Training/Taper/Meet Prep

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Swimosaur — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 12:28:46 GMT

You didn't note we all eat sausage too.We have to eat this since we can't get blubber anymore. True 'dat. As we get around to filling in the details, we can flesh out this Cascadian Diet in no time ...

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Allen Stark — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 12:16:58 GMT

Most hotels with a hot food breakfast buffet up here have hash browns.Hey, I paid for it as part of the room cost so I'll enjoy them.If I don't get some fat in my breakfast I'll be hungry again too soon.You didn't note we all eat sausage too.We have to eat this since we can't get blubber anymore.

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

aztimm — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 08:18:42 GMT

OMG, where's the :barf: emo? Meet breakfast is soft stuff like eggs, yogurt, and fruit. Also coffee. No grease! Jeepers! Hammer Gel & HEED during the day! It is certainly an individual thing. Those that I bolded above make me want to vomit ;) Anything that looks like it should come out of you, rather than be put in you just doesn't work for me. So long as there's time, I always eat a PB&J the morning before a swim meet, or any other athletic activity. I drink tons of water, nearly from the moment I wake up and all day. If I'm doing a distance event (such as the 800/1500m), I'll bring a protein bar and/or Gatorade to help recover after, before other events (again, depending on time). I've swum normal workouts the day prior, skipped, and nearly anything in between. I saw little to no difference in my actual results based on that. The same is true based on meet warm-up... I showed up for a meet once after running 14 miles that morning and eating a huge breakfast with absolutely no warm-up at all (I arrived about 2 min before my first heat) and had PB's in the events I swam...as well as others when I was there for meet warm-up and was way off.

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

__steve__ — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:16:56 GMT

During meet weekends I sometimes eat excessive saturated fat out of convenience. But I wouldn't touch the stuff anytime if my cholesterol-triglyceride ratio was over 4, but it's 2.0 so I can handle occasional bad food.

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

knelson — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 01:55:53 GMT

We have to eat this since we can't get blubber anymore. Good one Allen. :D

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

jaadams1 — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:55:41 GMT

OMG, where's the :barf: emo? Meet breakfast is soft stuff like eggs, yogurt, and fruit. Also coffee. No grease! Jeepers! Hammer Gel & HEED during the day! I don't eat it right before a meet. Most of my meets have a 3 hour+ travel time to get there, so I usually get it on the way out of town, and have plenty of time to get it down okay before even thinking about racing. It is good though for the protein, fat, calories, etc. All stuff you need for a meet performance. I'm sure you've all been halfway through a meet and wished you'd ate a few more calories to keep you going. And post meet celebration meals are a whole different story. :D A friend of mine once told me that after exerting as much energy as we do on a competition day, we deserve to eat whatever the :censor: we want too! We earned it, and burned off enough calories that need replacing anyway. :turkey: :chug:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

rxleakem — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:41:09 GMT

OMG, where's the :barf: emo? Meet breakfast is soft stuff like eggs, yogurt, and fruit. Also coffee. No grease! Jeepers! Hammer Gel & HEED during the day! One of these might work :dunno:: :worms: :drool: :eeew: :violin: :bliss:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Elaine Krugman — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:30:11 GMT

One of these might work :dunno:: :worms: :drool: :eeew: :violin: :bliss: Good job on the Smilies, rx! :applaud:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Swimosaur — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:20:22 GMT

I prefer 3 sausage burritos and 2 hashbrowns from McD's as my typical pre-meet meal ... :) OMG, where's the :barf: emo? Meet breakfast is soft stuff like eggs, yogurt, and fruit. Also coffee. No grease! Jeepers! Hammer Gel & HEED during the day!

