Mini-Swim Camp Dates Confirmed: Weekend of
August 18-19th
We have enough interest (16 people) to go ahead with the
mini-swim camp on August 18-19th! I apologize to those who are interested
but not able to make these dates, but we will do another one. If you have
not yet responded and can make these dates, it's not too late to sign up (let me
know your level: beginner, intermediate, advanced; what you want to
improve/learn; and which session(s) you will attend: Saturday, Sunday or
both).
Camp Times:
10:00am-12:00noon: Saturday, August 18th
9:15-11:15am: Sunday, August 19th
Cost:
Registered Carleton Masters: $20 for one session,
$30 for both
Carleton Athletics members/students: $25 for one session,
$40 for both
Non-Members: $30 for one session, $50 for
both
To confirm your registration, please give me your
cheque payable to "Carleton Masters Swim Club" by Friday, August
10th.
Coaches will be John (Varsity Head Coach), Claudia and
me. As more people register, we'll add coaches to keep the ratio near
1:5.
The outline for the sessions (more details available
closer to the dates) is:
Beginners:
Session 1: freestyle technique
Session 2: more freestyle technique (if required),
freestyle skills (open and flip turns), backstroke/breaststroke technique (as
time permits)
Intermediate:
Session 1: freestyle technique and skills (open and flip
turns, racing starts, open water sighting), and if time permits, backstroke
technique and skills (turns, starts)
Session 2: backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly
technique and skills (turns, starts)
Advanced/Varsity: If there is interest,
we will also offer two long workouts (at a reduced cost [free to Varsity
swimmers!] as there would be less one-on-one interaction):
Session 1: long workout: distance or sprint session
Session 2: long workout: sprint or distance session
Announcements
Congratulations to Joanie Conrad
(Whitecaps), Don Wells (Whitecaps) and Sam
(Baby pool swimmer) on the arrival of Benjamin Conrad Wells
on Tuesday, July 24th at 6:27pm. He weighed in at 4590
grams (10 lbs. 1 oz.) and measured 56 cm (22 in). Joanie swam up until
Monday, July 23rd (even though several days
overdue)!
Runners Needed! Kristi and Mits are going to be
participating in the Labatt's Blue 24 Hour Relay (running not swimming!) to
raise money for the Royal Ottawa Hospital and the Rehab Centre. Their team
is looking for runners between 6:00 and 10:00am on Sunday, August 19th.
Please email Kristi at
kdean@ccs.carleton.ca if you are
interested in helping out (they welcome anyone who is willing to go around the
3.2km track).
Volunteers Needed! On the morning of Sunday, August 26th, a Kids-of-Steel triathlon (age
7 to 18) is being held at CFB Ottawa near the Aviation Parkway and Hemlock Road
area. Kristi is one of the race directors and I am the swim
coordinator. The swim will be held in the base 4 lane 25yd outdoor
pool. We will need 10-12 volunteers to help with the swim (you'd need to
be there by 8:30am). Duties will involve counting lengths (you get a paper
and pen, unlike in workout!), and general organization (ensuring kids are in the
right place for their swim start, checking names/numbers, explaining safety
rules, etc.). Lots more volunteers will be needed in the transition zone,
and on the bike and run courses. Volunteers will get a free meal after the
race. Carleton Masters volunteers will also receive a $5 rebate on the
2-day fee for the August 18-19th swim camp.
Weekly Carleton Masters Social
Events: Those new to Masters may not know of the two weekly
Masters social (eating) events. On Thursday evenings after Masters a group
goes for dinner at a nearby restaurant (meet by the Tuck Shop around 7:45pm to
decide on venue). On Saturday mornings after Masters a group goes for
brunch, normally at the Greek Souvlaki House at Prince of Wales and
Baseline (meet by the Tuck Shop around 10:30am for a head count). All are
welcome!
Meech Lake: A few summers ago, a group of
us went swimming regularly at Meech Lake at 8:30am on Sunday mornings. If
there is any interest in starting this up again or arranging a session for open
water beginners, let me know.
Private Masters
Lessons
Here is the summer schedule for private
coaching. If you are interested, please talk to me for
details and book through the Athletics Office (520-4480).
Times available (Sunday, July 22nd to Sunday, September
2nd):
Day
Time Pool
Space
Monday
6:30-7:30am Deep (not August
6th)
Tuesday
7:30-8:30am Shallow
Wednesday 6:30-7:30am Deep
Wednesday 6:00-7:00pm Shallow
(not July 25th)
Thursday
7:30-8:30am Shallow
Friday
6:30-7:30am Deep
Sunday
5:00-6:00pm Shallow
Sunday 6:00-7:00pm Shallow
Fees for Carleton Members:
# of 1
Hour
Sessions Members
GST Total Cost /
Session
1 $35.00 $2.45
$37.45
$35.00+GST
2 $65.00 $4.55
$69.55
$32.50+GST
3
$90.00 $6.30 $96.30
$30.00+GST
4 $112.00 $7.84
$119.84 $28.00+GST
5 $132.00 $9.24
$141.24 $26.40+GST
Fees for Non-Members:
# of 1
Hour
Sessions Non-Members GST
Total Cost /
Session
1 $50.00 $3.50 $53.50 $50.00+GST
2 $85.00 $5.95 $90.95 $42.50+GST
3 $115.00 $8.05 $123.05
$38.33+GST
4 $142.00 $9.94 $151.94
$35.50+GST
5 $162.00 $11.34
$173.34 $32.40+GST
(Note that times and costs will be
reviewed in September.)
Triathlon Race
Reports (as usual, please let me know if I've missed anyone or
any races!):
Nothing to report this week!
Ask the Coach
Dear Coach: I'm want to improve my
endurance and breathing during swim workouts. My heart rate stays very
high for most of the workout. Are there things that you can recommend to
help me pace a practice more effectively? Out of Breath
Dear O. O. Breath: As you've just recently joined Masters,
it will take your body a few weeks to adapt. After that you will start to
notice a difference in your endurance (and once it
starts improving, it will improve steadily if you train regularly). When
you're working on building your endurance, you need to "pick your battles" in
workout. This means going really hard for only small parts of the
workout. Concentrate on technique (rather than speed) during warm up and
whenever possible in the main set. For each set, the coach usually
indicates which parts of it should be swum hard, so take it a bit easier on the
other repeats and don't be afraid to skip the occasional 50 if your heart rate
is not getting a chance to recover between repeats.
Dear Coach: A friend of mine wants
to train for an Ironman and I'm trying to convince him to swim with Carleton
Masters. However, he thinks he should swim nothing but freestyle, so can
you explain the importance of swimming other strokes even when training for an
Ironman? Friend of Potential Recruit
Dear F. O. P. Recruit: Thanks very much for
promoting Carleton Masters! While many triathletes believe that long
freestyle swims are all they need to do, a variety of strokes and speeds is
important. Training all the strokes promotes
muscle balance and helps avoid overuse injuries. Backstroke is a great
stroke to counter-balance and "unwind" from freestyle. Butterfly is a good
for building endurance. Breaststroke will help the scull portion of your
freestyle pull and can come in handy in a triathlon for sighting markers if a
quick peek while breathing in freestyle isn't working! While the
occasional continuous long swim is a good idea, it has been proven that your
endurance, as well as your speed, will improve more quickly though interval
training.
Both the Early Birds and Whitecaps tend to have a
different focus for each of the three workouts: one focuses on distance
freestyle, one on IM, and one on sprint stroke (stroke can be freestyle, back,
breast or fly). Saturday is usually a mixture of freestyle and other
strokes. Thus there is an opportunity to swim a fair bit of freestyle at a
variety of speeds, as well as spending some time on the other strokes, and some
very successful Ironman competitors (like Rudy Hollywood, http://www.trirudy.com) train or have trained
at Carleton.
Dear Coach: I'm a triathlete and
I'd like to do some weight training but I don't know where to start.
What do you recommend? May Try Dryland
Dear M. T. Dryland: The supervisors in the
Carleton weight room can advise you in starting a general weights
program. However, the following free seminar being held this coming
week at the Peak Centre on strength training for endurance athletes (information
extracted from http://www.trirudy.com) may
also be of interest. E-mail Ken at the address given below for more
information:
"I would like to invite everyone to our next seminar being held Wednesday
August 1st at 7:00 pm. The topic will be Strength Training for Endurance
Athletes. This will not be a basic or typical talk given by just anyone. Ed
McNeely MSc., an expert in strength training will be our speaker. Ed designs all
the strength training for our National Rowing Team and has been part of many
Sport Science Committees for various National Teams. Mr. McNeely now resides in
Champagne Illinois, so having him available to speak to our Ottawa athletes is
not easy to set-up. Please take advantage of this seminar, you will not regret
it. Once again, rsvp's would be much appreciated and a big help to our
staff.
The Peak Centre would also like to thank everyone who showed up
for our Transition Clinic. The clinic was a huge success with alot of positive
feedback from our participants. Elise (our triathlon coach) has informed me she
would be available to organise another one in August. Many have already
requested it. If anyone would be interested, simply contact us to add your name
to the list.
I would also like to thank Dr. Reid for giving the
presentation at the Peak Centre Tuesday night. Great seminar !!!
Ken
Brunet
Peak Centre
info@peakcentre.ca"
Early Birds (Morning Group) Summer Session
Notes
By popular demand, Wednesday's workout will be a sprint
workout and flippers will be involved!
An Interesting Article on Muscle
Cramps
I have had a few questions on muscle cramps and thought
this article might be of interest:
By Nancy Clark
American Fitness
Getting enough water before and
during exercise can help prevent muscle cramps.
