JUMP START MEET THOUGHTS

 

We had a really good weekend down in Greensboro with a lot of PB times, good races and fast and exciting relays.  This meet was a great way to start off your new year and gauge where you are in your swimming going into the next 2 months.

Upon arrival Friday afternoon/evening we had a chance to warmup and stretch those muscles out after the car ride down.  We had a lot of you take advantage of that time and get in that little swim.  

The coaches were very impressed with all of the Mako swimmers with the way that they handled themselves while at the facility.  With the facility having 5 pools we all found the correct pool and lanes for warmups and were able to get behind the blocks for all of our races.  Believe us that is the first step to success, knowing when and where your are suppose to be and getting there.  Great job everyone.

Hopefully each of you got some good feedback from one of the coaches on deck and will be able to take

that feedback back to your workouts   Write that feedback down in your journals or somewhere you will see it to remind you what you need to work on for your next time out.

One of the biggest areas that most if not all of us need to focus on at

workouts is our turns.  The turns are one of the most critical areas of your race.  It's not a time where you want to relax and slow down because if you do that you need to use more energy to get back up to speed.  In a short course pool that can be a disaster as those walls are coming at you so quickly.  Let's not take the walls for granted.  Set those turns up and think "speed in--speed out".  If we can change our thought process around the walls eventually it will pay dividends and you will see it with your times.

This past week I have put in a set right after warmup that will help us focus in on all of our turns and we will do the same set every day for all of the groups with a slight change in strokes.  

the set involves 12x50's (3 sets of 4 with increasing speed)

Senior Prep and Junior Gold (different intervals)

4x50 free (throw the turn deep arm no breath)

4x50 free/back (throw the turn)

4x50 back (stroke count and underwaters)

For Senior Prep we went 50/45/40/35 rest for all 3 sets) Gold 1:00/55/50/45

The other set will look like this

4x50 back

4x50 back/breast (some IM turns)

4x50 breast (open turn similar to your fly

Before any of you say that's boring you need to understand that I believe that improvements will come from repetitions and not from throwing a different hard practice every day.  Imagine every great turn being worth a dollar.  You do a hundred of them you'll end up being a rich person.

TACKLING THE UNKNOWN

“YOUR ONE SWIM AWAY FROM A PERSONAL BEST”

 Great job by all of you who came out to swim the 1000 and 1650 last weekend.

Why do we do it at least once a year ?  First off I really believe it’s a great way to start off a new year especially coming off of our holiday training.  

Second of all is that swimming this event will give all of you a better perspective on all the shorter events especially as we head into our championship season.  

Third these events will help you to gain a better insight into your pacing techniques and how to use that tool.  It also is a great confidence builder that will help you when facing those 100’s, 200’s and that 500.  Why do I mention the 500 free, simply it’s another freestyle event in High School that provides another opportunity during those meets.

My big take away from the meet that we addressed this past week were are turns, head position going into them and throwing our arm across our center line.  This week we talked about how we are changing direction as we go into the wall.  WE ARE NOT TURNING.  Your head is looking at the bottom as you go into that turn.  We need to buy into this simple concept when you turn and move the head to the side you are going off the center line and your body follows your head. (Circle swimming).   START THINKING MY HEAD GO BACK IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT IT CAME FROM.

SETS FROM THIS WEEK TO ADDRESS BOTH ISSUES.

6 x

• 25 kick position 11 @30
• 25 R arm lead @30 (nose and eyes looking at bottom)
• 25 L ARM SEAD @30 (same as above)
• 50 free to back @50 think turn

Rest 10 between rounds

Set for tuns with partner (whole group 2 on each line)

FLOAT- on 1st whistle fast kick position 11- on 2nd whistle 3 fast strokes on 3rd stroke flip feet right over shoulders (THINK OVER THE TOP)

DISTANCE MEET 1650

The 1000 free today went well and you all did a great job.  Sorry the scoreboard was not putting up splits but they are now up on meet mobile.  Look at that first one to see if you were aggressive and by about the 3rd or 4th 50 you should have your pace down.  Check those last 2 to to see if you were picking up speed.  If that last one was 2 or more seconds faster we were probably holding back a little too much.

There were a few things that I did notice that we can fix together that will help your 50-100-200-500 but ill talk about that with Mondays post.   We did have a swimmer (no names) who took 2 time outs during the swim.  Not the first time I've seen this and it won't be the last, but THERE ARE NO TIME OUTS IN SWIMMING.  

SUNDAY 1650 

  HEAT 1 @8:10  HEAT 2@8:27  HEAT 3 @8:45  HEAT 4 @9:04   HEAT 5 @9:23

HEAT 6 CONOR LANE 5 @9:42  HEAT 7 @10:02  HEAT 8 CLAIRE A. LANE 2 @10:22

HEAT 9 @10:43  HEAT 10 @11:05  HEAT 11 SAM F. LANE 5 and EVERETT LANE 6 @11:25

HEAT 12 @11:45  HEAT 12 MEADOW LANE 10 @12:05

Today they were only about 10 minutes behind so they did a good job.  Plan to arrive 1 hour before your heat goes off  and start your warmup.  Get a good 400 in with some kick .  My suggestion than is about 8 50's using the clock.  You know what you want to hold so use the clock to get a feel for that speed.  Rest 20 to30 seconds between each one.

HAVE FUN WITH THE EVENT.

DISTANCE MEET 1000 FREE

Unfortunately they did not put heat start times down because the 500 entry times would throw the time line off.  If my math is correct (BIG IF) these are approximate start times for heats if everything runs smoothly.

Heats 1-13 were pretty simple.  From Heat 14 to 24 all entry times were based on 500 times so those are a Mike conversion.  The first number is your heat/lane and then your heat start time

My suggestion is to arrive  minutes to 1 hour before start time.  Go through your warm up and be ready to GET AFTER IT.

