship Sprint Triathlon. It would be amazing to see him come back to the sport over two decades later and still be a contender at the elite level.

In this video, it appears that Lance is taking a leisurely swim through the calm water in Kailua Bay. As he comes into view (from :14 to :22), I can see that his body alignment is well balanced. His hips are riding along the surface of the water, directly in line with the rest of his spine. This frontal view also displays good forward extension with both arms and a high-elbow during the catch and pull phases of his stroke.

As Lance swims by the camera (from :22 to :27) it is evident that he is a single-sided breather. I am confident that Lance only breathes to his right side (or at least a majority of the time) because his stroke is uneven. The left side of Lance’s chest is visible as he over-rotates to his right side to take a breath. His left arm pushes straight down on the water to keep his head at the surface. This bilateral difference can lead to injuries in the shoulder joint and a decrease in distance per stroke.

In the final seconds of footage (:27 to :31), his finish, body position, and kick are in clear view. He uses a powerful tricep push to finish each stroke past his hips. This drives his opposite arm, which is properly extended in front of his shoulder, forward for a greater distance-per-stroke. His horizontal body position is excellent and evident of being relaxed in an aquatic environment.

Finally, he has a two-beat kick that is common among distance open-water swimmers. Unfortunately, because Lance is only breathing on his right side, he is using his legs to keep balanced. His legs split wide apart and cause drag as he over-rotates to take a breath. As he rolls back to the center, his right leg makes a big downward kick for stabilization.

Overall, I believe that Lance Armstrong has good technique. His swim will easily take him out of the water with the leaders. All I can say is “good luck” to the guys that try to match his pace on the bike!

Click here to watch the video.

Written by: Sara McLarty

High-Elbow Catch

Improving technique is key to becoming a better swimmer. Photo: Nils Nilsen

The purpose of a drill is to overemphasize a small aspect of the swim stroke to feel the correct position in the water. High-elbow drills help you feel—and make the most of—the power created by keeping your elbow high during the underwater catch phase of your stroke.

Fist Drill is the simplest (and cheapest) drill. Slowly swim freestyle with your hands balled up into fists. Don’t rush the stroke or windmill your arms. Feel the water on your forearms and use them as powerful paddles to move yourself through the water. Tennis balls prevent cheating; you cannot create any water pressure on your hands when you are holding one tennis ball in each. Keep your knuckles pointing toward the bottom of the pool.

Hand paddles can be modified to help strengthen your high-elbow catch. Instead of putting your fingers through the straps, grasp the edge of the paddle so it is lying flat against your wrist. If you bend your wrist, the edge of the paddle should dig into your forearm. Try the Finis Fulcrum paddles, which look like the number “8.” They slide over your fingers and onto your forearm. If you relax your wrist or fingers anytime during freestyle, the paddles will fall off.

Underwater Freestyle Catch

Developing a good underwater freestyle catch is important because it is one of the most crucial elements to forward propulsion. The catch phase of freestyle is performed incorrectly by a majority of novice swimmers. The entire process happens beneath the swimmer’s body, making it hard to observe and mimic.

When your arm is fully extended in the water, the first movement of the catch is to point your fingers to the bottom of the pool. Keep your wrist straight and your elbow bent above your forearm. This arm position forms a strong paddle with a lot of surface area to “catch” the water. Two things to avoid during the freestyle catch: fully straightened arms and crossing the center line of the body.

Take a look at your arm position when you lift yourself out of the pool or push away from your desk. Notice how you achieve the most power by spacing your hands just outside your body, keeping your wrists straight and strong, and bending your elbows near 90 degrees. Feel how your pectoral, tricep and forearm muscles are engaged and strong. Now, take that same position to the pool and feel the power in your underwater catch.

Triathlete.com: You had great success as a swimmer competing for the University of Florida. What made you decide to transition over to triathlon?

McLarty almost always leads out of the swim. Photo: Delly Carr/Triathlon.org

McLarty: It was more like I took a break from triathlon to swim at Florida. I did my first triathlon at the age of seven. I did them all the way through high school. I took a break to go swim for college. I promised my coach I would stay away from triathlon during college. By the time I was 10 I knew I wanted to become a professional triathlete one day.

Triathlete.com: Most people don’t discover triathlon until a much later age. How did you become involved in the sport when you were so young?

