Metalman Swim Series sponsored by Harry's Bar - Rosses Point, Sligo.
Article 4
We're in for a treat with the final of our 4 articles accompanying the Metalman Swim Series coming from Neil Walton (Pictured right). For those of you who don't know Neil, he is Sligo's prominent Triathlete having represented Ireland at Junior and Senior level in Triathlon and won senior state divisions whilst living in Australia.
Neil is also a lifeguard and swim coach and has coached under Olympic standard coaches so his advice well worth taking on board.
"Swim Training week before Race.
The objective the week before your swim section of a triathlon is to first and foremost that you are fresh going into the event even if you are looking on the event as a training session. To do justice to yourself be fresh and have the knowledge that you are not overcooked to give the event 100%.
I generally do short interval work, they can range from 50 to 150m sprints @ 80% effort, no point in getting injured so close to the event. Have 30 sec – 1min recovery, and do maximum of 1500 metres session. You can do up to 4 swims before the event again making sure you upper body is fresh for the comp.
Starts / Exits
In conjunction with your sprints it is no harm to practice starts and exits. This will depend if the event allows running starts or waist water starts.
If running starts I would normally do a technique of dolphin dives until I get deep enough to swim and generally will sprint for the first 200m to get in the right position in the pack. I would use the same technique exiting the water.
Waist water starts are pretty simple, once the gun goes off start swimming
like a bat out of hell to get some clear, open water, it is important to position yourself in our ability level as been swum over is not fun.
I would also concentrate on my flexibility as well the week leading up to my swim, the more flexibility you are the more stream lined you can be, plus you will put less strain on your ligaments and joints, please stretch correctly.
The day before your event, make sure you get out for a easy relaxed swim, a complete rest day can leave triathletes sluggish on the morning of the event. Also for the whole week, concentrate on super hydrating your body with good clean water, add lemon or lime to water with a small pinch of natural unbleached sea salt. (3 – 4 litres of general size adult) Drink water slowly.
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPETING IN TRIATHLONS
This is a huge a varied subject to touch on, I have been interested in sports psychology since college, and each year, new and more complex theories and methods come on stream.
However I will endeavour to give some very basic rules to follow when it come to our little monkeys in our heads.
Thoughts
Most of your are aware that we think in excess of 50,000 thoughts a day, thoughts are energy and you can either make those thoughts beneficial for your training / life / sport or not.
I believe and have observed the reason why some of the best athletes in the world fall desperately in the Olympics and elite competition is because of the self beliefs of the athlete and their expectations leading up to the event, while the other less known athletes do very well.
If we can simply give ourselves a break and not put so much pressure leading up to your event we would all do much better. To enter an event free of nerves and full of excitement, joy and dear I stay a bit of love you would be surprised how much better you would perform.
So for your next Triathlon, consider having fun, enjoy each stroke, each pedal and each step you take in the event, to me that is the ultimate prize on the day, to say that you truly enjoy the journey of training and competing is a very worthwhile goal.
Have a great day.
Neil Walton."
