Head Position – moirahoran

January 16, 2014

A Good Training Day

I’ve been receiving so much great information about swim practice and technique lately, it’s hard to keep up with it all. There was a post yesterday in the Total Immersion Coaches group that really appealed to me, a series of focal points for a tune up from Suzanne Atkinson. I decided I’d add them to my tune up practice for today, and then do a variation on a previous practice. I’ve said this before, and today was one of those days — be prepared to switch gears when it feels appropriate.

Here was Suzanne’s post as a tune up:

5 x 50 as:
#1 fingertip drag
#2 Drag to elbow lead
#3 Elbow lead to smooth entry
#4 Smooth entry to open axilla
#5 open axilla to shaping catch

Made me think about my 400 focal point tune up. Decided to bump mine to a 500 and do each one for 100. Felt great, and noticed lots of points in my stroke to work on improving.

Next set was a tempo trainer ladder for 50s at 1.6, 1.55, 1.5, 1.45, 1.4, 1.35, 1.3, 1.25, 1.2, 1.15

As I prepared for the next set I realized that what I wanted to do, and felt I needed to do was take those focal points from the beginning tune up and use them instead of focusing on tempo.

So next set was 6 x 300 and I chose to pick one focus for each. and I do have to say that I felt very “Shinji-like” in the fact that I could hold a focus for an entire 300. Today was not a fast practice but I felt it was a very productive practice.

On a different note, the air this morning was 60.

North County Aquatics pool on a chilly morning

Getting to the pool and getting in the water was tough! Once I got in I found the 83 degree water was beautiful, even though under “normal” circumstances that would be way to warm.

This may have been my last practice at the North County Aquatics facility. We are leaving Vero Beach on Friday morning, Thursday is supposed to be very cold and and pool isn’t open till afternoon on Friday. I’ll miss it and the pleasant staff and patrons. This car in the lot this morning did give me a laugh as I was leaving.

A 5 mile build run on a local dirt road finished off training for me for Wednesday. Finishing the run with a sub 9 minute mile felt good!

I’ve also become much better about planning meals in advance and cooking. I made two very simple yet tasty recipes for tonight, Apple Glazed Turkey and Roasted Brussels Sprouts (made with already cooked leftover turkey bacon). It’s been nice eating at home, and hopefully helping me get back to “race weight” again.

Thursday is pack up and get organized to move day for us so not sure what if any training I’ll get done, Friday and Saturday are “travel” days so I better get something done.

January 8, 2014January 11, 2014

Catching Up

Had one of those “ahah” moments a bit through my swim practice today. I’ve been focusing on tempo trainer and counting strokes, and trying not to be discouraged by the outcome. I feel like my times are slow, my stroke count is high. Times like this are when I really wish for a fellow Total Immersion coach on deck or in the pool with me to give me a couple of pointers.

I left the house without the new practice I wrote and decided to do the practice that I wrote for Monday. It was tough to get in the water to start — weather was cloudy, windy and only mid 60s. The lifeguards were wearing wool hats and gloves. The staff had told me the pool temperature was 78 — something I would normally love when swimming indoors or on a hot day.

I debated cutting it short, skipping it altogether, etc. but I do have a virtual swim team that I don’t want to let down. Went thru the tune up and the tempo trainer ladder and started to feel a bit of “discomfort” which I knew was coming from something not right with my stroke but couldn’t pinpoint it. Got through the 150s trying to decrease and increase stroke count by one per length but kept adding and subtracting 2 strokes. I’m usually able to do this pretty successfully. This was frustrating, but then I remembered I’m swimming in a 50 meter pool, something I hardly ever do! So, my changes in my stroke would have equated to adding or subtracting one in a 25 yard or meter pool. Yea, a small thing but it definitely made me feel a bit better. Started on the 300s and could really feel my shoulder starting to ache so I decided that rather than focus on stroke count I would just relax and swim with focal points. And that turned my whole swim around, so much so that my second 300 became a 500 because I just totally forgot to count. Two 300s of head position (one of which became a 500), two 300s of arms and a final 300 that I had planned to focus on kick but instead just focused on engaging my core. A 100 cool down brought me to a 3200 meter long course practice that I feel very good about. It’s the longest I’ve swum in quite a while. What did I learn? Sometimes plans just need to be readjusted, and that is absolutely okay.

Over the last few days I’ve had a nice recovery ride on local roads, in spite of a lot more traffic than my first ride here. I did come upon a beautiful sight at the end of one of the roads I ventured down.

I’ve had a long run and a short run on the jungle trail, even got to warm up with an easy one mile run / walk with my husband this morning. All good as long as I have no pain and can keep picking up my pace as my runs progress.

The jungle trail is just a beautiful spot to run, I just wish it had some hills. I’m really starting to feel in my running groove again, and I’m hoping for more bike time as the weather improves. There was an abbreviated swim practice on Monday, I thought I had to get the car back so Bryan could golf but monsoon rains cut that short!

Good dinners at home, I’ve made a couple of my favorite dinners, and a couple of new ones. One of the most delicious chicken soups I’ve ever had was based on this recipe. I had no sweet potato so I doubled up on the butternut squash, used fresh spices and added some quinoa to make it a bit more substantial for dinner.

Bryan and Brody, two of the loves of my life!

The real highlight of my trip so far happened this morning. I looked outside and spotted my husband Bryan with his other best friend in the world (after me!) This picture just makes me so happy and so grateful and so thankful, I can’t stop looking at it.

August 28, 2013August 28, 2013

You Make Swimming Look So Easy

For years other swimmers and triathletes have said that to me. I usually just smile, but sometimes when I feel like they may really be interested in how I got there I tell them it takes an awful lot of practice. The next logical question of course is . . . . practice what?

Much of what I learned during my Total Immersion instruction has been very easy for me to implement since the methods and rationale seem to me to be so based in common sense.

What has really allowed me to make a difference in my own swimming and for so many of my students’ and club members’ swimming all starts with just one basic principal — head position. My own “ah ha” moment of how to achieve it and the “aha” moment of grasping a concept that I could share with my swimmers? Feel as if the water is a pillow cushioning my head in the water, just let my head go to exactly where my head wants to be and trust that when I do release my head it will end up in just the right place.

I’ve been part of several TI courses over the last year, both as a student and as an instructor. Each time I’ve heard Terry Laughlin (the founder and head of Total Immersion) talk about head position I am struck with what a simple concept it is, but one that eludes so many. When I practice it I feel the difference instantly, when I take the time to channel my focus. I knew I was on the right track in passing it along when I was teaching some very new adult swimmers recently. We were talking about head position and I said that if your head position isn’t right then everything else you do is just an attempt to compensate for that — I saw that same light bulb go on for a couple of them! Since that morning I’ve seen their own personal swim practice change dramatically for the better.

Simple concept, yes. Simple to implement — maybe. It takes discipline and focus to spend time in a pool or open water just focusing on head position. Try it and see if it make a difference in your swimming. I have a feeling that practicing good head position will do more to shave seconds off your 100 time and minutes off your mile time than endless “workouts” designed to improve your endurance and speed.

Happy swimming!

* I am a USAT-Certified Triathlon Coach, a Total Immersion Level Two Swim Instructor and Coach and the founder of the Jersey Girls StayStrong Multisport Club. If you are interested in working on your swim skills, please get in touch with me at moira@staystrongmultisport.com