- Currently 5/5 Stars.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Offline 
4 Votes / 13,273 Views |
|
|
|
|
Well, it's less than a week until Colonies Zones, and I'm getting fired up. Last night, my coach told me that I have a lot of potential. She told me that I already have the speed, I just need to build up the endurance. I tend to want to do the entire workout at race pace, which I can't quite do yet. As a result, I end up going fairly hard for about 30 minutes, and then I start to tire and wear out. She told me to back it off and focus on technique, going for speed only at those part of the workout when we are going for time. Anyway, the entries are finalized and our team is only sending seven swimmers to this event. Only two others are in my age group, but one of the coaches--who is 29--is swimming as well; he is only swimming the 1,500m ("only") which is in the morning, so I'm hoping he will want to stick around for a relay or two in the afternoon. I am swimming the 100m free and the 100m breast on Saturday, and I'm hoping to swim in at least one relay. On Sunday, I'm swimming the 50m free and the 50m breast. Those are the two events I'm most excited about. I'm going to have a big group of "fans" on Sunday, including my mom, my sister, my girlfriend, possibly my niece and nephew, and possibly my girlfriend's cousin. My older nephew was going to come, but he is with his father that weekend, so he may not come. I will post an update and results after the meet on Sunday, so stay tuned!
|
It's been a little while (3 weeks) since I posted, so I figured I'd update everyone following my blog (thanks be to ye, faithful followers of my humble swimming adventures).
Since I last posted, I have had several new things come to light. The first started with my second meet, which took place October 18th, 2008 in Cantonsville, MD at the beautiful UMBC pool. I was signed up for the 200 free, the 100 breast, and the 100 IM. My first revelation came 100 yards into the 200 free: I am not a distance swimmer--at least, not in freestyle. I swam a dreadful 3:37. I swim faster than that at practice going less than race pace, so I know I'm capable of better; however, I went out too fast and died in the end. I have a lot of problems controlling my pace and holding back, so I'm fairly certain I am best suited to shorter races in the front crawl.
The second revelation was that I have a lot of potential in breaststroke. I beat my seed time by a second, swimming the 100 in 1:34.44. That is a fairly respectable time for someone who had only been swimming for 6 weeks at the time. I immediately recognized things I did wrong in the race that would have significantly reduced my time. I took it out slow because I was afraid of dying again, I did not streamline very well, my arm recovery was slow, and my turns were slow. I also did a very flat dive. I didn't know it at the time, but I was also breathing incorrectly. I'll talk about that more later. Despite all this, and in fact, because of my ability to recognize this, I felt good about the swim and my future with breaststroke.
The third revelation was that I need more than 2-1/2 minutes between events. The 100 IM was two events after the 100 breast, but the event in the middle consisted of 4 heats of the 50 fly. Needless to say, by the time I was toweled off and ready to go swim down, it was time for me to race again. I scratched the event, because I was afraid I would not be able to finish it due to fatigue and my currently inefficient butterly and backstroke. I was okay with that, and it didn't disappoint me too much.
Since the meet, I have had good days and bad days in practice. My front crawl has improved dramatically, as I am no longer attempting to do the s-stroke that so many of my heroes use (Thorpie, Phelps, Sullivan), but rather listening to my coaches and using a straight pull with an early vertical forearm. Watching videos of Stefan Nystrand has also helped, as my hand posture has improved and helps me be more boyant while gliding. My sprint front crawl has gone down from 34 to 27 seconds per 50 yards. I know I can go faster there as well, it's just a matter of keeping my stroke efficient and really engaging my kick.
I haven't given up on the breaststroke either, and in fact, have dramatically improved. I did a time trial off a dive and a clear lane, and swam it in 29 seconds. This was several weeks ago. Since then, I have not swam the 50 breast as well, even in practice. Today, however, I realized my problem. Essentially, I have been working towards rapid turnover and speed, but sacrificing my stroke efficiency. I did a workout that I found on the USMS forums:
Warm Up
200 EZ (100 FR/100 BR)
50 underwater pull, then FR (essentially, doing a long underwater breaststroke pull to maximize distance)
100 drill (1 pull, 2 kicks BR)
50 pull FR
Main Set
8x25 BR ALL OUT - 3:00
4x25 BR Distance per Stroke - 5 seconds rest
4x25 BR ALL OUT - 3:00
Warm Down
100 EZ
I recorded the times to mark my progress. The first 8 sprints were an improvement on my Aquapalooza times, ranging between 18 and 20 seconds per 25 yards; however, I was getting frustrated because I knew I could go faster. Ironically, the great breaststroker Brendan Hansen is the one who got me into competitive swimming, and it was a video of Michael Phelps swimming breaststroke--his worst stroke--that keyed me in on my issues. I spent the 4x25 DPS between the sprints fixing my breathing, my kick, and my shoulder hunches. I hit the last 4x25 sprints between 15 and 16 seconds every time. I was quite pleased with this, as it puts me at a 30-31 second 50 yard breast off a push, which should yield me a 28-29 second 50 breast off a dive. That gets me back to where I was, and conscious of what I am doing right.
