On February 20, I'm hoping to go to my first swim meet......ever! :eek: I swam on the team when I was younger, but I never competed. I'm incredibly nervous already and I have no idea what to expect because I have never been to a meet before. I swam with my friend who is a coach, and I have what seems like a lot of work to do on my strokes. How realistic is it that I be ready by February? Obviously I won't be at the top of the field, but I'm hoping to at least not make a fool out of myself. But what I really want to know is what to expect. How do I train, and how do I taper? When do I start tapering? Do I even need to taper? Any good pre-meet workout ideas? Any thing that anyone can suggest would be helpful!!! Thanx a bunch!!
~Kyra
I can sympathize Kyra, I too went to my first meet not so long ago with a lot of questions, and no team members to consult. So far, everyone here has done an excellent job with your questions!
I for one would not do too well swimming back-to-back events. But it could be because my practice loads are often low and as a result, my endurance is low as well.
I guess the question is: how important is it to you to go a top time, a personal best? If you're attending the meet just for the sake of fun, that's one thing, but if you're out to not just have fun but to truly challenge personal goals, that's another. If you are out for a top time, I would recommend trying events that are spaced further apart, even if it means dropping an event you'd like to swim. You can always try that event later in the season (depending on the number of meets you can attend) and maybe even try out an event you don't consider to be your best.
One more personal observation, as a backstoker. I've always been bad at the backstroke start grabbing the blocks, even at the more elite level, so I've always done them by grabbing the wall (except in H.S. swimming, when they'd let you do a stand up start. Those were the BOMB. Anyway, moving on...). I couldn't ever catch a good grip with my feet, so my age-group coach and a I perfected a good wall start that I still use today. The upside is you can practice them anywhere, and an excellent start from the wall is usually better than a so-so start from the block. However, I would also recommend trying out the sprint lane at the meet for your starts no matter what you decide to do. Even a wall start can be shaky - at nationals last year I had a poor start on the 50 back because I hadn't practiced my start from that particular end of the pool, and I hadn't predicted the shakiness of the timing board. I've learned my lesson!
At any rate, be sure to relax enough to have fun, and remember - whatever times you turn in, they will be your new personal bests!
I can sympathize Kyra, I too went to my first meet not so long ago with a lot of questions, and no team members to consult. So far, everyone here has done an excellent job with your questions!
I for one would not do too well swimming back-to-back events. But it could be because my practice loads are often low and as a result, my endurance is low as well.
I guess the question is: how important is it to you to go a top time, a personal best? If you're attending the meet just for the sake of fun, that's one thing, but if you're out to not just have fun but to truly challenge personal goals, that's another. If you are out for a top time, I would recommend trying events that are spaced further apart, even if it means dropping an event you'd like to swim. You can always try that event later in the season (depending on the number of meets you can attend) and maybe even try out an event you don't consider to be your best.
One more personal observation, as a backstoker. I've always been bad at the backstroke start grabbing the blocks, even at the more elite level, so I've always done them by grabbing the wall (except in H.S. swimming, when they'd let you do a stand up start. Those were the BOMB. Anyway, moving on...). I couldn't ever catch a good grip with my feet, so my age-group coach and a I perfected a good wall start that I still use today. The upside is you can practice them anywhere, and an excellent start from the wall is usually better than a so-so start from the block. However, I would also recommend trying out the sprint lane at the meet for your starts no matter what you decide to do. Even a wall start can be shaky - at nationals last year I had a poor start on the 50 back because I hadn't practiced my start from that particular end of the pool, and I hadn't predicted the shakiness of the timing board. I've learned my lesson!
At any rate, be sure to relax enough to have fun, and remember - whatever times you turn in, they will be your new personal bests!
