Off the Deck

Yesterday I swam for the first time in about a month.

To sum: January has not been kind to my body. I was sick, went into a secondary infection, had an allergic reaction to antibitoics, did a round of steroids to shake off lingering illness/newly acquired allergic reaction symptoms, and endured not one, but two early a.m. bouts of throwing up (I suspect that the frozen coconut dessert stuff I just discovered, the very treat which felt so cool and slippery on my ravaged throat, did not agree with the rest of me). Adding to the fun? Weekly allergy shots because I need to reach “maintenance level” again now that my elixir has been reformulated for another year.

All things considered, I wanted a mellow swim re-entry. So, I went to another local team’s practice because: 1) their pool is less than ten minutes from my house, 2) the water is warm (assuming I’d be very creaky, this deterrent might actually be a plus for once!) and 3) the team accent is always upbeat and fun.

Although they had a team stroke clinic scheduled, a few lanes were open for those who prefered to do a posted workout. Perfect! I was able to swim at my own pace and modify if need be. Even better, the workout included a longer than average warm up with multiple short sets. I couldn’t have asked for better first-day conditions.

And I needed all that I could help. Not only did I feel awkard and all gangly-arms-and-legs, but I felt like LEAD. Yep, my stamina/endurance seems to have drained out of me while sick.

I also had to duke it out with myself mentally for the first 30 minutes or so. Tallying meters and clock-watching were not helping, especially as I spent the entire 90-minutes feeling like I had already “hit the wall.”

But perhaps I am making some progress with all of my self-work over the past year as I was able to let that all go in about 20 minutes. I simply reminded myself that it was the first day back, and that it was enough to be in a pool. I started to enjoy just the sensation of swimming, and watching the sunlight play on the water.

I’ve come back from illness before; this time I’m going to allow my body do it’s own thing sans mental thashing.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evanglist

I’m sure you’ve seen the new Subway commercials by now. Foremost, it’s nice to see Subway sticking with Michael, and during what we can call the “off season” for National/World swimming. But the commercials are a bit odd.

The concept of the “swim to Vancouver” one is cute, and I like how summer Olympic sports get a plug. But the mechanics of Michael’s “stroke” are bizarre. Swimmers immediately recognize that this “windmill-swoop-over-the-head” free is not Michael’s stroke; let’s hope non-swimmers don’t head off to the pool inspired to copy him as seen in this spot.

In the other commercial, Michael is sort of treading water. After asking some unseen person to get him subs, Michael then sort of semi-submerges/treads water again. His face is blocked by water — you can just see his body. I don’t really get what’s going on here, or what Subway wants us to think.

Does he need someone to get a jump on his sub order since he stays behind to train more than anyone else? Or, is he staying in the pool until his subs arrive, then getting right back in after eating them? And what’s with the hidden face? As proven in past promos and interviews, he certainly can string a sentence or two together, so it can’t be because he bungles lines. Fellow swimmer and friend Barkley’s explanation? Subway is capitalizing on what’s most attractive: Michael’s body.

Maybe I should just apply one of my favorite “mom-isms” here: “Some things are not meant to be understood, just enjoyed.” So, according to my mom, I should quit trying to find the storyline in these spots and just be happy to see a swimmer in the T.V. spotlight.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Well, it looks like I didn’t dodge the virus-from hell this year. (Wait a second — maybe since I came down with it in 2009 and still am fighting it in 2010, this is it for both years! That would be super nice!)

After nearly four weeks of trudging my way through severe fatigue, congestion, hives and other fun symptoms from an antibiotic allergic reaction, steroid jitter-y-ness, and an early a.m. bout of throwing up (I have no idea if that last one is related — bad food maybe? Body just trying to clear EVERYTHING any way it can?), I feel like I finally may be turning the corner.

