Sunday, November 29, 2009

Christmas Holiday Details For Your Diaries!

Dear TEAM

Please, please take 5 minutes to read this entire newsletter as it contains some very important information about the holiday period and because you have just won $1,000,000 and need to collect your ticket from the bottom of this page...OK, so that last point was a bit of a fib! ;-)

BREAK:

Please be advised that the squad will take an official break of 2 weeks from Sunday 20th December to Sunday 3rd January (inclusive). The last session before the holidays will be our Saturday squad session at Claremont Pool at 1.00pm and the first session back in the New Year will be the Monday morning sessions at 7.00am and 9.30am - both focused on steady swimming with an emphasis on technique. If you keep reading you'll see the link to the download for the timetable for this period - print it off and you'll be all set!

ADVICE:

Over the 2-week holiday period I would encourage you to take a bit of "time-out" to relax and "smell the roses". Activities such as ocean swimming, jogs along a scenic coastal path or the odd cafe ride will keep you ticking along just nicely. Unless you are not training for a specific event (in which case you have a program to work towards in the form of our Master Plan posted a few weeks ago), don't be afraid to ease off a touch over this period. You'll find that you're a lot more energised and ready to go then in the New Year!

PAUL ON HOLIDAY:

OK, so as you all know, Adam has now left for the UK and won't be back until the middle of January. Myself, Michelle and Jackson will also be leaving after my last morning swim session(s) on Tuesday 8th December 2009. This is the first proper break we will have had since we started The TEAM CORE over 18 months ago and I am so looking forward to it! Its been a very busy time (new business, new baby etc etc) and we now need some R&R. We will be away for exactly 6 weeks, split as 2 weeks in Canada and then 4 weeks in the UK. This will be a great trip for Jackson to finally meet all his family and see where Mom and Dad come from for the first time! We are very excited!

Please note, I will still be checking my emails during the period and will be sending out the usual weekly email with "what's on" whilst away.

NEW COACHES:

It is of course, quite a "nervous" time for us also - being away for 6 weeks from a relatively new squad has involved a HUGE amount of planning and preparation in terms of sourcing, training and rostering suitably qualified coaches to run the sessions in my absence. It has literally taken 3 months of preparation - but it will be worth every minute! As we have informed you previously, we have sourced 7 new superb coaches who are all detailed here:


We ran a full-day coaching clinic for these coaches in September to bring them up-to-speed with our practices and to have some fantastic round-table discussions about how each of them will bring something new and exciting to the squad sessions during this period. Over the past few weeks, all of these coaches have voluntarily given up their time to assist me on pool deck to get in some "work shadowing" and to also get to know many of you. Rather than just desperately getting in any coaching cover in a bid for me and Michelle and Jackson to take a break, we see this as being a massively important step to demonstrate how important this rostering is to us and how much we believe in all these new coaches. 

Here is when and where you will see them over the 6 week period whilst I am away:


Through your support and enjoyment of all our squad sessions over the last 18 months, The TEAM CORE has grown tremendously to a point where it can no longer be a "one-man-show" (yup, I need a break sometimes too!). We see this 6 week period as an excellent opportunity for you to get to know and hopefully love all the coaches for their own individual merits. I have personally written every single session for this 6 week period, however, each coach has been instructed to add their own flair and personality to the sessions and as such we hope that you will really enjoy the variety! We have ongoing plans for each of the coaches to continue with some of the sessions even once I return from my break as well.

PAYG SESSION CARDS:

Please can I suggest that you have a quick calculation on how many swim sessions you are likely to attend over the 6 week period whilst I am away. If you do not have enough sessions on your current PAYG card, please can I ask that you order a new one online before the 8th December ( go to http://www.theteamcore.com/shop.html ) or pay cash or cheque this week and I will organise one for you with an extended expiry date. I am hoping to keep everything as hassle-free for the new coaching team whilst I am away and as such your support and forward-thinking on this matter will be much appreciated.

PLEASE KEEP ATTENDING!

