Frequently asked questions
About the workouts
About the team
About swimming
How are the workouts structured?
Typically workouts begin with a 15-minute period of unstructured warm-up. During that time the coach delivers to your lane a sheet outlining the formal workout which begins at 5:45 on Tuesday-Thursday and 6:45 on Saturday. This sheet is typically organized in three sets: warm-up set (not too strenuous), the main set (more challenging), and the warm down set (at a slower pace). The sets are separated by a rest, typically 90 seconds. Each set consists of a certain number of repetitions of a distance swum doing a certain stroke at a certain pace (for example, 5 x 100 yards freestyle on 1:55). You'll see your lanemates looking up at a clock / scoreboard on the north wall of the pool where the intervals have been programmed in by the coach. Your lanemates will tell you exactly where to look on that board to see where you are in the set.
What lane should I swim in?
Swimmers are organized in four different groups:
- Gold usually swims between x and y yards per practice, and the pace per 100 yards is z.
- Blue usually swims between x and y yards per practice, and the pace per 100 yards is z.
- White usually swims between x and y yards per practice, and the pace per 100 yards is z.
- Red usually swims between x and y yards per practice, and the pace per 100 yards is z.
Each of these groups takes up several lanes in the pool, and most people who are "regulars" tend to swim in the same lane each time with the same people. Consequently most lanes have evolved their own "culture." The swimmers know each other fairly well, and know in what order they should swim each set. Newcomers are always welcome in all lanes, and the coach will place you in an appropriate lane when you first join the team.
