week 24: Lake week

WEEK TWENTY FOUR 
(YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE COMES TRUE – THE LAKE)

IT’S TIME…REALITY IS LAPPING AT YOUR SHORE. THE LAKE TEMP IS ROAMING BETWEEN 48-54 DEGREES.  STILL COLD BUT OK FOR SHORTERACCLIMATIZING SWIMS.  ACCLIMATIZING = BECOMING ACCUSTOM TO A NEW CLIMATE OR ENVIORNMENT (ADAPTATION/ADJUSTMENT). IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE MEDICALLY CLEARED TO JUMP INTO COLD WATER.  IF YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF ASTHMA, CARDIO/VASCULAR PROBLEMS, AND/OR PANIC ATTACKS YOU WILL WANT TO BE CLEARED BY YOUR MD BEFORE ENTERING THE WATER.  WE ARE SURE YOUR VISION OF THAT FIRST LAKE SWIM IS NOT ONE OF YOU CLUTCHING YOUR HEART…WHEEZING FOR HELP.. WHILE IN A TOTAL FREAK OUT! SO FOR YOUR FIRST FEW COLD WATER SWIMS YOU MAY WANT TO SWIM ALONG THE SHORE UNTIL YOU FIND OUT HOW YOUR BODY/MIND REACTS TO COLD WATER TEMPS.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE FIRST LAKE SWIMS CAN BE VERY FRUSTRATING AND DISAPPOINTING. IT WILL GET BETTER!  YOU HAVE NOT DEVELOPED A LUNG TUMOR OR POLIO….YOUR BODY IS JUST WANTING TO GO INTO SURVIVAL MODE WHICH IS CALLED “GOING TO CORE” OR THE “FETAL POSITION”. THIS INSTINCT MAKES IT HARD TO SWIM LONG AND CALM WITH THAT NICE YOGA BREATHING.  YOU’LL HAVE TO JUST TRUST THAT AS YOU “ACCLIMATIZE” YOU WILL SHIFT FROM “CHAOS TO COMFORT” WITH MULTIPLE SHORTER EXPOSURE SWIMS IN COLD WATER.

ALL THIS SAID…MANY SWIMMERS WILL WANT TO “DIG DEEP AND BEAR WHATEVER” TO TRAIN IN THE LAKE.  IT CAN BE DONE BUT USUALLY NOT WITH THE FOCUS/QUALITY YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO BUILD FOR THE RACE SEASON.  WE SUGGEST FOR THE NEXT 2-3 WEEKS YOU DO A BLEND OF ACCLIMATIZING SWIMS AND POOL WORK.  USE WEEKS #22-#23 HOMEWORK AT THE POOL AND COMPLIMENT THESE SESSIONS WITH LAKE WORK.  THIS COMBO ALLOWS YOU TO CONTINUE “BUILDING” TO RACE SEASON IN AN ORDERLY/FOCUSED MANNER.

WE WILL DISCUSS ALL OF THIS IN YOUR LAKE CLASSES IN DETAIL. IN A FEW WEEKS WHEN LAKE SWIMMING BECOMES THE MAJORITY OF YOUR SWIM TRAINING FOCUS YOU WILL WANT BREAK YOUR SESSIONS IN TO 
3-TYPES OF WORKOUTS ON DIFFERENT DAYS. 

1. THE LONG/CALM DAY -   EVENTUALLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TOLERATE THE WATER TEMP.  THIS DAY YOU WILL DO YOUR RACE DISTANCE OR RACE DISTANCE REPEATS.  FOCUS FOR THE DAY IS CALM FOCUSED SWIMMING WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TECHNIQUE.  PRACTICE YOUR RESCUE DRILLS/PEEKING/VISUALIZE YOUR STRATEGY.
2. INTERVAL DAY – SWIM WITH A BLEND OF ZONE 1-3 WORK.  VARY THE DISTANCES/SPEEDS. FIND OUT WHERE YOU THRIVE AS A SWIMMER. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. 
3. SPEEDY/TRI SPECIFIC DRILL DAY – THIS DAY YOU WILL DO SHORTER ZONE 2-4 SPRINTS SETS. GREAT DAY TO PRACTICE “IN AND OUTS” FROM SHORE.  GROUP SWIMMING AROUND THE BUOYS. SHORT SPEED SETS OF  ZONE 2-4 WORK BETWEEN BUOYS. OVER BUILDING SETS (START/FINISH PRACTICE).

IF HAS BEEN OUR PLEASURE TO COACH YOU ALL THESE LAST 24 WEEKS. YOUR GROWTH HAS BEEN AWESOME!  
WE LOOK FORWARD TO A REALLY FUN SUMMER AND WILL BE DEVELOPING AN OHNO/TZ 2009 FALL-WINTER PROGRAM. REMEMBER YOGA STARTS TUESDAY JUNE 2 AND SATURDAY JUNE 6 AT 6:30 PM. (LOCATED AT THE TRANSITION ZONE) THERE IS NO FEE FOR THESE CLASSES AND EVERYONE/ALL ABILITIES ARE WELCOME!  

GOT QUESTIONS?  CALL OR E-MAIL DEREK GARCIA at dgarcia@ohnoh20.com or 208-262-6519.