Anyone have experience swimming in meets on consecutive weekends? I've never done this myself, but am contemplating doing meets April 24-25 (Zones, SCY) and May 3 (SCM). Was planning to rest a week or so for Zones and then just keep resting. My main worry is that I'm usually pretty zonked for a few days after a two day meet. Is this a bad idea? Any advice?
My main motivation to go to the second meet is that I'm not sure I'll get another SCM meet in this year. There are no local meets, and right now I have family conflicts with travel meets.
Leslie, one "red flag" I saw in your plan was to rest "a week or so" for the first event. 5-7 tapers are usually setting you up to be at your lowest energy point...the "magic" tends to happen with a shorter 3 day taper or a 10-14 day taper.
Back to back meets a week apart are not a problem for most swimmers who have stayed pretty consistent in their training. The key is to not come into workouts following the first meet with any kind of mindset that you need to "get back into shape". For me I would take the Monday off completely, on Tuesday I'd go about 2000 long and easy recovery, Wednesday & Thursday pre-meet warm-up with only a few build 50's and fast 25's.
Thanks Paul. That sounds like a good between meet plan. I know you are a staunch opponent of the 7 day taper. That's one reason I've been contemplating doing 10 days instead. I'm just undecided on the amount of rest ... as I did a 2 week taper the beginning of February and am not too worried about my Zones times. (Though I'd like to swim a decent 100 free -- I know, it's a shocker.) However, I have been training like crazy the last two months and lifting frequently. I'm a pretty consistent trainer, as evidenced by Hulk's poking fun at me for being an endorphin addict. I know better than to try to "get back in shape" between the meets. I'll be too flattened after Zones anyway to be tempted to ramp it up.
I did do a 5 day mini taper for a meet in mid March, and did pretty decent times though.
Leslie, one "red flag" I saw in your plan was to rest "a week or so" for the first event. 5-7 tapers are usually setting you up to be at your lowest energy point...the "magic" tends to happen with a shorter 3 day taper or a 10-14 day taper.
Back to back meets a week apart are not a problem for most swimmers who have stayed pretty consistent in their training. The key is to not come into workouts following the first meet with any kind of mindset that you need to "get back into shape". For me I would take the Monday off completely, on Tuesday I'd go about 2000 long and easy recovery, Wednesday & Thursday pre-meet warm-up with only a few build 50's and fast 25's.
Thanks Paul. That sounds like a good between meet plan. I know you are a staunch opponent of the 7 day taper. That's one reason I've been contemplating doing 10 days instead. I'm just undecided on the amount of rest ... as I did a 2 week taper the beginning of February and am not too worried about my Zones times. (Though I'd like to swim a decent 100 free -- I know, it's a shocker.) However, I have been training like crazy the last two months and lifting frequently. I'm a pretty consistent trainer, as evidenced by Hulk's poking fun at me for being an endorphin addict. I know better than to try to "get back in shape" between the meets. I'll be too flattened after Zones anyway to be tempted to ramp it up.
I did do a 5 day mini taper for a meet in mid March, and did pretty decent times though.
