Chris Cook's Blog
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⇒ April 08
⇒ October 07
April 08
Well, I have had my head down, training towards the Olympic Trails, now for several months and it feels exciting and strange to think that it is upon us! If I am to make the qualifying standard for the Olympic Team I must achieve the top 16th time in the world (100m Breaststroke = 61.5 & 200m Breaststroke = 2.13.6) and be the first or second British swimmer through the post! This is made tougher by the fact that in Britain we have 5 or 6 guys all able to achieve this qualifying standard.
This is an exciting time of year for most Olympic sports, especially swimming, because most countries around the world have their Olympic Trials too, so every now and then when I'm training up and down the pool my coach will give me updates of how my rivals around the world are doing - that helps me to dig that little deeper in the training tank. I am into the last stages of my preparation now and that means more rest and smarter training sessions kick into action. We still have early 5am starts because in Beijing and at the trials we will be expected to swim finals in the morning and if you're prepared for that then you stand a much better chance.
This cycle has been geared towards a two stage plan
Stage 1 = Make the Olympic Team
Stage 2 = Olympic Success
With this in mind I always live by the motto of 'Assume nothing and expect anything'. I never underestimate my opponents and I understand that everyone who competes to win will want it as much as me! But I've approached this cycle in the way that I know best - 'To train like I am number 2 but aspire to be number 1'. After a hugely disappointing year last year I have gone back to basics and realised that it is the simple things done well that get you the big goals and dreams.
This photo is of me receiving an award for Newcastle sports personality of the year. It was such a huge honor to receive this award and especially when I look the names on the trophy - Paul Gasgoigne, Alan Shearer, Jonny Wilkinson, Kevin Keegan etc...the list goes on. To have my name next to these guys on the trophy is definitely humbling!
October 07
With the swimming season off to a start in early September I am, as they say, well a truly in the thick of it! We're up to 10 sessions in the water covering 60,000 meters (37 miles approx or 2400 lengths of your local swim pool) a week and getting up at 4.30am every morning seems to be getting as normal as it ever can do at that time of day - or night to most sane people. After a slightly disappointing season last season I took a break and re-assessed where I went wrong and how I could capitalise on the good and bad swims from the previous year. Some swimmers don't like to work that way but I like to know exactly where I'm going with my training and if I know where not to go then it narrows my choices down.
After gathering my thoughts and shaking off the previous season I've come back home and simplified my programme. After the Common Wealth Games in March last year I found myself involved in things outside of swimming that was not contributing to me swimming faster! We all know what that's like - you basically start doing work outside of your work description and the core of what you are employed to do starts to suffer, but you justify doing the other stuff by saying "It's important" - when really it's not at all. So this year I have stripped everything back to concentrate on the core of my business which is - SWIMMING FAST. Sounds simple eh? Well that's exactly what it should be, so now before I get involved in anything I ask myself 'is this going to make me swim two lengths of the pool faster? Yes or no? And that is the formula I have been sticking to since returning from a break.
As the weeks progress through the winter cycle I will maintain a level of fitness by keeping up 60,000m per week and I will increase the intensity of sessions each week. So for example last week we did a session on Tuesday morning which was 16x100m swims at a fast pace, this week we increased it to 18x100m swims. We continue to do this until 5 weeks out from major championships. This cycle we are working towards the qualifying rounds for the Olympic Games next year, and they will be in Sheffield in March/April. The qualifying standard for the Olympic Games is the top 12th time in the world and 1st or 2nd at the trials. Everyone wants to go to the Olympics for their country and that's what makes the trials so exciting. We have a great GB team and to make the Olympic team would be a fantastic job done in stage one of a two stage plan - stage two being Olympic Success!!!!
So what am I up to over the next few weeks - well on Sunday (28th Oct) I'm off to Australia until Christmas to take advantage of the beautiful outdoor culture and the vast amount of 50m pools they have, please don't feel sorry for me, I'll be fine seriously, and no I don't need someone to carry my bags... Next time I update the blog I will be filling you in on where I've been and what I've been up to and maybe a couple of photos in there as well....
Bye for now!
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