Even more importantly, I was going at a speed I could hold for an entire 100, which would put me around a :58-1:00 for a 100 breast. That is a great time, and I hope to make that at my next meet (Nov. 15). My 50 breast will improve with some time, since I only need to work on decreasing the glide time without chopping the stroke. I see myself hitting 25-26 second 50s fairly shortly. I just need to buckle down and really focus in practice and on my own. It's going to take some serious dedication, but I think I'm up for it!
In addition to the fabulous swimming updates, I have a new sponsor--H2O Audio. I am currently awaiting my welcome kit, but I am so happy to be part of the H2O Audio Team, which also has the wonderful Natalie Coughlin--world record holder and multiple Olympic medalist--in its ranks. Essentially, H2O Audio makes waterproof cases for iPods that are designed to be used by athletes in a myriad of sports, from swimming and triathlons to kayaking and surfing. I plan on using mine to warm up before races as well as wear during practices to keep my rhythm and timing (when I'm not boogying down in the deep end of the pool!). My welcome kit should be arriving shortly, so I will give an update on how everything works as soon as I get to test it out.
I am also in the process of filming several mini-commercials for my sponsors. They are all being filmed by me and a small crew of people providing cinematography and music services. My hope is to release one on my swimroom page, blog, facebook and loopd.com accounts. They will be shorts displaying my swimming as well as my sponsors, and hopefully will serve as promos for future sponsors that may consider me for their teams.
That's all for now. I will update you again after my meet on the 15th of this month. Happy swimming!
|
I just wanted to give an update of my sponsorship situation. I have a bunch of great sponsors now, and I feel it is only right to acknowledge them. As I mentioned before, You Scared? Industries was the first company to sponsor me. I wear their hoodie to practice and meets. I have gotten several compliments on it, and I have to say that it keeps me extremely warm, yet if I get too hot, just pulling the sleeves up does the trick.
I am also sponsored by Rockwell Timekeepers, an athletic watch company. Their watches are incredible looking, and they take care of their athletes. I look forward to our relationship growing as I continue to represent them in and out of the pool.
Another one of my sponsors is Beljum Budder. They make this great lotion that goes on under your suit. It is great for triathletes, cyclists, runners, and swimmers alike. What might be the best thing is that it doesn't ruin your suit, since it is stain and fragrance free. It is also packed with vitamins A, D, and E to promote healthy skin. As an added bonus, they don't test on animals.
Another sponsor of mine is Concept2 rowing machines. Indoor rowers are a great way to increase endurance and work your lats and arms. They make a great product for anyone competing or participating in endurance sports.
My newest sponsor is Fluid. They are a company that specializes in muscle recovery. Fluid is a drink designed to provide better and faster muscle recovery after sustained workouts. A lot of scientific research has gone into Fluid, and is available on their website. It has been shown that a combination of protein and carbohydrates taken within 30 minutes of finishing a workout provides for the most effective muscle recovery. Fluid makes this easy by providing an easy to mix drink with 7g of protein and 25g of carbohydrates as well as 2500mg of L-Glutamine. In addition, Fluid replenishes lost electrolytes with a combination of sodium and potassium. It also helps boost stressed immune systems with 166% DV of vitamin C. Personally, I like the Berry Treasure. There are no artificial flavors, colors, or ingredients in Fluid, and it is guaranteed that there never will be. For those of you wondering about calories, there are only 128 calories, 8g of sugar (natural, not artificial), and 0g of fat per serving.
