Tapers

Greetings- I saw Brian Stack at the pool the other day and he told me that Cokie mentioned me and Restwise. Many things going on that require explanation: 1) I am now swimming laps for pleasure. I quit WCM after 19 years and so far do not intend to return. 2) I ordered Restwise and received it in the mail along with my pulse oximeter. I decided that I am not interested enough in competitive training anymore to actually follow the plan. You need to wear a HR monitor to bed so you can wake up and know your HR; you need to know your pulse and SpO2 right when you wake up; look at the color of your pee, yadda yadda. I decided that after being pregnant 4 times and having swum for 30 years I already know my body. I bet most lifelong swimmers can tell their pulse and HR just as well as they know their repeat times before even touching the wall. I am not criticizing RW at all. I just don't think it is the thing for me, esp now since I've stopped "swimming". 3) I could never figure out tapers either. I have learned 2 important "nuggets" though. Men require more rest than women, generally, because they have more muscle mass; and two, swimming/tapering is 100% mental. I have run the gamut as far as 'not trained enough' to 'completely overtrained' (313,000 yds in March) before Nationals. One thing was consistent though, and that was my attitude. (Over the past few years my attitude has sucked and that's why I've swum poorly. *please note that few people knew of my sucky attitude, as I very much kept it to myself- I have never been known as a "downer teammate"- I have always supported everyone on my team, and others = ] 4)If you do not know 100% that you will perform, then no matter what training/tapering you've done, you will not perform. It's that simple. Any negative self talk will decimate your efforts. You have to be so positively self-focused at meets, and not worry about anything else. I can recall at meets actually sitting behind the blocks and yawning before a race. I got life best times. I was so confident and mentally prepared that to actually swim the race was a mere formality. In the past I have visualized a goal time (100 Br) on the Colorado board and did that exact time TWICE in 2 months. The mind is powerful. 4) Some swimmers lie (related to above). I hear a lot at meets, usually in the female locker room, "Oh, I haven't been training much." These people will then proceed to do well and/or break records. Yea, right, not training much. I think that often-times these people are just playing mind games. Or if they say they haven't been training and then do well people will think, "Wow, they are really talented." Lame. So, that's why I have never been caught up in what other people are doing. I have to know that I can perform. I only get one lane to swim in, I can't be physically in my lane and mentally in someone else's. That's ridiculous. For now I have lost the passion to train and race, however I still love the water. I am cross-training and swimming a few thousand a few times/week. (I've been using the workouts from Eric and Leslie on-line. LOVE THESE WORKOUTS! I adapt as needed for time restrictions.) I have zero meet goals and I swim when I want to. I am not stressed about getting to workout, not stressed in the water, and I am so happy when I get out of the water. I have really had to challenge myself, when a tough set comes up because I could very easily loaf it or get out (since I'm alone). What I've found though is that I feel even more accomplished when I finish a hard workout because it was all me that did it. I do miss swimming "with" my teammates but I see them regularly in passing. I still go over and talk to Kerry and Mike occasionally, on deck, because I really miss them. Ultimately though, swimming with WCM was causing unneeded stress. I always thought my swimming should relieve stress, not give me more. I am finding peace with my decision more and more each day. That's a good thing for me and ultimately my family. I haven't been on the forums much, but I am on FB if anyone wants to keep in touch.

Greetings- I saw Brian Stack at the pool the other day and he told me that Cokie mentioned me and Restwise. Many things going on that require explanation: 1) I am now swimming laps for pleasure. I quit WCM after 19 years and so far do not intend to return. 2) I ordered Restwise and received it in the mail along with my pulse oximeter. I decided that I am not interested enough in competitive training anymore to actually follow the plan. You need to wear a HR monitor to bed so you can wake up and know your HR; you need to know your pulse and SpO2 right when you wake up; look at the color of your pee, yadda yadda. I decided that after being pregnant 4 times and having swum for 30 years I already know my body. I bet most lifelong swimmers can tell their pulse and HR just as well as they know their repeat times before even touching the wall. I am not criticizing RW at all. I just don't think it is the thing for me, esp now since I've stopped "swimming". 3) I could never figure out tapers either. I have learned 2 important "nuggets" though. Men require more rest than women, generally, because they have more muscle mass; and two, swimming/tapering is 100% mental. I have run the gamut as far as 'not trained enough' to 'completely overtrained' (313,000 yds in March) before Nationals. One thing was consistent though, and that was my attitude. (Over the past few years my attitude has sucked and that's why I've swum poorly. *please note that few people knew of my sucky attitude, as I very much kept it to myself- I have never been known as a "downer teammate"- I have always supported everyone on my team, and others = ] 4)If you do not know 100% that you will perform, then no matter what training/tapering you've done, you will not perform. It's that simple. Any negative self talk will decimate your efforts. You have to be so positively self-focused at meets, and not worry about anything else. I can recall at meets actually sitting behind the blocks and yawning before a race. I got life best times. I was so confident and mentally prepared that to actually swim the race was a mere formality. In the past I have visualized a goal time (100 Br) on the Colorado board and did that exact time TWICE in 2 months. The mind is powerful. 4) Some swimmers lie (related to above). I hear a lot at meets, usually in the female locker room, "Oh, I haven't been training much." These people will then proceed to do well and/or break records. Yea, right, not training much. I think that often-times these people are just playing mind games. Or if they say they haven't been training and then do well people will think, "Wow, they are really talented." Lame. So, that's why I have never been caught up in what other people are doing. I have to know that I can perform. I only get one lane to swim in, I can't be physically in my lane and mentally in someone else's. That's ridiculous. For now I have lost the passion to train and race, however I still love the water. I am cross-training and swimming a few thousand a few times/week. (I've been using the workouts from Eric and Leslie on-line. LOVE THESE WORKOUTS! I adapt as needed for time restrictions.) I have zero meet goals and I swim when I want to. I am not stressed about getting to workout, not stressed in the water, and I am so happy when I get out of the water. I have really had to challenge myself, when a tough set comes up because I could very easily loaf it or get out (since I'm alone). What I've found though is that I feel even more accomplished when I finish a hard workout because it was all me that did it. I do miss swimming "with" my teammates but I see them regularly in passing. I still go over and talk to Kerry and Mike occasionally, on deck, because I really miss them. Ultimately though, swimming with WCM was causing unneeded stress. I always thought my swimming should relieve stress, not give me more. I am finding peace with my decision more and more each day. That's a good thing for me and ultimately my family. I haven't been on the forums much, but I am on FB if anyone wants to keep in touch.