Wednesday

Some of our National group will do this one (10x --150 Fast/150 easy)

And some will do this (10x -- 2x75 Fast/1x75 easy)

Tuesday's April 26 2016

After our rain-out on Monday afternoon, we got back to work on Tuesday with a Breaststroke or Butterfly-themed practice.  Three of our athletes did a separate set -- some Freestyle or Backstroke.

Shawn (Fly), Matt (Breast), and Jack (Breast) led the way on the stroke set.  We did a 150 on (2:00), followed by a 50 on (1:00).   

The good part about the set was that the 50s were good or very good.  Athletes were hitting 200 Pace throughout the set, and descending to back half 100 Pace or faster.  In a few cases, athletes were hitting half of their 100 goal.  

The part of the set that needed work was the technique and skill application on the 150s.  The swimming, kicking, and drilling were sloppier than we should be on this set.  Our top training groups back in 2013 and 2014 had a lot of trouble getting into this type of set (although we had a few people that were awesome at it)…but I'd say our group we have today is very good at it normally and we will get back to that excellence the next time we do this type of set.

Because our skills were not as good as we needed them to be, I pulled the interval back to 2:10 for the middle set of 3, and 2:20 for the final set of 3.  The 50s stayed on 1:00.  I felt like pulling the intervals back was necessary, particularly because we were working with Breast and Fly.  Those strokes require a lot of energy output to swim well (on top of the water, quick open turns, fast tempo on dolphin kicks)…and we were better on the intervals at the end of the set.  It's funny, pretty much everyone dropped a half second or more on their average 50 time after the interval moved to 2:20.

We had another group of athletes go 16x200 Free or Back.  We did 4 on 2:30, 4 on 2:25, 4 on 2:30, and 4 on 2:20.  Great job for all, particularly Paolo who did Backstroke and went 207 for 4, 206 for 4, 207 for 4, then 207, 204, 205, 204.0 on the final 4.

Paolo is a 1:55.1 Backstroker.  Take a close look at this set….he's going "Plus 12" at his slowest (1:55 + 12 = 207).  He's going "Plus 9" at his fastest.  

Think about it Paolo….

If you're 200 Freestyle time is 1:42, to equal your Backstroke set you'd have to do: 

16x200 Free…4 on 2:20, 4 on 2:15, 4 on 2:20, 4 on 2:10 (intervals adjust because your Free PR is 13 seconds faster than your Back PR)…..and you'd have to average 154s (142 Plus 12 = 154) on the set, and finish with a 151 (Plus 9).  

So, I guess that means that was an above-average backstroke set!  It also probably means that you're freestyle training can get better….you can swim sub 1:00 more often at this stage in the game.

Here's another reason why freestyle training should be better than backstroke training: The Diving Reflex  (The teaser for this clip is this: all mammals have a reflex that lowers the heart rate by 20%, occurs when the face is submerged in water).  Backstroke not only is a "face out of the water" stroke for half or more than half of the race, but it is using a larger group of muscles in the legs and encouraging a higher ventilation rate -- which affects the rate of the backstroker.  

In other words, it's tough to train fast backstroke!  Athletes who can swim fast backstroke in practice can swim fast at anything in practice.

Let's get back to work today everyone! 

Weekend MAC Meet

Awesome Job to those who competed at the meet this weekend!  I thought we raced well and won some close races.  Let's continue to work hard and win close races in practice.  Make racing an every day way of life.

We swim fast every day!

Doing well in practice & knowing it

Knowing your times helps you build personal self-confidence when you are training well.

Tuesday 4.19.16 Practice Review

Tuesday's main set:

Repeat three times through:
{3 rounds: 25 easy + 25 Fast
2 rounds: 50 easy + 50 Fast
1 round: 75 easy + 75 Fast}

This is a short set for us.  We did a good warmup set and got into it.  The 75s are the big swims of the set.  The instructions were to be 90% on the 25s, and 93-95% on the 50s…then descend the 75s and see what you can put up.

The results were very good.  It doesn't take a lot to figure out what the paces mean for Short Course Yards pace/racing.  Here's how I convert to LCM pace/racing:

Take the time and multiply by three -- that's your pace per 200 Meters (based off the conversion of 225Y=200M.  I add one second for "a turn".  So, a 45.0 turns into a 46.0 {46.0 for a 75, x3 = 2:18 LCM pace).

