Training Like an Olympian

Mark Warkentin, America's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim hopeful, is training extraordinarily hard every day with Michael Phelps, Erik Vendt, Larsen Jensen and Peter Vanderkaay at the USA Olympic Swim Team training camp in Stanford's 50-meter pool.


How fast are they training? In the words of Mark, "Practices are exciting. Competing against Michael, Erik, Larsen and Peter is intense because I must be on top of my game every practice."

For example, they went a kick set of 5 x 200 @ 3:40 with #2, #4 and #5 fast. Larsen, Erik and Michael went the fast one in the low 2:20’s. Or about 35 seconds per 50 meters on a kicking set with a board. No fins.

One afternoon was another example of fast swimming:

2 x 400 at a moderate pace @ 4:40 with Mark swimming a 4:28 and a 4:22.
2 x 300 at a moderate and strong pace @ 3:30 with Mark swimming a 3:15 and a 3:12.
2 x 200 at a strong pace @ 2:20 with Mark swimming a 2:07 and a 2:07.
30 seconds rest
10 x 100 at a strong pace @ 1:30 with Mark swimming between 1:01 - 1:00
5 x 100 at an almost fast @ 1:40 with Mark swimming :59, :58, :58, :59 and :58. 5 x 100 at a fast pace @ 2:00 with Mark swimming :58, :58, :58, :58 and :57.

That's a lot of fast swimming towards the end of the day's second hard practice.

The next day, Mark did the entire set below at a 1:10 pace:

1 x 800 at a moderate/strong pace, swimming a 8:48
3 x 1000 at a moderate pace with a pull buoy, swimming a 11:18, 11:18 and 11:18 1 x 800, swimming a 8:42
1 x 600, swimming a 6:29
1 x 400, swimming a 4:12
1 x 200, swimming a 2:02
1 x 100, swimming a :57

That is nearly 6000 meters...at a pretty strong pace.

The next day, Mark continued to push himself against America's best freestyle swimmers doing the following main set:

3 x 400 @ 5:00, swimming 4:19, 4:15, 4:13
3 x 100 @ 1:20, swimming 1:02, 1:02, 1:01
1 minute rest
2 x 400 @ 5:00, swimming 4:17, 4:15
5 x 100 @ 1:20, swimming 1:02, 1:01, 1:01, 1:01, 1:01
1 minute rest
1 x 400 @ 5:00, swimming 4:15
7 x 100 @ 1:20, swimming 1:03, 1:02, 1:02, 1:01, 1:01, 1:00, :57

Olympic dreams require Olympian efforts, Olympian focus and Olympian workouts.

Impressive. Very impressive.

Photo of Mark Warkentin by the Associated Press.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association