I look forward to growing as an athlete and fostering a wonderful relationship with all my sponsors. Any company that supports athletes at all levels is a company that I am proud to promote.
|
|
Well, my first meet is behind me. It was full of good and bad things, but overall it was a good experience. The meet was carried over two days, the actual competition on Saturday and a small registration party Friday night at the famous Stonewall Inn. We checked in, got our heat sheets and information programs, and then moved over to Ostia's for some dinner. It was a tapas place, so we all shared our food. It was really good, and I got to try a little of everything.
Saturday morning, I arrived at the pool to find blistering hot temperatures in almost every area of the center. The stands were small and out of the way, so I had to go up a flight of stairs and through a maze to get to my girlfriend between races when I wasn't hanging out with my team. The PA system was really bad, and many swimmers missed their heats--including myself. The organizers also had problems with the heat sheets. We were given one on Friday, and then on Saturday morning we were told that it was incorrect. We were given another one, which we were later told was also incorrect, and the official one was taped to the wall. The pool was nice, but it was not amazing. It was only seven feet deep, and not as fast as I thought it was going to be. In fact, the 6-lane 25-yard pool my team practices in seems faster. Overall, I just did not see a $66.3 million facility.
As far as my performance goes, it was a mixed bag. I got flustered before my first race--the 50m Breaststroke--because I barely made it to the blocks on time. Apparently some heats were combined in the event before mine, and I was unaware. I had to get out of the pool and go right onto the block. Needless to say, if I am not focused, I make mistakes. My start was flat and shallow, and my pullout was bad. My stroke started off poor and did not recover. My turn--which I had done hundreds of times before in practice--was horrendous. But, I did come in second place in my heat and in my age group, so I can't complain too much.
I missed my second event (100m Breaststroke) because I was warming up and did not hear my heat called. I was considering scratching it because I wasted a lot of energy in the 50 breast, and I had entered a 200m Freestyle relay that I wanted to do well in for my team. Well, the decision was made for me, so no harm done.
The relay was really great. I swam third and swam seven seconds faster than I ever have in practice. I'm not a sprinter, but it was still a good race. It was awesome to be part of the team atmosphere, cheering for everyone else and beating the pants of the other team in the pool. Our team came in first in our heat, but I'm not sure of our overall place.
It was my first meet, and I made all the mistakes I was afraid of making. I'm glad it happened that way, because now I won't be so paranoid about something going wrong--I'll just be ready to have some fun and swim fast (and win!). My next meet is this Saturday (10/18/08). It is the first meet in the 2008-2009 Maryland Memorial Swim Series. I will be swimming the 200y Freestyle, the 100y Breaststroke, and the 100y IM. I'm a little nervous about the IM, but my Butterfly is coming along really well, so we'll see.
|
Well, I can no longer swim on a college team--not that I did or wanted to anyway. But, it's still cool to say that I've "turned pro". Last night I accepted a sponsorship offer from You Scared? Industries, a clothing company with some badass stuff (especially their hoodie). I don't plan on accepting or applying for any sponsorship deals with companies I don't believe in, so when I say that their philosophy and products are great, I actually mean it. Also, it means that you won't see me being sponsored by Monster or RedBull or any of those Fuck the Police clothing brands, because I don't agree with the things they say or do.
Basically, my deal with You Scared? is a great stepping stone into the pro world of sports. Not only am I happy to be a part of their team because I love the company, but the boost they have given me will hopefully allow me to garner sponsorships from other companies. There are a few that I am eagerly awaiting responses from, such as Verve! Energy Drink and Rockwell Watches. I want to represent Verve! not because they are an energy drink, but because their mission is to produce an energy drink that is healthy for your body rather than destructive. Athletes need to take care of themselves, and they get that. Rockwell just makes slick watches that seem like they should be worn by Ian Thorpe or Michael Phelps, and I'd love to promote that kind of elegance.
Now, I just need to figure out a way to get the You Scared? logo on my swim cap...
|
|
Well, it's more than just the butterfly, but the alliteration sounded good. Tonight at practice, I dramatically lowered my time for the 50y free (from about 35-38s to 27-29s). But, more importantly, I actually managed to do a bit of fly. We did a 200 drill where we essentially just did the butterfly pull without worrying about the over-the-water recovery or the dolphin kicks. After that, I felt comfortable with the underwater motion, so I added in the arm recovery. That worked, so I let my legs sort of dolphin kick whenever they wanted. It resulted in a 1-beat kick, but that's better than nothing! It looks like my body may be capable of the fly after all.
