5 Misconceptions of A Training Trip: Instagram Pictures vs. Reality

Photo credit Delaney Lanker

By Delaney Lanker, Swimming World College Intern

It’s that time of year again; training trip season. Training trip is the most conflicting week of a college swimmer’s life. A combination of sunshine and palm trees with hours of pain and goggle crying as your coaches give you the hardest sets of the season. However, based on a swimmer’s Instagram and Facebook photos, you would actually never know that we are swimming most of the time.

1. Fun and Games vs. Hard Work

Photo Courtesy: Tove Bjork

Training trip is not a vacation. It’s a coach’s way of making winter training slightly less miserable. Instead of having to train at school, we get to be in a warm, sunny place like Florida, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. So, yes, we get to lay on on the beach in between practice; but having two swim practices, lift or dry land every day is a far cry from a week of relaxation.

As swimmers we endure hours upon hours of having our body broken down by long, difficult sets, but it’s during training trip that everyone has at least one practice or set that pushes you past your breaking point. Goggle crying is something that happens to the best of us, but all we can do is try and embrace the pain that we know is making us better for our Championship season.

However, training trip does have its moments of fun– waterfalls, zip lines, snorkeling, turtles and stingrays are just a few of the things that swimmers get to enjoy on that one much needed afternoon off.

2. Ocean Swims vs. 50-meter Outdoor Pool Training

Photo Courtesy: Delaney Lanker

To all you non-swimmers out there, we do not actually swim in the ocean. But we do run on the beach. We are still swimming in a pool. Usually an outdoor one so we can at least get a little bit of a tan on.

Although we wish we were mermaids that got to swim freely in the ocean, we are still little fish in the pool.

3. Professional Yogis vs. A Lucky Shot

Photo Courtesy: Sophie Browne

Nope, that’s probably picture number 15 of the 37 that were taken and attempt number three of the pose.

Yoga on the beach is a nice recovery practice, but we really are just trying to stretch out our incredibly sore muscles.

4. Team Relaxation vs. Embracing the Pain Together

Photo Credit: Sophie Browne

Training trip videos choreographed to popular songs, team outings, and group pictures in training bikinis is what fills a swimmer’s news feed. These unfortunately are not the only types of team bonding that goes on at training trip; but they do make it a little bit better. I mean what’s better than seeing your coach lip sync a new Justin Bieber song?

Teammates are what get you through a week of training trip. Knowing your lane buddy and the girl swimming next to you is in just as much pain as you are, is sometimes all that gets you through 10x200s fly LCM. Misery loves company.

5. We love to tan.

Photo Credit: Taylor Brew

Well that’s true. Between swimming outside five hours a day and then laying out in between every practice, training trip is a time for us to get back to a normal shade of white, rather than the pastiness that comes along with December. But don’t forget hats, sunscreen and water because a sunburn only makes practice that much harder.

Training trip isn’t all the fun and games that our non-swimmer friends perceive it to be, but it is a great time to get some hard work done, bond with your teammates and bask in the sun.

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