So, to sign off then, the biggest way that you can continue to support our squad is simply with your presence at the sessions over this 6 week period. We are anticipating a slight reduction in numbers given the holiday season, but would really hope that you will all continue to attend the sessions wherever possible.

Thanks for your time and support everyone, it means a lot to me!

Cheers

Paul





Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Christmas Gift Ideas




Dear TEAM

Over the last couple of months many of you have been asking where you can buy a lot of the cool swimming gadgets that I often use in the pool sessions - the good news is that we have just become stockists through our www.swimsmooth.com website of many of these items and as such I thought you might like to know about what we have available, what they cost and also about our Multi-BUY discounts as well.

I'm not in the habit of using this Blog to "flog" stuff, but I hope that if you are hunting around for a few gift ideas for friends and family, or if you need to point your loved ones in the right direction for something you're after, this will be useful to you. All items are available to view in index form here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/products.html or read below for some more detail.

On our discounts, we have some great offers - buy 2 items and save 5%, save 7% on 3 items or 10% on 4+ items - full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/multibuy.html

All products will be shipped first class post from our Swim Smooth H.Q in sunny Wales, UK and should be with you within 7 to 10 days - right in time for Christmas (if you order now or over the weekend!). Full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/shipping.html

Here's what we have:

  • BEST-SELLER! The Wetronome Pacing Tool ($90) - you've seen it in squad sessions and have witnessed first hand just how much it has helped everyone improve their pace awareness and in doing so their general efficiency and speed in the water with the new Lap Time function. Also use it to help improve your stroke rhythm as described here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/strokerate.html This is an amazing device invented by our very own Mr Andrew Holmes (Lane 1, 5.30am). The Wetronome has been an international best seller and has literally been selling like the proverbial hot cake - don't miss out! Full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/wetronome.html
  • COACHES CHOICE! Finis Freestyler Paddles ($27 - small, $29 - large) - these are those pointy paddles that we use regularly on pool deck to help you with your hand entry into the water, your alignment and to set-up for a perfect catch and pull through. Without a doubt these are THE best paddles on the market for your stroke technique and come highly recommended by me having tried everything else out there! Full details: http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis_freestyler.html
  • ULTRA COOL! Finis Water-proof MP3 Player ($249) - quite possibly the coolest gadget out there! Listen to all your favourite music tracks whilst ploughing up and down the black-line! What's really cool about this player is that it plays through your temple bones, leaving your ears free and unobstructed so you can still here coach on the pool deck! Comes complete with Swim Smooth's unique MP3 pacing and stroke rate tracks on accompanying CD allowing you to test the functionality of the Wetronome unit. Full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis_swimp3.html
  • BEST-SELLER! Swim Smooth Waterproof 35-session Training Plans ($60) - these Training Plans are superb to have in your kit bag for times when you cannot attend the squad sessions or for friends or family members who prefer to train by themselves with good structure and direction. The Plans feature full instructions on how to get the most out of your sessions and include pictorial directions on the various drills and techniques required. We have two types: 1) those for Sprint / Olympic Distance & Rottnest Team & Duo athletes; 2) those for Ironman Distance & Rottnest Solo athletes. When purchasing, you have the option of Levels 1, 2 or 3 which roughly equate to our squad lanes (i.e. Lane 3 = Level 3 = our fastest lane for the most experienced swimmers). Full details: http://www.swimsmooth.com/trainingplans.html
  • Swim Smooth DVD Boxset ($90) - a two DVD boxset including 8-week training program which is the essential stroke correction guide for triathletes and open water swimmers produced and directed by myself here in Perth and featuring Olympic Gold Medallist, Bill Kirby. More than 8,000 copies now sold world-wide and rated 5-stars and as a "must buy item" by online swimming guru Mat Luebbers of swimming.about.com Further details: http://www.swimsmooth.com/DVD.html
  • Swim Smooth "Learn 2 Swim" DVD & Session Cards ($60) - a single DVD set featuring a unique water-proof training plan to show the complete beginner how to learn the freestyle stroke from scratch. This is only suitable for those who cannot perform a single stroke of freestyle - for those who can string together +25m of freestyle the DVD Boxset above would be more appropriate. Full details: http://www.swimsmooth.com/learn2swim.html
  • Mr Smooth Enthusiasts Console ($50) - upgrade the free version of Mr Smooth (available here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/console.php and downloaded by over 10,000 swimmers around the world in the last 4 months!) with our PRO Enthusiats version which includes more views, angles, controls and usability. Full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/proconsole.html
  • Finis Tec Toc for improved body roll ($70) - do you or someone you know need to improve their body roll? Without a coach present, how do you know if you're doing this well enough? Here's the answer - strap this little baby around your waist and as you swim up and down the pool you should here a "tick" and then a "tock" with every stroke as the ball bearing hits from one end of the tube to the other. Genius! Body roll helps improve efficiency through the water by reducing frontal drag, helps to alleviate shoulder issues through maintaining a more neutral shoulder position during the recovery phase and also aids the length and catch phase of your stroke. Full details here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis_techtoc.html
  • Finis Pull Buoy ($26) - do you still not yet own your own pull buoy? Tsk, tsk! Have us deliver one to you...just make sure you use a permanent marker to write your name on! Full details: http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis_pullbuoy.html

