What is a good swimming training schedule?

Where should I go for spring swimming?? ?

• Ok so I used to be a really good swimmer. Like, really good. I won all of my heats practically but got sick from the nerves every time before my heat/meet. So this previous winter my grandma died and I decided to stop for the winter since I was tired of it kinda. Well, now it's spring and my country club swimming is coming up in June and I wanna start again!! I have the choice of either this kinda hard team (which I swam for in the winter for the past like 4 years) or this small little workout place with an awesome coach and great training. Which one do I choose? There's pros and cons to both: Kinda hard team PROS: cold pool, great coach, get good fast, fits into my schedule, full 25 yd length CONS: I've gotten bad so he'll expect from me what I can't do, hard practices, embarrassment for sucking at swimming now (especially fly), practices are from 7-8:30 PM Little workout place PROS: great coach (who I can train with to help me get good again), not embarassed about sucking since idk anyone there, CONS: hot water pool, 18 yards rather than 25 yds, overlaps with other activities (but activities can be changed) HELP WHAT DO I DO??????????(:

• Answer:

  It really depends on what you are aiming for but I would go with your old team. the little place has to be friendlier because the facilities are lacking. An 18M pool is not standard race length. When you go to a meet your nervous system will have keyed in your flip turns 4-6 strokes too early. Most race pools are cool/cold. Even at 72 degrees you don't notice after the first 100M anyway for practice. You really should train the same way you race. If you know the coach and the team you shouldn't feel embarrassed because they will give you an idea of how far you need to go to get back to your old form. Your sense of embarrassment is overdeveloped. You are saying your old team will be less supportive than a group of total strangers? Your "nerves" are simple butterflies that everyone gets at the beginning of a race that you've over amplified. One thing that you might try during the heats is simply to tell yourself, "I'm going to swim better now than I have in the past..." and not to worry about gauging yourself against the competition--just break your best time each time you get into a final. If your PR for the 100M Free is 1:10, then the next meet you should go for 1:09. The next time 1:08.etc. You don't care who you are racing against because eventually with consistent improvement you'll be kicking everyone's butt.