Off the Deck

This week I’ll answer (or at least try to) another question posed by another one of my friends/ teammates. After seeing my swims in Oregon, Ellie wants to know “how do you always get it together for the big meets?”

O.k., here are some of my thoughts:

1) I don’t stick to the same routine year in and year out — I always adjust to the current situation. This year, because I was playing “catch up” after being sick for so long so late in the winter/early spring, my focus once back in the water was primarily on technique (getting a good feel for the water back) and making every workout count. This means I tried to arrive at practice 15 minutes early and stayed 15 minutes late whenever I could. I had drills and additional sets in mind to do during the extra half-hour. Obviously, I did the drills to improve technique; the extra sets were designed to re-build endurance and stamina.

Also, once I pick my events (which tend to shift a little per year) I bend sets and training conditions to match these events and their order as much as possible. Naturally, this means a lot of event-specific sets, like 15×100 for the 1500 free. Since Mt. Hood is an outdoor facility, I favored outdoor practices in all kinds of weather (hot, cold, rain, blinding sun, etc.) to get used to any condition that might occur on race day. With the 200 fly as my last event on the last day, I did the bulk of my fly work at the end of practices, with the goal of maintaining stroke when tired. And, since I had a distance-distance-easy day-distance pattern this year (1500 free Thursday night, 400 I.M. Friday morning, 50 fly mid-day Saturday and 200 fly Sunday a.m.) I tried to mimic this event schedule by swimming late one day, early the next, take an easy day on the third followed by a hard early swim the next.

2) My dry land routine was altered to speed up strength gains this summer. Normally my PT person (who is worth his weight in GOLD) has me alternate strength, endurance and power-specific workouts. But my body just wasn’t where it should have been by early June, so he switched me to an all-strength routine which I followed until I started my LC Nats taper. This by far was the hardest routine I’ve ever done. I remember him saying “I want you to WORK” when showing me the new exercises. And I did. I was never sure if I would get through the next rep let alone next set or next exercise every time I lifted this summer.

3) The past two summers have had heat waves where I live — weeks of 90+ temps and even 100+ day-spreads. So my body was pretty acclimated to severe heat before heading to both Houston (108 heat index) and Mt. Hood (100+ degrees for the first three days). I’ve also had a chance to tinker and see what works best for my body in terms of exertion and recovery during extreme heat.

4) I try to stick to “normal” patterns as much as possible when traveling for meets. Adjusting sleep times a little when in the USA to match a different time zone is usually easy (especially since I get up at 4:15 a.m. for practice at home — Oregon’s 6:30 a.m. warm up time was 7:30 my time, so I actually got more rest then usual!)

I also try to eat the same foods by packing some items, getting a few things at the grocery store (I’ll even try to buy the same brand as I do at home) and picking dishes I normally eat when out. Sticking to my usual meal times is tougher since you are in and out of the water all day, so I bring food with me and graze until I have time for a real meal in the evening. Finally, I do the same stretch routine, warm up and cool down that I have done all season throughout the meet.

5) I do a full taper only once a year for a National competition; I “swim through” all other meets. Maybe I’ll get a little extra rest prior to a non-national meet because it falls at the end of a “rest week” in my weight training cycle. But I don’t shave down, reduce yardage, suspend other actitivies like weights, biking and hiking, etc. except for Nationals.

6) I think point #5 rolls into this one, the strongest, most intangible and very Rebecca-specific factor: I get really motivated for LC Nationals. I can’t tell you 100% why, but I know it’s a combination of aspects. Part of it is because long course is my favorite venue — there’s nothing better to me than a big end-of-summer-season meet, particularly one that’s held outdoors in a 50m pool. I think I’m channeling my age-group days here a bit! Traveling to a different pool is also very inspiring to me, and the general “big meet” buzzing atmosphere energizes me. I do special things for this meet such as taper and shave. Something about all these elements combined allows me to really zone-in on my swims like no other…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Now that I’ve had to catch up on all the events I missed while at LC Nats, here’s a second “random thoughts” collection on the Olympics:

–I know I keep picking on Ian Crocker as the example, but again, I have to say I really would want to swim more than one individual event (if possible) at big meets like Trials and the Games. It must be excruciating to sit through your nerves on top of all the good/bad teammate-swims drama. Especially because in Ian’s case, the 100 fly was one of the last events.