Meanwhile, I'm fairly certain I am going to do well at Aquapalooza. We had a mini-meet time trial earlier this week, and I swam the 50 breast in just under 30 seconds. After a three-week taper (yes, I've decided to taper) and swimming fresh, I've got some high expectations for my times at the meet. I'm not going to share them in the interest of not jinxing myself, but I'm confident and excited about them. I'll let you know what they were once the meet is over.
|
|
Well, it's about that time. Aquapalooza is coming up in a little more than three weeks. Studies show that two to three weeks is optimal taper time to perform at the highest potential; however, I am having trouble deciding if Aquapalooza is a meet that warrants tapering. Most of the swimmers on my team only taper for big meets--and I mean a true taper, not just taking it easy a few days before the meet. I think that is true of most successful competitive swimmers. Aquapalooza is a big meet for me, not only because it is my first, but because the times I achieve there will qualify me or keep me out of a big meet in December. If my times are not low enough, I have a second chance in November, which further complicates things.
Essentially, it breaks down like this. If I taper for Aquapalooza, that means I cannot taper for for the November meet should I need to go, or I will only have a week of full intensity training before December--that is unacceptable. If I don't taper for Aquapalooza, I still can't taper for the November meet, because I would be in the same situation. The decision rests on whether or not I want to taper once before December, or continue a fairly high intensity schedule until mid-November.
We did mock races last night at practice, where we started off the blocks and did a 50y at a fast speed. It was the end of practice, and I was tired; however, I pulled in a 28s or 29s 50y breaststroke. I thought that was pretty good considering the situation. If I taper properly, that time should go down appreciably. The question is, is that time good enough to qualify me for the meet in December? For the USMS Colonies Zone Championships, it most likely is. There aren't any time standards posted yet (and I'm not sure if there will be); but, I think the standards will be higher than my times. There is a US-S meet on the same weekend that I would love to attend: the 2008 Short Course National Championships. For the 100y breaststroke, the standard is 57.59s. I would have to be able to hold my current fast-paced 50y throughout the whole 100 in order to be under that. Without a full practice, I could probably get under 57.59s, but do I really want to risk it? If I don't make it at Aquapalooza, I have one more shot before the deadline to register; however, I won't be able to taper for that last chance meet, so I want to do everything I can to make sure I can hit the mark at Aquapalooza.
To taper or not to taper? My times are good, but they need to be better. After three weeks of additional hard training, they will probably go down, but will I be able to perform at the meet? With a proper taper and focusing on technique, DPS, and maintaining good form, I believe I can do even better.
|
|
The Philadelphia Fins are Philadelphia's gay and lesbian masters swim team. I am absolutely horrendous at estimating numbers, but I'd have to say that there are probably around 40 swimmers at every practice. I haven't met all of them yet, but I have met a good majority. They are all good people with wonderful attitudes. Take my word for it that I'm not just spitting the party line so I don't offend anyone; I doubt anyone from the team is reading this. I just wanted to praise the people there before getting a little bit into my training so far, and I promise to try not to do that too much (I know too much flowery language can make you want to vomit).
Before joining the team, I could barely swim a lap without running out of air. Swimming with a team full of great swimmers is strong motivation to train outside of practice. For me, this involves three days a week in the weight room and lots of analyzing great swimmers' techniques. The practices are held at a 25-yard pool with six lanes. The lanes increase in skill level and speed, land six being the beginner lane. I started out in lane six, and I barely made it through the warm-up in my first practice last week. Nonetheless, I felt great sitting on the edge of the pool huffing and puffing.
Tonight was my first practice in lane five. On Tuesday, a new friend of mine who swims in lane five suggested I meander over there at the end of practice. We were doing sets of 50, 25 underwater, 30 seconds of vertical kick, and 25 easy swim. I went over and pumped out the sets. So, I decided to stay in lane five for today's practice. I had never swum a 400 anything before, but that was the first part of our warmup. I managed to finish it while maintaining good technique and without getting too winded. We then did a 300 IM (without the fly, since none of us in lane five can actually swim it well enough to do an entire 100), which I also finished well. At this point, I figured I was probably suited more for distance swims than sprints, since whenever I try to sprint, I would barely finish a 25, but my time would be more like an appropriate time for a 100; on the other hand, I've discovered that I can hold a fairly decent pace with good technique over a pretty good distance.
