3000 for time continued

When I decide what I do for practice there is purpose to every thing we do and every set that we do. It can be from set designed to get heart rate up, as I do in most warm-up sets. Some things I do are geared to concentrate specific aspect of a stroke, not normally the whole stroke. There are various reasons why I do things at practice, but going into practice I know exactly what each set or each drill is specifically designed to do. Even on those practices I come up with on the spot, I still go to practice knowing what I want to accomplish, but since I know what kind of sets and drills I use to accomplish these goals, then sometimes I'd rather watch and create the practice to what I see, while at the same time accomplishing the goals I set to accomplish.

The 3000 for time is no different. Many watch and just say it is the practice Kacy just wants to pay no attention to the swimmers, but in reality it is one of the most engaged practices I have as I try to keep a rough lap count down, and I look at splits on the running watch as I try to get a feel of how everyone is doing. I may not be as engaged to the swimmer, but I am very much engaged analyzing the swim.

Yesterday I spent about 5 to 10 minutes talking to the group about the different things they could have got from the 3000 for time. Their answers were the normal ones: Build Endurance and practice counting laps. Yes, they did get these from the 3000 for time, but there was some other things that I wanted to recognize.

First, the theme of challenging the impossible, even though it only relates to those who haven't done this before. Secondly, I wanted them to realize that they are capable of doing more that they knew they could. Many of the swimmers started off very conservatively, but picked up as they went on. They had no idea that they could still feel ok after 1000 yards of swimming. Thirdly, It puts other events into perspective. What is a 500 Free after a 3000 Free? They realized how much they had after 1000, maybe they can actually be a little aggressive when they do a 500, and they don't have to start off at a snail's pace.

Basically, the 3000 for time is one of those things that the kids really can take a lot away from doing. Other coaches use other Test Sets similar to the 3000 Free. I have heard JJ from SBSC talk about how his age-group group does the 1000 IM. He basically has the same justification as I have when it comes to the 3000 Free. I have always thought about trying the 1000 IM, but I haven't utilized it yet in one of my workouts.

I know there are mainly parents and swimmers who follow this blog, but if there is a coach out there reading these and want to do the 3000 for time, make sure you know why you are doing it. It can end up being just garbage yardage if not executed well. I believe any kind of mundane workout or set should have some reasoning that you can talk to your swimmers about, and for them to realize why they did the set besides just saying, "It's good for you."