Hope this helps! Why not group together with some friends to save money?

Cheers

Paul






Training this weekend!

Dear TEAM

Firstly, for those of you contemplating the English Channel Swim in 2011, we have some new news to discuss with you and would like to invite you over to an quick meeting at 4pm on Saturday 5th December at my place: 22 Fairfield Street, Mount Hawthorn. We will be discussing costs, bookings, tactics etc with Philip Rush and Shelley Taylor-Smith. Please let me know if you can attend!

This weekend:

Thursday - AM: openwater swim session at Cottesloe Beach from 6am / PM: run session starting at McGilvray Oval (6 / 6.15pm)

Friday - AM: all swims as normal / PM: Rottnest Solo squad - session # 5 from the Master Plan

Saturday - AM: West Coast 1000 swim event OR the local ATTA cycle time trial event (no structured squad sessions this Saturday due to the clash with these two popular events) / PM: 12.00pm squad swim at Claremont Pool (this is THE last early Saturday session - after this week, we'll be permanently back to 1.00pm! Thank goodness!)

See you out there!

Paul





Friday, November 20, 2009

1km TT Results!

Dear TEAM

Another very successful "outing" this morning for the squad with 68 swimmers completing the 1000m Time Trial swim with 70% of the squad swimming better times than I had predicted for your improvement to this stage. Again, consistency shines through again and again, coupled with the pace work that we've been doing with the Wetronomes over the last 3 months. Well done!


What should you take from this exercise of the 400m, 1km, and 3km Time Trials? Well first and foremost the whole goal of this exercise was to give you a couple of short-term goals to focus on before the real season kicks in. It was meant as a challenge for you (and me!) to see just how much improvement is possible with consistency. A great gauge of improvement for all of you should be how comfortable and fit you feel in the water, but nothing beats the hard facts of numbers to show you that all your hard work is indeed paying off! Nice job! 

Secondly, I would like you to peruse your 100m pace for the latest 1km swim. With respect to the Fresh & Fruity Wednesday & Friday sessions going forward, you should be aiming to swim 100m intervals ~3 to 6s per 100m quicker than this (given a rest of ~20s). This will likely be very close to your pace per 100m from the 400m swim last Wednesday / Friday. For 200m intervals you should be ~2s per 100m quicker than your 1000m pace as a rough rule when having ~30s between each 200m interval. Given more rest you will of course be able to swim quicker, but when we say "CSS pace" (Critical Swim Speed) or "hold your fastest maintainable pace", you should all have a very clear idea of what this is now. Equally, if we're saying on a Tuesday "swim this interval of 800m at ~8s per 100m slower than CSS" you'll also be able to easily identify what that pace should be. It helps you work out how hard to go when you should be working fast and just as importantly how easy you should be going when swimming steadier sets.

It is very easy to get bogged down in numbers. Some of you love that - others not quite so. Either way, you now have a very clear objective measure for your training going forward, coupled with an enhanced subjective "feeling" for pace work and you're onto a real winner! 

It's been a great winter of training, so now as we transition to the summer season, let's keep up the good work and continue to challenge ourselves even further. Well done!

Paul

P.S A big shout out to Lucas Salter who was again the "Biggest Loser" this week with a 2m25s improvement over my predictions and also to Ermie Robinson who also saw a massive improvement to record a 1m58s improvement and a HUGE P.B with a time of 16m36s!!!




Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, REST!




Dear TEAM

OK, here's the plan going into this weekend:

Thursday AM - 6am openwater skills and drills at Cottesloe Beach - please pop along, it is a LOT of fun and a great workout! Paul will run this session.

Thursday PM - 6pm for 6.15pm start run leaving the UWA Footy Club Rooms at McGilvray Oval for Session 3 (45 - 60 mins tempo run) on Route # 2: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=90794 (you might need to do multiple laps of Reabold Hill to make up the time). Paul will not be here for this one.

Friday AM - 5.30, 6.30, 9.30am sessions all as normal at Claremont Pool. Paul will run these sessions.

Friday PM - 4.30pm session # 3 from the Master Plan ("The Monster Set") for SOLO swimmers = 7.5km (if your longest set to date is only 5km - limit this to 6-6.5km) Paul will run this session.

Saturday AM - 6am ride from Cottesloe Beach Car Park - 1h45 (hard) around this loop: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=90789 Riders to ride at their own pace and for those of you racing a fair bit this year you should aim to push this on and not wait around for anyone. Feel strong - its a great course! Do multiple loops / sections for the time allocated. Paul will not be here for this one.

Saturday 8am - 8km swim at Leighton Beach for Rottnest SOLO and DUO swimmers. Meet in the carpark adjacent to the old iron bridge over the road. Course is here: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=90781 (this is a 4km course...DUOs can do 1 lap, SOLOs with less base fitness = 1.5 laps, SOLOs with strong base fitness = 2 laps). Make sure you have hydration and carbo gels for this swim pleasePaul will not be here for this one.

Saturday PM - 1pm squad swim featuring some filming with our new video rig - it has to be seen to be believed, so please pop along if you can!!!! This session is starting to dwindle a little bit (my feeling is due to the constant back and fourth between 12pm and 1pm which I am frustrated about too!) so if you would like to attend and even if your name is not on the list, please do so! Paul will run this session.

Sunday - good luck to anyone doing the Great Perth Bike Ride on Sunday - looks like a lot of fun!

Cheers

Paul





Monday, November 16, 2009

If you like gadgets, you'll love this!

Dear Swimmers

The TEAM CORE & Swim Smooth bring you a world first.  You can be one of the first to try the Finity Swim Pod: which automatically records your swim session.  The device worn while you swim measures your lap times, stroke rate and  body roll.  A prototype of the device is being formally tested over the next month at our squad sessions.  All you need do is put the device on and then swim as normal.  Finity will then send you a summary of your session within 24 hours - all free of charge, naturally.

Register your interest at www.finitysports.com or ask one of our coaches or the Finity person at the squad session.

What's even better is that this has been designed and built by one of our very own TEAM CORE athletes - how's that for thinking outside the box!!!

Give it a try, its very cool and if you're into numbers, you'll love it!!!

Cheers

Paul





Friday, November 13, 2009

400m Time Trial Results

...can be found here:


...well done to everyone who gave it a go - nearly 80% of the squad posted improvements above my predicted level of improvement which just goes to show what a bit of consistent training over the winter months and getting a little "Fresh 'n' Fruity" once a week can do for your fitness! You're all in great shape, so here's to the start of a great season!!! Well done!

P.S Big shout out to the squads official "Biggest Loser", Lucas Salter, who smashed an amazing 1'02" off the predicted time from 10 weeks ago!!! Stunning stuff!

Cheers

Paul





Thursday, November 12, 2009

Training & Racing this weekend!

Dear Athletes

Just a quick one to inform you of the plan for this weekend:

  • Friday PM = session # 2 from the Master Plan "Long Swims" (total = 6km). I will not be there today (sorry) but please complete as per the program.
  • Saturday AM = Mullaloo Beach Open Water Swim. Registration at 8.00am. Map. SOLO swimmers to do the 5km event, DUO & TEAMs to do 2.5km. There will be no official open water swim session this morning due to this event. Please give it a try! 
  • Also, Saturday 6am, Bell Tower for Route # 2 bike ride into Kalamunda (67km).
  • Saturday PM = Squad Swim Session at 1.00pm - session will be with Coach Ceinwen whilst Paul and Adam are away photographing TEAM member's Helen and Stu's wedding in the Swan Valley. Enjoy! Ceinwen knows how to crack the whip!!!

Cheers

Paul





Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Amendments to Bunbury Results & Thursday Open Water Session

Dear Athletes

A quick apology...I hadn't scrolled down past the blank page of the Bunbury triathlon results to see the details of the Open category athletes who took line honours and also the Sprint distance race as well. Blind as a bat! Sorry. Congratulations therefore to:

  • Craig Scott - 2nd overall in the sprint event
  • Katrina Mercer - 1st overall in the female open event
  • Sandy Crowe - 3rd overall in the female open event

Also, details of the Anaconda event results can be found here: http://www.rapidascent.com.au/Results/WA2009Overall.aspx?e=6

..unfortunately I'm having some difficulty deciphering who was in which team given the various team names and also the fact that I've seen at least 3 errors with different people recorded as doing different legs of the event!! Anyway, well done to everyone who competed and especially to Kathryn Granheim and Carl Andrews who I know for sure raced solo...anyone else, please let me know!

THURSDAY SWIM:

As usual, 6am start on the grass bank in front of the pylon at Cottesloe Beach - best session of the week, pop along and see why!!!

Cheers

Paul





Monday, November 9, 2009

Results from the Bunbury TRI and Anaconda Event

Dear TEAM

It was quite a quiet this last weekend in Perth...people were either racing in Bunbury at the Olympic Distance Triathlon or were down in Augusta at the Anaconda Adventure Race. 

Anaconda:

We are still awaiting the results of this event, but we already have some photos posted up by "Adam the Speedy" at: 


...all I can say is after falling off my bike at least 20 times in the soft sand of the mountain bike leg and dropping back massively in the field, that this is one tough and very skilful event. It has however inspired me to look at us running a program for solo competitors next year where we'll bring in experts in the individual disciplines to help advise (goodness knows I'll personally need the help on the bike!).

There were a good few members of the squad out there racing as SOLOs, DUOs and TEAMs, so it'll be interesting to see the full results when they are published.

Bunbury:

Looking at the results ( http://www.bunburytriclub.asn.au/results/0910/Bunbury%20Classic%202009%20Results%20Overall.pdf ) it seems there were quite a few of the squad racing. As usual at this event, the swim seemed long and slow, the bike ride windy and the run hot and sweaty!!! Here are the results:

  • Glenn O'Connell - 1st place overall male
  • Alan Nicholls - 14th place overall male
  • Nathalie Laurendeau - 26th place overall and 1st place female overall*
  • Daniel Taborsky - 30th place overall male
  • Matthew Howes - 32nd place overall male
  • Suzanne Laidlaw - 66th place overall*
  • Lyndal Tudehope - 69th place overall*
  • Tracey Edwards - 76th place overall*
  • Mark Rayner - 93rd place overall
  • Nicole Klemm - 102nd place overall*
  • David Laidlaw - 110th place overall
  • Louise Jones - 129th place overall*
  • Sandy Tindale - 144th place overall*

*unfortunately there is no age-group data or female-specific results as yet, so its a little hard to see where everyone finished in their respective categories.

