February Practice Schedule

Practice Schedule for February:

Sunday, February 1- No practice. 

            (the pool will be closed ALL day Saturday 1/31 and Sunday 2/1 for a swim meet)

Tuesday, February 3- 5:00-6:30am

Wednesday, February 4- 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, February 6- 5:00-6:30am

Sunday, February 8- 2:30-4:00 Level III

                              4:00-5:30 Level IV

Tuesday, February 10- 5:00-6:50am

Wednesday, February 11- 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, February 13- 5:00-6:30am

Sunday, February 15- 2:30-4:00 Level III

                              4:00-5:30 Level IV

Tuesday, February 17- 5:00-6:50am

Wednesday, February 18- 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, February 20- 5:00-6:30am

Sunday, February 22- No Practice. 

    (the pool Saturday 2/21 around 11am and will be closed all day Sunday 2/1 for a swim meet)

Tuesday, February 24- 5:00-6:50am

Wednesday, February 25- 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, February 27- 5:00-6:30am

Other Pool Closures:
Monday, Feb 16th- The Brentwood Rec Center will be closed ALL Day for holiday.

* If you only come one time a week and it's on Sunday, you are more than welcome to make up the missed practices another day of the week. We will have to skip workouts on Sunday for the occasional swim meets that are hosted at the rec center.

Fashion Show at the Bike Peddlar

Campagnolo Apparel Fashion Show Feb. 5th

And you are invited to attend!

Bike Pedlar to be Exclusive Dealer in Tennessee

Bike Pedlar will host an evening of fashion featuring Campagnolo Cycling Apparel's Spring/Summer '09 line with sneak previews of the Fall '09 line, Thursday, February 5 at 6 pm. Joni Taylor, US Importer for Campagnolo Sportswear and Paola Del Pesce, GM of Campagnolo's Sportswear of Italy will be providing commentary. The event will take place at the Nashville Bike Pedlar location, 2910 West End Ave and is open to the public. Wine and cheese will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Inclement Weather Policies for Rec Center

In the event of inclement weather, the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department will open its recreation centers at 8:00 a.m. on any day that Williamson County Schools are closed or opening late due to ice or snow.

In addition, all group fitness, indoor cycling and water aerobics classes scheduled before noon at all facilities will be cancelled. Later classes will meet unless severe weather causes recreation centers to close early for the safety of our patrons and staff.

CALL THE HOTLINE FOR WEATHER RELATED POOL CLOSURES 615-591-8524

For more information please click here

Community Cycling and Pedestian Survey

We've all known occasional fear when riding or running on the roads or even the sidewalks.  Our county governments are calling for our opinions as cyclists and pedestrians on the streets and paths and roads of our communities.  Here is a chance to make a difference in your community and provide the benefit of your experience.  Fill out this online survey and/or attend a meeting in your community.

The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is seeking citizen participation in the development of a comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Residents of Davidson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson and Williamson counties – plus the cities of Spring Hill and Springfield – are invited to complete an online survey located at www.nashvillempo.org.  Residents are asked to share their thoughts and priorities for making their communities more walk and bike friendly.

More details are available in the attached press release.

Bike/Ped Study Website: www.nashvillempo.org/bikeped.html

Bike/Ped Blog: http://walkbikeforum.blogspot.com

 

Public Meeting Schedule (more details at www.nashvillempo.org/bikeped.html)

February 23rd, Rutherford County , Smyrna Town Centre, 5:30-7:30 pm

February 23rd, Williamson County , Franklin First United Methodist Church , 5:30-7:30 pm

February 24th, Davidson County , East Park Community Center , 5:30-7:30 pm

February 26th, Sumner County , Hendersonville Public Library, 5:30-7:30 pm

February 26th, Wilson County , Lebanon City Hall , 5:30-7:30 pm

Spring Level I and II

This class is designed for anyone getting ready for the GJCC sprint triathlon or the summer race season and feels they need some fine tunning on their technique.

We would love to help you with your swimming!

