Monday, May 25, 2009

Review: Tempo Trainer - The Smart Swimmer's Tool


One of my favorite pieces of training equipment is the tempo trainer. Made by Finis, it is a small device that beeps at an adjustable rate. Put it behind your ear inside your swim cap, and away you go... beep... beep... beep.

The Tempo Trainer allows a swimmer to ensure he is achieving specificity in training, working his neuromuscular system in a way that is similar to what he aims to achieve in a racing situation. A tempo trainer can also be used to help a distance swimmer hold a particular pace in training, being set to beep when a swimmer is expect to turn at the end of the pool. We use it regularly in our training, and I find it an invaluable tool, particularly for short sprinting sets.

Some pros and cons of the Tempo Trainer:

Pros: Low price tag($30), simple two-button operation, ability to set beep for paces or stroke tempos,a versatile tool that can be used for all strokes, small compact design

Cons: Battery wears out quickly and must be sent to the manufacturer for replacement, goggle strap clip doesn't work well, buttons are small and hard to push, inability to program specific sets into the device

Does your team use the tempo trainer? If so, do you have a favorite Tempo Trainer set or a particular way that you like to use it?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Smiles Are Contagious

Our son is now almost four months old, and I am amazed by how much he changes daily. One of the most amusing developments of the past six weeks or so is that he now smiles - and does so all the time. It is heart-warming to see, and it got me thinking...

Nobody taught him how to smile or explained to him what it means. Sure, he's seen us do it. Clearly, we are hard-wired for this sort of expression. He recognizes my smile, and he smiles right back at me, without ever knowing how or necessarily having a reason. And seeing him smile makes me happy.

Could it be that smiles are contagious? Does seeing someone smile make you happier? If you smile, does it put you in a better mood? I am guessing there is something to this and there is a scientist somewhere who can prove my hypothesis.

I try to greet each of my swimmers at every morning practice with a "Good morning ______" and a smile. They do not always respond, but I am working on that...

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Toiling Upward

Last week during a morning practice that was poorly attended, a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow popped into my head. Quick research on the internet showed it was from the poem "The Ladder of St. Augustine," which I had never read in it's entirety. In my opinion it is pretty inspiring, particularly to the individual who faces challenges and adversity but is willing to work harder to achieve what it is that he wants.

The part that I remembered and especially enjoy is the 10th verse. Here is the entire poem:


The Ladder of St. Augustine

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Saint Augustine! well hast thou said,
That of our vices we can frame
A ladder, if we will but tread
Beneath our feet each deed of shame!

All common things, each day's events,
That with the hour begin and end,
Our pleasures and our discontents,
Are rounds by which we may ascend.

The low desire, the base design,
That makes another's virtues less;
The revel of the ruddy wine,
And all occasions of excess;

The longing for ignoble things;
The strife for triumph more than truth;
The hardening of the heart, that brings
Irreverence for the dreams of youth;

All thoughts of ill; all evil deeds,
That have their root in thoughts of ill;
Whatever hinders or impedes
The action of the nobler will; --

All these must first be trampled down
Beneath our feet, if we would gain
In the bright fields of fair renown
The right of eminent domain.

We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.

The mighty pyramids of stone
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs.
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs.

The distant mountains, that uprear
Their solid bastions to the skies,
Are crossed by pathways, that appear
As we to higher levels rise.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.


Standing on what too long we bore
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern -- unseen before --
A path to higher destinies.

Nor deem the irrevocable Past,
As wholly wasted, wholly vain,
If, rising on its wrecks, at last
To something nobler we attain.