Posts Tagged ‘English Channel’

How Triathletes and Total Immersion Revolutionized Freestyle
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on March 18th, 2011

How Freestyle evolved from a ‘speed’ stroke to one that anyone can use to cover long distances effortlessly.

How important is speed to an English Channel Swim
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 25th, 2010

The faster pace you maintain across the English Channel the better your chances of making it to France – and the less your chances of being caught in one of the Channel’s infamous tidal switches, which have frustrated the dreams of thousands of would-be Channel swimmers. But when you’ll swim for 12 or more hours, what does “speed” mean?

Exact Pace Awareness – without using a pace clock
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 16th, 2010

Consistent pacing is a core competency of successful distance swimming. I improve my awareness of pace by training with Stroke Count and a Tempo Trainer, rather than a pace clock.

Use Feedback to Train Effectively
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 11th, 2010

Today’s practice sample shows the value of getting the right kind of feedback from practice sets. Data that lets you know if you’re improving — and how and why.

What does “High Pain Threshold” Mean?
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 10th, 2010

High Pain Threshold – a combination of constructive thinking and reframing an unpleasant experience with positive associations. And why these are critical elements in my training to swim the English Channel.

Speed “Happens” . . . while Focused on Efficiency
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 10th, 2010

I hadn’t planned on a “quality” set today, but one sort of snuck up on me as the beep on my Tempo Trainer got faster . . . while I tried to keep my stroke unhurried and long.

An “Effortful” Practice Example: To swim the Channel FASTER.
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 6th, 2010

Most of my practices are designed to imprint efficiency – to help me cross the English Channel more easily. This one was designed to improve pace-holding capacity – to help me cross the Channel faster . . . without sacrificing efficiency.

Stroke Counting Grows Brain Cells . . . which may be critical to swimming the Channel
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 3rd, 2010

It’s obvious that efficiency is critical to success in open water marathon swimming. So is being able to exert control over what and how you think for hours and hours. Stroke counting in the pool while training for an open water marathon may be the best way to improve both.

Day One of Marathon Season – Training Log Begins
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on February 2nd, 2010

First day of marathon training -Goal is to establish an efficient Stroke Length, then improve my ability to maintain that Stroke Length at gradually increasing Stroke Rates.

Sample #1 of “Practices that Grow Brain Cells”
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 18th, 2009

Most distance and marathon swimmers believe the most important thing is to “get the yards in.” I believe there’s much unexplored potential in shorter, well-crafted practices that actually create more direct benefit than long grind-it-out sessions.