Nice job everyone!! Big congrats to Glenn and Nathalie - really awesome efforts there!

Cheers

Paul








Friday, November 6, 2009

This Weekend and The Master Plan!

Weekend Training NEWSFLASH:

Friday 4.30pm squad swim = join Ceinwen for the session as detailed in The Master Plan.

Saturday 6am = ride from the Bell Tower as per The Master Plan. 68km ride into Kalamunda (not back in time for the swim).

Saturday 8am = 6.0km ocean swim, i.e. 6 laps at City Beach (NB. Paul will not be here this week!)

Saturday 12pm = the final session-shift (thank god!). 12pm squad swim at Claremont Pool with guest coaches Shelley Taylor-Smith and Nikki Rogers as per The Master Plan. Please note we will then be back to 1pm as normal going forward.

Dear TEAM

It gives me great pleasure to announce that after much hard work I have finally pieced together "The 2010 TEAM CORE Master Plan". 

This is a free guide for you to all access and download as you choose which will help you plan out your summer season of training and racing, be you keeping fit, doing triathlons or preparing for the Rottnest Channel Swim. The Master Plan contains the outline of every major session from now until May 2010. I have compiled all this information and training tips as well as creating detailed maps of training routes etc so as to take the thinking out of your planning and to help prompt your action into the "doing and enjoying".

The main source of inspiration for this was three-fold:

1. Provide those doing the Rottnest Channel Swim with a detailed plan of how to build-up and prepare for the event, including my "Top-10 Tips for Solo Swimmers" and "5 Long Pool Sets" for those taking on this massive challenge. With 16 weeks to go now until the event, I am hoping this will help you step it up a notch or two and give you real structure and purpose to what you are doing. We'll be with you every step of the way obviously, but this should help you get an idea about how you're going to develop your endurance to permit you to swim 20km continuously in the ocean.

2. Given that the squad has grown so much in the last 18 months there has been the need to add quite a few new training sessions to the weekly program (all here to view: http://www.theteamcore.com/weeklyprogram.html ). So far, I have personally been covering all the new swim sessions which has meant that I have been absent from all the biking and running sessions. Apparently things have tailed off here a tad, and so together with the "Good Shepherd" and athlete mentor (Glen Blackwell) we have compiled a full season's worth of all the sessions that I will suggest and also some new routes to try them out on. Hopefully this will be some good impetus to get you back into the swing of things if you are planning to do some triathlons this year. This will also form the basis of our 2010 Busselton Half Ironman Program which will commence on Monday 11th January 2010. The actual Master Plan kicks off in earnest this week though, so get along if you can!

3. As the squad expands it has been necessary to take on some additional coaching staff. Rather than just appoint anyone in this capacity though, we have conducted a rigorous training regime and mentorship program with 7 of WA's finest up and coming coaches and athlete mentors. You will be introduced to them all through The Master Plan and also over the December / January period (from December 8th to January 19th 2010) when Paul and Adam will be taking a much needed vacation in the UK (well, kind of vacation - they'll be running some Swim Smooth Clinics there as well!). I do hope you will make them all feel welcome and continue to support all the sessions with your attendance and see the benefits in their placement within the coaching ranks of the squad.

OK, enough waffle, here's the Master Plan: http://www.theteamcore.com/images/TeamCorePlan_2010.pdf (please note that this file size for the 16 page document is 20mb and as such will take a few minutes to download).

Enjoy!

Paul




Tuesday, November 3, 2009

3km Swim Results

NERD WARNING!! Non-number-bods turn away now!!

Dear Swimmers

Thanks to so many of you for turning up this morning especially given that a) it was likely to still be a bit cool in the water and b) because you knew you were doing a continuous 3000m swim!!! 

