24hr. countdown before 1st Masters meet-???

My first Masters meet is coming up on March 27&28 and I don't have a clue about: 1. Should I swim the day before or just rest? 2. What (and when) should I eat before my first race? 3. What (and when) should I swim to warm-up before my first race (200 breaststroke)? 4. What about cooldown then warming up again before my next race (medley relay)? 5. Any other recommendations, besides stretching and HAVING FUN? 1. Don't swim. 2. Eat the same way you do every other day. 3. Warm up the sme way you do before your main set. Do a few practice dives and breakouts. Be done 20-30 minutes before your event. 4. Cooldown after each event. Warm up again 20 min before your next event. 5. Don't do any stretching you don't normally do.

Thanks for answering all of my questions. I appreciate the advice! :applaud:

rest - eat light the day of - warm up at the early time & b4 each event - bring a drink you like - bring a chair - -have fun.

My first Masters meet is coming up on March 27&28 and I don't have a clue about: 1. Should I swim the day before or just rest? 2. What (and when) should I eat before my first race? 3. What (and when) should I swim to warm-up before my first race (200 breaststroke)? 4. What about cooldown then warming up again before my next race (medley relay)? 5. Any other recommendations, besides stretching and HAVING FUN? :D THANKS! I usually swim the day before. Since this is your first meet, I would take it easy and stretch out a bit. Concentrate on your turns and relax in the water that day. For a morning meet, I eat a banana and something with protein in it - like peanut butter crackers. I like to have bananas during the meet as well. Bagels are good, too. Warm up during the pre-meet warm up so you can get used to the pool. Concentrate on the walls for turns and do some starts as well. They will start about half way through warm-ups. Remember, enter warm ups feet first until the sprint lane opens up for dives. Then, get in about 10 min before your event and just do a 50 or 100 of free just to warm up a tad. After the race, a cool down is a good idea. Just to get any lactic acid out of your body. The distance depends on how you feel. Swim until you aren't breathing heavy. And most importantly - have fun!! Let us know how it goes, too.

Hey there! Thanks for the great advice! :applaud: I'll look for you in your events at Nationals!

I like to swim the day before the meet - light - like others have said. Warm up, pace set, cool down. I recommend warming down after all races. When I don't I get legcramps that night and don't sleep well. Make sure you do some starts - the blocks at Dynamo are shaky and small, so if you can try out the block in the lane(s) you are racing in, even better to prepare for what's coming. Carbs the day before are good - it's the only time I ever convince my husband to go out for Italian! Day of meet food depends on you - some people eat very little, others need a filling breakfast. You can also think about it in terms of how long a day it will be. Check out the psych sheet a few days before the meet - if it's going to be an all day event, make sure you pack more snacks. I like bananas, graham crackers, and possibly half a bagel if I have a long time between races. They do have a concession stand at the Dynamo pool as well. They have plenty of bleacher seats at Dynamo so you will have space to sit down, but bringing a folding chair can be extra nice. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice, too! Regarding bringing deck chairs to Dynamo, I read that the fire marshall isn't allowing deck chairs, so I guess we're stuck with the bleachers. Oh well...

My first Masters meet is coming up on March 27&28 and I don't have a clue about: 1. Should I swim the day before or just rest? 2. What (and when) should I eat before my first race? 3. What (and when) should I swim to warm-up before my first race (200 breaststroke)? 4. What about cooldown then warming up again before my next race (medley relay)? 5. Any other recommendations, besides stretching and HAVING FUN? :D 1. I like to take the day off, but if I have the heebie-jeebies I go to the pool and do some easy yards 2. I like to start the day with peanut butter and banana on an english muffin. Not too heavy, not too light. Then I bring a couple of PB&J sandwiches which I nibble on after every event. And some oranges. I also bring a thermos and have a cup of coffee about 20 minutes before my events. 3. I like to do about 500 yards of mixed strokes and drills finished with some 25's build during the big warm-up then do a little touch'up about 15 minutes before each event. 4. I always hop into the warm=up lanes for an easy 100 after each event 5. I bring my own water since water in bubblers often just tastes weird to me. Keep one towel totally dry and unused all day so that when you go to take your end-of-the-day shower you'll have a nice fluffy dry towel!

Thanks Nancy and Gigi! Great advice from both of you and everybody else on this thread! I sure do appreciate it all and have taken notes.:D It's looking like bananas and peanut butter are the food of choice for swimmers; both great choices. I always ate bananas before my high school swim team workouts, because they are so high in potassium. I have started that habit, again, so I will take some to the meet with me.

Eliane, I can't wait to hear how this meet goes and meet you at Nats. Good luck. One thing that I've learned to do through my team after a practice and a meet is to eat or drink protein. I get a liquid called Pure Protein at Target. It's yummy and has a good mix of carbs and protein that were recommended. I highly recommend it for you after this meet to combat next day soreness.