For the kids from our Junior Gold and Senior Prep groups your warm up should be a 300 swim/ 200 kick and after that 8-10 50's pace work which should be the time your trying to hold on your 50's.  Rest 20-30 seconds between each repeat.  Focus on fast turns with strong movement in and out of your turns.

Have a great time with this event!!!!

HEAT/LANE/ HEAT START TIME APPROXIMATE

LILLY 5/7 8:53

NATHAN T. 6/1 9:04

MEADOW 10/7 9:54

GWYN  14/8   10:49

DARREN 14/2  10:49

JACK M. 14/10  10:49

ABBY  15/6  11:01

WILL  16/6  11:15

ANDREW 16/3  11:15

JAXON 18/6  11:43

MASON  18/8  11:43

LU LU 18/1  11:43

JULIA  19/4  11:57

EVAN 19/7  11:57

LIAM W.   19/3  11:57

NATHAN H  20/4  12:10

JACK D.  21/5 12:24

KEEGAN  22/5  12:38

WILLAM F  22/2  12:38

ARIA  22/10  12:38

IZZIE  23/6  12:52

NEAL  23/4  12:52

KATIE K. 23/10  12:52

AIDEN  245/5  1:01

NEW BEGINNINGS

 

Welcome to 2026 a new year with new opportunities including personal, academic and of course in your swimming.

First off I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts, cards and gifts during the holiday season.  I hope each and every one of you enjoyed the time with your families and friends, the moments away from the pool and took the time to reflect on your swimming through the first part of the season.

A big THANK YOU and shout out to all the Senior Prep and Junior Gold swimmers who made the effort to attend workouts over the holidays and thank you to your parents for getting you to the pool.

Your little books have provided some good reading material over the break and of course there was a mixture of thought put into them but nevertheless pretty entertaining while reading and picturing you putting your thoughts into your workouts.

A lot of people start the new year off making all kinds of resolutions only to see them fall off the cliff with each days.   As swimmers I like to think instead of making that all for nothing resolution let’s just look back and see how we have done at our mid-point of the season.

As you arrive to the pool on Friday for those first workouts of the year, be ready to look forward to accepting the new challenges that 2026 will throw your way in all aspects of your life.  Although you set some goals back in September as we started this journey the break gives you a chance to catch your breath and revisit those goals and do any tweaking that is necessary as we head into the heart of our season.

What worked well for you during the first part of the season, what areas do you really need to buckle down and focus on during the next few months to give yourself a chance to be successful.  Be truly honest with your self and make a note to yourself that states the following, “I’m going to make you so proud.”  Put it where you can read it often.

We are looking forward to getting off to a great start with some fast swimming over the next few months.  It 

DEAR SANTA LETTER 2025

How would a swimmers letter might look like this year.

Dear Santa 🧑‍🎄 

 

I had a pretty good year with my swimming.  I made most of my practices throughout the year and I felt I had a good mindset when the year  began.  I am starting to learn that this sport can be brutal with all the peaks and valleys that a swimmer experiences.  I tried really hard to control my emotions in the valleys as well as on the peaks.

Santa if you could as you come through my neighborhood sprinkle some of that North Pole dust over me so that I can continue to work on strengthening my mindset so that I will treat a bad swim as a learning experience that I can learn from and be better the next time out.  

I would also ask for tighter streamlines, stronger underwater’s and more aggressive turns. 

Most of all bring me and my teammates the enjoyment of working towards our goals together.  Help us enjoy the process and bring us the opportunity for some fast swimming.

Enjoy the cookies 🍪 and 🥛 

THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE

 

"The power of perseverance is the ability to keep going towards your goals despite challenges, failures and setbacks that you encounter along the way."  

In previous posts we have discussed "the process" that is involved in swimming and how as you work through that process you will encounter road blocks that you need to work through.

Logan and I are working hard on having a plan on getting you to your goals both physically and mentally.  We see a swimmers who spend a lot of time in the pool just meandering up and down the pool without attention to the little things that affect you on the day of your races.  While it is true that there is no substitute for "HARD WORK",  it is important that you work hard in a smart way.  

When you develop the discipline in the way you swim you create the resilience, confidence, and character that create growth opportunities that will help you through those rough patches.

Put yourself in the illustration on the left where you swim into many different obstacles and you need to find the mindset, resilience, the grit and the persistence to get to the finish line.

MINDSET:  The ability to accept a challenge and viewing those challenges as opportunities to step up and get after it.  The mindset not to fear that challenge as a threat.

RESILIENCE:  When you hit a setback, you have the discipline to use it as a learning experience and bounce back next time out.  This bounce back may take several meets, over a number of weeks or months.  You will bounce back.

GRIT:  The ability to develop the stamina and passion to work towards your goals when things get hard and not back away.

PERSISTENCE:  Despite the difficulties and and obstacles that are hurled at you, there is that mindset that allows you to keep going.

WORK OUT OF THE WEEK

Warm up

400 free

4x100 @1:30 (25IMO+75 free)  #4 is all IM

4x50 kick@1:00 boards (E-F/ F-E/  E/  ALL FAST)

HUMP DAY WEDNESDAY

5x100 free @1:25

4x75 IMO @1:15 (fast walls)

1 x50 kick fast 1:10

RESET

4X100 FREE @1:25

4X75 IMO @1:15 (fast walls)

2x50 kick fast @1:10

RESET

3x100 free @1:25

4x75 @1:15 IMO (fast walls)

3x50 kick fast @1:10

RESET

2x100 free @1:25

4x75 IMO @1:15

4x50 kick fast @1:10

RESET

1x100 free fast with fins (2 seconds under your best)

JINGLE BELL RELAYS