Newsletter 12/24/07

Happy Christmakwanzukkah!
Congrats to everyone who ran the Christmas Light Run. I'm taking a break out of
my rigorous training schedule of eating baklava and playing Euchre to send this
out, so when the eggnog wears off turn your mileage in.


In this newsletter:
Training tip
Need more people
Training opportunities
Links


Training tip:
Two week swim drill progression
By Brad Culp
Triathlete Magazine

Nov. 26, 2007 -- Swim coaches around the world are always preaching about the
importance of drills. For every flaw in an athletes stroke, there’s a drill
that can fix it – or at least make it a little less pronounced. The problem is,
for most novice swimmers, their problems aren’t as simple as a minor stroke flaw
or two. Many swimmers, especially triathletes, are unable to make small
corrections because their body position causes their whole stroke to be out of
line. Proper body alignment is the first criteria that needs to be addressed
before one can begin to make fine adjustments in their stroke.

Just like training for an Ironman, the only thing you need to improve your body
balance is time – and lots of it. Winter is the perfect season to dedicate to
improving your swim position, as you most likely have some time away from
rigorous training and Old Man Winter makes the pool more inviting than hill
repeats in sub-zero temperatures. Try this two-week drill progression this
month, so you won’t dread the swim in your first race of 2008. The progression
requires at least three days a week in the pool, with an optional, drill-free
day, where you do a long, base swim.

WEEK ONE (Do both drills three times this week)

Dead Man’s Float – If you’re a Type-A triathlete, you’ll hate this drill. It
requires about as much physical exertion as watching Monday Night Football, but
it’s a critical first step in the drill progression. This drill is best done in
a 50-meter pool, but if 25 yards is all you have, then it will have to do. To
perform the drill, start with a strong, underwater push off the wall, with a
tight streamline as you make your way to the surface. Take three strong
“break-out” strokes (with moderate kicking) and then immediately go back into
the streamline position. You hands and ankles should be pressed together as
tight as possible and your shoulders should be pressing firmly against your
ears. Contract your abdominals be pressing down slightly with your chest, so
that your hips don’t sink. Your hands, head, upper-back hips and feet should be
on top of the water. After you’ve glided to a complete stop, try to hold the
streamline position for as long as possible, without tipping over to one side.
The tighter your body position, the easier this will be. Then swim easy to the
wall. Do this drill for 400 yards/meters (16 or 8 lengths, depending on pool
length). This drill is best performed after a brief warm-up, before a main set.

Side Kick with Fins – Slip on a pair of medium-length fins and push off the wall
with your hands at your sides and head looking directly at the bottom of the
pool. As you reach the surface, begin kicking moderately and keep your head
looking straight down. Every three seconds roll your body onto one side, while
maintaining your head position (try not to breathe much). Make sure you roll
completely onto each side. Your eyes should be looking directly at your
shoulder (your right shoulder when you roll onto your left side) and the
opposite shoulder should be pointing directly at the ceiling. Kick just enough
to keep you legs and hips riding high on the water. Switch sides every three
seconds or eight kicks. When switching sides, do so as smoothly as possible,
without jerking your body to the other side. This drill is best performed
either immediately before or after your main set. Do 300 yards/meters, without
stopping at each wall.

WEEK TWO (Do each of the above drills twice this week and each of the new ones
three times)

Side Kick with Arm Extended – This is very similar to the last drill with one
minor change. This drill is best performed without fins, but if you find your
hips sinking, then you can do it with them. Push off the wall in a streamline
position and take two break-out strokes. After your final stroke, leave the
extended arm in front of your body (either arm is fine) and maintain the same
head position as in the last drill. Your eyes should still be looking directly
at you shoulder, but this time, your arm should be fully extended in front of
your body. Kick the entire length of the pool on one side (breathing minimally)
and then do the next length kicking on the other side. Do 8 50-yard repeats,
resting 15 seconds between each 50. Do this set immediately after the Side Kick
with Fins.

Three-Pull Switch – This is simply a faster version of the last drill. Push off
the wall with a tight streamline and perform three break-out strokes. At the
end of the last stroke roll onto your side, with your arm extended, in the same
manner as the last drill. This time, after two seconds of kicking on your side,
take another three strokes and kick for two seconds on your other side. Do 8
50-yards repeats, resting 15 seconds between each 50. Do this drill after the
Side Kick with Arm Extended drill.

Continue to do each of these drills twice per week throughout the winter. Be
sure to do some slow, quality swimming at the end of each workout,
concentrating on maximizing the body control and roll that you’ve been working
on with these drills. As a triathlete, your goal should be to make each stroke
as long and effortless as possible. Less strokes on the swim mean more energy
for the rest of the race. When you’re doing your normal swimming, concentrate
on rolling on your side with every stroke, to ensure maximum water catch and
distance per stroke. Always breathing on both sides of your body will also help
your balance.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Triathlete's Associate/Interactive Editor Brad Culp has been a competitive
swimmer for 17 years. He has an Olympic Distance swim PR of 17:45, which is way
faster than his 5K run. Feel free to submit any swim-related questions to
brad@triathletemag.com



Need more people:
We still need about 10 people to field a full second team.
Time to peer pressure your friends into signing up.

What are the eligibility requirements?

You are a paid member of DC Tri.
You do NOT have to be a USAT member.

How do I sign up?

Email me:
Your first name
Your last name
Your age on December 1, 2007.


Training Opportunities:
Keep in mind some of these places will be closed this week.
You do NOT have to swim with the club for your mileage to count.
However, should you wish to do so:

When: 6:30 AM
Where: Eastern Market Pool

When: 6:00 AM
Where: Washington and Lee

When: Mondays at 630 for December
Where: Takoma Recreation Center

When: ???
Where: Chinquapin


Links:
USAT NCC website
http://www.race-tracker.net/usat/index.cfm

USAT has a blog to keep everyone informed. I also heard we will be able to post
on it, say to taunt San Diego's tri club.
Just remember, comments are hard to un-post, so stay classy DC.
http://usatncc.blogspot.com/

DC Tri NCC page
http://dctriclub.org/staticpages/index.php?page=usat_ncc

DC Tri forum thread
http://www.dctriclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=20&showtopic=29211


Happy Holidays!
Happy training!