Update on Mark Scanlon's Channel Swimming Attempt

This video clip says it all - let's all pray for the weather gods to be with Mark in the next few days!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9vEe1l_KYQ

Cheers

Paul

Positive Signs of Improvement

Dear TEAM

Hope you're all doing well - not long now hopefully until we turn the corner and the weather starts becoming consistently warmer. Before we know it we'll all be moaning it's too hot again!

I just wanted to write and say thanks so much for your support in the last 3 weeks with your return back to the squad sessions. People are coming out of the woodwork left, right and centre and that's really pleasing to see. Admittedly I was getting very worried back there in July with some of the sessions being so quiet but things are now really picking up. Many of you have also made good use of our August 1-2-1 Video Analysis Special and are seeing some great improvements in your swim strokes as a consequence. If you haven't yet looked at doing one of these sessions the details are at http://www.theteamcore.com/videoanalysis.html - well worthwhile.

OK, so squad swimmer Mark Scanlon is now in place over in Dover ready to attempt his English Channel Swim crossing. The word on the street is that the weather hasn't been great in the last week and looks set to be a bit rough this week too, but we're crossing our fingers and hoping for a bit of a break in the conditions to allow for a successful crossing for Mark. Mark is unbelievably well prepared for this event, both physically and psychologically, so we really wish him the very best of luck with the conditions out there on the way to France. If you missed our interview with Mark you can read that here: http://www.feelforthewater.com/2010/07/interview-with-mark-scanlon-training.html - well worth a read. You can follow Mark's progress live at http://stroke4stroke.com.au/ - he'll even have a virtual GPS tracker up there too - very cool!

If you're sat at work wanting a little swimming inspiration or something to read at the weekend, don't miss these three recent Blog entries as well:

• http://www.feelforthewater.com/2010/08/necessary-evil.html
• http://www.feelforthewater.com/2010/08/special-test-set-what-pull-buoy-can.html
• http://www.feelforthewater.com/2010/07/how-village-people-can-improve-your.html

Furthermore, I personally love it when someone gives me a book recommendation, so if you love your reading and want something that will maybe challenge your beliefs about whether such a thing as "natural talent" for swimming actually exists, check out "Bounce" by Mathew Syed (see: http://www.amazon.com/Bounce-Federer-Picasso-Beckham-Science/dp/0061723754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282031018&sr=8-1 ) - I'm loving my copy right now!

Finally, just to show you that we're on the right mark and that the last four harder Monday / Tuesday endurance sessions have been worth it, here are some live updates on four of the squad's swimmer's 1000m time trial progress in "The Biggest Loser Competition":

1. Trevor Magee's best 1km swim time last year was 16:40. 5 weeks ago he went 17:30 and like most people in the squad was a little off the pace from last summer (to be expected really given the winter we've had). Today Trevor posted a 16:54 to improve by 36 seconds or nearly 4 seconds per 100m which is a very good sign of improvement indeed. Well done Trevor!
2. James Forbes's best 1km swim time last year was 13:47 (peak season). 5 weeks ago James did 14:01. Today he smashed that and not only beat his record from 5 weeks ago, but went faster than last season to go 13:28. This knocks Ceinwen William's off the squad top perch by 2 seconds (which no doubt will be fuel for motivation there!). Without a doubt, consistency through the winter shining through here - well done Forbsey!
3. Silke Highet swam 21:39 for her 1km swim 5 weeks ago which is an average pace of 2:10 per 100m. This morning, Silke very easily swam a 600m and then a 500m averaging 1:55 per 100m which is a sure sign that when we retest everyone's Time Trials properly in the middle of September, Silke could be in the running for that coveted "Biggest Loser" award, won last year by Lucas Salter. Good luck Silke!
4. Gillian Evans featured in the Blog above about the pull buoy set and what it can tell you about your stroke. 5 weeks ago Gillian swam 1km in 20:39 which she was pleasantly surprised with but eager to break the 20 minute marker. On Monday Gillian led the lane for 600m and comfortably averaged 1:59 per 100m which will see her ducking under the 20 minute marker in a few weeks time quite nicely. How did Gillian (a "Kicktastic") do it? Surprisingly enough by reducing her leg kick in favour of an improved catch. Nice work Gillian!

If you haven't done your initial 1km Time Trial yet but would like to and would like to be in the running for the "Biggest Loser" competition, please just let me know at one of the sessions and if appropriate I'll set you off for a time.

OK, have a great day and thanks for reading!

Paul

Prevent / cure shoulder woes in time for the 2011 WAtoday Rottnest Channel Swim!

Dear Swimmers

Please be advised that the Rottnest Channel Swim Association will be running a free seminar / information evening at Challenge Stadium on the 17th August from 7.30 to 8.30pm. I have been invited back for the third year to discuss shoulder injury concerns for swimmers and what to do to correct them from a technique point of view. This is an area that I have much experience in and it will be a pleasure to speak again for the RCSA in a few weeks time. Full details if you're keen on attending are below:

Planning to Swim in Rotto's 21st Event?

If you're thinking about swimming solo in the 21st Rottnest Channel Swim, then this FREE informational seminar will help you plan everything for the big day.

From a training program, to nutritional preparation, and an achievable race plan, this seminar is open to all prospective swimmers of the 2011 WAtoday Rottnest Channel Swim.

It will provide useful information for those swimmers who've always wanted to enter this event but haven't quite been ready. It will be an excellent session for those swimmers who want to partake in a Team or Duo, or progress to the Solo category of the event for the first time.

New Rottnest Channel Swim Association President Raymond Yong is delighted to present this seminar as his first official function for the Association.

"This event is such an iconic and important part of WA's calendar, and I would urge all prospective swimmers to attend this seminar to gather as much information as possible about what to expect out there in the ocean, and how to best prepare," he said.

Past and present Rottnest channel swimmers will discuss their experiences, their mistakes and their tips, which will provide invaluable information to novice swimmers of this incredible event.

The seminar will be held on Tuesday 17 August at the Lecture Theatre at Challenge Stadium from 7.30 – 8.30pm.  Registrations are essential at admin@rottnestchannelswim.com.au

Hope to see some of you there!

Cheers

Paul

Riding on Wednesdays

Dear TEAM

Just a quick note to say that there is still a hardy bunch of riders
meeting at 5.50am every Wednesday morning at the bottom of Mount
Street in the city adjacent to Bouchard Cafe. Usually back by 730am
ish this ride is done as a group warm up followed by some individual
intervals or a few hill repeats. If you're looking for a group to ride
with, why not pop along and give it a go.

Stay dry!

Paul

A Reminder that Saturday 1pm Swim is Back On!

Dear Swimmers

Funnily enough, from all reports, about a dozen of you actually turned up last Saturday to swim at 1pm which is twice as many people as we've seen the last month or so! Sorry I wasn't there - we'd cancelled that one in anticipation of very small numbers given that it was the last week of the school holidays. C'est la vie!

OK, so just confirming that this Saturday at 1pm the open-water skills and technique session will be on in the Outdoor 8 lane pool at Challenge. This session is one that is loads of fun (my personal favourite), nice and challenging, experiments with new things like drafting and sighting etc, and actually benefits by having a larger number of swimmers down than the other sessions to make some of the exercises work better.

So please do try and make it if you can and if you have any other openwater friends or triathletes who would be keen to give it a blast, please invite them down also - it'll be a great hour in the pool!

Cheers

Paul

P.S This session will continue to run on a weekly basis again now (subject to numbers of course). Thanks for your support and understanding.

Awesome 20% Off August Analysis Offer!

NEWSFLASH! And the winner of the Finis SwiMP3 underwater music player was...Adam Wheeler from the 5.30am Tuesday / Thursday squad sessions! Well done Adam. David Fitzpatrick pulled your name out of the hat at the start of this morning's 6.30am session. In total we received feedback from 59 of you which will hopefully help us to further improve our swim coaching services for you all! Thanks once again everyone - it's been a very useful process!

Dear Swimmers

I have a very special offer available to those of you swimming with the squad for the month of August only:

• A 75 minute 1-2-1 Video Analysis & Stroke Correction Session for $120, saving a massive $45 off the standard rate! Bargain!

This is our absolute premium coaching service and your chance to have your stroke filmed above and below the water, critiqued on the computer screen for what you need to be working on to improve efficiency and why, with the remainder of the session spent in the water tweaking and refining your stroke based upon this analysis. Each swimmer will receive their video footage to take home with them on a DVD, as well as a comprehensive 20-page Training Guide based upon our newly released www.swimtypes.com system which is proving extremely popular worldwide at the moment. Full details at: http://www.theteamcore.com/videoanalysis.html

NB. This offer is only valid for squad members (i.e. you!) and only for sessions taken during the month of August 2010. Pool entry ($5.00) is additional.

Spending some 1-2-1 time with myself is a fantastic way to tune up your stroke and get you on your way to more efficient, faster swimming. Spaces are strictly limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis so be quick! To reserve your spot, please select and pay for the "1-2-1 Stroke Correction Session for $120 (follow-up session)" which is the option on the 2nd row & 4th column of http://www.theteamcore.com/shop.html and then email me back with your 3 best sessions from the list below and I'll email you back confirming your place, time and venue. Here are the options:

• Monday 2nd August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 3rd August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 3rd August, 9.15am (if 7.45am already taken)
• Friday 6th August, 7.45am
• Friday 6th August, 10.45am
• Monday 9th August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 10th August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 10th August, 9.15am (if 7.45am already taken)
• Friday 6th August, 7.45am
• Friday 6th August, 10.45am
• Saturday 14th August, 4pm
• Tuesday 17th August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 17th August, 9.15am (if 7.45am already taken)
• Wednesday 18th August, 7.45am
• Friday 20th August, 7.45am
• Friday 20th August, 10.45am
• Monday 23rd August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 24th August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 24th August, 9.15am (if 7.45am already taken)
• Wednesday 25th August, 7.45am
• Friday 27th August, 7.45am
• Friday 27th August, 10.45am
• Tuesday 31st August, 7.45am
• Tuesday 31st August, 9.15am (if 7.45am already taken)

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to get your stroke filmed, analysed and then corrected for an absolute bargain price prior to the spring / summer season.

Cheers

Paul

Are you scared to come back to squad training? Don't be!

Dear Swimmers

In last week's feedback I had a number of you state that you were worried about coming back to training as you feared that you'd perhaps lost too much fitness over the winter period. This got me thinking. Back in September 2009 I published an article on the www.feelforthewater.com Blog titled "Six Is A Magic Number" where we discussed how six sessions are often needed to make a change to a technical aspect of your stroke that you are working on, or to simply get you back in the flow with your swimming. 

In Malcolm Gladwell's brilliant book "Outliers" he discusses how to become an expert at something you often need to spend 10,000 hours or 10,000 repetitions or 10,000 units of whatever ensuring that the skill is perfected. Gladwell cites how Bill Gates became an expert in the computer programming world by simply having oodles of hours access to computer equipment way before anyone else was really working with computers (that and being just a bit of a genius too!).

So how is this relevant to squad training? Well, I've also just got my backside back into gear and am currently swimming 3 to 4 times per week. It all started two weeks ago, and trust me, it wasn't a pretty sight! I haven't really trained what I would regard as "properly" since our baby Jackson came along 16 months ago, but am now faced with just under 14 months of dedicated training for my English Channel Swim attempt on 5th September 2011. I've been through small doses of "getting back into it again" along the way and did reasonably well with the Rottnest Duo Swim with my wife (Michelle) this last February. I also challenged myself to whether or not I could run for 30 consecutive days with the only premise that each run had to be longer than 3km - not long you might say, but it was enough to get my bum back in gear and I actually ended up doing 64 consecutive days and feeling pretty good for it too! 

Still, there always has to be a starting point for any of these ventures and quite often the first 4 to 6 sessions will arguably feel pretty crummy it has to be said! So given that I'm now 8 sessions into what will be at least 350 for my English Channel Swim (oo er!!), I thought I'd share with you the sensations of what those first six sessions felt like, but more importantly the goals I set myself for those sessions. Quite often the biggest thing holding you getting back into regular sessions is how hard you perceive that those sessions will be - much easier to just roll over in bed and go back to sleep! If we can learn to adjust our goals and expectations of ourselves in those first six sessions you'll find that you're "suddenly" back into the swing of things, and whilst the fitness might still need to catch up, you will at least be started and on a roll of motivation. So, don't panic about the normal content of some of the sessions that we do, just pop down and get the ball rolling like I've done (see below). The first step is always the hardest as they say!