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

rxleakem — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:29:10 GMT

:lolup: :rofl:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Swimosaur — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:22:38 GMT

Nutrition advice from Mulino,OR: ... 2 or more hours before the meet it's whatever and lots of it;pancakes,sausage,hash browns etc. Nutrition advice from Seattle, WA: ... It's all fair game before a meet. I've got no problems downing bacon, sausage and hash browns. Nutrition advice from Wenatchee, WA: ... I prefer 3 sausage burritos and 2 hashbrowns from McD's as my typical pre-meet meal. I am going to start calling this the Cascadian Diet. Must contain greasy deep fried potatoes, paired with your choice of greasy meat or meats. Blech! How can you swim after eating this stuff? Note to Original Poster: While there are obviously a variety of opinions on optimal Training/Taper/Meet Prep, the consensus seems to favor hash browns. Your mileage may vary ...

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

rxleakem — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:45:26 GMT

:D :hijack: Hey, rx, good luck with Sandy; she's roaring your way. I wish the best of luck to you and all of our Northeasterner Forumites! Thanks, Elaine! Irene really laid a beat down last year, so everyone up and down the coast (including little old Vermont) is paying attention to Miss "Frakenstorm." :bighug:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Elaine Krugman — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 04:50:27 GMT

Thanks! :groovy: :D :hijack: Hey, rx, good luck with Sandy; she's roaring your way. I wish the best of luck to you and all of our Northeasterner Forumites!

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

rxleakem — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 04:02:32 GMT

Good job on the Smilies, rx! :applaud: Thanks! :groovy:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Allen Stark — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 03:47:18 GMT

HEED and Lara Bars during the meet.2 or more hours before the meet it's whatever and lots of it;pancakes,sausage,hash browns etc.

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

knelson — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:41:49 GMT

It is good though for the protein, fat, calories, etc. All stuff you need for a meet performance. I'm with you James. It's all fair game before a meet. I've got no problems downing bacon, sausage and hash browns. Probably not an hour before I swim, but a couple hours no problem. HEED and Hammer Gel? Nuts to that. I like to eat food that is recognizable as food.

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

jaadams1 — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:13:47 GMT

, you are free to eat whatever your iron stomach craves! :bow: I pretty sure that if I ever went back to a strict "normal food" diet, I'd probably get sick. It takes training to build up to an iron stomach that I apparently possess. :bliss:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Swimosaur — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:09:37 GMT

Most of my meets have a 3 hour+ travel time to get there, so I usually get it on the way ... Youth is wasted on the young! I have tried driving 3+ hours on the morning of a meet, and I swim like the stiff I am surely soon to be. :cane: Now I fork over the extra bucks for a night in a cheap hotel. The Hell's Angels parties after midnight aren't really all that loud ... If you can swim an SCM 800 IM in under 11:00, you are free to eat whatever your iron stomach craves! :bow:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Former Member — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:26:12 GMT

I still love to have pancakes for breakfast before a meet. I'll make them if I've got time. If it's a meet I've got to get up early and drive to I'll usually just have a bowl of cereal, but it just isn't the same! The pancakes thing was something my rec league coach always told us to do before our Saturday meets, and if Mr. Mac said to do it, my five-year-old self demanded it. It was even better for Tuesday night meets where he said we should go to the movies in the afternoon to enjoy the air conditioning. I wasn't always as successful at getting to do this. I'm thinking that since my next meet won't require being up super early I will bring back the pancakes tradition. Another swim tradition this post reminded me of, again started when I was five - we always listened to the Beach Boys in the car on the way to the meet. This continued until I went away to college, even when I started driving myself, but when my dad came to visit me in college he actually brought a Beach Boys tape with him. (My dad and I are the tradition/superstition/neurotic habits people in the family. :))

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

knelson — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:38:08 GMT

I've always had a certain breakfast I eat, though what it is has morphed over time. (Rec league through club team: pancakes. I still love to have pancakes for breakfast before a meet. I'll make them if I've got time. If it's a meet I've got to get up early and drive to I'll usually just have a bowl of cereal, but it just isn't the same!