Converting to a 200M makes the math easier, but on this type of set we are generally looking at an athlete's "GOAL 2nd 50" of a 100 LCM swim.  Here's how I see it:

37.0/38.0 = 1:54.0 (28.5 per 50) / 100 LCM would be 26.5 + 28.5 = 55.0 pace
38.0/39.0 = 157.0 (29.25 per 50) / 100 LCM would be 27.25 + 29.25 = 56.5 pace
39.0 scy 75….57.0 LCM pace
40.0….58.5 pace
41.0….1:00.0 pace
42.0….1:01.5 pace

If you'll notice, above, I've assigned a 2.0 second difference between the 2nd 50, theoretically trained in this set -- and the first 50 (trained at other times during our weekly work).  However, I'd offer that for backstrokers you are going to see a 1.0 to 1.5 second difference, mainly due to the fact that backstrokers start in the water (not on the block)….so backstrokers may need to adjust the above chart accordingly.  For Breaststrokers, the difference between the first and second 50 is the furthest apart in comparison to the other disciplines…so I look for a 3.0-4.0 second difference in practice.

So, for a breaststroker with a 3.5 second difference -- goal pacing may look like this:
43.0/44.0 = 2:12.0 (33.0 per 50) / 100 LCM would be 29.5 + 33.0 = 1:02.5 pace
44.0/45.0 = 2:15.0 (33.5 per 50) / 100 LCM would be 30.0 + 33.5 = 1:03.5 pace
45.0 scy 75…..1:04.5 LCM pace
46.0…..1:05.5 pace
47.0…..1:06.5 pace
48.0…..1:07.5 pace

Think about your paces and how they "add up" according to this chart.  I'd say we are well on our way to some great LCM 100s.  Our next goal is to see some of our 18 and under women to get under 40.0 for 75s Free….and for our Men's breaststroke group to go deeper into the 45 range, and get into 43.0-44.2 range with our quickest guys.  

Monday Practice Report

We had two goals for Monday PM's practice:

1- a strong kicking set (we did 10x100 with the last 4 on 1:20 or 1:30)

2- a strong aerobic set (we did either 12x250 or 12x150)

Jack, Drew (a visitor from Indiana), Karen, and Bella did the 12x250.

Here is the set & Jack's results.  Karen's and Bella's results are written below:

1x250 (310) -- 231

3x250 (255) -- 227, 227, 227

2x250 (305) -- 230, 230

2x250 (250) -- 224, 223

3x250 (3) -- 230, 230, 230

1x250 (245) -- 217.9

Karen held 241-242 on the 250s on 310, 305, and 3, while holding 238-235 on the others.  Karen went 227 on the end!

Bella held 243-246 on the 250s on 310, 305, and 3, while holding 241-237 on the others.  Bella went 237 on the end!

Drew did really awesome too!  I'm not going to post a lot of details on kids who swim with other teams…Drew's coach can make that call :)

Our 18x150s group did the set almost flawlessly.  The one hiccup was on number 9….too easily done after a pair of fast 150s.  Jacob 120.1 after a 125, 124 pair led the way.  As an example, Jacob went his 125 and 124, but went up to 132 (if I remember correctly?) on number 9…I would think 128 would be more appropriate given the 125-124 pair.  But to Jacob's and the rest of the group's credit, they get right back in the correct range on number 10 and 11, leading into some good 150s on the end.

Little details make the set!  We are actually a pretty savvy team overall with this time of thing.

The kick set at the beginning was a good, strong effort.  It wasn't our best effort as a group, but we didn't kick poorly….it seemed like the group was getting warmed up mentally for the rest of the day.  I bring this up to highlight the reality of training, as it is sometimes!  Parents and those who are not involved in training have a hard time seeing how this works, but for those of us who are "in it" -- it's a reality…..you gotta "GET UP" for training.  Some days are tougher than others in terms of "Getting up".  But, this being said -- perhaps we need to be harder on ourselves.

I will say that yesterday I wondered and thought about our morning practice attendance (we were hit and miss Monday morning with our National group).  When you have to face Monday PM practice after being "off" since Saturday morning (that's 60 hours!)….the Monday PM practice can come as a shock!  The other athletes (who came to Monday AM practice) can end up getting this undesirable attitude that says "well, that guy didn't even GET HERE this morning…why do I have to work the WHOLE practice this afternoon…after all, at least I have been here."  When everyone is at practice, firing together, it makes it easier to get into the "we're all in this together" attitude mode…which is very powerful!

So, I'd say that while Monday PM's kick set, in itself, wasn't all that bad -- it probably could have been better if we would have all had the Monday AM kick set under our belt…not to mention we would have all been up since 5am and it's quite possible that this fact could have psyched us up as a group to do even better in the PM.  And you all know how I feel, I'd prefer not to waste a single set in training!  We can do it.

Parents, don't be mistaken.  I'm not pointing out an overt attitude issue we had at practice on Monday PM.  This is a very subtle thing that I consider when I think about the direction of our group's attitude.  I do think that our attitude AT PRACTICE on Monday PM was awesome.  We had almost all Group members in attendance, and athletes were psyched doing the training…which showed through their awesome results.  

I want to re-iterate what I put out in an email a few weeks back.  I have encouraged parents not to attend practices, for a variety of reasons, but I am changing my tune with the National group.  Do you want to know a good day to see what's going on?  Friday is a great day…it's a bit shorter, and if you just saw 5pm-540pm you'd more often than not see a group kicking set -- which is a key to our training.  You can feel free to use the bleachers on the CSN side of the pool.

Tuesday Practice

Lots of Backstrokers, Breaststrokers, and Flyers today.  

Monday Afternoon

Nice job this morning to those who were in attendance!  We went 20x50, 2 Swim + 2 Kick LCM.  We followed that with a 1500M pulling set and some speed play.

Today, we are swimming some freestyle.  Take a look at the set style.  Most of you guys have done this type of work before!  I will let you know who is doing what at 3:55.

Saturday Practice report

We had two practices on Saturday.  Here is a brief synopsis:

6am Saturday: 7000 Meters, main series: 30x100 Free (140) -- Best Average!
Some of our approximate averages:
Jack 106s
Jacob 108s
Rip 108s
Aaron 109s
Cole 109s
Karen 107s
Emma 108s
Bella 110s
Paolo Backstroke 111s

8am Saturday: 5500 Meters, main series: 40x50….16 on 55 (every 4th fast), 12 on 1 (every 3rd fast), 8 on 105 (every other fast), 4 on 110 (all fast).
Some averages:
Shawn Free 29s, 28s, some 27s, last 4: 29, 28s
Abby Free 33s, 32s, 31s
Bean Fly 34s, 33s, 35s
Kayla Fly 33-32 every 4th
Matt Breast 34-35, some 33 highs, up to 35
Wyatt Breast 34-35, up to 37

Pretty good work overall!  The 30x100 is a tradition "1500 Pace set"….but you have to also consider the times you've done this set before and go for your "Best Set" or one of your "Best Sets".  So, a 14/15 year old athlete who has done this set 2-3 times (not 5-7 times) will tend to improve rapidly over the first few times through the set.  It's tougher for the 17-18 year old to drop on this set….and to me that is ok as long as the athlete's average is right on or close to their all-time best (within 1 to 1.5 seconds on average) AND they are improving in other aspects of training.

As an example:
An athlete who is improving with their kicking times, their IM training, and their Butterfly "Race Pace" training may still be looking at an improvement in the 400 IM -- even if they can average only 109 this month compared to 107.8 two months ago.

Milers (1500 Free) and 800 Freestylers MUST be thinking RACE PACE on this set.  But it doesn't always perfectly relate.  For instance, Jack's best prior to today was a 1:08 average, but on a 1500 Jack has averaged 103 once, 104 once, and 106 twice in his career.  Think about how fast Jack's mile will be when he's averaging 102 on this set.  Now that he going 106s, he's better prepared than after the time when he held 108s.

IM Training / Racing Tips

Here are some key tips for a great IM!

Wednesday Review and Video

This is a clip from our practice yesterday, about half way through our set of 30x50 (1:30) and our Freestyle Ladder.  You'll see 3 50s here on this video. 

I thought our ability to do the Fly Drilling well, consistently, and fast was something that we hadn't done before.  We had athletes going 3 right, 3 left, and 2 or 3 together -- going 27-31 seconds for the most part.  

The single-single-double "Cycle" Fly drill that we did on this day encouraged the athletes to work their underwater kick well and time their last 2-3 strokes well (see last week's video with Oscar for a more detailed tutorial on what it's all about).  We can get better at timing the wall on the finish and finishing fast, but that will come.  Having a sense of stroke count/ kick count/ and pace is first step.  We took that step yesterday.

Shout out to the athletes who are not really featured in the video -- the ladder athletes.  You guys have been doing great with the Threshold Freestyle, and those gains are going to pay off!

Today -- Thursday -- we are going to go some Free IM.  3x400, 3x300, 3x200, and 3x100 with 8x50 between.  We will have a 1:15 and a 1:25 interval.  Get psyched!

Wednesday Practice & Tuesday Practice Notes

We will split the group today.  Most likely we will be form 2 lanes of the Distance Ladder and 3 Lanes of the Fly 50s.  I'll help everyone figure it out when we get there.

Remember, we are getting into dryland at 3:30.  Get psyched for a great workout!

Tuesday April 12 practice

Active Rest Freestyle Today.  Let's get after it!

Muscle Groups used in Swimming Strokes

This is a great video to view the muscle groups involved in different swimming strokes.  There are two things that jump out at me right away: 1- Breaststroke….check out the "chain" of events as the athlete takes the stroke.  The muscles are not all used at the same time but instead run from the hands/arms to the back to the legs, and back to the hand/arms.  2- Backstroke and Freestlye…..look at the legs and the difference between the two strokes.  This is why to properly train freestyle, you've got to kick "on the front", and to properly train backstroke you've got to kick on your back.

Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday report (April 7-8)

There has been a lot going on that I have not been able to get on this blog recently.  I will re-establish more consistency next week!

I thought we've had more than a few bright spots over the last few days.  On Wednesday, we did a pretty tough Breaststroke set….it went like this:

3x:

1x200 Free IM (230)

1x200 Free IM (240)

1x200 Free IM (250)

1x200 Kick (310) -- 50 Breast, 100 Fly, 50 Breast

1x200 Drill (320) -- 3on 2 under Breaststroke {the 3 on was with Dolphin Kick, 2 under with Brst K}

1x200 Breast Swim (330)

I asked the lead athletes to stay between 213-219 on the Free IMs.  Of our leaders, we saw Cole and Jack holding 209-210 (Cole) and 211-212 (Jack).  The Free IMs did not have the aspect of Speed we were looking for on the breaststroke, but were meant to keep the Heart Rate consistent throughout the set.  If you back off for the Free IM, you essentially spend half of the set cruising and "recovering"….which isn't the goal of the set.

The intervals on the set played a big role in how the set was performed.  If you look closely, you can see that coming off of the 200 Breast at the end of the round, the athletes had to do the 1st 200 Free IM on (230), then they got a break on number 2 (Free IM on 240), and again on number 3 (Free IM on 250).  The times were supposed to be about the same, but the athletes got an increasing amount of rest going into the Breaststroke portion.   We do this by design: I want the athletes to finish their 200 Breast on Round 1 and Round 2, and then instead of "falling apart" and slopping through a 200 Free IM, I want them to have to hold their strokes, streamlines, and energy levels…which is why the 200 Free IM to start each round is (2:30).  If I put it on (2:45), the interval is easy enough that it may encourage athletes to go easy.

One of the things you may not notice with this interval challenge -- is that the challenge doesn't really exist on the end of the set.   So, after 200 Breaststroke #1 and #2, the athletes have to come right back to the beginning of the next round and perform well at a sub-maximal level…but at the end of Round 3, an athletes doesn't have to hold it together afterwards -- so they are free to finally let it all go and swim their best on the end of the set.  

The interval for the 200 Kick was faster than the interval for the 200 Drill and the 200 Swim.  Why is that?  For one, I wanted to force the speed on the kick…no easy kicks allowed on this set!  I want the 200 Swim at the end of each round of 6 200s to be a 200 that is "coming off" strong efforts and good strokes!  The interval loosens up a bit on the 200 Drill, in part because off the Drill's hypoxic goal, and in part because of the fact that I wanted to ensure we were going into the 200 Swim with some (relative) rest.