–My “make the best of an opportunity” award goes to Arkady Vyatchanin, who made the 100 back finals by winning a swin off, only to tie for bronze.

–I am tired of hearing that Katie Hoff is “over-rated.” Sure, she didn’t pull a Phelps to win a gold in every event, but she still threw down at least one PR and earned two medals. She simply was out-swum, which happens. Furthermore, her recent Olympic results do not tarnish her already outstanding world/national circuit accomplishments. I’m positive that “what could we have done differently” sessions with her coach will occur soon. But she’ll be back, and better than ever because Katie has yet to swim to her full capability on the Olympic scene — a very motivating burr for the next four years.

–Speaking of Phelps, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? I remain in awe. After all the talk about switching his event focus for London 2012 (dropping the 400 IM for example) I can’t wait to see how he does in potential events such as the 200/100 back and who knows, maybe even the breasts!

–I loved Dara Torres’ “masters moment” when she insisted on holding up her 50 free heat until her fellow competitor had replaced her torn suit. Not only does her behavior match the Olympic creed so well, it was refreshing to see it action in swimming amid the usual “controversies” that popped up in other sports (charges of underaged gymnasts, suspect judging, political tension, and much, much more!) I also loved watching Dara’s pure enjoyment of the moment. More often than not, she was caught on camera just looking around the cube and smiling, sucking in the electric Olympic atmosphere at the pool.

–Is it just me or has Amanda Beard gotten, well, kind of “harsh?” Sure, we no longer expect a teddybear-carrying young teen, but I was surprised to see how sharp her facial features have become when spied (sans hair/makeup crews for Speedo promos) in the stands watching finals. Even more surprising are her harsh comments regarding Michael Phelps, delivered on a national platform. Ok, we get that he’s “not your type” and that you wouldn’t date him, but there are ways to gracefully answer those kinds of silly questions (or completely devalue them by not answering) without attacking the personality and looks of the person in question.

–Rebecca Soni wins my award for “most focused and poised.” She didn’t get caught up in the Olympic hype, deflected controversy to nil while stepping up to fill in for Jessica Hardy in the 100 breast, believed in herself, and got the job done. In several events.

–I enjoyed seeing the one brief “behind the scenes” moment when we were privvy to the warm up pool, massage stations, and more. Yes, I understand the average American could care less what happens before or after anything other than a final in which an American wins, but as a swim junky, (and I know others are out there!), I like to see and hear all the details!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

While waiting for our return flight from Long Course Nationals this past Sunday, Mike Mann (the new 50-54 200m IM world record holder! and owner of SwimLabs — visit the site via my “links” page) suggested that I talk about what I ate during the meet because everyone always wants more information on this topic.

I am happy to oblige, particularly because I haven’t caught up on the Olympic swim events I missed while competing in Oregon to finish up my thoughts on Beijing performances.

One key disclaimer before I begin however: I am a super picky eater. This is partly explained by multiple food allergies (i.e. no dairy!). I have to admit though, that the rest of it is pure Rebecca-finicky-ness. (i.e. I don’t eat seafood because I just can’t eat something I just swam next to).

In a nutshell, I switch my nutritional goals during multiple event/day meets to increase carbs and electrolytes a bit and decrease protein/fats a tad while saving those last two for when I have the longest digestion window.