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

ande — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:03:43 GMT

You have a meet on Saturday (like tomorrow?) you're swimming two 50s (*** and free) last week you trained: Thursday, 3/4 mile swim Friday, rest Saturday, worked with trainer (dry training/weights, etc.) Sunday-Monday-Tuesday (1200 yds, 1200 yds, 880 yards) Wednesday-rest Thursday (today)-1000 yards you asked: Should I work out at all on Friday. If so...how hard? As in today? depends on what your goals are and if you have anymore meets this season. I say yes get in but take it easy, do around 500 to 700 with perfect technique then a couple sprints, with an easy 75 swim down between (in your workout examples, are you saying you did Sun 1200, Mon 1200, & Tue 880? If that's the case you don't have much to taper from What is the best prep for the day of the meet (in terms of rest, supplements, eating, etc.). The meet is not until 4 pm. relax, don't worry about it, if you feel nervous right before your race that's good ask a friend to video you don't each much before you race warm up well take what you learn from your races then ask yourself "What do I need to do to swim faster?" Then get to work in the following days weeks and months preparing for your next meets. I've written a lot about meets in SFF and Ask Ande

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

rxleakem — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:59:31 GMT

I would add that drastically changing your routine can cause other negative issues on performance. Case in point with food stuff - you could gobble down James' breakfast plan only to find out that there is only one toilet at the pool :afraid: Most important for me is to relax and know that with each race I learn something more about what I can improve for the next race. I have swum through some meets, others I'll do a quick drop taper the week before, and for the target meets I will build in a longer taper period. Rest a bit and have fun! :cheerleader:

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

jaadams1 — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 07:30:29 GMT

I still love to have pancakes for breakfast before a meet. I'll make them if I've got time. If it's a meet I've got to get up early and drive to I'll usually just have a bowl of cereal, but it just isn't the same! McDonalds has hotcakes and sausage, which are actually pretty good. I prefer 3 sausage burritos and 2 hashbrowns from McD's as my typical pre-meet meal. Without it, I swim like garbage. :)

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Former Member — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:19:02 GMT

I am 54 years old, and have recently gotten back into competitive swimming. I have not yet worked up to monster workouts (like folks doing 4000 yards) and not sure I would even want to. My shoulders can't take swimming every day. I have a meet on Saturday. I am only swimming two 50s (*** and free). My training for the last week or so was as follows: Thursday, 3/4 mile swim Friday, rest Saturday, worked with trainer (dry training/weights, etc.) Sunday-Monday-Tuesday (1200 yds, 1200 yds, 880 yards) Wednesday-rest Thursday (today)-1000 yards Should I work out at all on Friday. If so...how hard? What is the best prep for the day of the meet (in terms of rest, supplements, eating, etc.). The meet is not until 4 pm. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. I am far from an expert on this, as I have just returned to the world of competitive swimming, but I like to get in a swim the day before a meet. My usual workouts are either 3500 or 4000 yards (sometimes in between that but I like multiples of 500 :)) and on the day before both meets in recent memory I've swum about 1500 or 2000 yard with the goal of getting loose and spending some time working on technique. I agree with That Guy about meet preparation being a very individual thing. For what it's worth, I try to get to bed a little early and I've always had a certain breakfast I eat, though what it is has morphed over time. (Rec league through club team: pancakes. High school/college: bagel with cream cheese. Now: Starbucks veggie breakfast sandwich and a latte :anim_coffee: - which is sort of odd because I am not all that fond of lattes, nor particularly devoted to Starbucks.)

RE: Training/Taper/Meet Prep

Swimosaur — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:14:03 GMT

Should I work out at all on Friday. If so...how hard? Hi! I am like you: 54, and back into competitive swimming after an embarrassingly large number of decades away. My suggestions would be, Friday, get in the water to loosen up. Maybe 1000 or so. Nothing that gets your heart rate going, or that generates any lactic acid. The whole point is to feel good in the water. Find your streamline. Saturday, have fun! Masters swimming is a blast. It's great to get out there & meet people, swim your events, cheer for your new friends, and in particular, celebrate & marvel at the accomplishments of our older athletes. You will see some really inspiring stuff if you keep your eyes open. Pay attention! It's a process! Learning how to train for meets, how to train hard, how to taper, and what to eat on the day of the meet ... it all takes time. You will make mistakes. But it's fun! Enjoy the process!