Schedule:

Level I

Sunday, April 5 1:15-2:30pm

Tuesday, April 7, 7:15-8:30pm

Thursday, April 9, 7:15-8:30pm

Tuesday, April 14, 7:15-8:30pm

Thursday, April 16, 7:15-8:30pm

Sunday, April 19, 1:15-2:30pm

Tuesday, April 21, 7:15-8:30pm

Tuesday, April 28, 7:15-8:30pm

Thursday, April 30, 7:15-8:30pm

*1st Practice is MANDATORY in LEVEL I!
* You will not be getting in the pool for the first session. It is a class room setting.
*Do bring your fins and pull buoy to the first practice,
so we can make sure you got the correct ones.

We HIGHLY recommend taking Level II  after Level I.
Think of it as two months worth of stroke work and fine-tuning, that your stroke is not complete until you are done with Level II.

Level II

Sunday, May 3, 1:15-2:30pm

Tuesday, May 5, 7:15-8:30pm

Sunday, May 10, 1:15-2:30pm

Tuesday, May 12, 7:15-8:30pm

Sunday, May 17,1:15-2:30pm

Tuesday, May 19, 7:15-8:30pm

Wednesday, May 20, 6:15-8:00pm

How do you reserve a spot for Spring?
1. Email Ashley triash@gmail.com
2. Send in your check made out to Excel Aquatics for $175 (Level I) or
$150 (Level II)
to Ashley Whitney 2806 Belmont Blvd. Apt 6, Nashville, TN 37212
*You may sign up for both classes at once.
4. Once your check is received, you will get a confirmation email.


What equipment do you need for swimming with Excel?
1. Swimsuit
* Men are NOT allowed to wear board shorts or trunks with pockets.
Jammers are your best options.
Here's what a jammer looks like:

*Men and Women- any suit made of polyester is the way to go!
Poly suits will last years!
*Women- the cutest suits in the world can be found at Splish.com
Splish offers many suits in a poly blend!
2. Goggles
Finding the right pair of goggles-
1. Take them out of the package and try them on at the store
2. Without putting the strap around your head, stick goggles to your face
3. If goggles stick to your face for a few seconds then you found a pair of keepers.
3. Cap- if your hair gets in your eyes or mouth while you swim
* we have caps for sale at the pool for $3. They say Excel on them.

4. Fins
Here's a picture of what shape they should be. Just about any brand will do. Scuba fins do NOT work for this class!

5. Pull Buoy
Here is what a pull buoy looks like.
* The TYR, Nike, or Speedo buoys are great to get.




Where can you buy your swim equipment?
All American Swim and Surf.
Check the links on the right side of the blog to find a map to the store.
Store is located in Cool Springs Shopping area.
If you prefer to buy your stuff online, swimoutlet.com is about the best place to buy it.

Where is practice held?
Indoor Sports Complex
920 Heritage Way
Brentwood, TN 37027

* You do NOT have to be a member of the Indoor Sports Complex to be part of the swim group.

Grand Opening

Williamson County's first ever TRIATHLON SHOP is openening tomorrow- 

Tuesday, January 27, 2009. 

Endurance Sports and Rec is located in Cool Springs.

101 Shingle Way, Franklin, TN (South of Carothers and Baker's Bridge Pkwy)

615-771-3870

Check out there website by clicking here.

Store hours:

Monday-Saturday: 10:00am-7:00pm

Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm

Zoot, Blue Seventy, 2XU, Skirt Sports, Infinit and Sugoi are just a few of the many brands Endurance Sports and Rec will be carrying.

Check them out!

Triswami Speaks

"Including some limited high intensity work in your winter base training."

In last weeks initial "Triswami Speaks" which went out by old fashioned e-mail and can now be found on My Rants and Ruminations page of my website- www.triswami.com, I wrote about the divergent arguments of "Go slow to go fast" v "Go fast to go fast". My opinion was that there was validity to both, but for the average age grouper we could never get in enough "go slow" base to justify an extended base building season of soley zone 2 training. To clarify, we cant spend an hour spinning easy on the trainer or lightly jogging with Fido around the 'hood and think that this is aerobic base building. It's aerobic, but for this audience, neither of those is building on our base endurance. You need to be married to that dang trainer for 2 and 4 hours at a time or take Fido for a 2 hour trail trot if you want to be adding to your aerobic base. Except for a few psycho lab rats (Hello Bruce G) who can ride mindlessly indoors for hours at weeks on end.......most of us just wont get that volume in Jan-March. Our base/volume tends to increase at the same time our intensity picks up. Not ideal......but real. Certainly, training for a winter marathon can provide for serious running base, but for most us that means letting the swim and bike take a backseat. Some of that running fitness will transfer, but it will not replace a winter of training all 3 equally.So, what's my point? The point is that we need to incorporate some basic sub-threshold and anaerobic threshold efforts into our winter training. So, when Spring finally springs, we can handle a little bump in volume AND intensity at the same time. Now, we needn’t hammer ourselves into submission. I am not suggesting 5 x 1 mile repeats on the track at 5k pace or 8 x 5 min in a huge gear at high zone 4. I simply think we need to throw in some short fartlek efforts and pick-ups on the run once, maybe twice, per week and a few high HR efforts on the bike. Not very many reps and not very long, but something to make us a little uncomfortable without having lingering effects into the next workout. Combined with strength training and still a bevy (80-90% of the total volume) of easy aerobic training and you'll be better prepared for the Springtime beat down that we inevitably go through.Next week, I'll provide an anectodal to this article.

Triswami has spoken............

TWO MUST HAVE ITEMS in 2009

Both of these items can be purchased at Target in the $1-$3 bends which are convienently located at the entrance of every Target store. These items are both $2.50, which is a STEAL.

The cupcake rolling pin will be used as your very own stick. We use sticks at practice, when we are working on the catch up drill. This stick is better than the ones that Excel provides, b/c it is longer, which means it promotes a wider hand entry.  Beacuse the stick is longer it will provide a little more resistence when swimming with it.

The other item you must buy is the tubing.  For the gentlmen in our group, I'm sorry to report that the pink band is the strongest resistence band Target carries. The band is great to use if you want some strength work outside of the pool. Done properly, it strengthens all of the important swimming muscles.

The Band Nazi Strikes

After the last posting, I decided to go down the pool deck as everyone was swimming Wednesday night, to see if their paddles are in compliance with the rules (no wrist bands).

I now have a few extra bands, so if you ever need an extra finger band, let me know and I'll be happy to bring one to the pool for you.

Paddles

One of the toys that we use at Excel is a pair of pull paddles.

With the new season, Dee and I have seen lots of new pairs of paddles lying around on the pool deck.

If you do not have a pair, don't rush out a buy a pair. Please ask one of us, if you are even ready to use them.

If you use paddles to soon into your swimming career and you haven't perfected your stroke,  you could seriously injure your shoulder(s).  

We will also instruct you as to what size is right for you. To many of you have rushed out and bought paddles to big for you to use.

What happens if you have paddles that are to big for you?

1. Your stroke rate (how fast you turn your arms over) slows down DRAMATICALLY.  The extra surface area added to your hand is to much for you to push through the water. 

2. You could injure your shoulder.

If the time is right for you to buy a pair of paddles, please bring them to the pool before you put the bands through them.

We suggest you use Strokemaker paddles. The come in different colors according to size. 

Strokemaker paddles come with way to many bands.

There should only be one band on the paddle and it should be for your finger.

    The bands are placed in different places according to what size paddle you use.

The instructions that come with the paddles say to use a wrist band as well. 

I have found that if you use a wrist band with the paddles, IT REINFORCES bad pull technique.

If you don't have the wrist band, your paddle will go flying off and you learn REAL quick you are doing something wrong!

Again, if you are thinking about getting paddles, please check with Dee or myself before you buy a pair.

Bring them to the pool and we will put them together for you!

Triswami Ironman Group Workouts

        IML and IMW Training 

 Triswami is looking for a few good men and women who are seeking guidance and training partners for the IML or IMW.

 

I am offering a 5 month written training plan and 2 group workouts per week.

 

The program will offer-

 

1.A written standardized plan covering the 5 months preceding the race (April- Aug).

2.I will then help you customize the plan to your needs.

3.You’ll have unlimited access to e-mail and phone consultation.

4.We will meet as group 2 days per week with one session working on the run and the other on the bike. The precise focus will depend upon which training phase we are in- Base, Build, Peak, Taper.

5. The run workouts will be held Wed mornings before work at the WCISC. It will either start at 5a, or 6a depending on the group participant’s work schedules. The bike session will be held on Saturday mornings and there will be a “no-drop” policy in place.  Thus, the importance of the following client criteria.  

 

Participant requirements-

 

1 Already registered for IML or IMW 2009.

2 Does not currently have a triathlon coach

3 Is on a limited budget but seeking something more than an off-the- web generic plan

4 Is seeking other IML /IMW racers w/  similar ability to train with.

5 Typically trains in the 8-9 min/mile run range for aerobic work and can typically ride at 18-20 mph on training rides. To clarify, we will have plenty of 16-17 mph rides and 9 min/mile runs, but we’ll also run well under 8s for tempo efforts and upwards of 22-23 mph for hard bike intervals.

6. Signed liability waiver.

7. Sense of humor. It is perfectly acceptable to take your training seriously as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously. We will work hard and be prepared to perform at a high level at our respective race, but we will have fun doing it!!!!

 

I want you to know upfront that these workouts will be part of MY plan to prepare for IML, as well. Thus, the reason for the deep discount, as I will be in “athlete” not “coach” mode during the training sessions. Of course, there will be coach-speak before and after and I will answer any questions and advise as I see fit, but when the hammer drops (and quite honestly, it might be you doing the dropping) I’ll be doing my workout, just as you’ll be doing yours.  

 

The program fee is $500.

That’s $100 per month for a written plan and 8 group workouts per month!!!!!!

The program is limited to 6 people.

You can pay it upfront or I can arrange for  $250 deposit and a then the other $250 due a month later.

Refunds are negotiable and prorated  for season ending injuries. I can’t refund money for little aches and pains, chronic existing injuries, poor planning on your part, overtraining on your part, lack of resolve, a weak constitution etc. etc. If I am the one suffering a season ender, I will arrange for a like-minded proxy to lead the workouts.  

 

Please contact me ASAP if you are interested and I will answer your questions. I would like to have the athletes/clients identified by the end of Feb.

Triswami Speaks

It has become clear with the bevy of emails, blogs etc that the triathlon world is in mid-season form to debate the nuances of training. Not that anyone IS training, but boy-oh-boy can we talk about it!!!!!!!! So, until the weather turns and the days get longer, far be it from me to stand-by without putting in my two (or five) cents.

 

Okay, so……… the latest banter I saw were two separate debates. One, on “going slow to go fast” and the other, on “going fast to go fast”. I’d like to open with a suggestion that almost all these arguments must be qualified with whether we are talking about professional athletes or age group athletes. More precisely, athletes who have all the resources and time v those with limited resources and limited time. Triathlon is still a very young sport and  research is limited. It’s not easy to find multiple studies yielding similar results. While at the same time, you can almost certainly find something to support any argument.  Bottom line is, you have to find what works for you. I have some definite feelings about this-n-that (and clearly, I am right) based on my personal experience, combined with a pinch of science and skoash of common sense.    

 

So, the simple version take-home-messages of these two schools of thought are-

 

You have to train at an easy aerobic level and build tons of volume before you can start working on the speed/power component.

                                                                                     v

You have to train at, or near, your anaerobic threshold in order to realize a movement in your HR zones and the ability to go faster at a lower heart rate.

 

There IS evidence to support both. The evidence is multi faceted and can be found in articles all over the internet. So, I won’t rehash. Suffice it say, both theories offer compelling rationale.

 

The “go slow to go fast”  argument tends to hang it’s hat on the idea that you cannot train your anaerobic component sufficiently until after you have developed the aerobic component. I do not buy that completely, because there is a meshing of both anaerobic and aerobic training in almost everything we do. So, you are definitely still training the aerobic engine in middle of a set of all-out 50s in the pool.  

 

Now, let’s stop for a moment and agree that both theories hold water and that ideally you build a huge base in the winter with long slow rides and runs and then integrate the hard stuff as the race season approaches. Sounds good. However, I have a HUGE problem believing that the average age grouper ever gets close to the type base volume required for this progression. We are going slow and short, when the idea is to go slow and long. Most elite athletes training for Olympic distance races put in more mileage (volume) than most age groupers training for Ironman. So, the age grouper misses part one of the equation. Their volume just isn’t very high. By virtue of winter weather and short days the age grouper’s volume tends to be less, not more, in the winter (aka base building season).  So, if we wait to employ threshold efforts until our base is ideal, we’ll never get there.  Plus, we risk injury if we start picking up the volume AND the intensity at the same time . i.e.- as the season approaches and the days get longer and warmer.

 

So, what is an age grouper to do when he is stuck inside all winter? Ride for 4 hours non-stop on his trainer? Hell No!!!! I think for the average age grouper there is something to be said  for “go fast to go fast”. The trick is to go hard enough and often enough to get fit, while not going so hard, or so often that you either burn-out, or get injured.

For more Triswami's postings click here.

 

January Level III and IV Practice Schedule

Sunday, January 18, Level III 2:30-4:00pm

                                     Level IV 4:00-5:30pm

Tuesday, January 20, Level III and IV 5:00-6:30am

Wednesday, January 21, Level III and IV 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, January 23, Level III and IV 5:00-6:30am

Sunday, January 25, This is the T30 day!

                                     Level III 2:30-4:00pm

                                     Level IV 4:00-5:30pm

Tuesday, January 27, Level III and IV 5:00-6:30am

Wednesday, January 28, Level III and IV 6:15-8:00pm

Friday, January 30, Level III and IV 5:00-6:30am

Sunday, February 1- NO PRACTICE- pool is CLOSED for a swim meet!

    

3rd Annual USAT-SE TNT Southeast Multi-Sport Expo

Where: Downtown YMCA

When: Saturday March 7, 2009 - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Back by popular demand, the USAT-SE TNT Southeast Multi-Sport Expo
promises to be even larger than the previous two years. Local athletic
Super Stars will once again participate in a panel sharing their
training strategies and secrets and open the floor to answer your
questions. Nationally ranked and recognized athletes will be our
honorary speakers, stay tuned for further announcements. New this year
will be a Compu-Trainer competition hosted by Endeavor Performance's
founder and Coach, USA Cycling Level 1 Coach Todd Nordmeyer. In
addition, other clinics will be offered. 

For more information contact

Melissa Hudson-Gant at 615.331.2980 or 

melissa.hudsongant@lls.org.

LANE ETIQUITTE!!!!

LANE ETIQUITTE!!!!
It is perfectly possible to swim with 15 + people in a long course lane IF everyone knows the traffic rules so let's go over them:

Aways swim on RIGHT side of the lane. Watch the line on the bottom of the pool to make sure you stay on your side of the lane.

Do your turn not on the right side of the lane but in the middle of the lane or even slightly to the left so that when you push off the wall, you are out of the way of on coming traffic and it is easier for you to get to the right side of the lane going the other way.

WAIT 5 sec (watch the clock on the wall) after the person in front of you goes unless otherwise instructed. If there is enough room in the lane, we will instruct you to leave 10 seconds apart.

If someone keeps touching your feet, you should either swim faster or let them pass you at the next wall.  Probably let them pass you at the wall. It is OK. It doesn't mean you are a failure if you get passed. It happens. It also doesn't mean you are a stud muffin if you pass people.
Your main object here is to swim correct technically and follow set directions.

Some people kick fast. Some people drill fast. Some people pull fast. You may find that changing your lane order for certain sets is helpful.

Intervals!
swimmer 1 - leaves on 00
swimmer 2 leaves on 05
swimmer 3 leaves on 10
swimmer 4 leaves on 15

If you do pass someone or if someone passes you and you are swimming on a specific interval, your interval will change for one rep in the set. Do not get so engrossed in your own wrist watch or your own interval that you do not know what is going on in the lane.
If you left on the 10, but passed the person who left on the 5, you are now the person who left on the 5 and must adjust your interval accordingly.  If you cannot cowboy up and do the next interval 5 sec faster for one rep, perhaps you should reconsider passing. The person whom you passed will now be leaving on the 10.

When you finish something and are stopping at the wall, get as far to the left side of the lane as possible so you are out of the way of the people coming in. They need to touch the wall, too.

Be very aware of what is going on around you.