We can do MUCH better as a group on the hypoxic part of things.  We still have plenty of athletes who do not do the hypoxic portion of the sets.  Breaststrokers in particular must be striving for hypoxic improvement, because breaststroke at its highest levels is a tough stroke on the respiratory system -- so we've got to TRAIN that system.  Our team is full of up-and-coming breaststrokers, but we are not quite where we can be with improved hypoxic training.  Let's get better at training FAST with less air!  All of our T2 Aquatics athletes know that we are never to take the hypoxic training too far…we don't swim more than a 25 without air on our Team, and frankly I don't really harp on people too much with hypoxic training because I don't want to shame someone into doing something they are not comfortable with.

But the truth remains: if you can't train fairly hard within building oxygen debt, then GOOD LUCK when this challenge pops up in a race:)

The 200 swims were very good.  We did the 200 Breast swims with Flipturns as usual on this set (more hypoxic work).  We had 3 guys under 220 on Round 2 and Round 3.  Jack went 216 on the end, Matt & Cole were both 218.0.  Round 2 saw Matt going 216, Jack 217, and Cole 219.1 -- solid swims for these guys.  The fastest women were Karen (2:30) and Bean (2:36) {I may be off by a second or two here…it's been a few days!}

Thursday was in many ways terrific training, but I'm sure many will remember it as a day where we didn't active our Team goals on the set.  We had plenty of fast swimming, highlighted by Paolo leading the way on the 400 Free IMs (4:09 on the end)….and a good set of 5x400s from many of our top athletes.  Rip and Jacob were both 4:14, Shawn was 4:13 if memory serves, and on the women's side Karen was 4:26 and Bean 4:28 on the end (both practice PRs)…and the best part was that the whole set of 5x400 was awesome all-around.   

We struggled getting our second wave of athletes under the times needed to finish the practice 30 minutes early.  Our staff's goal was simple: we wanted one female athlete at 4:29 or better (got it), and one at 4:34 or better (got that too), but we wanted 5 others 4:49 or better….but we only got 1 athlete to do it.  Think about it guys -- what kind of Team are we?  Are we a deep Team?  Or are we reliant on our top 5% for the Team results?  

Our women need to get better at this type of thing (this exact set…..5x400 Free IM).  To me, if we have two women going sub 4:30 (4:26 and 4:28), then we really should have a crew of girls who can go 4:35-4:43….but we simply don't have it.  Please trust me when I say that we SHOULD have this type of performance with our women, based off what I consider to be a talented, strong, group of women swimming in our pool!!  I believe that to be considered to be even a decent women's Team, it won't happen until we have 6 female athletes going sub 4:30 (with the fastest 4:18 or better).  There ya go -- there's the goal!  Is it attainable?  I certainly hope so.  We have come too far to be only as good as we were yesterday.  We did have a few Senior Performance women step up and at least show that they can average 4:55-5:05…but to not have anyone besides Karen, Bean, and Bella under 4:50?!  Let's get to work!!!!

We will do this set again in a few weeks.  Be ready.  I know we can do better as a group, with more engagement in the activity.  Remember, you are not really training when you are just swimming around waiting for practice to end.  Even the best of us get like that sometimes:) but it isn't going to be two weeks from now when we redo the set.

On Friday (today) ….I can tell you that I was very pleased to get off the plane in Baltimore to a text from Jennah, who let me know some of the outstanding 200 Kicks we did today.  According to Jennah's notes, we had the following lead kick times:  

Santi 219

Karen 222

Bean 228

Madi 230

Kailey 236 

Cole 212

Rip 213

Alex 215

Jack 219

Some of these were on a board, some on the back, and some breaststroke kick….all were outstanding and most (if not all) were lifetime best 200 Kicks.   

The fact that many people did their best 200 Kick on a day when I am out of town is a huge deal for our Team and you ALL should pat yourself on the back for holding yourself to a high standard.  You must do your best no matter what, at all possible times!  When your "Head Coach" is away, that's when many people mess around (like last month, as some of you have disused with me)….it's much better to be good no matter what and no matter who is coaching the group.  After all, our athletes are doing this to get better…not just simply please the coach, right?!

The fact is that we can be AMAZING athletes.  This year's Seniors can be STELLAR next year for their college Teams, and our T2 athletes can take it to another level as we get ready for next Fall's HS State Champs.  Be AMAZING as often as possible, and do it for you!!

The Learning Process

If you haven't read my Tuesday practice report, here it is: Tuesday Practice Blogpost

Now, on to the video you see below.  Oscar M and I were working on some Fly yesterday.  I thought I'd post this 11 minute progression so athletes and parents can see what we do at practice.

My hope and certainly Oscar's goal is to take this work and apply it throughout the week and month we have coming up.  

As a note on Fly drilling, there are two major drills we use for Fly.  One is a kicking drill and it's focused on the technical aspects of the Fly stroke (not on this video).  Another is what I call the "cycle drill".  When performing the "cycle drill", athletes should perform a certain amount of Right arm strokes, transition into an equal amount of Left arm strokes, and finish the length with full strokes.  Each athlete should have one set of numbers they are trying to hit each time they do this drill (generally about 6, 7, 8, or 9).

There are many different reasons this drill is a great drill -- but it's only a great drill when done well and fast.  Oscar's progression here is simply a learning progression, but you can envision Oscar going faster and faster with his style of drill (8 strokes: 3Right, 3Left, 2Both arms) if he simply works hard on it every day.

Even if you know very little about swimming, I think you will be able to figure out what is going on by the 4th or 5th minute….you have to watch close and listen as if you were Oscar and you were performing the drill and taking my suggestions.  Don't worry parents, even if you don't know much about swimming -- the more this video is for you!  By watching you can get a feel of what 10 minutes of our warmup is like.

Tuesday Report

T2 athletes had a solid workout yesterday!

Some good 100s Freestyle from our crew all day, from the warmup through the main series.  Jacob led the way on the guy's side & Karen led the way on the girl's side.  Jacob's last 4 rounds were around: 56, 52.7, 52.1, 51.0 (I could be off by a tenth or two here).  Karen put up quite a few 58-57s with a 55 on the end, and Bean was 1:00-58+ and a 56.9 on the end.

Many guys were going 56-54 until the final 100….which is solid swimming.

Next time though….we'd love to be 51-52 from a push guys!  Gotta get to the point where our guys can step on the pedal a bit and get under 54.0 (27.0 per 50), and where our girls can step on the pedal a bit and get under 56.0 (28.0 per 50).

How are we going to get there?  Something that jumps out at me is "Breath control swimming".  We do breath control swimming often in practice, but you have to ask yourself -- are you being honest with your attention to the breathing pattern?

I am not just trying to put you into a state of hurt!  Getting better with the breath control aspect of swimming will make you stronger in general with your ability to handle yourself when the race demands more energy from you.  Do it and do it well!

Tuesday April 5

photo cred: Jennah Haney

If you haven't seen the "Monday Report" -- it's here: Monday April 4 Report

Here is our Tuesday practice: 

We are going to stick with Free and Fly today.  Some non-Free is coming at ya tomorrow!  This is the type of workout that our athletes will crush (we are in great shape and we can basically go hard for this entire set….given the athletes have been at practice consistently :) ).

Let's go!

Remember guys -- no Derek Dryland today.  I'll see you at 3:50 for a strength routine.

Monday April 4 practice

Great job to all on Monday's practice!

We had a great practice on Monday.  Most people did the 10x225 on the right.  The intervals, the for the top mid-distance people on the right, were a bit easier than normal -- which was by design.  We had an awesome, descending set.  The leaders were fast and consistent, and a few athletes who "needed" a good set had that good set.  

But let's face it.  Monday was Cole's day to shine.  After taking the lead on the set (9x400), Cole didn't look back, averaging 3:58 from number 4 or or so through number 8….with a 3:54.4 on the end.  This was a significant set for Cole, who a few weeks back averaged 3:06 on 10x300 (3:30).  The distances were longer today, and intervals harder than the 10x300 -- and Cole was way better than ever.  Great job Cole! 

It's not hard to get on a roll in swimming.  Notice your good work.  Chalk it up in your head.  Come in the next day and do it again to get on a roll!  It's all about your positive/optimistic/energetic attitude.

Today's practice (Tuesday) will be posted soon!