Off the Deck

If you’ve logged the “magic number” of 10,000 hours in swimming, then according to an essay by Malcom Gladwell, then maybe you are!

Although the essay (and the theory) have been circulating for a few years now, it was news to me when I heard it mentioned the other day on the radio during an a.m. talk show. Apparently it takes 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to master a skill, such as playing the guitar.

After ruling out “breathing” (it’s automatic, and to be honest, thanks to asthma and allergies I don’t feel I’ve mastered breathing) and sleeping (I am not sure this should be considered as a “skill,” and it’s only been during these past few months, thanks to many changes like getting on the Vitamin D wagon and taking melatonin, that I feel like I’ve become a “good” sleeper), I assumed that swimming would probably be my only 10,000-hour “activity.”

In fact, my gut instinct was that I would be waaaaaaayyyy over 10,000 hours in the swim department. But I didn’t have an immediate sense of how 10,000 hours measures up (remember: I am math-challenged.) For example, how many years would that equal in for a full time job? I had to wait until I had pen, paper and calculator in hand.

Now, of course I did a rough estimate. I found it easiest to go by season then by years spent completing that type of season because my hours in the pool varied (and still does) per time of the year. I also automatically subtracted weeks, again based on season, to cover situations like vacation, recovery, illness, pool closure, etc.

In a nutshell, I hit the 10,000 mark while still growing up as an age-grouper, and that was just from the fall, winter and spring seasons. If I add in age-group summer seasons, scholastic seasons, and my masters years, well, we’re looking at a really big estimated total — good thing I really like to swim!

In some ways it was weird to realize that as a kid, I basically had a “full time job” of swimming during the summers — especially when you consider the additional hours spent doing dryland stretching and weights, commuting to and from practices, and competing (I only tallied practice hours).

Now I’m wondering about this: there still has to be some other element besides hours that creates “mastery” though. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can sort of explain it this way: there is a big difference between “talent” and “proficiency.”

Maybe the elements vary per skill. Michael Phelps, for example, has certainly put the hours in. As have many of his competitors. But it’s got to be hours combined with factors such as uncanny feel for the water and physique that launch Phelps into greatness.

Still rumminating…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Here’s a thought: perhaps the further we get from our childhood the easier that time seems to be. For example, summer pool closure dates.

While growing up as an AAU age grouper, the Town Park complex (50mx25y pool, diving well, L-shaped pool for kids/lessons and kiddie wading pools) closed each season right after Labor Day. Life was simple then. The Dolfins, my age group team, hosted the District meet in mid-August. After a week or so of vacation, it was back to practice in the outdoor pool with either the Dolfins or the scholastic team until school started and we were back in the high school pool until the following summer.

Call me crazy, but I think JULY is still summer, and thus way too early to close an outdoor pool. Except that it happens here and now in Colorado. Two of the pools I regularly swim in are closing at the end of July. I can switch to another 50m outdoor pool, but that one closes August 15. Even the indoor pool tnhat hosts my team closes for their annual three-week cleaning at the start of the second week of August.

I don’t get it. It’s hotter here August-September than upstate NY, which is where I grew up. Yet the outdoor pools always have such a short season here. Is it a weird Rocky Mountain tradition? It can’t be blamed on the economy because the pools were closing early when I first moved here years ago.

In any case, July is too early for me to be getting panick-y, but as pools close, I have fewer and fewer swim options. Even worse, this year I feel like I’m careening into fall without a plan. It’s been getting tougher to find adequate pool time and I fear I have hit the wall in terms of workable (i.e. at least 75 minutes per session at a semi-normal time with an actual team in a pool that doesn’t require a 30 minute+ one-way commute) options.

What to do, what to do…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

O.K. After years of sort of being aware of this flaw (mentally blocking it?), I’m outing myself today: I am the slowest person ever in the locker room.

As long as I am ‘fessing up, I can now share that I recall my mom often complaining about her car-wait time post practice when I was an age grouper. To quote “You are consistently the last one out of the locker room.”

For a long time, I thought it was because I am a distance swimmer. Longer sets means more time in the water — those speedy sprinters are out of the shower before I’ve even warmed down. But practice yardage total isn’t the answer. Even with a head start thanks to tapers, I’ve noticed that I’m still lollygagging in the locker room long after non-tapering teammates have left.

Yes, I am a girl, so I’m not whipping through the locker room at “I just rinse and go!” man warp-speed. It might be more depressing then, to admit that glamazoning isn’t slowing me down. I rarely wear makeup; I don’t dry/style my hair. Although, to be fair, I do have a lot of long, wavy, fine hair. And raking out knots does take time.

I’m not sure how to explain the pokey-ness. Maybe it’s too much moisturizing. Maybe I am handicaped by poor vision — it’s tough to move quickly when you can’t see a ^%$#@& thing. I’d blame it on yakking, but I know that I am equally slow in the locker room when I’m on my own.