Definitely, the asthma/allergies makes it tough for me to shake some viruses off. I’d like to think I’ve learned a bit about “athlete vs virus” over the years though. Here’s the latest round up of wisdom tidbits I’ve dervived from this last go-round with being sick:

Have an exercise back up: As far as I’m concerned, every day is a good day for a swim. So, heck yeah, I miss swimming. But I know from prior experience that getting in too soon is a disaster — it only leads to being sicker and staying out longer. So this time I’ve sucked it up and remained grounded for nearly four weeks. Instead, I’ve been riding my track trainer on a light setting, doing light runs, yoga tapes, etc. Still moving around a bit, and only on days I feel like it. But I think it helped keep my spirits up and keeps me nudging towards sounder sleep.

Stick to the norm in tems of diet as much as possible: Normally when I am wiped out and have had it with being sick, I eat something not so, um, “supportive,” like an entire bag of torilla chips, for dinner. I am super proud to admit then, that this time, for the first time ever, I did not succumb to temptation. Tired or not, I made sure I made something healthy and as close to normal as possible per meal. Even if it was just scrambled eggs with some peas tossed in or a bowl of veggie soup. Again, I think this tactic went a long way towards staving off other undesirable side-effects, such as “sugar crash.”

Trust my body: I am just starting to realize (gasp!) that I have spent a lot of time forcing body through stuff (tail-end lesson from my summer break no doubt). So this time I had an entire new approach: listen and obey my body. Kind of a leap of faith for me, because it meant doing things I normally would not “allow,” like not working out for 3 days in a row, watching 6+ hours straight of ice skating on T.V. on a Saturday, or eating two bananas at once and calling it dinner since that’s what I was craving at the moment.

Of course, the true test will be once I hit the water again — will I be able to get up to speed at an average, slower, or faster rate than in the past?

Stay tune for details; hopefully I will be swimming again next week…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

The USMS decision to adhere to FINA’s ruling on suits this week meant that I had to order a new racing suit because my current one, a to-the-ankle cut, is now illegal at meets.

Not really a big deal. It was time for a new one in any case, and I found a “2010 FINA-Approved” knee-length Fastskin on sale via my fave swim-merchant, www.SwimOutlet.com.

Despite their price, in some ways it’s good that racing suits don’t last forever, because today I’m wondering how long this current ruling will stick. Will it still be in place before the new Fastskin wears? Or are we headed for another change, and thus another suit for me within a year or two?

I’m also curious about the fate of the now obsolete stash of tech suits — those with neoprene, zippers, etc. What are vendors going to do with them?

Obviously, a first move is to put them on sale now that masters can’t wear them either. But who would cough up $100 to buy one now, and for what purpose? Time trials at practice? Get used to the fit/feel of a tech suit for the first time? The occasional open water race that will allow them? Unsanctioned meets? Halloween costume?

This particular overstock situation must be kind of odd for vendors. After all, it’s not like these suits aren’t moving because they’re no longer the favored style, color or pattern of the day. They are banned.

No, these suits are not likely to end up in the “odd-size/ugly pattern” sale-bin box, merchandise that still moves because it fits someone somewhere who doesn’t care what they look like while training in a $10 suit.

So what is their fate? Recycling? Donation? Dust-rag? I wonder if someone out there will get savvy and find a good use for them…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Probably I’ve been watching too much Universal Sports lately (been sick for 3+ and counting now — ugh!). But one of the many cool factoids I’ve picked up recently from “color commentary” was that the top downhill skiers travel with 40-60 different pairs of skis and a tech to prep them.

First of all, do the ski techs have a life? Think about it: preparing 40+ pairs of skis before every race? They must keep odd hours — stay up late waxing until dawn, then remain on-call on race day to supply the perfect pair as conditions shift.

How much do these people get paid? Do they work for entire teams, just one athlete, or do some skiers pair up and share the cost of tech? Are travel fees and hotel costs covered in their salary since they’re always on the move, from race to race?

Sure, I travel with several suits, caps and pairs of googles to be prepared for any race-day condition. But 40+ of each? No way! Not only would that require an entire second suitcase just for gear, but I doubt conditions for swimmers could vary enough to make 40 suits practical packing. (Which of course then makes me wonder; how are the skis transported? They’re not exactly light and compact. Is that the tech’s responsibilty too?)

Nor do I have tech person traveling with me when I compete, but the possibility is intriguing. Maybe a stroke coach? They could watch me during warm up and offer fine-tuning advice before each race. Or pre-scout the field and help me prepare a race plan.

Wait a second! That sounds like a coach! Maybe I just need to pack my own suits and find a team with a coach that travels with their swimmers…oh for the days of age-group swimming!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

It’s been a hot topic with staunch supporters standing firmly on one side or the other for almost a year now: should USMS follow FINA’s ruling about competitive suits?

Today we learned the answer: yes.

I for one, am very happy about the announcement. Yep, I know that statement will anger many fellow masters swimmers. But, being an American, I plan to exercise my freedom of speech to defend my statement today.

1) I understand the argument that allowing suits such as BlueSeventy would attract new people to the sport. But at the price of losing dedicated swimmers? For every pro-tech suit person I know, I can count an equal number of lifelong competitive swimmers who were not going to race again if the suits were ruled legal.

Absolutely, let’s bring swimming to the masses, (I am the self-proclaimed swim-evangelist afterall!) but can’t we find a way to do this without alienating a good portion of the existing population?

2) I don’t like the extreme level of the “buy yourself some speed” promise of the neoprene suits. It completely negates hard work, finding your own edge, and the ultimate satisfaction of seeing your times improve based on effort, not equipment.

Having a special suit just for racing makes sense. But one that alters your alignment enough (and not equally for all) to drop crazy margins of time? I think not.

3) I’m not crazy about the potential mixed-message kids would recieve if FINA had one rule and USMS had another. Meaning, “you need to work hard and follow rules as a kid, but then all that doesn’t matter once you’re an adult.”

4) On a purely personal level, I didn’t want to have to go there to “stay competitive.” The suits seem really hot and uncomfortable. I don’t like it when my shoulders/arms are restricted.

In fact, I haven’t been excited about 2010 Nationas yet because I knew I might have to make a decision about wearing one or not if tech suits were ruled legal. On the one hand, it would be a big expense, one I don’t know that I could’ve justified on top of travel, hotel, entry fees, etc. On the other hand (and to be completely honest), I know I’d be super annoyed if someone who’s normally not within 30 seconds of me touched me out while wearing a BlueSeventy vs my Fastskin.

The issue is certainly complicated, especially when you throw Fastskins into the mix. What’s the defining line of a “tech suit?” What price is considered to be within the reach of the norm? Must rumminate some more…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

With all of my recent Universal T.V. viewing (I feel primed for Vancouver), I’ve also seen a lot of commercials. The only one I watch every single time, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, is the one for Endless Pools.

I think it first started airing a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was odd timing, but on second thought it kind of makes sense. Dead of winter, right when everyone’s caught up with their New Year’s Resolution to lose those 40 pounds they gained over twenty+ years since high school in two weeks. And, why not tantalize swimmers and triathletes cooped up during the middle of winter with the possibility of a personal indoor pool?

Of course, I like it because it features swimming — you don’t see a lot of commercials directed to our population (although…the Subway series with Micheal Phelps is starting to get a lot of play. Winding us up for the winter Olympics kick off, now doubt, and playing the New Year’s fitness rush card — clever, I admit).

But the real reason I watch the Endless Pool commercial every time? Yet another chance to be entranced by Rowdy Gaines’ technique. Seriously, it’s mesmerising for me. His head position, his rotation, that long, long, long reach. Simply amazing.

Especially when compared to the company’s choice of “average user” in the spot — a woman sporting a modest suit and heavy duty cap and goggles. Her attire and figure scream “fitness swimmer!” Every time I see her swim I just want to step in there and nudge her head down into alignment. Heck, it hurts my neck just to watch her breathe while swimming in the endless pool.

I know that for the company, it totally makes no sense to film some underwater shots. But it sure would be awesome to see Rowdy’s technique under the water on a regular basis…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Funny thing: recently I reviewed the past two years of my swim log to pull ideas for “my fave sets” page of this blog. For the first time, I could clearly see the tailspin I was caught up in that ultimately led to my summer break.

