GUEST COLUMN- Pacing by G. John Mullen
from News from the Pool 11/23
(G. John Mullen is a doctorate of physical therapy student at USC as well as a clinical researcher in the clinical exercise research center at USC. He also keeps a blog on Scientific Swimming Articles that you can check out at http://swimscience.blogspot.com/)
Before leaping off the blocks for a race, what is going through your mind? Most athletes would reply "I think…" and then their race strategy. Race strategy is an integral part of swimming and is a tedious process of discussions with your coach, trial and error, and self talk. However, those areas are just one aspect of pacing I like to call modifiable variables. Some other factors contributing to pacing include unmodifiable variables (the known distance/duration, competition) and somewhat modifiable variables (body temperature, muscle glycogen, etc.). It is important to keep all these variables in mind before a race, but it is essential to keep in check the modifiable and somewhat modifiable variables.
COACH CARLENE'S CATCHY COLUMN
from News from the Pool 11/23
Hello my little sweet potatoes!
Let's just cut to the chase, who doesn't love Thanksgiving??? There are good friends all around, time off from school/work, extra long practices, family reunions and amazing food, just to name a few. However, in all this excitement, I think sometimes people really forget what the holiday is all about. Sure you talk about it in school, but let's be honest, how hard do you really think about it? Agreed, life in general is wonderful... but what really makes it so wonderful? Is it having your sister or brother home from college? Or getting to see your grandparents and cousins from Michigan? Or simply having those days off from school? I know we've already talked about what things you are thankful for that make it possible for you to swim (C4, 9/20/09) but what are the everyday things that you are thankful for? I have a friend who is writing something in her Facebook status every day that she is thankful for for the month of November. I also remember doing exercises in college where we would write down 5 things before practice that we are thankful for. Write down 5 things YOU are thankful for at this very moment and the first 3 people from each group to email me back at carlene@swimsouthbay.orgwill receive a C4 pin!
COACH CARLENE'S CATCHY COLUMN
from News from the Pool 12/7
Hi swimmers! After a cold, but very successful weekend at JOs in Pleasanton, I've noticed one of the main spots for almost everyone at the meet to improve is in their turns, particularly open turns. I know I always talk about "karate chops" and "answering the phone" but sometimes that terminology doesn't always work for everyone. GoSwim puts it in terms of "saluting the official." Here's an article with pictures (I know you guys like those) that shows a pretty perfect open turn: http://www.goswim.tv/entries/5481/salute-the-official.html. Some of the points I'd like to highlight from the article:
1) First and foremost, I am not the only one to use the karate-chop analogy, so stop laughing at me so much.
2) Let your hips, legs and feet flow forward into a tight tuck. In the article it says to let the momentum carry your torso, hips and legs into the wall, but I think it needs to be a little more forceful than that, so use your abs to pull those knees in tight.
3) You should be looking straight up as your turning hand leaves the wall. Not at your neighbor and definitely not in the direction that you will soon be heading in (i.e. the other wall.)
4) Make sure your hand is very close to your head as it enters the water (we shouldn't be feeling the spray from your hand entering the water.)
What do you think your biggest problem is with your open turns and how do you plan on fixing it? The first three people from the SR/V group and the first three people from the Gold/JV/JV+ group to email me (carlene@swimsouthbay.org) with receive a C4 pin!
COACH CARLENE'S CATCHY COLUMN
from News From the Pool 11/30
Hello swimmers! This week our guest columnist wrote an article JUST FOR US about the importance of eating right after practice! I've also included one of my favorite Floswimming videos at the end. This week, the first three swimmers in each group to email me at carlene@swimsouthbay.org with their favorite post-workout snack AND what did you think of that floswimming bonus???
"Foods for Recovery" by G. John Mullen
Post-exercise recovery is an aspect of athletics still under analysis. The old belief was that aerobic exercise, like swimming, requires a post-exercise meal that is high in carbohydrates. However, recent studies have changed this belief and now it is recommended to eat a 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. Don’t worry about the ratio, just remember you need more carbohydrates than protein, but both for optimal recovery. Some foods that have a ratio close to 3:1 include:
· Medium bagel with peanut butter
· Yogurt smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, and a tsp protein powder
· Medium sweet potato with low fat cheese or turkey bacon
· Fried egg on rye toast
· Small turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread
· Bowl of cereal with skim milk and a few nuts
Now you know what to eat, but when is the best time to consume this recovery food? A simple answer is within 30 minutes of your workout, it is important to finish your workout and eat soon after a workout like 100x100 or 100x50! If you live far away from your pool or if you know you won’t be able to go home to eat after workout, pack a small meal like one suggested above. Happy Training!
Floswimming vid:
http://www.floswimming.org/videos/coverage/view_video/271-weekly-wednesday-workout/67161-get-up-go-lady-longhorns
THE WISDOM OF COACH SPENCER- What is Technique?
from 10/12 News From the Pool
Technique is not how fast you go, or how good your dive is, it is the way you perform these tasks. In order to become a fast swimmer you must first become an efficient swimmer. This shines through in various aspects of your stroke. First and foremost; head position. In order to swim most effectively through the water, you want as little blockage from your body as possible (for instance this is why we want you to streamline in order to avoid the broad blockage from your shoulders). So if you can imagine a swimmer swimming with their head up looking at the wall, their face and forehead is going to act like a dam and add water resistance to your stroke, ultimately slowing you down.
Another aspect of our stroke that is tied to technique is the stroke itself. When you row a boat, would you buy a paddle with a bunch of holes in it? No, because it would make it very difficult for the paddle to push any water and you would be up that famous creek without a paddle (no pun intended). Think of your hands as paddles. With your fingers open all the water goes through the cracks and you don’t get as much pull on the water that you would get if you had your hands cupped with your fingers closed. Both of these tips can be used to make you a more efficient swimmer, and ultimately get faster.
COACH CARLENE’S CATCHY COLUMN
from 10/12 News from the Pool
One of my favorite places to frequent is http://www.gwgswims.com- This is the website of US Olympian Garrett Weber-Gale. Garrett has been a World, NCAA, National and National High School record holder. He was also part of the amazing 400 Free Relay from the 2008 Olympics. If you haven’t seen it, or feel the need to relive the glory and excitement again (like I often do,) you can check it out with a high quality video from NBC hereor a very low quality video here(on YouTube.) Or you can ask us because we have it on DVD.
One of Garrett’s claims to success is having a very healthy, yet tasty diet. Although we may enjoy some foods that are sometimes not-so-healthy for us, Garrett does a good job of modifying recipes to suit a healthier diet. Now, not only is Garrett hilarious and entertaining, he also has a great list of healthy and fun recipes on his site along with VIDEOS! One of my favorite videos is this Salmon Jerkyone. Now, I guess I should say that I haven’t made this... YET. But I like salmon, I like jerky, and he makes it look pretty fun to make, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that this recipe is a winner. So guys, get in the kitchen and whip up something healthy AND tasty; our Fall cooking challenge will be coming up faster than that last repeat of a quality set, so be prepared, because I won last year! You have fair warning.
Ok, I’m going to go watch that relay again, see you on deck!