Oh well, my turtle land pace doesn’t bother me so much. It’s only bad under two cases: 1) when I have to meet someone from that very practice, because I know they’ll be tapping their foot, waiting on me. Then I feel really rushed, and when I’m panicky, I fall apart. I add more time by having to go back for things I forgot to pack in my bag or needing to wipe off condition from my ear when already dressed, and 2) when our group is closing the outdoor pool for the day. Then I feel super pressured to get out with just the bare minimum accomplished — showered, moisturized, hair raked and clothed. Embellishments like shoes have to wait. Thank God we only swim at the outdoor pool in the summer. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to bundle up in layers of clothes, socks, lace-up shoes, coat, hat, scarf and gloves…

Until next time,
Rebecca, the swim evangelist

Last November, Lady COMSA and I began a “holiday tradition” — a fly workout done on or near a holiday once a month.

Before I continue, here’s a recap of the workout:
1000 warm up choice
16×50 kick/drill by 25
4×50 fly/free by 25 easy but focus on perfect stroke
4×100 fly
200
3×100 fly
200
2×100 fly
200
1×100 fly
200
4×50 25 fly/free sprint
warm down

Two thoughts based on today’s (Memorial Day) run-through:

1) Repeating a set (any one will do, it doesn’t have to be the one above) once a month is a great way to “check in” on aspects such as condition, speed and technique. Some of things we’ve noted over time is a :15 interval drop on the 100s, that we are rolling into the 200s on interval vs “taking a breather,” to me, it seems like our 200 pace is getting quicker, and that it’s taking us less time overall to do the entire workout (today was 1 hour, 29 minutes long course).

2) One trend we need to break: bad health on holidays. Maybe it’s an “off” year, but one of us has been recovering from some type of virus or cold each holiday workout. In fact, I didn’t swim much fly at all for the Thanksgiving workout — I think I had to do IM on the 100s due to lack of conditioning coming off a bad cold. Currently I am at the 50/50 mark — half fly, half free per 50. My goal in June (Flag Day) is to do a few strokes off the wall fly before switching to free. Hopefully I will be able to do the full workout all fly by the end of the year. More importantly, may we both be healthy for the rest of 2009!

And, if anyone knows of a fun holiday in August to honor with our fly workout, let us know!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

One of my favorite things about travel is the potential to attend practices with other teams. In fact, checking for local masters teams has become a standard item on my to-do trip prep list over the years.

On the selfish side, it’s because I am thrilled to get in a good, swim-specific workout while on the road. On the “I really must be a swim geek” side, it’s because I love experiencing and learning about fellow masters swim team situations.

For example, last Sunday morning while in upstate NY, I had the chance to swim a 90-minute practice with a very warm, welcoming little group at a new-ish YMCA. Luckily, everyone was very gracious about answering all of my questions, everything from “how often do you practice?” (three times a week) to “do you pay a separate fee for swim practice?” (no, it’s including in their facility fee).

I am always curious to see how teams function. There is so much variation out there in the masters world because team administration is dependent on so many variables teams often have no control over, such as facility availability, pool size, fees and many other factors. So when I travel, I really appreciate the opportunity to see what works, and if they are elements that could be applied back at home to enhance our team.

This time, while I got to experience a terrific system (one of the best examples of coaching from the water I’ve seen) I didn’t pick up any tips to apply back at home because our team types are too different (size is just one — 20 vs 200+). But that doesn’t mean I didn’t walk away with nothing. Rather, the plus side looks pretty good — I learned a lot about yet one more team, I had a great workout and I made several new friends!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Did you hear my “oop” earlier this month when I turned the calendar page to February? Less than two months from States is not a good time to realize that despite all of the off-season rumination, yaking and writing, I have done diddly to improve my breaststroke.

Well, that’s not quite true. To be fair, I’ve made an effort to swim actual breaststroke sets (4×50 counts, doesn’t it?) I’ve been rotating in breaststroke evenly for the first time in my life during choice stroke sets. And, I did meet my goal of swimming the 100 breast at each local meet this fall/winter, no matter how much my pace threatened to slow meets down.

But I didn’t do the key thing: get technique help from an expert on a regular basis.

Absolutely, chalk up most of my failure to act to laziness. By the time fall rolls around, I need break from the pool. But I really can’t rest on that excuse — focusing on stroke improvement during the fall would be the perfect way to maintain feel for the water while giving my body a break from training.

The other stumbling block is easy to identify but harder to resolve. Where can I get consistent feedback? While clinics and assistant coaches offer valuable insight, you can’t incorporate every tip you hear when just about everyone has their own opinion on how breast should be swum.

The ideal would to be to work with one coach. Not only do they see your strokes regularly at practice, they often attend meets. Since I don’t have “a coach” I’ve been trying to find one person who could work with me on a regular basis. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Particularly because you have to find someone who won’t slap the most en vogue style on to you. Rather, a mentor who asseses your body type as well as your strengths and weaknesses, to find the best fit for you is needed. And then you have to find time and money to work with said expert…

Here’s hoping something clicks this spring!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Earlier this week, I noticed benefits from my new system were starting to kick in:

–I’m more lucid during the day (and evening!) since I’ve been getting up at a very reasonable 6 a.m. versus 4:15 a.m.

