Hi, all!
I hope that everyone trained hard while I was away
and is looking forward to a few weeks of specialized training. A big thank
you to Mihkel for stepping in to coach on May 18th!
Please remember that your input is most
welcome. Thanks to those who sent positive feedback after the
second newsletter -- it's good to know you are reading this! I hope
to receive some "Dear Coach" letters for the Ask the Coach section! I've
also added a new section on swimming etiquette. Your comments are again
most welcome.
Note that this newsletter will soon be sent to the
evening (Whitecaps) group, as well as the morning group.
Again, if you haven't already done so, please
register for Masters ASAP. Either drop by the athletics
office (8:30am-4:30pm M-F) or call 520-4480.
Skills Clinics
As promised, I've set up a schedule for skills
clinics over the next few weeks. These are optional and will be held
during the last 15min of workout (i.e. either 8:15-8:30am or 9:15-9:30am).
Each clinic will be offered twice, on different days of the week.
1. breast and fly turns: Monday,
May 28th and Friday, June 8th
2. free and back open turns:
Wednesday, May 30th and Monday, June 11th
3. free and back flip turns:
Friday, June 1st and Wednesday, June 13th
4. IM turns: Monday, June 4th and
Friday, May 15th
5. racing starts: Wednesday, June
6th and Monday, June 18th
I also promised an open water swimming
clinic. We'll do that (optionally) during one of the distance
freestyle sets. Please remind me if you are interested.
If you would like to go over appropriate stretching
exercises for before and after workout, please let me know.
Competition Results
Congratulations to all those "Early Birds" who took
part in the May 26th Ottawa Triathlon at Carleton University.
Penny placed first in her age group!
Renee was second in her age group and made it quite the
family affair as her husband, Andy, and two eldest (of four) children also
competed. Andy placed 5th in his age group. Josh
was 4th in the boy's 16&U group and, in the kid's triathlon, Naomi
placed 7th in the girl's 10-11 age group! Brooke,
Barb and Katie from the Women's Varsity swim
team placed 8th, 9th and 11th in the women's 20-24 age group.
Elaine from the Women's Varsity waterpolo team placed 18th in
the women's 25-29 category (the biggest age group with 26 competitors).
Full results at: http://www.sportstats.on.ca/
George Tombler, 77, and I
were the two Carleton Masters competitors at Masters Nationals in Calgary, May
18-21st. We each competed in 7 events. George received a silver, two
bronze, two 4th and two 5th place medals in the men's 75-79
age group. I got five golds and two silvers, setting seven Ontario
records and four Canadian records in the women's 40-44 age group. Full
results at: http://www.cmsc.ab.ca/2001/Results.htm
The same weekend Will competed in
the National Underwater Hockey championships in Edmonton, but I haven't yet
heard the results!
Swimming Etiquette
Rule #1: A swimmer in motion has
right of way over a swimmer at rest.
If you are taking a break or resting between
repeats or sets, allow those still swimming to complete their finish or turn, by
moving to the corner of the lane.
Ask the Coach
Dear Coach: I get leg cramps
during workout. What can I do to prevent this? Cramped up at
Carleton
Dear Cramped Up: First, ensure that you are do some
range of motion and light stretching before workout (ask for a demo if you're
not sure of the appropriate exercises). Secondly, keep well hydrated
during workout with either water and/or a sports drink. Thirdly, do lots
of stretching after workout (on deck or in the shower). And, finally,
ensure that your diet has adequate potassium (bananas are a good source).
You may have noticed that if you do get a cramp it tends to come back the next
time you work out. Doing all of the above (in even greater quantities), as
well as relaxing the muscle(s) immediately if you feel a cramp coming on should
help.
Dear Coach: Can you explain a bit
about training theory? What is a training cycle? What will we be
doing over the next four weeks? Just Curious
Dear Curious: I'm not an expert in
physiology, so I'll give you my layman's view. If anyone
out there knows more, please feel free to contribute!
Obviously, athletes train to get fitter and
faster! Training works (i.e. makes you fitter/faster) because your body
has the ability to adapt to the stress you put on it. As you adapt to the
load, you build more speed and/or endurance, depending on the type of training
you are focusing on.
If you do too much too quickly, or don't allow
adequate recovery time between workouts, your body will not be able to
adapt and that leads to overtraining. The symptoms of overtraining include
injuries, illness, and excessive fatigue. It is recommended that you
increase your training by no more that 10% (time, distance) per week. On
the other hand, if you don't train regularly, your body loses any
adaptations previously gained, and you're back to square one!
Research shows that greater gains are made if there
is a variation in the training pattern. This is called a training
cycle. You should build up to a high distance/intensity over a period of
weeks and then taper off (again over a period of weeks) to a rest week.
The cycle should last around 6 to 10 weeks. Your body will adapt better
due to the variety in the training. If you plan to compete, you will
"peak" at the end of the taper.
Over the next two weeks, we will continue to build in distance and/or
speed. Then we'll slowly start decreasing intensity and effort to prepare
for our time trials the week of June 18th (the last week in the Spring
session). If this cycle doesn't match your schedule (for triathlons,
etc.), just let me know and we'll modify it for you.
See you all at the pool!
Lynn