I really don't "like" prescribing these types of sessions (seriously!) as I am well aware that many of you might find this type of swim very boring and perhaps "pointless" as a squad session. However, in an effort to help you guys improve, for you to gauge how much you are improving, and to recognise the fact that a swim such as this every now and then is a great way to boost your endurance, I don't think you can really beat it! So despite a couple of disgruntled looks at 5.30am, I think you all secretly enjoyed it!

OK, onto the results. If you recall, 10 weeks ago I set you all a 3-month training challenge: could the Tuesday Technique / Endurance work coupled with a better pace awareness from the Friday Fresh & Fruity sets help you improve upon my predictions for the following sessions: 1) 14 to 20 x 100m with ~20s rest; 2) 400m Time Trial; 3) 1000m Time Trial; 4) 3000m Time Trial? From last Friday and this morning the answer to Points 1 & 4 have been a resounding "yes!" This is great news. We still obviously have the 400m and 1000m timed swims to go, but like anything, don't fear these - just see what you can do and pace yourself well!

10 weeks ago I went through all 150 squad swimmers and predicted what time you could each hold for the 100m interval test set. My predictions were surprisingly accurate even for a swim-nerd like me! From this I said "can you all improve by ~2.5% in 6-8 weeks?" Using this improved pace per 100m I then extrapolated what you should be able to hold for 400m, 1000m and 3000m building in "fatigue factors" of 2%, 4% and 11.5% respectively. This is not a "cut-throat" method, though it is generally agreed that as the distance of any endurance event doubles the time should increase by 3-4%. I used my own "Fudge Factor" method to eye-ball the results of this equation 10 weeks ago to arrive at a point which I felt was both challenging and realistic. We can debate the accuracy of this method until the cows come home, but given that the first two results from this morning's first finishers with known experience over these distances were both within just 10 seconds of my prediction for 3000m, I'm happy that this is at least a very good approximation! 

You can access the results here: http://theteamcore.com/images/3km.pdf

From the chart, please check for your name, your actual time, your actual pace per 100m, your predicted time from 10 weeks ago, your "improvement" ABOVE my predicted improvement, and your percentage "improvement". Remember a couple of things: 1) even if your improvement was 0:00 or 0%, you have still improved as this takes into account the 2.5% goal from week # 1; 2) anything over 5% is exceptionally good - well done; 3) some of you were a little unsure if you had done more or less than the stipulated distance of 3000m - I have tried to address this below.

Colour Code:

Yellow = no original predicted time from 10 weeks ago (due to absence) - I predicted this as you swam this morning based on other swimmers of known similar ability.

Green = I have modified your finish time slightly to add or subtract the 100m or so that you felt you had done under / over the distance (please note that this is only an approximation)

Red = I couldn't get excel to spit out a negative time (I can't be that nerdy obviously!)...if you are highlighted in red it simply means that you were slightly slower than my predicted time.

Anyway, that's how to spend a morning scouring a whole bunch of numbers - hope you enjoy! ;-)

Paul




Monday, November 2, 2009

Anyone have a room to rent for Jan/Feb 2010?

Dear TEAM

Just a quick one - anyone have a room to rent or a space for a UK athlete to stay between the 25th January and the 13th February 2010?  Lauren is a physio who wishes to come out to Perth for a spot of training in our glorious sunshine but has been let down by her last accommodation "lead". If anyone can help out please liaise with her directly at Lauren lrnbrdshw@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks

Paul




Update on pool temperature!

Dear Swimmers

Just a quick update on the pool temperature at Claremont Pool.
Thankfully the engineers have arrived and are fixing the motor as we
speak. The pool temp today was 21.5 degrees and very chilly for most.
They haven't given me an update on how long it will take to get the
temperature back up to normal but I am hopeful that this will be in
the next few days. I will keep you posted on any developments but
would suggest that if you come to swim tomorrow that you bring a rash
vest or wetsuit if you like. We plan to do a longer continuous swim
tomorrow as per the original plan so this will at least keep you
moving. Why not come down and give it a try and if it really is too
cold for you you can hop out and we won't charge your card.

Hope to see some of you then!

Paul