–I’m attacking sets with more vigor because I approach afternoon workouts fueled and hydrated

–I’m working harder. Nope, no more “oooh, I’ll just drift along here at the back of the lane” days when it’s just you and swimming math savant pushing each other every single lap of every single set. Note: direct swimming math savant quote from last week, following a 200-300-400-600-800 free ladder set “We’re going to kill each other.”

–I’m finally getting 90-minute workouts in again — bliss!

So there I was on Wednesday: all excited about the future filled with afternoon training, ready to devise my own overall training plan since the new system held such promise.

Of course, the bubble burst on Thursday, when the math savant emailed with the news that the pool was closing April 1. No, not for a two-week intensive spring clean. For good.

Sigh…back to the starting block with training sites, locales and times….

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Yesterday I made another bold move (well, for me) as part of my conversion to a mercenary swimmer — I cancelled my locker at my former “home base” facility. Much of my motivation was practical: 1) It seemed silly to pay for something I was only using once or twice a week, 2) Who couldn’t use a monetary refund these days?, 3) I wanted to have all of my equipment (kickboard, fins, “best” deck shoes, etc.) where ever I worked out.

The emotional aspect? It felt good to make a “I’m not settling for your sub-par treatment of masters anymore” statement. Although, I am not sure how much of a statement canceling a locker is, especially when no-one asked me why I was making this change. Guess their business model doesn’t include keeping in touch with loyal customers.

Granted, it might get old eventually to carry around all my swim and shower stuff after stashing it in a locker for almost five years. And I confess that the unpacking each night (got to dry that stuff out after all) and re-packing the next morning sucks up additional time.

But right now I am enjoying the “can swim anywhere, anytime” rolling- stone feeling. Another goofy and totally “girl” pro of giving up the locker? Now I can place my bag anywhere in the locker room post-practice and catch up with whoever swam that day!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Ok, in my case, maybe I need a gale-force before I consider rethinking the paradigm. And yes, I have been uncharacteristically silent lately. It all connects; here’s how:

Over the past few years my team has under gone a “chipping away” process. Our morning workout has been steadily reduced (from 90 minutes to 75 to the current 60 minutes, and that’s only if the lane ropes are in.) We’ve been forced to swim earlier and earlier until our backs are up against the wall — there is no “earlier” than 5 a.m. at our facility. We haven’t had a head coach for over six months. And, starting January 1, we transitioned to no coaching on Tuesday and Thursday mornings (adding to the already coachless Sundays, a switch made during 2008.)

Despite the obvious downward spiral, it took me until last week to adopt a mercenary swimmer attitude. The tipping point? 1) No head coach means no overall training plan. Although it’s been a delayed response, at least I’ve finally realized that the workouts I have been doing, while effective in their own right, are not “smart training” or good for my body when done on consecutive days. 2) It’s easy to waste time and still not reach a concensus about sets when you have a group of swimmers in the water, all with different goals, sans coach on deck.

So, after much thought, I’m trying something new until summer: mixing it up. On Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays I’m swimming in the afternoon with math-savant Jeff at a pool that’s close to both of our jobs. On Saturdays, Sundays and the occasional holiday, I’m swimming with my team at the usual pool.

My fears? That I won’t be pushed enough without a big group. That I’ll miss my friends and feel isolated and detached from my team. That I won’t be able to devise my own, effective training program.

My hopes? That I won’t start off my day frustrated, angry and rushed. That I will become stronger via longer workouts at a time when I am fueled, hydrated and awake. That Jeff and I continously throw the gauntlet down to find new ways to challenge ourselves. That I will remain flexible and open to finding good training options — even if it means mixing in regular practices with an age-group team. That I will stablize further and select just one stroke technique expert to work with.

Naturally, I will keep you posted…

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

This past Sunday we did our traditional “100×100″ workout. A few insights:

–Lady COMSA suggested moving it from New Year’s Day to Sunday to allow for more people to come. (11 a.m. on a Thursday, even if it is a holiday, isn’t the best time for a long workout). As ever, she’s right! We had a terrific turn out — we even had people from other teams attend.

–I really liked how creativity was built into a plan of attack. To prevent a big blob of mind-numbing yardage, we did “blocks” of 5, 10 or 15 100s. Participants created the sets; order was determined by alphabetical order of first name.

–Kathy, our informal “team baker” did not disappoint — she treated everyone to a yummy banana cake, complete with fanciful light blue icing. I’m not sure what impresses me more at this point — that Kathy is so generous with her wide variety of tasty treats or that she always remembers to bring serving utensils as well.

–I was proud to see a lot of “smart swimming.” People came prepared with a supply of energy bars and drinks as well as water. Intervals were soft to prevent over-training. And, fun ruled the day. Formulating silly sets that included a lot of EZ swim had priority over any notion of “training.”

–It felt like more people than ever came with a specific goal in mind. Even better, it seemed like everyone successfully met their target. Therefore, I must conclude with a “well done” to all who swam. See you in 2010!

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist