Friday, December 19, 2014

The 12 K's of Christmas!

Dear Swimmers

Firstly, please let me take this opportunity to wish you all a great Christmas and very prosperous New Year! Your support over the last 12 months has been extremely appreciated and I really do hope you've enjoyed every moment of training with the Swim Smooth Perth Squad this year…OK, well, almost every moment - there's been a few blood, sweat and tears shed in some of the harder sessions for sure but I'm sure it's always worth it when you're sat down nursing your post-swim coffee / tea / protein shake afterwards!

Secondly, I wanted to highlight a bit of a plan for anyone seeking to keep their swimming ticking over throughout the holiday season. As mentioned back in August when we outlined the Rottnest Channel Swim program specifically, I am firmly of the belief that you all require (and deserve!) a little down time over the holidays even when training for these big events. 

As I write this, we're still 64 days away from Rottnest and many of you Solo swimmers have already qualified very admirably with your 10km qualifying races at City Beach and Champion Lakes, so it's OK to throttle back a touch just now to give your body a little chance to recover and your mind to refresh and realise why you're doing the event - none of us are racing for sheep stations and one of the most important things is that you get yourself to that start line fighting fit and raring to go with a sparkle in your eye…so be wary of over-cooking it over Christmas when your time would be better spent enjoying some R&R with your families - they'll certainly thank you for it! Don't stop completely of course, but know that the real assault begins again in the final run-in from Monday 5th January onwards!

And if you're not swimming across to Rottnest in 2015, well the coach says you deserve an extra couple of lie-ins this holiday - that's not me going soft, just an appreciation and respect for how you all get up several times each week at the crack of dawn (and often before!) all year long and inspire me with your attendance and commitment!

Here's the (suggested) plan:

  • Saturday 20th December - up to 10km open water swim at the Claremont Jetty, start at 5.30am
  • Sunday 21st December - up to 10km open water swim at the Claremont Jetty, start at 6.00am (I would recommend one or the other of the 20/21st December - rest on the alternative day)
  • Monday 22nd December - squad sessions* 7-8am and 9.30-10.30am = easy technique
  • Tuesday 23rd December - squad sessions* 5.30-6.30am / 6.30-7.30am and 6.30-7.30pm = fun, festive session with a little frivolity and a touch of solid work! Last official session(s) of 2014!
  • Wednesday 24th December - the (up to) 12k's of Christmas open water swim at the Claremont Jetty, start at 5.30am
  • Thursday 25th December - day off
  • Friday 26th December - easy 3 or 4k ocean or river swim or follow this session***: https://app.swimsmooth.com/sequence/ks/ckX/session-13-symmetry/
  • Saturday 27th December - day off
  • Sunday 28th December - day off
  • Monday 29th December - easy 2 to 3k ocean or river swim or follow this session***: https://app.swimsmooth.com/sequence/ks/clR/session-20-exhalation-control/
  • Tuesday 30th December - moderately intense 3 or 4k ocean or river swim or follow this session: https://app.swimsmooth.com/sequence/cAq/cAv/the-classic-red-mist-set/
  • Wednesday 31st December - moderately intense 2 to 5k ocean or river swim or follow this session***: https://app.swimsmooth.com/sequence/tc/chj/session-6-blast-it/
  • Thursday 1st January - day off
  • Friday 2nd January - easy 3 or 4k ocean or river swim or follow this session***: https://app.swimsmooth.com/sequence/HZ/cbG/session-5-drill-pyramid/
  • Saturday 3rd January - the (2nd) (up to) 12k's of Christmas open water swim at the Claremont Jetty, start at 5.30am OR The Cottesloe Classic Mile
  • Sunday 4th January - the (2nd) (up to) 2k's of Christmas open water swim at the Claremont Jetty, start at 6.00am (I would recommend one or the other of the 3/4th January - rest on the alternative day)
  • Monday 5th January - squad sessions** 7-8am and 9.30-10.30am = easy technique First official session(s) of 2015! All sessions to re-commence as normal, see: http://www.swimsmooth.com/perth_timetable.html

* these squad sessions are open on a priority-basis to all swimmers given the expectancy of lower numbers next week, i.e. priority is given to those who normally attend these sessions. Space may be available for other pre-existing squad participants (from other sessions), but cannot be guaranteed. A max of 8 to 10 swimmers per lane will be permitted for these sessions. By all means pop along and see, but please don't be disappointed if I cannot allow you to swim and you haven't already notified me of your intent to attend as requested a couple of weeks ago. There is a high chance of space being available in the Tuesday 6.30pm especially. Thank you!
** normal squad place allocations will resume from Monday 5th January onwards.
*** these sessions can be accessed by registering for the new Swim Smooth Coaching System web app at https://app.swimsmooth.com - if you do so before tomorrow, the monthly cost is just $13.99 and you are free to unsubscribe at any time - this is a great way to keep your swimming ticking over and even give you a little "homework" for the holidays to improve whilst everyone else is watching Disney Movies! Trust me, you'll love it!

Cheers and have a great one!

Paul




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