By McKenna Ehrmantraut, Swimming World College Intern.
Deck the halls with swim gear, because training trip is right around the corner for college swimmers. Training trip is one of the most mentally and physically challenging things a swimmer will be put through in their career, but it’s all worth it when you reach your goal times and create life long bonds with your teammates. Plus, you often get a killer tan. Here are seven ways to survive this season’s training trip.
Photo Courtesy: Mara Selznick
1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Water is a key element to surviving training trip. The combination of higher temperatures and grueling practices will have you gulping it down by the gallon. Even if you don’t want to drink more water, you need to. Water helps restore hydration, keeps away physical fatigue, helps you stay focused in and out of the pool and helps rejuvenate sore muscles.
2. Fruits and vegetables and protein, oh my!
Being in a new place can have you diving for all of the classic tourist foods, such as the world’s biggest bowl of ice cream, a doughnut topped with surgery cereal, a large deep dish pizza, etc. But, you need to keep up a healthy diet while you’re training. Make sure you are filling up your grocery cart with plenty of fruits, vegetables, carbs and proteins (but throwing in a box of Oreos for a treat after 15×400 IMs never hurt anyone).
3. (Don’t) Burn baby, burn.
Most training trips take place at warm and sunny locations such as Southern California, Hawaii or Florida, so make sure to pack sunscreen. Sunscreen helps to protect your skin and keeps you from getting burnt while still enjoying the nice sunny rays.
Photo Courtesy: Madison Guitard
4. BFFs.
While training trip is meant to get you into shape quickly and ready to take on the final meets of the season, some of the best memories swimmers take out of it come from the bonds they form with their teammates. Spending a solid week with your team may seem a bit daunting at first, but soon you will be giving up your few extra hours of sleep to play the ukulele and work on your talent show skits. Your teammates can even make pushing sleighs and tires enjoyable.
5. Have a flipping good time.
Make sure to smile and enjoy your week both in and out of pool. Coaches often throw in a “fun” practice and let you do relays, but even when you are in the middle of a tiresome set, try playing a game or asking questions during the few seconds you have before the next set begins. Make sure to enjoy your trip and to not spend the whole week crying through the sets or after practice in anticipation of the next.
6. You will survive.
There’s no way around it: training trip sets suck. Not in a “you’re a little sore after the main set” sort of way, but in a “you actually think you are going to drown and die before you reach the wall” sort of way, and sometimes that’s during warm-up. The only way through this is to be mentally tough. Keep thinking about your goals and why you are swimming. These sets are made for the sole purpose of making you faster and stronger, and you need to keep that in mind. Know that you can and will get through the next week.
Photo Courtesy: Erin Jenkins
7. Be a tourist.
Exploring the city you’re in is a must. Whether it be the local pier, a volcano on the Hawaiian islands, swimming with tropical fish in the sea, walking along the sandy beach or exploring downtown, you’ll be glad for the opportunity to see a new part of the world. A fun way to see the city and to get in some team bonding is a scavenger hunt. If someone on the team is from the area, have them come up with unique scavenger hunt ideas or use one of the many apps they have out there. A fun prize could be making up a set for the next practice, or if the coach nixes that idea, they can buy the winning team some ice cream.
Make sure to get in some extra sleep over winter break to prepare for training trip. Enjoy your time with your teammates and remember – you will (most likely) survive.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Ian Locke
Step 1: go to Thanyapura
Hawaii here we come!
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