Jon started doing ocean races about 15 years ago, including all the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. As a swimmer without a previous competitive background he has had to work on ways of becoming more efficient and smart with training and racing.
He wrote the ebook “The Zen of Swimming” to look at how to have fun doing races and improve performance from a layman’s point of view.
Read a snippet of his book below, the full eBook can be downloaded from Amazon
Eating and drinking right to perform your best:
If you need a load of coffees and energy drinks to get going for your race you are most likely going to bomb out through the race. What goes in your mouth has a huge influence on how you feel and your energy levels. How you eat and hydrate yourself before a race has a huge influence on your performance on race day.
It is amazing how much fluid you can lose training or racing in the water – you tend to think it isn’t as much as running or cycling but you still sweat lots. When training it is a great idea to sip water during the sets. Before a race I like to hydrate regularly days before the race with a drink bottle by my side, rather than gulp big amounts just before the race. You can add an electrolyte or even lemon to your drink bottle, but I prefer not to load up on drinks loaded with sugar or caffeine. That gives you a false sense of energy!
I try to eat sensibly and not eat (or drink) too much the night before – by all means have your chips and beer after the race but not before! I try to eat a balance of whole foods and not load up on anything special before a race. Try a banana rather than lollies for a snack!
Jon Muller
