Off the Deck

Earlier this year I promised the Math Savant that I would serve as support during his August Catalina Island swim.

Although I am not a total neophyte (I’ve done a little random paddling before in various lakes and oceans), I am as close as you can get to being new at “support-paddler.”

This past weekend, I experienced my first practice session — five hours in a private mountain lake for four swimmers. As expected, I learned a TON my first time out.

Beyond the need to keep practicing the basics (stroke, turn, steer) as well as figure out who prefers the kayak to lead or be beside them, top of my list is: encase self in waterproof wear because wet and wind is a really bad combination.

This falls into the general new awareness category of “I must be in peak condition.” After all, what kind of support can I offer if I am hypothermic, hungry, dehydrated, tried, etc.?

Swimmer-support related lessons? 1) Encase them in neon colors where ever possible. (One swimmer’s silver cap served as perfect sunlight-on-wave camoflauge). 2) Every single water/feed bottle needs to be labled and in the boat at all times. 3) Use a flashlight to signal feed-time because thanks to caps and earplugs, swimmers can’t hear diddley. Sans flare, I felt like I was calling cats to dinner by holding up and shaking bottles while yelling “FEED!”

My first time out was very humbling. As a strong experienced open water distance swimmer there’s a tendency to slide to “yeah, whatever, I can paddle-support.” But once you’re out there, you suddenly realize all the things that could go wrong. And that you are out there to protect your swimmer from boats, sharks and other potential marine-threats (i.e. school of jellyfish?), find the best pathway, and keep them happy and healthy.

So absolutely, this past Saturday I spent most of the time freaking out about losing sight of swimmers (hello different paces!), sighting correctly, praying the wind wouldn’t pick up more, getting everyone fed on schedule and hoping anyone who owned a power boat was sleeping in.

But when the swimmers were fueled, grouped and looking strong, the wind was behind my back and I could clearly see the next point, I enjoyed a Zen moment or two: just nature sounds, sunlight glinting through water and striking vistas.

Hopefully, I can get it together enough by August (more practice sessions coming up — especially night ones) to feel competent as a support person and snare a few ocean-zen moments this August…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

My brain has been super full at practice for the past week. Thanks to Coach Mark, I’ve learned new techniques for starts, streamlining off walls, breaststroke pull and timing, and a whole new approach to free.

Yep, I’m now one-hundred-percent into a huge “change-process” swim phase. This includes but is not limited to:
1) Paying attention to how different old vs new technique feels
2) Trying a different training approach
3) No more autopilot swimming. I’m thinking all the time now
4) Feeling sore in new places
5) Feeling really awkward as I slip in and out of old vs new styles
6) Remaining open to new ideas and the process
7) Trying to ignore the clock again. To paraphrase Coach Mark, I need to “slow down now so I can swim faster later”

An attitude shift towards “being patient with myself during change” and to “stop wasting energy on trying to force things along” is also very much part of this change-process phase. In fact, it’s probably the toughest item on the list for me to tackle. But because it’s incredibly applicable beyond the pool, it’s also proabably the most important one for me to learn right now. Thank God for swimming — it certainly is my avenue to life lessons.

In many ways, I feel like I have snuck off to school summer. I’ve found this great new environment for excelerated learning while most people continue to do the same old same old.

And you know what? After feeling very “just treading water” (at best) for the past few years per swimming, it feels fantastic to have found a great new and challenging environment.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

According to Coach Mark, the word of the day for me last night at practice was “recovery.” Specifically, that I now will be working on finding those moments during all four strokes.

Recovery in the pool sounds good for three key reasons:
1) Recovery=Rest: So…if I’m able to start saving some energy per stroke cycle, this means I’ll have more power to apply to the phases that matter the most, right?

2) Less Wear & Tear: Not working through 100% of every stroke cycle hopefully means that my joints, bones and muscles will be happier. And have a longer lifespan, sans injury.

3) More Efficient Strokes: Improved DPS translates to fewer strokes per lap. If you can drop your stroke count a few notches, that savings really adds up in a 1500 or a 400 IM.

Moving on to the “swimming is a metaphor for my life” rummination section of this post, I guess it’s not surprising to learn that I’m trying too hard in the pool and rushing through rest phases because I have a tendency to take a full-on approach to life.

Thus, a cross-over take-home message: Maybe I need to start looking for rest phases outside of the pool too. Loosen the reigns a bit and see what happens…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Why can’t I be one of those “here now” people?

Nope, I continue to be my own worst enemy. Now that I am looking at the clock again during practice, I can’t help but think things such as “my free base pace is still off.”

I know, I know. It takes awhile to get back. But with a main goal of peak condition by 2011 short course nationals, I feel as if I am extending great patience to myself.

Perhaps for the long term, but not on the day-to-day basis. I really need to remember where I was just one month ago in terms of “condition.”

I’m also learning that comparing current Rebecca to pre-winter-plague Rebecca isn’t aiding the come-back process. It’s self-defeating — negative thoughts beget a negative mind set as well as overwhelm any positive elements.

Maybe I need to broaden the scope a bit. Swim progress can be seen in a lot of areas beyond time: does it feel easier to swim per practice? Am I swimming more (practices, yards, etc.)? Am I learning new things? Am I breaking bad technique habits? Am I challenging myself in new ways? Is my recovery rate improving? And perhaps most importantly: am I having more fun each day?

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

After practice on Thursday night, Coach Mark pulled me aside to have a sort-of serious word with me. He’s been reading my blog and wanted to address one point that I’ve been wondering about lately: can I get effective training with shorter but more frequent practices?

In a word, yes. But the key is consistency. And that’s something I haven’t really shown him yet.

Coach Mark is absolutely right.

Yes, I’ve had a really rough year. Things aren’t what I’d like them to be yet. I’m still dealing with a lot of day-to-day stress. And, sometimes the after-shock of a year that felt like the universe gave up on me expresses itself in the form of feeling overwhelmed-exhausted.

But none of the above is reason for me to give up on the universe. I didn’t realize I had slipped in this direction until Coach Mark gently pointed it out to me on Thursday.

I haven’t been consistent with practice for about two years now. At first, it was because it was because practices, coaching and pools were being cut. Then my body needed a break (perhaps more than I realized since a summer break led into a winter of virus hell.)

But somewhere along the way my attitude shifted. And not in a good direction. Missing practice for whatever reason, at the drop of a hat, became habit for the first time in my life. Obviously, this is not the pathway to swimming well.

Rather, consistence and persistence are needed to do your best at most things. Sadly, I realize now I really haven’t done a good job of applying either for awhile. Even worse, it hasn’t been limited to swimming.

Luckily, it seems that I have time to turn things around. And, I began this year knowing it would be one of a lot of self-directed change. So how perfect is it that I now again have practices waiting for me each day to attend and coaching that aligns with nudging me forward? Thanks Coach Mark!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

About one month in now, it’s been interesting to see how the switch to more frequent but shorter practices has had a spill-over effect on me beyond “trying a new training pattern.”

Foremost, my mental approach to practice has been shifting. I might be just as tired, cranky, or out of sorts as on a former 90-minute practice day, but telling myself “it’s just an hour. You can totally do anything in the water for just an hour” gets me to practice most days.

Of course, afterwards, I’m always glad I talked myself into going. I feel better. Nine out of ten times, I suprise myself with how much I can coax out of myself even though tired. And that factor has really boosted my attitude during my current re-build process.

I also really like how the one-hour format lends itself to picking one foci per practice. Here’s a short list of what I’ve been working on lately: 1) don’t fling my arms across my body line in free, 2) keep my arms out and moving in breast, 3) grow tall from the waist while kicking with fins on my back, 4) have my hands locked and my arms in streamline position before I enter the water off the blocks.

I figure once these corrections have become automatic, my coaches will give new ones to work on.

But for now, I’ve already seen some improvement. For example, now I can feel the difference between streamlined and non-streamlined water entry; kicking on my back in streamline position is becoming more less awkward; I no longer have to add ten seconds to the interval to accomodate breast during an IM-order rotation set; and I feel less strain on my shoulders during free sets.

Can’t wait to see what I can tune-up next!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Now, I didn’t see all of it, but I did catch some of the Charlotte annual invitational on TV over the weekend.

But before I get to my usual “random thoughts,” a new category: Most Striking for Me. In this case? Lack of tech suits. In particular, it was just really, really weird to see men back to what we generically call “Speedos.” Even the wildly patterned “briefs” that fashion-conscious Ryan wore seemed a bit out of place on the blocks.

I think this is because we haven’t seen men (O.K. let’s be clear here: straight American serious swimmers) wear this type of suit in a long time. Not even at practice, because “baggies” have reigned for years.

On the flip side, the tech suit ruling didn’t alter women’s suits much. So we can’t have material below our knee. Whatever. And, although the “sport tankini” has been gaining in popularity, most female swimmers still train in the classic one-piece competition cut suit. Therefore, it just wasn’t jarring to see some female swimmers wearing them to race.

Still on the subject of tech suits, it’s been fascinating to see how swimmers are doing without them this past season. Some on the national/world circuit are just fine: Ryan, Rebecca Soni, Natalie Coughlin, Matt Grevers, etc. (No, no, no, Aaron Peirsol is fine. I think he needs just a tad more training time. Besides, he tended to favor “jammers” during the tech suit days. And you can’t count MP because he never went full-on tech suit.)

I won’t single out who doesn’t seem to be swimming well without them here, but hey, I think it’s starting to become a bit obvious.

On to the random thoughts part (and this is abbreviated since I didn’t see full coverage either day):

–I’m all for sponsorship and prize money, but the huge banners with the Wendy’s logo girl wearing a cap and googles kind of creeped me out.

–Filteration wasn’t so good, was it? The water was very murky-looking during all of the underwater cam-footage.

–Is it just me or did Liz Beisel get HUGE over the past few months? Especially in the lats area. I know Rowdy said she has a new dry land training regimen, but what the heck? Is that combined with a growth spurt since she’s still a teen?

–Speaking of Rowdy, I heard from Barkley earlier today who noted that “Rowdy’s man-crush on Ryan is still in full force.” I agree!

–Barkley also shared the tidbit that Katie Hoff had moved to CA and is training with a different group. We both hope that this is a good move for her — watching her compete last year was just painful.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

As it is, right now, the set up for the Saturday practice at the “home team” pool makes me cranky:

1) It’s a high traffic area/day at the natatorium. Upon arrival, the pool doors were still locked even though the prior team was long gone (like, the girls on the team weren’t even in the locker room still). And of course there’s always the hustle at the end of the practice to get out for the next team.

2) Parking has gone from bad to worse now that it’s graduation season. Finding a parking space on a Saturday can take a few tries on a normal weekend. But now that some school (or schools) is renting various building and lawn space for ceremonies every weekend through June, there is a massive influx of drivers. Yes, I have a parking pass. But when the swipe card and the digital code I have both fail to open an alternative parking gate, well, that’s kind of pushing it for me.

3) The air quality is still bad. I’m thinking it will remain so until they close and fix it this summer. Until then, I’m classifying any workout there as “exercise.” It’s just not wise to go in thinking you’ll swim decent.

4) The session time, 9:30-11 a.m. is awkward. It’s a little too early to get errands done since most places open at 9 a.m., and once you shower and change, you’re smack in the middle of the Saturday errand/traffic rush.

5) I don’t care if there are five+ swimmers in a lane, but it can be tricky to get a consistent lane order and pace if the main set doesn’t play to just one skill at a time. (i.e. four rounds of moving from pull to non-free to sprint.) Interesting set, yes, but things get messed up when someone doesn’t use paddles (I’m the guilty one here!) or not everyone does all four strokes on IM, etc.

Absolutely, things can change. And it’s not like I just hate the notion of Saturday practice. On the contrary: for my prior team, Saturdays are the hardest practice of the week. You actually were a bit afraid to go and see what coach Marty was going to dish out. Yet, everyone went and got through it together. And then we went out to eat.)

Luckily, summer is right around the corner and that means multiple Saturday options outside.

But for now, I’ve reached the point where I doubt I will go on Saturdays anymore. It was the most feasible option yesterday based on cost and locale, and I couldn’t go today (Sunday — a great day there — less crowded, LC set up, etc.)

Maybe Saturdays will become my standard run/weights day. Especially if something doesn’t shift by fall…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

When you really think about it, most of the time you devote to any long-term commitment activity (swimming, work, parenting, hobbies, etc.) falls into the “process” category. Especially if you have set goals (i.e. a PR, find a new job, ensure your child graduates from college, knit and donate 100 hats.)

For me, as it pertains to swimming, the “process mode” means day-to-day training. Competiton is just a brief opportunity to see how your particular process is serving you. (And consequently, if you need to make changes on the day-to-day level.)

For much of the past year, I haven’t been in process mode — too much disruption, change and nasty viruses.

At last night’s practice however, while getting annoyed with myself that I just couldn’t kick it into a higher gear during the second set, I realized something: I may finally be back in process mode.

Yep, I figured out it was reasonable to be tired from lifting weights that a.m., a brief run that afternoon, and applying myself in the water that evening. And do you know what I thought of next? You’re supposed to be a bit tired as you get back into shape and train.

Rumminating about “process” brings to mind one of the wisest things I’ve ever been told, an adage I need to start living by again. Right before I my masters degree graduation ceremony, my advisor said: “Always choose to do things based on enjoying the process more than outcome.”

I feel lucky to have found one such activity at such an early age: swimming. Now the trick is to apply this motto to everything else in life…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Switching to swimming with more kids than adults isn’t the only transition I’ve made lately. Now most of my practices are at night, and although shorter (60 minutes vs 75 or 90+) they are more frequent.

I’m curious to see how my body responds to this approach. In some ways I feel that there is less wear and tear because I feel a tad more ready to approach practice each night. But the intensity level of the shorter practices still leaves me tired per evening, so who knows?

Certainly, swimming almost every day is a good way to work on technique. When your coach tells you something, it sticks in your mind if you can work on it night after night. (Contrary to “clinic syndrome:” You can’t quite remember anything concrete from the on-deck staff per your strokes a few days later. And forget about enlightenment from your notes because they’ve turned into a cryptic jumble of catch-phrases.)

I also like how the short but frequent sesssions have brought back “focus” for me. If you only have 60 minutes, there’s no more dilly-dallying. You want to maximize every minute you’re in the water.

I guess my only concerns with the new regimen (and only time will tell) are 1) cancellations and 2) distance events. It’s too easy to lose a practices to weather (thuder & lightening; snow & ice, etc.) With shorter sessions to begin with, weather-related cancellations could add up to water-specific under-training.

As for distance training, I know, I know. There’s a ton of information out there to support the notion that one can successfully train for distance events via shorter, but more frequent sessions. But I grew up in the “more is more” era of swim training. My brain is having a hard time trusting the new format…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist