I guess everyone's season has started!

MD, every Masters class is different, so I think you'll have to at least try one session with yours (often the coaches will let you take part in one session to see if you like it or not) to see if you'll like it. For example, RM said her coach is a triathlete, so I imagine her class might have a bit different of a focus from mine, which is taught by an ex-competitive swimmer, and as far as I know he doesn't do tris. In fact, the majority of people in my class are competitive swimmers, taking part in USMS swim meets. There is a growing number of triathlon swimmers in our club, but our season (40 weeks) is broken up into different focus sessions. For the first month we focus on drills and technique. Then we'll start to focus on swim meet stuff, which doesn't really help me all that much with tris, but the speed sets do pay off, and my general fitness level increases alot. Then we go towards distance swims, and finally focus on open water techniques.

We are starting at easier volumes, about 1000 yards a night, reaching as high as 3000 or more during peak season.

I know what you mean about the virtues (or vices) of focusing on other strokes when you only use free. I've found it's a nice cross-training, but I don't REALLY focus, particularly on speed, other than in freestyle. For example, I try and learn all I can about the other strokes during the technique portion of the course, but once we get into the competitive swim season, there's no need for me to throw a shoulder out trying to keep up with the ex-collegiate swimmers who can do butterfly all night. I'll try and get my flip turns down, but won't focus on them later in teh season when we're doing distance, and I only bother with block dives and meet regulations as a way to keep from being bored by the same old. So I'll do any laps that have other strokes if they're slower, but if we're doing say 250 yards of butterfly, I'll do the first one or two of fly but then go on to free. I use my judgement, and the coach is pretty leniant on this stuff, but it may vary depending on your class style. I don't like to do alot of fly because it hurts my shoulders, and breaststroke for me is slower than molasses, so in the end I'll usually replace the majority of these laps with free and not feel too guilty.

K.