Pushing Olympic Training to the Next Level
Ivan Puskovitch, 23, will compete in his first Olympic games in the 10K open water swim this summer, a test of endurance and speed. Last time we spoke with him, he had just moved across the country in pursuit of his Olympic dreams. In early June, he returned from a 17-day camp at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, where hundreds of Olympic hopefuls train year round.
The facility has everything athletes need to focus on their training, but they have to bring their own stamina and mental fortitude, because it’s a place where you go to take things to the next level. We caught up with Ivan in the time between his return from camp and heading off to the Olympic trials in Indianapolis – a pool-only event – even though he has his ticket to Paris and is already on the 10K open water team. Why? 'It’s the second-fastest meet in the world,' he says. 'And any opportunity to race is an opportunity to get better.' Below, in his own words, Puskovitch shares a day in the life of an Olympian as the games get closer.
IN THE PAST, I’ve been to the OTC for national team camp, but this time I was there on my own. It's great because being there allows me to focus on training and training alone. But I was swimming solo every single day, in the end lane, with my coach on the deck, doing upwards of 100 kilometres a week. It’s a pretty gruelling way to train, but living there for 17 days eliminated nearly all non-sport-related distractions, and allowed me to eat, sleep, and train in a vacuum the entire time. It’s really nice because you have everything you need at your fingertips. For me, that means:
My number of weekly workouts increases.
It goes to 13 or 14, up from the usual 11 or 12. That’s two workouts every day of the week except Sunday, when there’s one, if we can afford the morning or afternoon off. You have to be a little flexible with workout timing at the OTC, since there’s so much programming going on right now—college teams, the Paralympic swimming team, other Olympic swimmers, and triathletes. So you reserve a time with the pool manager. The lifeguards have generally been there a long time; they’re familiar faces that help accommodate you according to the pool schedule.
Nutrition gets cranked up to 11.
I have five meals a day. Typically two breakfasts, one lunch, and two dinners, courtesy of the dining hall.
Every form of recovery I could want or need is available to me.
Compression, massage, sauna, ice plunge, hot tub – it’s all there, and more. I make a point of going to the recovery center every day between workouts and scheduling two massages per week. The OTC has recovery forms that I don’t have access to regularly, like the full Normatec compression sleeves (I have the calf sleeves at home). I usually alternate using them on my arms and my legs.
I took my JustLight Sunflower lamp to the OTC to deliver red light therapy. I mostly use it on my shoulders – 15 minutes on each one, the goal being to boost circulation and stimulate muscle regeneration at the cellular level to help prevent injury. I treat them twice a day; once between training sessions and once again in the evening. When I’m in my room, I’m usually doing some form of recovery, like a massage gun or roller.
I get to work at altitude.
Since this camp was shorter than my usual 23- or 24-day camps, we had to hit training pretty hard from the start. You want to take a few days to acclimate so that your body doesn’t get dug into a hole early. My first workout at altitude is always just 3K – normally, we’re pushing 7, 8, or 9K per workout. We gradually move up from there.
I also increase my hydration around two-fold, since you get dehydrated so much more quickly at altitude. If you get your electrolytes and fluids in, you’re going to have an easier time acclimating than if you don’t. After a week or so, you don’t even think about the fact you’re at altitude any more; it’s just a normal practice. There can be a pretty dramatic change in oxygen retention.
Beyond Training
There’s been a lot of travel in my life lately – moving across the country, training at the OTC, then competing at the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Italy – all within a short time. So I’ve been trying to be extra deliberate with self-care. Swimming can be used as a Band-Aid. It’s an escape, which is a great thing. But you still have to be able to clean house and tend to things internally, and it’s easy to neglect that. So the first thing I do when I put in my contacts in the morning is journal, and the last thing I do before I take out my contacts at night is journal – about highlights of the day, gratitude, and seeing things in a positive light. Other times, I write down my thoughts when I need to decompress – I put stuff out into the universe that, if it sits there, is just going to fester.
One thing about not being in university right now is that I have the opportunity to read for pleasure. I like reading books about the human condition and I like learning about mankind’s mental relationship with our surroundings. Someone recommended Dostoyevsky to me recently, so I'm going to start that.
It’s very beneficial to me to have a moment to try to detach from my thoughts. I’d like to believe I’d be engaging in these practices—I’ve heard them called psychological hygiene—even if I weren’t swimming. It’s like you’re getting your house in order, and it’s going to make you feel more at peace, more grateful, and happier with the opportunity to be in the water every day.
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