So here are my notes - use them as you will:

• Session 1. Monday 5th July, 5.30am, Challenge Stadium. Really cold morning today. Decided to join Pete Tanham's Rottnest Solo squad at Challenge - a sure fire way to get me back into the swing of things! Session is normally 1.5hrs and 4.5 to 5km. I can only fit in 60 minutes on a Monday morning, so already I had decided that I wasn't going to push myself too hard. Decided to sit right at the back of the lane and not even look at the pace clock. Aimed to adopt an air of "laziness" to help tame my natural "Arnie" instincts of being very competitive. Did wonders. Shoulders got a little tired after ~2km but just focused on relaxing in the water and not pushing too hard. The set was full of high-powered sprints (a little like our "Fresh & Fruity Thursday" sessions) but I decided to just dial it down a bit and literally just survive for 1 hour. Really happy after the session - not feeling great, but at least I could say that I'd started my campaign!
• Session 2. Wednesday 7th July, 5.30am, Challenge Stadium. From past experience I knew this was going to be the really tough session. Even after an extended break, your first session back can often feel OK and you can cheat yourself into believing that the lay-off didn't really do you any harm at all. However, just 48 hours after the first session, this 4.5km block including some sustained efforts over 200 to 300m was sure to test me. With my shoulders still a little heavy from the first session, again I had to just tell myself that survival was the name of the game today and that I wouldn't be breaking any world records yet. Survived it and quite surprised that I'd lasted such a long session - very, very slow though!
• Session 3. Thursday 8th July, 4.30pm, North Cottesloe Beach. I'd agreed (stupidly!) to meet up with Mark Scanlon (3rd place Rottnest Solo swimmer from 2008 and soon to be attempting the English Channel Swim) for one of his late afternoon cold water adaptation swims. We were due to swim in the rough surf (actually, HUGE surf!) at Cottesloe Beach. I love these conditions normally but when I'm lacking fitness and Mark is totally on top of his game, I knew I could be in trouble! It was ~15 degrees and my first thought was not how cold it was, but how totally uncoordinated my arms were - they just didn't feel like mine! I wanted them to do things and be faster and better and more powerful, but they just wouldn't work! I survived the 2km dash down to the groyne and back, but that was me done. Quite despondent that I'd felt so bad and been so slow, but had to tell myself it was only session # 3!
• Session 4. Saturday 10th July, 5.30am, Challenge Stadium. Mark was doing his "recovery" 10km pool swim this morning so I decided to join him for the first hour with the aim of getting 3km in. As there were only a few of us this morning I decided that I'd really just focus on myself and develop some good rhythm and timing again that I felt I'd lacked in Thursday's swim. To do this I used a Wetronome in the 1000m warm-up set to a pace of 1:32 per 100m. This felt good, and whilst not fast, at least it helped give me a structured goal to work towards and to feel like I was pacing myself well. We then did 2 x 800m + 45s rest where I decided to test myself a little bit, totally unknowing as to whether I'd be able to hold my goal pace of 1:28 per 100m. The irony here is that prior to my Rottnest Solo swim in 2009, this was the pace which I would go on to be able to swim for the entire 20km across to Rottnest! I felt like I'd really accomplished something in this session, despite Mark lapping me on the 2nd 800m AND he "just" doing a 10km recovery swim! That guy is on fire!!
• Session 5. Monday 12th July, 5.30am, Challenge Stadium. Back with the Solo squad this morning and more focus today on technique. It's funny, but in order to really work on technique you need to at least have some semblance of fitness to support what you're doing. As such, this technique work came at the right time - I'd got myself back into a bit of flow, my confidence was (slowly) picking up, but again I didn't want to push too hard so just did the first hour of their session. At the end of this session I felt quite positive that I would indeed have a good session by # 6 - was I right?!
• Session 6. Wednesday 14th July, 5.30am, Challenge Stadium. Literally as soon as I hit the water today I knew I was going to have my best session yet. Sometimes you can just feel that - everything feels loose and relaxed and breathing feels easy. My confidence was up and I cannot believe that when Pete said we were going to do a 400m Time Trial today I was actually excited about the prospect of it! Weird, hey?! Dr. Gary Claydon (Caroline from Lane # 1 in the 6.30am squad's husband) expertly led our lane through the 400m and whilst I arguably got a bit of a tow from Gary I was happy to have swum 5'13" for the 400m. I predicted 5'15" (which is nearly a full minute slower than my P.B) but for now it'd have to do and was at least a starting point. A Time Trial is only ever a measure of where you're at right now, so never be afraid to try one and see where you're at - the stopwatch never lies!

Hope this helps get you back into the swing of things too!

Cheers

Paul

P.S My seventh session was a super test - in fact probably the most challenging swim I've ever done on minimal fitness - a 4.5km swim in the Swan River in 13 degrees of water - ouch! It was super cold. We were in for just over an hour, but reality hit home when I realised that I'd be looking for at least another 8 to 9 hours in the water in the English Channel in 14 months time in similar icy conditions. Here's to a load more doughnuts then and a load more miles in the arms!!