McLarty: My family was very into the sport. My mom did a triathlon when I was six. My parents found some kids’ triathlons for me and my brother to do. You can find one every weekend in Florida. By the time I was 18 I had already done at least 100 triathlons.

Triathlete.com: Your race schedule seems to revolve around ITU races. What is it about the drafting Olympic-distance races that appeal to you?

McLarty: It’s hard for a swimmer to excel at the Olympic format, but I do a lot of them because I do dream of going to the Olympics one day. Hopefully one day the cards will fall into place. I’ve also been a big player in a lot of the women’s American successes. We have a lot of strong swimmers like Laura Bennett, Sarah Haskins, Sarah Groff and Julie Ertele when she comes back from having her babies. I’ve been a key player in helping those girls get good results. I love that role of helping them out.

Triathlete.com: Outside of competing, you are very involved in the sport as a swim coach and as a writer for a few publications, including Triathlete magazine. Why do you choose to use your spare time towards these ventures?

McLarty: I am so incredibly passionate about this sport. I’ve been doing it since I was seven, so I really don’t know much else. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. You can still be a well-rounded person and be involved in the sports in many ways. I’m a big supporter of youth triathlon. Triathlon is a platform to promote being healthy as a child. My parent’s did a great job and not everyone is that lucky. And it’s fun. I think a lot of kids who can’t see themselves doing something like football can relate to triathlon. It’s more individual and it’s a mix of different sports.

Triathlete.com: At what point during the season did you realize you had a shot at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series title?

McLarty finished second at the L.A. Tri. Photo: Rich Cruse

McLarty: The weekend before the final race when I did really well in Los Angeles [Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon]. I can actually tell you the moment I realized it. The exact moment was when the head race official walked up to us in L.A. and said that the water temperature meant no wetsuit for pros. We still had an hour to the race and I stood there and said “if you don’t get your act together and do something today, you might as well go home and hang it up.”

Triathlete.com: After crossing the finish line at the Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix race in Oceanside, Calif., you were ecstatic to share that it was your first win as a professional. Walk us through the emotions of that.

McLarty: It was completely unexpected. I love that Aaron [Hersh] wrote that I was the heavy favorite. I was like “according to who?” It was amazing. I just saw a picture of Paula Newby-Fraser holding out her hand to shake my hand. To have Greg Welch announcing and have Paula Newby-Fraser and Heather Fuhr there, and then racing next to Michellie Jones, I still don’t believe it happened. I think it’s a weird dream I had one night.

Triathlete.com: Did you enjoy the format of the super sprint?

The two swims in the super sprint race helped propel McLarty to victory. Photo: Aaron Hersh

McLarty: I really loved it. I hope that series gets off the ground. I will be there.

Triathlete.com: What’s it going to take to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team?

McLarty: For me to make the London Olympics it’s going to take about five more days lying around on my butt and then from now until then 100% focus on that goal. It’s going to take me travelling to some strange countries to get some points because right now I’m lacking. It’s going to take a lot of hard racing. You basically have to run around the world chasing points. There’s a slot for a third Olympian that could be a domestique. It is possible that if the women who qualify ahead of me are strong swimmers and bikers I could be put on the team to help them. Regardless, I’ll be working hard to get there.

Triathlete.com: As one of the fastest swimmers in the sport, you are almost always riding and running to keep your competition behind you. How does this affect your mindset heading into a race?

McLarty: It’s hard. The super sprint was the only time I’ve led from the gun to the finish tape. That’s probably the only way I can win a race is to lead from start to finish. Some days it’s really tough. When there’s no one to look at in front of you it’s tough, especially knowing people are working together to catch you. I train for that. I know I have to race myself.

Triathlete.com: How do you balance maintaining your swim strength while aiming to improve on the bike and the run?

McLarty: I have a swim coach as a triathlon coach, so there’s your answer. I go to the pool four or five times a week. I hop in with these kids where I could possibly be their mother. I get in with them for an hour or an hour and a half and I train like I’m a teenager again. I go all-out. I get out and go home and think ‘I’m too old for this.’ They keep me young and going.

Triathlete.com: Do you ever see yourself jumping up to longer distances?

McLarty: Possibly, in the way off future. Especially with the Lifetime Fitness Series, the new 5150 series, the Olympics and the sprint series being introduced. I don’t need to go into the long stuff to make some money. I feel like I can look at the shorter stuff and hope that it will start attracting as much attention as that boring Ironman stuff.

Open-water swimming tips from the other Sarah … Haskins.

Written by: Sara McLarty

We’re not talking little paper umbrella-style drinking, people. Bottle holders on your bike and around your waist leave are visible reminders to drink during cycling and running, but what about swimming? Do you need to hydrate when you are swimming? The answer is yes.

You might not be able to see the difference between water droplets and sweat on your skin, but you are sweating in the pool. The amount of fluid lost through sweat will depend on each individual’s sweat rate, the workout intensity, and the pool temperature. Weigh yourself before and after practice to get an idea of how much fluid you are losing.

A water bottle at swim practice is as important as a swimsuit. If you drink one bottle each hour while training on land, try to duplicate that at the pool. Take sips of your drink as your coach explains the next set, between intervals and while changing equipment. Good hydration impacts your physical and mental skills during swim practice. Sports drinks are recommended during an intense practice while water is acceptable during a recovery or an easy session.

Click here to read the race recap.

Click here for photos from the men’s race.

The Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix is perhaps the most spectator-friendly and exciting form of triathlon. Today’s race was a double triathlon; S B R S B R. The athletes went twice through 300m swim, 8 mile bike, 1.5 mile run next to the Oceanside Pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Instead of relying on participation to sustain the event, which is the traditional race approach, the SSTGP is designed specifically for spectators. It is an invitation-only event and today’s race was filled with the cream of the crop from every distance. ITU standouts such as Jarrod Shoemaker and Sara McLarty faced off against long coursers and Ironman athletes such as Matt Reed, Kate Major and newly-crowed Ironman world champ Chris McCormack.

Women:

McLarty's dominance on the swim and bike served her well in Oceanside. Photo: Aaron Hersh

Sara McLarty entered this uniquely formatted race as the heavy favorite and she did not disappoint. She is one of the fastest swimmers in the sport and she used her skills in the water to open up a gap of 40 seconds after merely 300 meters in the choppy waters of Oceanside.

A large pack including Misato Takagi, Charlotte McShane and Tenille Hoogland chased her onto the bike. Iron-distance studs Michellie Jones and Kate Major followed next. McLarty held her substantial lead through the 5-mile long, criterium-style bike course and conceded only 10 seconds on the first run. She leapt back into the Pacific with a 30 second lead and emerged with 50 seconds on Hoogland who, despite wearing a grimace through the entire first run, established herself as a threat to draw McLarty back in. She and Alicia Kaye worked together on the bike but were unable to gain substantial time on McLarty, who cruised to an uncontested win. After the race, McLarty admitted that the second swim of the SSTGP was the hardest swim she has ever experienced in a triathlon.

The real race was for second. Hoogland and Takagi rounded the last corner separated by only a seconds, with Kate Major another couple strides back. Takagi entered the final stretch with a lead and Hoogland appeared to be struggling. Just when it appeared like Takagi had second place locked up, Hoogland found another gear and sprinted around Takagi to take second place with Takagi in third. After the race, an elated McLarty gushed about how this was her first win as a professional triathlete.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the women’s race.

Men:

The surf was high when the men entered the water and the entire field was pushed off course by a series of strong waves. Cameron Dye and Ben Collins were among the first few athletes out of the water. Chris McCormack was in the middle of the pack and Matt Reed was one of the last athletes out of the water. He came out about 30 seconds behind the first swimmers and “stayed there the whole ride.” He had work to do after the first ride but wasn’t out of the race. Dye and Collins were out front of the pack early and were joined at the front by Brendon Sexton and Filip Ospaly. McCormack worked up through the group to join the leaders half way through the bike ride.

Ospaly caps off a successful 2010 season. Photo: Aaron Hersh

The first run shook up the field and a group of five entered the second swim together. Cameron Dye, a former DI swimmer, was shocked by the difficulty of the second swim. “I’ve been swimming a long time and I’ve never felt something like it. I took three steps into the water, tried to dive and just flopped.” Macca lost some time in the second swim.

They went back on to the bike with small gaps but eventually grouped up. The second ride was chaotic, as lapped riders jumped onto the leaders and the athletes attempted to establish their positions. Shoemaker entered the bike-to-run transition a few seconds behind the group.

