On Hurricanes, Strength and Healthiness

January 8, 2009: Training Trip Day 3

Before we get to some content, here are some pictures of the beautiful pool at Founders Park:



This pool is extremely nice. It's in a pretty park, and the water is never that cold, thanks to the warm weather we've been having. Being able to swim without freezing is always a benefit.

Speaking of weather, last night was a very interesting experience. One of the drawbacks of an outdoor pool is that its open to all weather, not just the hot sun. Right about when we were getting in the pool for our 7-9 practice, the wind began to pick up and rain started falling. It continued to rain and wind (or "hurricane", as we called it) for almost all of the practice, soaking our coaches as they stood at the end of the pool. Now they know what it feels like.

Now for some slightly less fun news: I'm sick.

Not sick of swimming (though that certainly is coming), I've developed a condition close to the common cold, which leaves with me what doctors commonly call "the sniffles". While it is certainly not the worst condition that could hit me during training trip (the need for lots of liquids and good nutrition matches up well with the needs of training trip), the fact that I need a lot of rest to help my body recover does not entirely jive with swimming two 5000+ meter practices a day.

The other major part of this little illness that is causing slightly more problems in the water is that it's causing a general state of achiness, which segues nicely into the other major issue I (and others) am facing during training trip.

We're weak. And sore.

Training twice a day (with a bit of extra dryland) does not give a lot of time for your muscles to recover. I'm experiencing a general amount of muscle soreness, which doesn't help when it comes to trying to push yourself through the water.

Being broken down, of course, is one of Mark Fino's General Philosophies of Swimming. The apparent trick is to work your swimmers hard and keep their noses to the grindstone so that when you do ease up on them (taper, which happens right before our conference meet), you get explosive results. Since this has worked for me several times in the past, it's hard to argue with its efficacy.

But it still sucks right now.

Oh: I've been asked to provide a sample practice. Here is what we did last night, during the hurricane:

3 x 400 Swim/Kick/Pull
4 x 150 Kick/Drill/Swim
4 x 200 Free Descend 1-4 @ 3:00
4 x 250 Free (w/ paddles) Descend 1-4 @ 3:30
4 x 300 Free (w/ paddles & zoomers) Descend 1-4 @4:00
8 x 100 Kick (Odds Easy/Evens Fast) @ 2:00
200 Warmdown

Total: 5800 Meters

Total Meterage: 22,920