Struggling with 2nd day of meets and several days after

Do more work outs that are similar to meets and you'll get used to it. Does anyone else have this problem, and if so, how do you manage it? Or is this just what I should expect from being 48 years old? Any feedback is welcome. During two day meets, I am finding that I swim really well the first day (usually two events, no relays), and then end up tanking the two second day events. I mean I am stiff, sore, tired, plain old worn out. This past week on the first day, I dropped 5 seconds ion the 200 BR from a month ago for an MPB and then .5 seconds in the 50 BR for close to an MPB. I was pleased and figured I would at LEAST drop a second in the 100 BR and 100 IM the second day – maybe as much as 2 seconds. Not even close…The 100 BR was the same as a month ago and the IM was actually 1.5 seconds slower. I mean I was out at the pace I wanted in both races, but when I went to the well, it was empty. So here I am 3 days after the meet, and I am still struggling. I took Monday off, Tuesday was a recovery day, and well, today was an even slower recovery day out of necessity – there was absolutely nothing there… I’ve been working a fairly structured program that includes swimming, strength training, and flexibility – 5 to 6 days a week, 4, 000 to 5,000 yards a day plus weights. It’s periodized as follows: 8 week endurance phase with progressive strength Currently in the last 2 weeks of a 6-week quality phase with power strength Up next is a 3-week race specific phase with 1or 2 weeks of strength maintenance Two week taper My warm up is usually between 1600 and 2000 yards and concludes with 3 or 4 x 50 at race pace on a long interval and then 4 x 25 sprints from a dive. Any ideas? Thanks, Glider

Do more work outs that are similar to meets and you'll get used to it. Or you may just need to do more meets without a significant break between each of them. You don't say how often you're competing but, for me, I need to compete every other week, or every three weeks max, to maintain a "meet maintenance level" type of conditioning. Even so, as we get older, I find that it will take two to four days to fully recover when I compete in four or five individual events on a single day.

Ande and Jim (and other elite swimmers our there): Last Saturday I rode the motorcycle 100 miles to a lake where I swam a 1,000 meters o.w., at an easy rate, something around 19 min. Then I got back on the bike and rode another 140 miles to another city where I swam a 100 I.M. and a 50 free (meters). I went about 5 seconds slower in the i.m. and about 3 seconds slower in the 50 free. Would that easy 1,000 around 10 o'clock be responsible for my poor swimming about three hours later? Or would it be I am plain out of shape or would it be too much adrenalin waisted as I went from one city to the other at about 100-120 mph to make both meets? I am kidding about the motorcycle although the speeds and distances are correct. I can't believe that the 1,000 meters would have such a lasting influence...I am more inclined to my being out of shape...by the way, my birth year is 1951. flying billy fanstone Was that a Harley or a "rice rocket"? Your position on the bike (laid back versus bent over like crazy) for like 2+ hours after the 1000m OW may have negatively contributed to your performance. Or you just couldn't switch gears between easy rate and sprint. Btw, my birth year is 1950. Ande?

Ande and Jim (and other elite swimmers our there): Last Saturday I rode the motorcycle 100 miles to a lake where I swam a 1,000 meters o.w., at an easy rate, something around 19 min. Then I got back on the bike and rode another 140 miles to another city where I swam a 100 I.M. and a 50 free (meters). I went about 5 seconds slower in the i.m. and about 3 seconds slower in the 50 free. Would that easy 1,000 around 10 o'clock be responsible for my poor swimming about three hours later? Or would it be I am plain out of shape or would it be too much adrenalin waisted as I went from one city to the other at about 100-120 mph to make both meets? I am kidding about the motorcycle although the speeds and distances are correct. I can't believe that the 1,000 meters would have such a lasting influence...I am more inclined to my being out of shape...by the way, my birth year is 1951. flying billy fanstone

Ande: That makes sense, and will happen kind of by default in the upcoming weeks. Jim: I usually do 3 or 4 meets a season (SCY,) so far, 1 in early Feb, 1 in mid Feb, 1 in mid March, and last one end of April. So what I hear is more meets and/or more practices swum like meets...

The days after a meet I feel real bad. It takes me days to recover. I think multi day meets are especially difficult for older athletes. I know there is even great concern for elite runners and swimmers who need to go many qualifying rounds in multiple events. Sometimes the WR's and PB's come out of these qualifying rounds and not the finals. Racing takes its toll on the central nervous system. Warm down is important, probably a massage would help. I've heard alot of people talk about focus events. Sometimes you need to pick one and taylor the meet and other events around it.

Try warming down after each event by swimming a hundred or so easy with lightly closed fists. It works with all strokes (by taking the load off the shoulders). Y'll be glad you did. It works with all strokes.

I think you would benifit from extra warm down after your last race the first day...You should also drink plenty of fluids to help your body eliminate the lactic acid build up from racing. Ande's comments around meet type workouts is a great advice!

Thanks. Yeah, I've got those items covered. I usually go between 400 and 800 easy after each event. That plus lots of Accelerade post-race... Try warming down after each event by swimming a hundred or so easy with lightly closed fists. It works with all strokes (by taking the load off the shoulders). Y'll be glad you did. It works with all strokes. I think you would benifit from extra warm down after your last race the first day...You should also drink plenty of fluids to help your body eliminate the lactic acid build up from racing. Ande's comments around meet type workouts is a great advice!

Thanks rtodd. I has a massage yesterday. No help today, though. So, I'll try again tomorrow... Looks like my focus event is whichever race comes first in a meet.:cane: The days after a meet I feel real bad. It takes me days to recover. I think multi day meets are especially difficult for older athletes. I know there is even great concern for elite runners and swimmers who need to go many qualifying rounds in multiple events. Sometimes the WR's and PB's come out of these qualifying rounds and not the finals. Racing takes its toll on the central nervous system. Warm down is important, probably a massage would help. I've heard alot of people talk about focus events. Sometimes you need to pick one and taylor the meet and other events around it.