Ospaly, Dye, Collins and Sexton left the fifth and final transition with Jarrod Shoemaker steps behind. Ospaly quickly charged out of transition first and Shoemaker took a steady pace, about six seconds back. The pair eventually separated from the rest of the lead group and Ospaly opened a ten second lead going into the final 800 meters. Shoemaker was clearly the fastest runner in the final half mile, but he ran out of room and Ospaly crossed the line first. Shoemaker crossed next and Sexton rounded out the podium.

The buzz traveling through the crowd after Filip Ospaly sprinted away from a world class field to win the first Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix was unlike anything in the sport of triathlon. It wasn’t a feeling of inspiration like midnight at an Ironman, it was more like the environment at an NBA arena after a last-second shot. The entire crowd was exhilarated. Triathlon isn’t typically spectator friendly, but the Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix is worthy of network television coverage.

Click here to see photos from the men’s race.

Written by: Sara McLarty

Are your swim splits always the same? Perhaps it’s because your swim training is always the same. Swim practice should change multiple times during the year. There are five phases of swim training: endurance, strength, speed, taper and recovery. For the best results on race day, spend some time focusing on each phase.

Just like biking and running, your swim training should be focused around your next big race. Photo: Nils Nilsen

How much time is a question that can only be answered on an individual basis and must also consider the triathlete’s ability level and the competition’s distance. A year-round athlete will spend two to three months in a phase while a first-timer might only spend a few days. Sprint athletes emphasize the speed phase while iron-distance athletes spend more time on endurance.

THE PHASES:
A typical triathlete, with “A” races in early June and September, will be used for the following examples. The interval times used in the example assume an athlete whose normal 100-yard pace is roughly 1:40. Adjust the times as appropriate to fit your pace.

The endurance phase of swim training usually starts after the winter holidays or at the beginning of the New Year. This is typically when races open registration and athletes realize that it’s time to start training. Between the months of January and March, focus on building (or rebuilding) endurance. Training sets should be long, and the effort level should be moderate. Break the monotony of workouts with equipment and creative sets.

For example:

600 warm-up (200 swim / 200 kick / 200 drills)
9 x 200 freestyle with 30 seconds rest (3 with fins, 3 pull, 3 swim)
100 easy

In the strength phase, the pace clock becomes very important and the intervals become challenging. Starting in late March and continuing through April, include a strength set in two-thirds of weekly swim practices. Knock off five or 10 seconds from your regular send-off-interval and try to descend times (i.e. swim faster and faster splits) all the way through a set with a large number of intervals. Use pulling equipment during the main set to build upper body strength.

For example:

600 warm-up (2 X 200 swim / 50 kick / 50 drill)
6 x 50 freestyle at 1:00 (descend 1-3, 4-6)
15 x 100 freestyle (5 at 2:00, 4 at 1:55, 3 at 1:50, 2 at 1:45, 1 fast)
200 easy

The speed phase begins when the A race is right around the corner. In late April and early May, focus on going very fast during one swim practice each week. Speed sets should include very short distances (50s and 25s) with long rests or easy swimming between reps.
For example:
500 choice warm-up
8 x 75 at 2:00 (25 kick / 25 drill / 25 build)
6 x 50 fast (100 easy swim after each 50)
500 easy pull

The length of the taper phase depends on the race distance, but two weeks before race day is the average. The idea is to reduce the amount of time spent in the pool in each practice, not to reduce the total number of swim practices during the week. You risk losing your “feel for the water” when you take too much time between swims. Practice race-specific skills including head-up swimming, sighting, buoy turns and drafting. This is a good time to practice in a wetsuit if training in open water.

For example:

400 warm-up in wetsuit (if in open water)
10 x 50 at 1:00 (25 head-up drill / 25 swim)
6 x 100 pull with 20 seconds rest
8 x 25 at 1:00 (1 easy, 1 fast)
100 easy

After the first A race, spend a few days in the recovery phase. Swim practice should be easy to loosen up muscles and allow the body to regenerate itself. Between mid-June and September, create mini training blocks of each phase to prepare for the second A race. Slightly shorten the endurance phase and lengthen the taper.

For example:

10-minute easy swim
10 x 50 with 20 seconds rest (25 kick / 25 perfect swim)
10 x 100 with 20 seconds rest (50 kick / 50 swim)
10-minute easy pull

At the end of the season, don’t be afraid to take time off from the pool. An off-season recovery phase starts with a two-week break from the water followed by up to two months of easy swimming. Make stroke changes at this time and increase your efficiency for next year.

Sara McLarty has swum for 20 years under some of the greatest swim coaches in the country. Now she’s one of the fastest swimmers in the pool, open water and triathlon and she coaches the Masters swim program at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. If you aren’t close enough to swim with her three mornings each week, visit NTCMasterSwim.blogspot.com where she posts every workout in three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Looking for a detailed training plan for your next race? Check out Triathlete.com’s all new online training plans.

Written by: Sara McLarty

When you’re really hungry and you don’t have a lot of money, you go for the value meal. Whether it’s a sandwich, a side salad and a drink or whatever, the value meal usually gives you the most calories for the least amount of money.

Knowing where to focus your efforts can help you improve your swim quickly. Photo: Nils Nilsen

An oddly similar phenomenon happens during swim training as well: You are hungry for improvement in your swimming yet have a limited budget of time and knowledge to spend on it. It’s a sad reality, but most triathletes just don’t have the time or money to invest in a good swim coach to watch and correct their strokes. Sometimes the closest thing to a coach available is a spouse, training partner or lane-mate who may share a piece of advice during practice. Athletes training solo can glance over at the faster swimmers and try to mimic their smooth strokes or, as a last resort, one can utilize swim tips from a world-class swimmer in a triathlon magazine.

The challenge for the uncoached swimmer is that there are so many nuances of the freestyle swim stroke to copy and so many tips for technique improvement to choose from that finding the most integral aspects can seem daunting. Which facets should you work on first? Which tips will result in the most improvement? See where I’m going with this?

Here are what I consider to be the most seven important aspects of freestyle to focus on. My “value meal” of swim tips applies to everyone: fast and slow, beginner and advanced, pure swimmer and triathlete.

1) Don’t hold your breath. The feeling of being out of breath is caused by carbon-dioxide buildup in the lungs. A steady and constant exhalation out your nose and mouth while your face is in the water will prevent this unpleasant phenomenon. Inhaling on every third stroke is a good breathing pattern to use because you will breathe on both sides of your body and get plenty of oxygen.

2) Relax, relax, relax! This advice seems so simple … until you start swimming! The best swimmers in the world look like they are gliding along the surface of the water. You cannot fight the water; it will always win. Instead, relax your whole body into the water and channel your power exclusively toward moving your body forward. Practice the simple art of floating facedown on the surface.

3) Align your spine. On dry land, stand up tall and look straight ahead. Notice how your neck is in alignment with your spine and your face is pointed forward. Take that position into the water. The waterline should cut the center of the top of your head and your face should be pointed at the bottom of the pool.

4) Remember to glide. The swim stroke differs from a cycling pedal stroke or a running stride because it is disconnected instead of continuous—or should be. In running there is no separation between each stride and the next, and in cycling the rotation of the cranks is continuous. In swimming, each stroke should be separated from the next with a brief glide. When your arm enters the water above your head, let it stay fully extended for a few moments before you start the catch phase. Don’t be a windmill.

5) Rotate, but don’t over-rotate. Body rotation is an art form. Those who get it perfectly are beautiful as their bodies cut through the water like a knife. The secret is they don’t over-rotate. If the bottom of the pool is 0 degrees and the side of the pool is 90 degrees, your torso should never go past 45 degrees on either side. Remember, your head and lower legs do not rotate with your torso and hips; keep your feet kicking straight up and down.

6) Never cross the forbidden centerline. Under no circumstances should either arm ever cross the centerline of your body. At the entry point of the stroke, drop your arm in the water directly in front your shoulder. Flare your arm out during the catch, sweep back and slightly in during the pull, and finish with your hand next to your thigh. The movement should look like a question mark. Keep your fingertips pointed at the bottom of the pool.

7) Kick from your hips. Relax your knees. Point your toes. Think about slapping the tops of your feet on the surface of the water; they should be making a small splash. If you feel tired and sore in your hip-flexor muscles, you’re doing it right!

Sara McLarty coaches swimming at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. Visit her blog for daily swim set at Ntcmastersswim.blogspot.com, and send swim questions you’d like answered in the Triathlete magazine column to swim@competitorgroup.com.