Benefits of group training

If you've followed my blog over the years you'll know how I've struggled with swimming. Not an uncommon problem with triathletes! However it's a great way of keeping fit and it gives my legs a break from running. An essential aspect of my swimming is group training. Tonight after a 200m warm up (not much I know but I knew we'd be having a tough session) we did 250m of drills, 14 x 25m alternating between slow 25m followed by 25m sprint and repeat. The main set was 800m with a 60 sec rest, 400m with a 40 sec rest, 200m /20sec rest, 100m/10 sec rest, 50m finish.
That is a set I wouldn't like to do on my own. Swimming with others encourages you to stay up with the swimmer in front and you end up going faster as a result. We all take turns at the front where the hard work is done.
Triathletes usually find swimming their weakness so we're all in the same boat. But working together as a group we get the job done. Tomorrow a smaller group will be back in the pool by 7am for another session. The months of hard work is starting to pay off which is just as well with a 70.3 ironman in June and a 10km river swim in September. Bring it on!