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Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and
their enlightening answers, on Columbia Gorge Masters
Swimming. Be sure to read below!
This picture is referred to in the above FAQ’s,
showing Coach Paul and Bill, (Keeper of the Records and FAQ Man)
showing the rest of us how it is really done in Hood River.
Do I need an
invitation?
This is
it. Just show up.
How good a
swimmer should I be, really? Do I need prior swim team
experience?
Most of our
swimmers do not have a competitive background. We welcome
swimmers of all abilities, and expect only that you can swim 50
meters (two lengths of the pool) of freestyle (front crawl)
comfortably, while breathing to the side.
You start at 6
am? How long do you swim?
We get
there at 6 and start by pulling the pool covers and setting lane
lines. The overachieving/suck-up/coach’s pet types can
get in by about 6:10, although most of us are still working on
taking on our minimum daily allowance of caffeine and exercising
our jaws at that point. The workout starts at 6:20 and ends
around 7:30.
An hour
ten? Are you nuts? I can’t swim that
long!
You will be
surprised at how fast the time goes by. The coach will break
the workout down into sets, with short breaks in between. We
start with a warm-up, usually with some kick, some swim, and some
pulling; then do a pre-set to get ready to swim hard. The main
set follows, then we cool down and get out.
So how many
laps do you usually do?
Workouts
generally run between 2,500 – 3,500 meters. At 25 meters
per length, that’s 100 – 140 lengths, or 50 – 70
laps.
OK, now I know
I can’t swim with you. I can’t swim that
far!
Show up and
give it a try. Start by doing whatever you’re
comfortable with, and gradually increase it. You’ll be
amazed at how soon you’re making the whole
workout.
When I try and
lap swim that long, I get bored bored bored. Isn’t
swimming a little like watching paint dry, albeit a wee bit more
physically demanding?
You’re reading this, so you must have some
interest. We know you didn’t come here for the
humor. Swimming with the team is quite a bit different than
swimming on your own. Most folks don’t do regular sets
on intervals when swimming on their own, and sets really help the
time and meters roll by. And most people find the camaraderie
of swimming with lane-mates to be highly
motivational.
I see you have
5 practices a week. Does everyone really swim 5
days?
You can
come as often or as little as you like. Most people average 3
– 4 days.
Arrrgggghhh, 6
am. I’m not exactly a morning person.
If we get
our team numbers up high enough, we may be able to add additional
workouts at different times. So man up, Nancy, get your
night-owl old self out of bed and down to the pool. Every warm
body helps.
Does everyone
do the same workout?
With
distance and time interval adjustments to allow for different
speeds, yes.
So what does a
normal workout look like?
Depends on
the day. Mondays are stroke/individual medley days, Tuesdays
are a mixed bag, Wednesdays are generally lots of freestyle,
Thursdays are recovery day (longer sets/slower intervals), and
Fridays are Fast Fridays (lots of
sprints).
A
recent Monday workout looked like this in the fastest
lanes:
200 swim|
200 kick |
Warm-up
200 pull |
8 x 50 reverse IM order (free, breast, back,
fly)| Pre-set
3 x 200 IM on lane interval/100 free recovery on
interval|
4x 100 IM on lane interval/200 free recovery on interval | Main
set
4 x 100 IM on lane
interval
|
200 cool down
That was
3,700 meters, with 600 m warm-up, a 400 m pre-set, a 2,500 m main
set, and 200 cool down. The coach adjusted the interval and
repeats for each lane or group of lanes, so that the total meters
varied depending on where you were in the pool. But every lane
did some variation of this workout.
Ha, tricked
you! I can’t do butterfly, and my knees hurt on
breaststroke. Sorry, can’t swim with
you.
Many of our
swimmers can’t do one stroke or another, either because they
are still learning it or for physiological reasons. Your coach
can help you adapt the set to what you can do. But quite a few
of our swimmers have learned new strokes through the masters
workouts.
I’m too
slow. I’ll hold people up.
No,
you’re not, and no, you won’t. We truly have
swimmers of all abilities, and there is a place for
you.
I never learned
to flip turn.
No
problem. Do open turns. If you like, get some pointers on
turns from the coaches and other swimmers and start integrating
them into your workout.
How do you
organize swimmers of different abilities?
The pool
has 10 lanes. The coach groups swimmers of similar speed and
ability in the same or adjacent lanes.
How many people
are swimming at the same time?
We have had
as many as 37 recently. We usually see between 20 – 30
people.
Doesn’t
that get awfully crowded? How do you keep from running into
one another?
We circle
swim counter-clockwise, and leave 5 – 10 seconds behind the
swimmer in front of you. Many people find the draft off the
person in front of them helps, and you don’t have to keep
count if you’re not leading the lane!
So what’s
this interval stuff, and how do I know what mine
is?
Almost all
sets are done on an interval using our digital pace clock. For
example, if you’re doing 5 x 100 on the 1:45, you will leave
on the :00, the :45, the :30, the :15, and the :00. Your coach
will place you in a lane or group of lanes with swimmers of about
the same ability, and your lane will all do the same
interval.
I’m
pretty sure I’m too young/old to swim with
you.
Masters is
for ages 18 to as old as human beings can be. Our oldest team
member is 67, and we regularly have a middle school kid swim with
us. You will find someone close to your age at a
workout.
Are the
workouts coached?
All
workouts are coached. Our coaches are very involved and
hands-on; no whiteboard workouts here. You can expect your
coach to give you each set and offer feedback on
technique.
Call me
obsessive, but I’m one of those people who likes to take
lessons for sports. Are good, individualized lessons
available?
Coaches
will generally offer private sessions for an incredibly reasonable
fee. The team also sponsors occasional clinics and video
sessions with lots of individualized
attention.
How much gear
do I need? My triathlete friend has a swim bag with all kinds
of crap in it. I’m cheap.
You need a
swimsuit. A good pair of leak-proof goggles are
helpful. We use fins almost every day, but there are a bin of
loaners at the pool, along with pull buoys and kick
boards.
Yeah, about
that swimsuit thing. Do I really have to wear a
Speedo? Sure, back in the day I was somethin’, but now
no one wants to see that stuff . . .
No, you
don’t. You can swim in whatever you’re comfortable
with. Many of the guys wear knee length jammers. Most
ladies wear one piece tanks, although there are now some workout
appropriate two piece suits available.
So how much
money are we talking about here? Remember, I’m
cheap.
The first
two weeks are free, except for the pool fee (currently $3 per day
for ages 18-59). Free is an excellent
price.
After the
first two weeks, fees are $30 per month plus the pool fee and
annual membership in USMS, which is required for insurance
coverage. You can pay the pool fee with a 10 visit punch card
(currently $27 for ages 18 -59), a three month pass ($80), or an
annual pass ($265). The USMS annual membership is $38, with
discounts for seniors, youngsters, and two swimmer
households.
Do I have to
pay all year long? I like to hibernate in the
winter.
Nope, no
high falutin’ golf/tennis club mentality here. You will
be charged a team fee only for the months you choose to swim at
least once, and you can buy a 10 visit punch card from the pool and
use it whenever you like.
I keep reading
about masters swim meets in the paper. Do old people really
compete, and like dive off the blocks and everything? Do I
have to compete?
No, you do
not have to compete, although many of the folks on our team
do. Masters competitions are generally laid-back, fun affairs,
but you will be amazed at how fast some of those “old”
swimmers are!
Is that Coach
Jones guy really as dorky as he looks in his picture? And why
is that man in the man-girdle beside him flailing his arm like
that?
Yes to the
first. As for the second, some things are
unknowable.
OK, I’m
thinking about it. But what’s in it for
me?
Uh,
health? Fitness? Weight loss? Beating back the
relentless march of time and the inexorable decline in your
physical well-being that accompanies it? Fun? Re-setting
your body clock to be awake and semi-functional when most thinking
people are still snugly asleep in their warm beds? (OK, forget
about that one) Camaraderie? Hanging with fat guys in
Speedos? The pleasant feeling of well-being that accompanies a
good early morning endorphin buzz? Foolishly chasing precious
tenths of seconds in a desperate attempt to recapture lost glories
from a misspent youth?
All these
things – and more – are available to the even somewhat
dedicated Masters swimmer.
So I’m
thinking a good time for me to start might be ___________ [at least
several months from now] because _______________________________
[fill in lame excuses here]?
The best
time to start is tomorrow morning (unless, of course, you are
reading this on a Friday or Saturday, in which case you are hereby
granted either a two day or one day, as the case may be,
reprieve). Just show up and give it a
go.
Here’s a link from USA Swimming on how
swimming is a total body workout. Read it
here.
For information on registering for Columbia Gorge
Masters, click
here.
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