Dear Swimmers,
It has now been two weeks since the 2019/20 season came to an unfortunate end, and although we are no longer able to train and compete, it is important to shift our focus from the pool to stay safe and healthy over the coming months.
My daily life has changed pretty drastically, as I’m sure it has also done for many of you – the hours spent at the pool every day have been replaced with some welcome hours of sleep but also a far greater amount of seemingly empty time. I miss the freedom, catching up with mates and playing music with the band every weekend, but if you boil it down discarding the lack of swimming and social contact, the other core aspects of my life are still well and truly there.
I’ve found an opportunity to redirect these 25+ hours that are now available towards consolidating my university work, playing and writing more music for the next time my band plays, to relaxing and unwinding which sometimes eluded me during the busier times of the year.
As you all know, swimming is such a structured sport – you have to set a morning alarm, attend and challenge yourself in the specifically prescribed morning and afternoon sessions, all whilst having to try and get 8 hours of sleep a night – most of the time the rest of your day revolves around your training. While we can’t train in person with our squads and coaches, creating structure within the next few months, however big or small, will help immensely.
At the moment, my brother and I are doing alternating days of gym and core/dry-land work at home, as well as walking and cycling. Although it doesn’t have the same volume compared to our usual routine, it still has the benefit of keeping us physically and mentally active.
In the midst of it all, I’m having check-ins and conversations with my swim and strength/conditioning coaches two or three times a week – not only talking about keeping fit, but also just to have a chat. It is so easy to get caught up in the notion of isolation, which is really quite abnormal for us all – so be sure to call up your mates or join a video chat to stay connected despite the physical social restrictions.
In the end, getting into a routine to stay in touch with swimming is valuable, but it is also important to use this newfound free time to rest. Next year will be busy – not only for the senior swimmers trying to make the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2021 World Champs but also for the age, junior and masters athletes competing at State Champs, Age Nationals and the Open Water Series.
We can all use this time to recharge the batteries whilst keeping a fitness base so we can be ready to hit the next season head-on. Remember, we are all going through this together so don’t be afraid to reach out, and if you haven’t read Tommaso D’Orsogna’s letter on the SWA website I highly recommend it for some extra motivation.
Best of luck and I hope to see you everyone around the pool soon,
Ashton Brinkworth