Strangely enough, I'm also good at breaststroke. I had a swimming breakthrough today that involved the breaststroke, and I'm pretty proud of it. I've noticed that a lot of the olympic breaststrokers swim the stroke differently. I've also read that there are upwards of 50 ways to swim it. Over the last few weeks, I have been experimented with different forms of the wave style and flat style. I've been using the wave style mostly, coming pretty far out of the water and diving down and forward. Unfortunately, my times have not been where I was hoping they'd be. Apparently, I am more suited to swim like the great Leisel Jones. The articles I have read about her talked about her odd, water-plow style. Well, I was trying to get through a breaststroke drill tonight, and I wound up converting to a style very similar to hers (a fact of which I was not aware until after practice). I didn't time myself, but I noticed that I was catching up to the swimmers ahead of me that were halfway across the pool, and my distance per stroke was much greater.
I'm planning on attending Aquapalooza on October 11. Up until tonight, I couldn't decide which events to register for; however, I think I am going to do the 50 and 100 breast. Eventually, I will be able to do the distance freestyle events (800, 1500), but until then (and even then, really), I think I'm going to stick to the breaststroke events. I'm going to mail in my registration form tomorrow and hope it gets there by the 24th. Don't screw me USPS!
|
|
I decided to start a swimming blog at the suggestion of a very insightful swimmer who posts under the alias Ande on the USMS forums. It was one of his many excellent Swim Faster Faster tips; his suggestion was to keep a journal of workouts, goals, expectation, etc. I thought that was an excellent idea, so here we are. This first post is sort of an introduction to who I am and why I started swimming, where I want to go in swimming, and what's going on right now. So, let's just jump right into it.
My name is Michael Goldstein, and I just started swimming a few weeks ago. I grew up participating in sports, primarily hockey. When I entered high school, I started wrestling, which led to submission grappling. I excelled there, winning or placing highly in several championships. I injured myself trying a flashy move in an important tournament (stupid, I know!), and couldn't compete for a little while. I got back into it, but meandered towards Judo with the hope of competing at the Olympic Trials for the 2012 summer games. That, in a way, is what led me to swimming.
Watching the Beijing Olympics really inspired me to dream big and go for broke (another SFF tip by the way). I watched Brenden Hansen do his leg in the Medley Relay, and something just struck me. I started watching videos of him swimming in past events. Watching him made me want to get in the pool. Initially, I started swimming because I thought it would be great conditioning for Judo; unfortunately for my Judo career, stepping into the pool would be the beginning of its end.
When I get into something, I really get into it. I tend to take things to the extreme, blocking out everything else and giving 150% in whatever the current interest may be. I have always been that way, which my mother and sister will be happy to confirm. That part of my personality must be from previous generations, because neither of my parents have been that way for as long as I can remember. In high school, I was really interested in music. I bought a ton of equipment, found some other musicians, and was convinced I'd make it big. That lasted about two years, until I stumbled into grappling. That obsession lasted a bit longer, but eventually it became a sidebar while I discovered something else. You get the idea.
Needless to say, my foray into swimming began with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods. I bought a speedo training suit, racing goggles, a swim cap, and a combination lock for the locker room. That day, I went to the pool to test everything out and have my first workout. A few minutes before stepping into the water, I realized that I probably should have looked at a few videos or articles of how to swim. I had always loved the water, from jetskis, powerboats, and waterskiing to kayaks, the beach, and lounging by the pool. Unfortunately, I never really cared much for the actual practice of swimming. Everytime I tried to do laps, I would get exhausted and frustrated. It just wasn't fun.
I stepped into the water, and dove right under. I didn't know it at the time, but my natural instinct was to do the regular breaststroke underwater pull, dolphin kick, streamline and all. That isn't anything too profound, and may have been a result of watching all those Brendan Hansen videos, but it felt good that it was so natural. I swam a few laps of breaststroke, and kicked into the finish with a smile on my face.
It has only been a couple of weeks since that day, but my technique has improved dramatically. I just joined a masters swim team in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Fins Aquatics Club. It's a wonderful team, with great coaches and teammates. Joining this team was definitely a great step towards becoming the swimmer I want to be, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the journey.
|
|
again. It has been a WHILE. Stupid job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|