The Week Ahead: 11.11 to 11.16

"I am building a fire,

and every day I train,

I add more fuel.

At just the right moment,

I light the match."

~Mia Hamm

Overall, a fairly basic week this week.  Rachel and Erica will be swimming in the Second Shave meet to try to qualify in the 100 Fly and 50 Free, a second event for each of them!  Otherwise, we have normal practice times.

Taper Info

In basic terms, a "taper" is a period of rest, the idea being that the athlete will be in peak shape and fully rested for the big meet. We will begin to back off yardage (NOT intensity) and it will gradually decrease throughout  the next two weeks.  We will also focus more on starts, turns, finishes, etc., all the small details that lead to faster swimming.  For us, this will be first evident this coming Wednesday.  Naturally, we will see a significant increase in daily energy levels, which is exactly what we want!  However, we need to store up these reserves, NOT increase other activities simply because we have the excess energy to do so.  Make sure to get as much sleep as usual, if not more, and limit other vigorous activities.  What we do outside of the pool has as much of an impact on our performance as what we will be doing in practice!  Also, it's important to note that it's perfectly normal to feel a bit sluggish for a day or two during this time as our bodies will be undergoing a lot of adaptations due to the rest.

Tuesday 11.12

• Second Shave Meet: 
• Warm Up @ 5:30.  Meet Starts @ 6:30pm.

Friday 11.15

• Girls need to bring their team suit from this season and a silver state cap.  If they don't have a silver cap from a previous year, they'll be provided with one.
• Practice out at 5:30pm.

Saturday 11.16

• Last Saturday practice!
• Doors OPEN at 8:00am.
• We will be out of the water at 10:00am and then will be heading to the Sall's house for a team breakfast.