If you think this is too complicated to think about while you are swimming, consider an open water swim where you are thinking about where hundreds of other swimmers are in relation to yourself, how many of them are in front of you, how you are going to get past them, where is the buoy, the water is really dark, which way is the current going, why did the lady in the kayak hit me in the head with the oar, can I get away with drowning this guy who is punching me with his dropped elbow on every stroke, I am getting seasick, was my chip riped off during the start of the swim, why did my whole leg cramp, where the heck am I, why does the water teste so bad, where is the other bouy, where is the end???does this ever end???????

Whether you are swimming with 15 people in a lane or open water swimming, they both are like air traffic controlling. Get used to it. Love it.

Catch Up and Zipper Drill

Catch Up and Zipper Drill without a board

BBQ Drill

Work on head position and body roll. Keep the water going around the crown of your head as your roatate slowly from side to side. Keep your eyes looking down toward the bottom of the pool, if you are not breathing.  Your hands stay at your side.

Excel Youth Triathlon Team

Excel Triathlon Youth Team!

Excel is proud to announce it's first ever YOUTH TRIATHLON TEAM!

Excel will offer two sessions, the first which is to start Saturday, April 4th.

* We will train at the ISC or in the parks very near the ISC in the spring.

* The team is open to child wishing to do triathlon and is 7+ years old.

* Parent meeting March 28 Location and time TBA

* 1st practice is April 4th

  In the spring, while school and other sports are going on,    

  we will have one practice a week on Saturday afternoons.

  The spring session will be designed for newcomers to the sport. 

Each session is designed to peak for a triathlon, so youths participating in the spring session will do a triathlon at the end of the session.

* Coaches for Excel Triathlon Team are Dawn VanRyckeghem, Dee Davis and Ashley Whitney.

The spring Session will also include 4 teen assistant coaches all of whom have been selected on the Southeast Youth Team for 2009. 

Most of you know Dee and myself, so I am not going to give any introductions to us for the mean time. I do want to give you a little background on Dawn.

For those of you who do not know Dawn, she is well  know in the swimming community. She has six children, all who have swam for Excel at one point in their lives and two of them were chosen to be on the Southeast Youth Triathlon Team 2009. Aside from being an amazing mom, Dawn started and runs the most dominant summer league team in Williamson County, The Barracudas. She also started and runs the most successful home school swim program in the state of TN. As you can see anything she touches, turns to gold, so we are VERY excited to have her part of the coaching staff. She knows sports, she knows kids and she is an amazing organizer.

When you can't find Dawn on the pool deck coaching, you find her teaching her kids (she is a home school mom and yes, she teaches all ALL 6 of them) or training for triathlons.

More info to come next week on the Excel Youth Triathlon Team! 

It's Picture Day at Excel!

January 4, 2009

Push off the wall

Listen to Dee talk on this one.
You must be in the streamline position before you push off the wall.

Kick on your side without a board

* Keep constant contact with your head and arm.

* Your hand will be a little lower than when you were doing this drill with a board.
* Keep your hand right below the surface of the water. Palm of hand should be facing down towards the bottom of the pool.
* The water should go around the crown of your head so your eyes look down.

Kicking on Right Side:

Kicking on Left Side:

Kick on your side with a board

This is one of the first drills we teach people as we brain wash them to swim on their side.
When you kick with your face out of the water, the back of your head should have constant contact with your arm.
Your arm should be aligned with your shoulder.
when you breathe, turn your head so your face is in the water. Water should go around the crown of your head. NEVER lift your head to breathe. Just turn it.
When your face is in the water, blow out bubbles. When you turn your to breathe, do it quickly.


Kick on side with a board, face IN/OUT of the water

Vertical Kicking

Bobbing Drill

Here is the bobbing drill- the first drill you will do in the level 1 class.
It's improtant to relax and let out each breath between each breath.
In class, we tell swimmers to hold onto the lane rope or the wall.
When your lungs are full of air, you are buoyant, so you need help pushing yourself underwater.
As you let out your air SLOWLY, you will find your body sinking. The wall comes in handy when you need to pull yourself up to take a breathe.
This drill will help when you are swimming, drilling, or kicking with your face in the water.
The drill forces you to constantly breathe.
You breathe out when your face is in the water. You breathe in when your face is out of the water.
The key is that you are constantly breathing.

Breathing while Swimming by Coach Dee

Coach Dee recently recieved this cosmetic ad for breathing in an email. It was to good not to share with you. Below the Ad are Dee's thoughts on breathing while swimming. 

