After having what I considered to be a fairly decent meet last weekend, I am having a string of terrible workouts. I am used to having a bad day here and there, but this is ridiculous.
Has anyone else experienced this? I am still in my first year of competing so I am still learning what to expect and what is "normal" for me.
Thanks for the helpful comments.
Was it a multiple day meet or did you swim numerous events? I usually take Monday off (or use it as a recovery day) after a hard 2-3 day meet. How many days per week do you usually swim?
I will say, I had a rough entire week of practices after doing the 3k Postal in the fall. That was very unusual for me, but it was something I hadn't swum hard in years.
I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it extends into the next few weeks, you can post more information (types of practices and lengths, etc) and people will be happy to try and identify what the issue might be. Otherwise, I'd say you're probably just recovering from the meet.
It was a two day meet and I swam 8 events plus some relays. I usually swim 4-5 days a week. Hindsight, I probably should have taken Monday off, but I was eager to get back into a routine after doing a mini taper for the meet.
You can expect to have 2 or 3 days of uncomfortable workouts (or more) following a meet. I'd suggest warming down sufficiently after each event during the meet and drinking plenty of fluids. Still, you will feel it for a while. Take this as a good sign- that you had a good workout that weekend :)
I feel better knowing that other people experience this. I seem to do a good job warming up for my events, but not such a good job with warm down. I am still learning.
Marianne,
I practiced Monday and Tues normally and was a bit tired and worn down too (moreso on Tues) after the weekends meet. Its pretty normal. Nothing wrong with taking a day off in the middle of the week to recover. Generally I use Wednesday as a dryland day and may or may not get in the pool and float 2-3K.
Just remember, its not always how you feel or do in workouts, but the effort you put forth.
I'm glad to hear that it is normal. I guess I was thinking about total yardage of my events, I wasn't thinking about the effort that went into swimming them. I also have to realize that recovery at 46 is alot different
than it was when I was 14. I just tend to expect a lot from myself.
Just an average joe's impression, Maybe since you tapered yourself into meet peformance mode you have to slowly untaper yourself back into conditioning mode.
I have discovered that there's a very strong relationship between how much I warm down at the end of a meet (each day of the meet for multi-day meets) and how I feel in the water the next day.
This was most definitely not the case for me 20+ years ago.
Now I do at least 500 yards of easy swimming after my last event and judging by the way I felt after my most recent (one-day sprint only) meet, that's going to have to increase considerably.
Unfortunately, part of aging is taking longer to warm up before swimming and warming down after (be it meet or workout).
Funny, but I had the opposite experience on Sunday, after our meet. Evidently, the weekend storm caused a power outage at our pool and the heater went down over the weekend. :D On Monday, the temperature was 79- HEAVEN. So, my recovery swim quickly turned into a speed workout and I felt way better than I did after warming up in the kiddie pool and swimming that miserable 100 breaststroke, on Sunday!
Marianne, you have had such incredible improvements over the past year; it's amazing! You will be fine, in no time, I'm sure. Good luck! :cheerleader:
After having what I considered to be a fairly decent meet last weekend, I am having a string of terrible workouts. I am used to having a bad day here and there, but this is ridiculous.
Has anyone else experienced this? I am still in my first year of competing so I am still learning what to expect and what is "normal" for me.
I hear you girl. I am right with you and was at that same meet. I am thinking of quiting swimming:bitching:
:bighug:I hear you girl. I am right with you and was at that same meet. I am thinking of quiting swimming:bitching:
No, NO, NO! Don't do that, 'Cat! :bighug: If you aren't enjoying it right now, find a way to make it fun again! How about entering all different events at your next meet? Hey, think of it this way; you will have all personal best times! :D If you would rather not compete, how about taking time off from competition and just swim? You could even just go to a meet and volunteer to time, but not compete; just enjoying the social aspects of the meet, instead.
'Cat, think outside of the box (and, not the litter box) and think of ways to make it fun again. Buy some new pool toys, try some new drills, train some new events- whatever. But, I would hate to see you quit!
Hang in there!
:cheerleader:
P.S. I enjoyed meeting you at St. Pat's!
I hear you girl. I am right with you and was at that same meet. I am thinking of quiting swimming:bitching:
Surely you jest. NO ONE swims well after a meet - specially if you rest a bit for the meet - 2 & 3 day meets wear you out physically & mentally. Give yourself a break!
Oh, and I know it sounds silly, but check your biorhythms. . . if they were amazing during the weekend of the meet, it's a no brainer that they are going down right after.
Hey Marianne! I usually like to go to practice the day after a meet in order to do a long, slow swim and work out all the lactic acid. Monday am thunderstorms ruined that this week. So I did that on Tues and felt really good but today's workout which was harder than Tues but not all out felt like I was struggling to keep up a good pace (Wed t-storms ruined practice yet again). And I'm sure it's just that I'm coming off my taper, which was extra long this month because of two weekends of meets in a row. Generally if I hit it right, I feel pretty good for a day or two after a meet and then it takes a few weeks to start feeling like my pacing is back to where it should be. Don't sweat it. The next big meet around here's not til June!
Marianne, definitely normal! Especially with the events you swam and how well you swam them, I certainly wouldn't worry about a few "bad" practices the week afterwards. Actually, exceptionally good practices during the first part of the week could indicate a missed or poorly-timed taper. So actually, bad practices after a good meet are probably good. :)
Our coach usually does kind of a "reverse taper" with us after taper meets. So even if we feel a little sluggish the first couple practices after a meet, it doesn't matter as much. It's also a nice mental break to swim easy for a couple of days after a meet. That's as important as the physical.
Marianne, definitely normal! Especially with
the events you swam and how well you swam them, I certainly wouldn't worry about a few "bad" practices the week afterwards. Actually, exceptionally good practices during the first part of the week could indicate a missed or poorly-timed taper. So actually, bad practices after a good meet are probably good. :)
Our coach usually does kind of a "reverse taper" with us after taper meets. So even if we feel a little sluggish the first couple practices after a meet, it doesn't matter as much. It's also a nice mental break to swim easy for a couple of days after a meet. That's as important as the physical.
Kristin, thanks for that advice. It makes sense, it just didn't occur to me. I already feel better after seeing that others experience the same thing. It was just a first for me after a meet and I started to panic.
Funny, but I had the opposite experience on Sunday, after our meet. Evidently, the weekend storm caused a power outage at our pool and the heater went down over the weekend. :D On Monday, the temperature was 79- HEAVEN. So, my recovery swim quickly turned into a speed workout and I felt way better than I did after warming up in the kiddie pool and swimming that miserable 100 breaststroke, on Sunday!
Marianne, you have had such incredible improvements over the past year; it's amazing! You will be fine, in no time, I'm sure. Good luck! :cheerleader:
Elaine, you're right, I just need to swim through it. Thanks for your encouragement!!! I am glad that you got a break from the warm workouts.
I hear you girl. I am right with you and was at that same meet. I am thinking of quiting swimming:bitching:
Swimcat, please don't quit!! Take Elaine's advice. Take a small break if you have to or try something different for a while. If I have met you, I don't know you by Swimcat, so please introduce yourself to me at the next meet!!
Is this the 1st time?
What else is going on in your life?
Orca, thanks for that comment. It put things in perspective for me. Swimming is my reprieve from the daily stresses. I don't need to make it the source.
Thanks to everyone for their comments and experiences. I appreciate everyone's input. Even though I train alone, after posting this thread, I feel like I am definitely not alone!!