Here’s the how/why:
While training my meals and snacks each have some protein, complex carbs and fat. Breakfast, for example is usually oatmeal with fruit, soy milk and nuts. Since I swim best on a light stomach, and protein takes awhile to digest and fat can be um, “disruptive,” I tend to graze on carbs (sportsbars, pretzels, sports drinks, bagels, dried fruit, etc.) before and after races until I am done for the day. Then I’ll eat a meal with protein and fat (one night at LC Nats I ate a salad, turkey burger and french fries) if I have 12 hours before warming up the next morning.

During training, I need electrolytes (I like Emergen-C ElectroMix packets) only after outside, noon-hour swims or any practice during a heatwave. (This past summer when we had almost three weeks of 100+ temps I kicked off every morning with electrolytes). But for meets in any season, I find that I perform best when I consistently drink electrolytes.

The other two things I do consistently (training or competition) are: 1) drink a lot of water, and 2) take in enough carbs* pre- and post- swims. Carrying a water bottle and sipping every 15-20 minutes is easy enough to do. The carb prep/recovery can get a bit tricker. If I haven’t had a meal for a few hours I’ll have an easily digested, carb-rich snack (half a Powerbar, crackers, a serving of applesauce, etc.) an hour before getting in the water. After swimming (practice or race) I’ll have another easily digested, carb-rich snack within 15 minutes of exiting the water.

Yes, it can be a pain to pre-plan snacks as well as pack and carry food, often in a cooler, but refueling right away makes a HUGE difference in terms of recovery. And trust me, you get over the “eating in the shower or warm up pool is weird” thing pretty fast when you start to have more, and consistent, energy to apply per swim.

Eating well when traveling for a meet can be tricky as well. I try to bring as much as I can (this time I crammed oatmeal, an entire bag of spelt preztels, powerbars, drink mix, electrolyte packets, trail mix and dried fruit into my suitcase). I also hit a local grocery store the first day to stock up on fruits, bagels, peanut butter, veggies, etc. Having access to a fridge and microwave means you can store perishables such as sliced turkey as well as prepare quick and light “meals” like soup and pasta with sauce. And, although it’s a bit more work, you can constantly replenish a softsided (and thus packable) cooler with ice from those huge ice-maker machines hotels have on every floor to keep more than dry goods during an away-meet.

*There are formulas based on weight to determine how many grams you need. Feel free to email me if you would like them.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

This week’s post is a collection of random thoughts on Olympic swimming as events unfold in Beijing (and as I catch up with viewing via tape)…

–How can I not start off with Brendan Hansen after mentioning him so much here lately? I must admit, although shocked by his lackluster prelims preformance, I was willing to ante-in on his self-described poker game and wait and see what cards he’d reveal in finals. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have much more than a pair of twos. Honestly, at this point, his track record has me stumped. The guy’s obviously got talent, which he backs up with training, because he’s beaten the field (particulalry his arch-nemesis) before and has set world records. Does he suffer from an Olympic block? Is he a poor race strategist? Does he make bad “taper vs all out” choices? Personally, I’m standing by my “it’s a mental thing” assessment. I just haven’t seen “I own this race” confidence in him–not at Trials, not at the Games.

–Yes, the USA swim team is throwing down some good results (PRs, ARs, Michael Phelps is more than delivering, “medal surprises” are begining to surface such as in the women’s 100 fly, etc.) But I can’t help but think there’s still going to be a sit-down talk among the powers that be about how to “regain former American dominance” in swimming once these Games conclude. Clearly, the podium has never been so diverse in nations. And while PRs and ARs are always something to celebrate, we’re finding out that they just aren’t enough anymore.

–On the same note, unless you’re Micahel Phelps, the old “hang back and reel them in” ploy just isn’t working anymore. If you want to go for gold, you need to stay with the lead pack and make a breakout from there.