..Are you breathing right now?  Check it.  Are you barely breathing with  a shallow exchange of air?  Did you know your lungs are an organ of elimination?  Did you know that it is a rare person that REALLY BREATHS?  Many cultures use breathing to relive pain and sickness.   Your lungs have an incredible capacity to filter out and remove all kinds of toxins that when left in there.....make you sick!.  You can train the little cells in your lungs to really take in and use lot's of oxygen.  The yucky air you exhale, when tested by new, very sensitive equipment can tell you what toxins are in your body.  This type of advanced diagnostic tool with be a standard used by many physicians in the very near future. 

  Who can forget that song, "Just Breath" by gorgeous Faith Hill?  Deep breathing is a wellness tool you always have with you.   Proper breathing causes you to  feel a lot more energized and a lot more able to mentally digest all the negative media bombarding us right now. 

   Try it. Sit up straight. Breath deeply in through your nose- as deeply as possible--- hold for a second then exhale-----I mean keep exhaling as long as you can.  ( your lungs have a residual volume  that will not allow them to collapse) Do this about 10- 15 times - 3 times a day. 

The benefits are too numerous to list--but you WILL NOTICE!

Why is it important to breathe correctly when swimming...???

 

Well, even though we'd all swim lots faster if we didn't have to waste time breathing, we wouldn't get very far before we turned blue and passed out. We happen to be dependant on that pesky oxygen stuff and unfortunately we have not yet grown gills.

 

Even though breathing causes extra drag because we have to turn our heads to get our mouths an noses out of the water to get quick breaths of air, we can breathe in very efficient and effective ways.

 

All that is necessary to breathe in water is to get your mouth out of the water, however for some reason, it is as if some old reptilian reflex makes us think we have to get our eyes out of the water, too. If your eyes are out of the water you can see that you are at the surface, however humans can't breathe through their eyeballs - especially with goggles on.

 

To get your eyes out of the water, you have to lift your head. If you lift your head up, your chin goes down, your mouth (the part that needs to be out of the water) gets in the water, your hips sink and you totally mess up the beautiful long slippery line that your body creates when your head is down and your hips are up at the surface. When you get water in your mouth and lose your position your fell insecure, your form flies out the window, you get panicked, too tired to fast, and freak out which makes your heart rate go up, your head comes up higher and now you are doggie paddling or treading water which is not very efficient, nor is it very professional looking.

 

When we get in the water we become a see saw. The middle of the see saw is not in the middle of the body, but, due to the fact that our lungs and heads are full of buoyant air ( some more than others) the middle  of the see saw  is under the armpits. Thus your head carries a lot of weight. If it is in the wrong position, soon everything else will be, too. In swimming as in life, you gotta get your head in the right place.

 

Incase you are about to start thinking of excuses like - "oh my legs sink." " I am a sinker "- give that up right now. That is no excuse or reason for not keeping your head position or body position correct. Lots of very good swimmers, and just about everyone else, will sink if they let themselves.

 

Sinking is optional.

 

Breathing is not.

 

Since the very act of turning your head to get air causes some drag and slows even the fastest swimmers down a little bit, it is important not to take any more breaths than you have to and breath as quickly as possible. You can learn to breathe in very deeply very quickly. You probably won't be that great at it the very first time you try it, but you will get better, your lungs will actually feel like they are stretching, and you'll become able to use more and more of the oxygen you do breathe in. Breathing out is every bit as important as breathing in. You need to get rid of all the carbon dioxide which is basically trash, and make more room for the incoming oxygen which is fuel.

 

If you breathe too many times and/or too fast, you don't get much air in or much carbon dioxide out and your heart rate goes up too fast because it thinks you are panicking and hyper ventilating which causes you actually to panic and hyperventilate.  For best results, you want to remain calm, take one big strong breath in, then let it out slowly.

 

Believe it or not YOU are in control of your breathing. Your breathing is not in control of you. You are in control of your being calm.

 

Take control.

Be here, now.

All that matters is breathing in and out.

Breath in quick and deep and breath out long, slow and relaxed.

Leave your head low and get your mouth out of the water by rotating, not lifting, your head.

The more you practice, the easier it will become.