"I get excruciating
cramps when I play tennis in the heat. Could something be wrong with my diet?"
"I cramped so badly during the marathon, I had to quit a few yards from
the finish line. I just couldn't go any further."
If you've ever
experienced the excruciating pain of a severe muscle cramp, you may fearfully
wonder if it will strike again. You may also wonder if nutrition imbalances are
at the root of the problem and if diet changes could be the simple solution.
Muscle cramps are poorly understood. Historically, no one has been able
to predictably cause a muscle to cramp, which has hindered the ability to study
the underlying mechanisms that contribute to these unpredictable spasms.
Recently, however, researchers have found a way to cause cramps. Hopefully, this
advance will open the door for more research on ways to prevent them.
We
do know that muscle cramps most commonly occur among athletes who work their
muscles to the point of exhaustion. The overexertion theory of muscle cramps
goes like this: When a muscle gets tired, the numerous muscle fibers that
comprise the muscle fail to contract in a synchronized rhythm. This failure is
likely related to overstimulation from the nerves that trigger the muscles to
contract.
What to do:
What should you do if you get a cramp?
Popular remedies include massage, stretching, acupressure (relaxing the affected
muscle by applying pressure to it) and giving yourself a hard pinch squarely on
the upper lip.
What about nutritional remedies? Previous theories have
suggested that cramping is related to fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance.
However, these theories do not always hold true. For example, musicians, who do
not usually get sweaty, often complain of muscle cramps. Nonetheless, if you are
plagued by cramps, you should at least rule out any possible cause. Here are a
few food tips to help you rule out theoretical nutritional causes.
Theory #1: lack of water
Cramps often occur when an athlete is
dehydrated. However, even athletes who are well-hydrated get cramps. To reduce
the risk of dehydration-associated cramps, simply drink more than enough fluids
before, during and after exercise. On a daily basis, drink enough fluids so you
have to urinate every two to four hours. Your urine should be light-colored and
copious. During extended exercise, drink as much as tolerated — optimally 3
ounces every 15 to 20 minutes.
Theory #2: lack of calcium
Calcium
plays an essential role in muscle contractions. Anecdotal stories suggest that
athletes who eliminate calcium-rich dairy products can become plagued by muscle
cramps. For example, a ballet dancer who reintroduced yogurt and skim milk to
her diet reports her cramps disappeared. A mountaineer eliminated his muscle
cramps by taking calcium-rich Tums.
Exercise scientists question the
validity of these anecdotes, believing a calcium imbalance is unlikely to be the
cause of muscle cramps. After all, the bones are a calcium reservoir and can
supply the body with what it needs for proper muscle contractions. Nevertheless,
to rule out any possible link between a calcium-poor diet and muscle cramps, I
recommend that athletes plagued by cramps consume calcium-rich foods such as
low-fat milk and yogurt at least twice a day. This good nutritional practice
certainly won't hurt and may possibly help.
Theory #3: lack of sodium
Many health-conscious athletes restrict their salt intake on a daily basis,
believing this will help prevent blood-pressure problems. However, if these
athletes are losing a significant amount of sodium through sweat, they may be
putting themselves at risk for developing a sodium imbalance that could
contribute to cramps. This situation is most likely to occur in extreme sports
such as an Ironman triathlon or 100-mile trail run, particularly if the athletes
have consumed only plain water during the event — no sodium-containing food or
beverage.
Theory #4: lack of potassium
Athletes who sweat heavily may
lose some potassium, but are unlikely to become potassium-depleted. Even if they
did, the whole body would be affected — not just one muscle. Nevertheless,
eating more potassium-rich fruits and vegetables will hurt no one.
Theory #5: Lack of pickle juice
Some football players and athletic
trainers swear that 2 ounces of pickle juice, taken 10 minutes before exercise,
prevents cramps. The reasons are unknown and untested, but there's no harm in
trying.
The diet theories above are only suggestions, not proven
solutions. However, you might want to experiment with these dietary tips if you
repeatedly suffer from muscle cramps.
Adding extra fluids, low-fat dairy
products, a sprinkling of salt, extra fruits and vegetables or even some pickle
juice certainly won't harm you and may possibly resolve the worrisome problem. I
also recommend that you consult a physical therapist, athletic trainer or coach
regarding proper stretching and training techniques. Nutrition may play no role
at all.
General Information
Please remember that for the rest of the summer,
the Early Birds (MWF morning group) will run from 7:30-8:30am ONLY.
The 8:30-9:30am group will recommence September 17th.
Your input to this weekly newsletter is most
welcome, especially for the race results and "Ask the Coach"
sections! To be added or removed from the receiver list, just let me know
(lynnmarshall@sympatico.ca).
Happy Laps!
Lynn