Eileen Swanson is a Full Time Professional Triathlete, USAT Certified Triathlon Coach and Pacific Master's Swim Coach.  Eileen is dedicated to bringing out the best in every athlete.  Based in San Ramon, CA in the heart of the Bay Area, Eileen coaches athletes all over the world.

Mar 11
2010

Open Water Swimming

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After swimming in a heated pool all winter, it is now time to get out there in the open water.   Although lakes, ocean, and rivers are intimidating to the comfortable pool swimmer, they are also a fun new challenge.  Before heading out to your local lake or beach, make sure you check out the conditions to make sure you will be in a safe body of water.  And always have a swim partner! 

Once you decide on open water swim venue, head out there with a friend and practice stretching out your stroke, sighting, and bilateral breathing.  I would like to touch on sighting for the purpose of this post. 

Sighting:

  • Practice sighting by turning your head slightly forward either before or after taking a breath.
  • Sight after you take a breathe
  • Practice sighting off buoys in the distance or specific landmarks (i.e buildings, tallest tress, or other structures that stand out)
  • Sight every 6-8 strokes.  If you have a naturally straight stroke, try sighting every 10 strokes.

 Now get out there, enjoy the open water and keep practicing the sighting.

 Happy Swimming,

Coach E 

Nov 17
2009

Off Season

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Congratulations to those of you who are now officially in "off season" mode!  Make sure to take some time off to relax and let your body and mind recover.  You may feel great and excited to get back to training right away, but your body and mind will regret the lack of break later on down the road.  Take this time to do the things that you were not able to do while in full season training and racing mode.  For example, hanging out with friends, shopping, taking a hike with your dogs, family trips, or just enjoying a nice walk in the fresh air.  While simple, these are the activities that were difficult to fit in during our busy race seasons.  

After two to three weeks of having fun tackling these activities, begin slowly getting back into the swing of training.  I like to have my athletes begin with the most neglected aspect of triathlon training, core work or strength training.  A qualified coach or fitness trainer will be able to show you how and what to do while in the gym.  Most programs will include upper body work, abs, back, and legs.  Some of the more important exercises that should be part of your program are lunges, crunches or planks, stretch cord shoulder and tricep work, among others.  Make sure to start out slowly and with light weights.  It is best to use light weights and work on a higher number of repetitions.  Be consistent and gradually build up in weight and repetitions over the winter months, but only under the guidance of a coach or trainer unless you are very experienced with strength training.  

To add some fun and variety to your off season training, try new sports such as soccer, stand up paddling, rock climbing, to name a few.  Have fun, engage the different muscle groups and go easy.  You have so much time to "go hard" during the regular season!

Cheers to a great Off Season!
Eileen Swanson
Tri Lab Coaching
Sep 27
2009

Staying Fit while being Injured

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If you have a sports injury, chances are you will need to take some time off to rest, recover and regroup. That's perfectly fine. But if you don't want to lose fitness from not exercising or you simply want to maintain a base of fitness, there are ways to work out while recovering from most injuries.  

You can maintain your fitness level even if you need to cut back on one of the three sports for several months.  You will need to find other ways to stay fit while recovering by cross training, which may include, doing yoga, pilates, or strength training. It may take some flexibility to try new things, but most athletes find training through injury is possible and not terribly difficult.  Most importantly maintain the right attitude and not pushing on the injury until it completely heals is key. One way to continue working out while recovering from injury may include the stationary bike or pool running.
With pool running, simply run for time. Commit to spend as much time in the water as you'd spend on a normal run.  Do regular running workouts. Vary the pace, the tempo, the length of time. Simulate a favorite running workout. Some type of fartlek workout, where you're constantly changing speeds, works best.

Pool running is the best cross-training exercise for triathletes and runners because it's hardly cross-training at all. It's actual running done in a pool and you won't lose much if any fitness while your injury heals.