We’ve all had Meets where we just didn’t seem to perform up to our expectations – we just didn’t feel right in the water, especially after that third turn. Then we wonder why we didn’t get a Personal Record that week.
It could certainly be a lack of mental preparation or a technical mistake during the race, but did we ever consider that our level of performance on that day could have been pre-ordained by what we did on the Thursday, Friday, or Saturday morning before the Meet?
Sleep, nutrition, and hydration have a huge impact on athletic performance, so it is just as important to pay attention to those factors as it is to pay attention to your technique.
For sleep, what is not obvious is that the most important night is the night-before-the-night-before – so Thursday night. With the demands of school, this will require advanced planning and time management, but you must make sure that you get a full night’s sleep on the Thursday night before a Saturday meet.
Nutrition and hydration are not so straightforward, so thank you to Coach Bryce Bohman for putting together this nutrition guide for our team. It is a formula for success on Saturdays:
Seton Swim Team Nutrition Guide
Like sleep, properly executing this nutrition and hydration plan requires pre-planning. Here’s a summary of the plan so you can start thinking about it today. Drinking 60-80 oz of water on Friday is not something you are going to do naturally.
Summary: How to Fuel for Your Best Swim
- Friday: Big fueling day — carbs + protein + hydration.
- Saturday AM: Light breakfast + snack.
- At Meet: Small carb snacks often + water.
- After: Recover with carbs + protein.
If you follow this guide, you will swim faster, feel better, and finish races stronger. I look forward to seeing you all with water bottles in class on Fridays this winter!