Since I don't have time to train for the 500fr/400 im this year, unless the recession hits me in which case doubles with dryland workouts here I come, I have started training at our team's sprint practice on Thursday nights.
I find that after the sprint workout, my head hurts and I can't go to sleep for hours after the practice which doesn't happen after mid distance/im/distance practices. How long should it take for my body to adjust to sprint training and the high speed/high rest training?
I assume some of the "50 lovers" will have experienced this effect from fast training. Thanks for any tips, my wife thinks I am nuts to seek the pain but I told her it is just part of the process of getting faster.
Also, how long did it take most people to get good at SDKs? Right now, I feel like I am screwing around under the water and not moving fast while I am doing the kick, and I am a good kicker with very flexible ankles.
PJE
I have heard this. It was called exertion headache, or over exertion induced headache. It happens to me after a tri race or long open water. I find that proper nutrition during and right after made it not occur.
I'm sure if you google exertion headache that there is plenty of info.
I experience dizziness, etc., when doing a workout with more sprints than I'm used to. During those days I keep a bottle of Gatorade at the end of the lane. I take *small sips throughout the set and that seems to help a lot. I know Gatorade isn't the best drink due to sugar content, but I have gobbs of it at home for the kids so I have it on-hand.
I get these at meets. A friend thought it might have to do with not eating enough during the day (usually eat breakfast then live off Gu or powerbars till late in the day when the meet finishes). Anyhow, I did google "exertional headache" as recommended by Cmonster, and this from the National Headache Foundation sums it up nicely. Does anyone know if indomethacin is available OTC?
Exertional Headaches
Exertional headaches are a group of headache syndromes, which are associated with some physical activity. These headaches typically become severe very quickly after a strenuous activity such as weight lifting or sexual intercourse. Exertional headaches can, in some instances, be a sign of abnormalities in the brain or other diseases. Activities that can precipitate these headaches include running, coughing, sneezing, sexual intercourse, and straining with bowel movements. Anyone who develops a severe headache following these types of exertion should certainly be checked to rule out any underlying organic cause. Tests may include a MRI of the brain and MRA of the blood vessels in the brain.
Most exertional headaches are benign. Although these may occur in isolation, they are most commonly associated with patients who have inherited susceptibility to migraine.
Benign exertional headaches respond to usual headache therapy. Some are particularly responsive to indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory agent taken before the exertional activity or to others such as Rofecoxib and even aspirin.
www.headaches.org/.../Exertional_Headaches
SDK: I'm 47, and had never SDK'd until I started swimming again a year ago. It has taken me most of that year to get to an SDK that is not slower than just gliding off the wall.
Keep at it. Work it for a few minutes after each practice. Learning and progression is one of the big reasons I keep swimming, and SDK will keep you busy for awhile - some longer than others, to be sure. Personally, I find that judicious use of Zoomer fins help me get the feel of the underwater dolphin. Strangely, SDKing on my back works WAY better than on my front. Who knows why. Dolphin kicks with a kickboard help with foot, knee, and leg positioning, but at the expense of the full body dolphin.
Work it, experiment, and enjoy the growth process. Good luck!
My headaches must be worse that I thought. All of a sudden, I am reading about submerged dolphin kicks, and I don't know how I got here.
Where am I?
On SouthPark, one of the fathers got a dolphinoplasty. Maybe that's the answer. If we have artificial blowholes implanted in the backs of our heads, perhaps this will prevent exertional headaches.
Two thoughts on the headaches:
1. Are you warming down enough after these sprint workouts? If not, headaches and/or body aches can become severe.
2. Are you tensing too much while sprinting? You may be straining too much in an effort to go fast which can cause muscle tension in the neck which can cause a nasty headache.
On SDK... Ande has posted frequently on this topic. It would be good to review his posts on the matter. SDK is tough to learn to do well and equally difficult to teach. I often recommend adding some longer dolphin kick sets to workouts so that the body can "learn" the most effective way to propel itself. By longer, I mean kicks longer than 400 at a time, say 3x400s. I think doing these in tight streamline on back are most effective. I think these longer kicks give the mind and body an opportunity to work out the "puzzle" of the SDK.
I'm the same as you. When we do hard, sprint sets, I can easily get headaches. I have to consciously relax my head while trying to still work hard to make the interval to stave off the headaches. I'm not a sprinter, either and much prefer distance. Just try to relax your head and see if that helps.
