From: PM
To: marty@osbmultisport.com
Subject: One Step Beyond Coaching Newsletter - December 2011
One Step Beyond
The Next Level Newsletter
 from One Step Beyond Coaching 
Volume VIII, Issue XII
December, 2011
This Month
Ten Good Choices
OSB Swim Clinics
OSB Masters Swimming
Old School Aquathon Series
Triangle Open Water Mile Swim Series

cabinet connection

 
2012 Race schedule:

May 20 - 5280 Swim
June 17 - Jordan Lake
July 21 - Big Deuce / Little Uno
A
ugust 18 - Nuclear Swim
September 22 - Open Water Fall Finale

www.triangleopenwater.com

cabinet connection

Powerstroke®: Speed through force and form DVD
 

The DVD includes more than two hours of video of freestyle technique, drills, and common stroke errors & how to improve.  We include underwater, above water, and freeze frame analysis.

Visit the website to read all about the DVD and purchase your copy today.

 
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Dear Marty,

Welcome to the Next Level Newsletter - Volume VIII, Issue XII, December, 2011.  A blast from the past! (We slept in on New Years) 
Ten Choices to Make 2012
a Great Racing Year
Coach Marty Gaal 
 

There are plenty of choices you can make every day of the year that will help you be a better athlete.  None of us are perfect and some days will be better than others. However, if you consistently make more good choices than poor choices, you will consistently perform better than worse.  This advice holds true no matter what walk of life we're talking about.  From an endurance athlete standpoint, here are ten points (no particular order) to consider as you start the new year.  May it be your best yet!

 

Go to sleep early and sleep eight hours or close to it each night.  Turn off the TV, the random internet surfing, the mindless dithering - just pack it in and hit the sack.  You need sleep to perform well, stay sharp, and feel good.  

 

Train with partners and friends.  Nothing motivates us like avoiding the disapproving phone call we might receive after missing a session with a buddy.   Friends are also more fun to talk to than the voices in your head.

 

Choose better meals. Some of you have a great breadth of knowledge when it comes to nutrition; others don't have a clue about micronutrients and good vs bad fats.  A little education goes a long way here, but in general if you are eating out, choose lean meat (chicken, fish) over fatty meats (burgers), healthier sides (steamed veggies or sweet potato fries) over less healthy sides (french fries, buttery mashed potatoes).   

 

Train on a set schedule.  A ten day periodized plan is fine for a professional athlete, but most of us need to adhere to a realistic seven day program.  The easiest way to stay on track is to create a mostly set plan that repeats each week (the intensity and duration can change). Re: Monday swim, Tuesday run, Wednesday ride, and so on.

 

Choose your races to suit your strengths.  If you hate hills, don't make a hilly race your big event for the season.  That is setting yourself up for failure.

 

Pick at least one key workout each week where you will really put some hard work in.  For you younger than ~35 YO pick two or three.  (If you are starting from zero, do at least a month or two of easy-moderate training before starting higher intensity.)

 

Keep up with your strength training and core conditioning.  This will help you avoid injury, and in your later years will help maintain power (pedal stroke, swim pull, and run pushoff).  

 

Keep up with your physical therapy exercises and stretching in general.  If you have been diagnosed by a PT or Ortho-doc with some imbalances or other localized weakness, it means you need to do these exercises forever to eliminate the weakness.

 

Hire a good coach for a consult or ongoing coaching.  A good coach is both a taskmaster and an educator.  

 

Prioritize your races within your life.  If racing is just a way for you to stay fit and have fun, don't spend too much time worrying about race results.  If you want to be competitive, you need to move the training and racing up a notch in your order of importance.   

 

You can read more in-depth thoughts on most of these topics on the article page of our website. 

 

Marty Gaal, CSCS, has been coaching endurance athletes for eleven seasons.  He is the co-founder of One Step Beyond.  
One Step Beyond Swim Clinics

We offer three different types of swim clinics throughout the year:

Beginner Swim Clinics focus on breathing patterns, comfort, and the key freestyle techniques for swim training & improvement. 3 hours long. Beginner to Early Intermediate level.

February 18
May 19
December 2

Powerstroke Freestyle Technique clinics are 6 hour in-depth classes on swim mechanics and methods for speed and power improvement.  Includes videotaping and feedback.  Early Intermediate to Advanced level.

March 17
July 21 (or 22)
October 27

Open Water Training clinics are conducted at lakes, oceans, and bays and cover all the tools, tips, and tricks you need to improve your ability and confidence in open water.  3 hours long. All levels.

April 21
June 2
July 8
August 11
September 16

Please visit our camp/clinic page to sign up!


One Step Beyond
Masters Swimming  

Masters logo11

Looking for a solid season of swim training in the Triangle area?  Join the TAC-OSB Cary Masters swim team at the Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC) in Cary, North Carolina.  All workouts take place at TAC.

This is a year-round program open to all 18+ athletes.

 
 
Practice times are:
Monday 545-715AM distance & aerobic endurance
Monday 800-900PM distance & aerobic endurance

Tuesday 545-700AM core strength and swim technique 

Wednesday 545-700AM mixed stroke  
Wednesday 800-900PM mixed stroke 

Thursday 600-700AM distance and mid-distance

Friday 6-7AM speed & anaerobic endurance 

Some Saturdays 7-830AM coaches choice 

View the upcoming schedule on mytrainlocal.com!

The fees:
$52.50 per month for all swim workout times, or $6.50 per session.

Click here for all the details.  



2012 dates:

May 2 (evening race) - 1/2 mile swim - 2.5 mile run
June 13 (evening race) - 3 x 1/4 mile swim - 1 mile run
July 4 (morning race) - 1/4m swim - 2.5m run -1/4m swim

One Step Beyond and FS Series present a mid-week summer swim-run series to the Triangle area. 

Each Aquathon will take place on the first Wednesday of each month in May, June, and July.  May and June race start time is 630PM, July happens to be July 4 and will start in the morning (exact time TBD)! 
 
These events are low-key and a great way to check your fitness against your local training partners.  Bring some grub and hang out after. 

Entry into all 3 races is $60, or $25 per event.
2-person relays are welcome for $75 for the series or $30 per event.

Read all the details at www.oldschoolaquathon.com.

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, celebrate the New Year by donating your time to a good charity.  Booya.

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