–Aren’t Olympic years awesome for swimming? First, there’s all the caliber swimming, willingly broadcasted on major networks. I’ve spotted at least three different swimmers on current magazine covers (none of them sports related) and Michael Phelps popped up on my “check out bonus” coupon today at the grocery store. Even more exciting, this is the first time (that I can recall) that I’ve overheard random people, and most importantly, non-swimmers, discussing last night’s swim results (men’s 400 free relay) as if it were a key major league game everywhere I’ve gone today! Maybe this time the hype will stick, and swimming will remain more visible in the public eye until the next Olympic spotlight. And that can only mean good things for our sport — more participants, more pools and more money to suport all of it.

–Is it just me or are the LAZR suits (I think the brand is Arena) with the swirly blue spirals on the front a little too “feminine” for the men to wear? I don’t know why, they just kind of startle me each time I see a male swimmer approach the block in one…I love the American pattern though — very fierce!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

O.k., it might seem that I’m a little obsessed with tapering lately, but that’s because it’s an Olympic year and we get to watch swimmers hit their peak (or miss that magic window) for two huge “meets” — Trials and the Games within a two-month span. And it’s because I’m just starting my taper for masters Long Course Nationals.

In terms of the Olympics, I am most interested to see what Brendan Hansen throws down. The 100 breast is probably my least favorite event (to spectate or swim) but I’m wondering if he’s going to nail the correct training-taper pattern this year to finally defeat his archnemesis in an Olympic forum.

I’m feeling confident that other big name swimmers — Phelps, Hoff, Couglin, Perisol, etc. will deliver WRs because they have proven themselves time and again when the pressure’s on. Taper or no, these swimmers know how to race. I can only just imagine what they will do in the water when rested for their biggest meet in four years.

The upsets (maybe Ryan Lochte in Beijing for example?) are always fun to watch because of course, few people saw them coming. It’s the swimmers in this category that I wonder about most in terms of their taper. Are their spectacular results due in part from following a different taper than they ever have before? Did they play that dicey game of swimming through Trials, gambling that they’d make it and thus have a bigger, full taper-payoff at the Olympics, better than anyone else? I guess we’ll find out in just a few days…

As for my taper, every time I go into one I’m always worried that it’s not going work, I’m not doing it right, or my timing will be off. Part of my panic springs from trying to determine the best plan based on ever-shifting conditions (I’m a year older than when I last tapered, my water and land training were both different this year, I’m swimming different events in a different pattern this summer, and many, many other factors are crowding my brain at the moment).

The other part of my panic comes from feeling really gross during tapers. Because I am not as tired, my appetite gears down and I don’t sleep as well. I feel odd in the water. And, I know this sounds weird, but I like the “heavy” feeling I get from lifting weights. When I start to feel rested, meaning I don’t feel my muscles working during every day tasks like going up the stairs, I feel too light, like I’m going to spin off the surface of earth. Again, I guess only time will tell in a few days if I did a good job of factoring training (or, “having something to taper from” as I like to tell myself on days when I need pushing) and rest this year…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

UPDATE:
Well, not too surprising, Jessica Hardy will not be swimming in Beijing. The latest reports (she is still to blame even if she unknowingly ingested tainted vitamins) is interesting. Clearly, the current ruling puts the responsibility on swimmers to monitor their own food, beverage and supplements.

On the one hand, this seems like it could be a tricky job for the average person. After all, there are a lot of products out there with a lot of ingredients. Without a bio-chem background, it might be tough to navigate between what is or isn’t off limits, espcially as new products appear all the time, and because products sometimes use different names for the same ingredient. Heck, I ingest commercial vitamins and other “supplements” like recovery drinks, electrolyte drink mix, etc. all the time — who knows what I may be ingesting?

On the other hand, I have to wonder since everyone else is figuring out how to avoid banned substances at the Olympic Trials level, what’s Jessica missing? Is she truly naively non-proactive about monitoring everything that she puts in her mouth, or guilty? Again, I have to admit that proving innocence in this situation is going to be incrediblely tough. In either case, I don’t envy her position for the next two years — waiting out a suspension, fighting legal battles, and perhaps continuing to train, sans competition for motivation, under a cloud of suspicion.