It’s weird. I mean, I was living it, yet I didn’t see how dire the situation was becoming per week. Usually I record set, interval, pool conditions etc., as well as how I felt that day. As I headed towards May, the mind-body-spirit alarms were clanging away: I was always tired, sick, disappointed/frustrated that this or that pool was closed, that a coach didn’t show up again, that the sets were repetitive and not really what I needed for solid training, and so forth.

Thankfully, enough time has passed since last spring that I was also able to review fall/early winter. It was more than heartening to see that I wasn’t really sick or tired that much, I was moving back towards consistent practices, my interval times were dropping while yardage increased, and that coaching/quality sets were tilting back to a norm.

Today though, I have to confess that I am still uncertain about what the future will bring. It’s past January 1 and I still don’t know what events I want to commit to this year, if any.

Why? Because there are still several key factors that are undecided/out of my control at the moment: pool space/time (main pool is closing for several months for repairs), a declaration for suits has not been made for masters (not sure if I would want to compete if everyone is donning a BlueSeventy and I am not) and future schedule/financial situation is unpredictible at the moment (Puerto Rico would require more time off/money to attend than some of the Nationals I have attended in past years).

Here’s hoping I can favorably sort things out in 2010…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Just a quick post today about the “behind the scenes” stuff to let you know what I’m up to on the technical side (like math, the “web management” side of my blog intimidates me) for the new year, as well as some of the goals I hope to achieve this year with my blog:

–I just upgraded to 2.9.1 yesterday. I am determined to learn more about how to use WordPress this year (i.e. preventing blob-o-text on pages, etc.)

–My most sincere apologies for not catching this major glitch earlier: all my download links were broken. I have no idea when this happened (or why) but a HUGE “thank you” to my web-guru Michelle for figuring out the problem and getting everything back in order, and so quickly!

–Speaking of downloads, I slacked off on posting the rest of my published stuff over the second half of 2009, but only because I haven’t been able to figure out how to size the files properly (too large to download at the moment). Vexing…

–Today I beefed up the “favorite sets” page. There are now tons of sets to choose from, categorized by “warm up,” “pre-sets and drills,” “distance free,” “stroke/IM,” “sprint” and “cool down.” Hmm…maybe I’ll add “taper” in the near future…

–I also just discovered a whole different comments section today (again — not so good with the technical side. I’m thinking about booking Michelle to sit down with me for at least an hour to teach me all about WordPress and BlueHost). I will review all comments today and address your questions as soon as I can.

–As for my 2010 blog goals? In addition to learning how to use the whole set up better, I’m hoping this is year when I finally achieve some of my original goals: create a logo, update the topper (although, I have to admit, the dolfin has really grown on me and it does refer back to my first swim team mascot), create a fun give-a-way, get some images posted, do some research to add to the pop culture and the swimmer page…

I have a few more blog dreams that I’d like to turn into reality, but first things first. Let’s get those old goals crosses off the list once and for all!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

The other day I posted about set direction. Today, the obvious set companion piece: interval direction.

Of course, seeing interval time increase on the whiteboard as you progress through a set (or entire practice) is very mentally conformting. It gives you an immediate “heck yeah — I’m going to make this practice, no problem!” kick of confidence.

But, similar to my main point during my recent set-direction rumination, I seem to be in one of those backwards-body types: I actually do better on shorter intervals.

Huh — do you think it’s because I’m not a sprinter? Those sets that you do like, 5×50 on 3 minutes? I just can’t get going in that tiny little amount of swim space.

Granted, over the past few years I’ve gotten good about swimming down during most of the rest time versus clinging like a barnacle to the wall. But still, this ploy only helps me so much. It’s not turning me into a sprinter for one.

No, despite being a bit freaked out about seeing a set such as “21×100; drop :5 every per group of 3″ posted on the board for the day, I actually really get into these sets once I’ve settled in after the first few repeats.

Maybe it’s because for whatever reason, my body can’t crank out a sub-minute 100 off the bat but it can start out around a 1:15-ish cruise pace then drop and hold sub 1:10s for a long time with about 5-10 seconds rest, with a little left over to make those last two 100s faster than all the rest.

What can I say? I am a distance swimmer.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist