Blog

Another week out of pool while in middle of trying to get started on a schedule. This time was from influenza A. 4 days of fever (at 101.8° I would drop a few advil). Also had to avoid pool a month ago - I had to get 7 stitches in my leg (do have a gnarly pic).

Shoulders on otherhand, still seem to be tolerating the pool.

I am free of the flu, except lingering upper respiratory effects. But as of today I should be 24hrs beyond period of transmitting.

100 fr
100 br
1200 kick with surf fins and snorkel
100 fr

I’ll start swimming harder when I’m ready to. My only concern with the approaching meet is how I handle entering water from the block. Felt a little scary from the side of pool earlier, but the streamline arms feeling stronger than then

Actually feels good going to meet once without any expectations or stress

400 fr WU SN

• first time swimming over 100 of fr in a year

100 br 1:55
200 kick as frog/flutter
200 IMK
200 various with fins

LS felt little loose, but seems to be getting used to swimming positively

Signed up for meet 23/24 Feb, with a total of two swim workouts (other than kicking) in over a year and a half, or more. Entered seed times 10 - 20% slower than my times 2016.

Postponing left shoulder surgery until late summer. My right shoulder still improving from its procedure 9 months ago, but it’s very slow

LCM - bulkhead installed, dove below it ea 50 again (more interesting this way, get a solid mid-pool boost too)

5 x 200 IMK on 6:00

• fl done as UWA (atlantis) with 3-4 breaks for breaths
• br and fr with snorkel

600 of drills with surf fins

50SCM left foot kick
50SCM right foot kick

• my left leg kicks 10 seconds faster with less kicks though it is weaker, and I account it is due to how floppy and flexible the foot and ankle is compared to the rt.

Dec 27 LCM danny jones pool
(Floating bulkhead in use but swam LCM, going under it each 50)
200 fr ez wu
1800 lcm various kicking with fins
5 x 50 flutter kick on 0:90 without fins

Dec 28
16 x 0:10/0:30 (AFAP/easy) rogue airbike

Dec 30
5 x 0:30/2:00 rogue fanbike/woodland curve treadmill on 4:30
active recovery on bike

Dec 31 LCM (pool had bulkhead but went under as I approach it each length to maintain LCM)
300LCM fr with snorkel
300LCM UWAK (under water atlantis kick) 10-15m per breath
6 x 50LCM Br on slow
1000 LCMkick with snorkel and fins mix of flutter and UWAK
10 x nb 25 SCM fr on 1:00
25 fly with fins

First time swimming fly since april 2016 just to see how my shoulders can take it. My right bicep felt wrong at the lower tendon so I stopped. Probably just not used to the new biceps attachment configuration.

My lower back started going out a few weeks ago, was worse on 27th, but getting better now. Probably form all the running i’ve been doing in recent preparation for approaching afr fitness test. Hoping for another 100, but i don’t know - fine line between peak fitness and breaking down to unsalvageable

Ran into a bulkhead that mysteriously appeared in the lane during lcm set. Was the type they just drag in to each lane and tie off. Thought they were only doing the other lanes. One side was a little longer than scm, and the other was a little longer than scy, swam both liking the slightly longer than scy one the best.


200 LCM IMK
50 fr ez
200 SCM IMK
50 fr ez
2 x 200 SCY IMK
50 fr ez
600 fins

Fly kick parts done as UW Atlantis with 3 - 4 breaths per 50

Lactate conditioning is not activity selective I find. For instance I swam just twice past 2 months, but my legs didn’t mind at all 1.3k of straight kicking, even after pushing a few of them. I have been working LP on dryland at least 2x wk which consists of 30s max efforts (peaking to 800 watts rogue / 1100 watts assault) on the airbike followed by 60-90s woodland curve 6-9mph, then remounting airbike 90 - 120s active rest.

4 x
100 free
200 IM kick

Right shoulder about 70% way to full recovery and whatever was damaged appears surgically fixed. Hand still aches and tingling -probably axial nerve pressure which may improve with regain in strength.

Left shoulder I plan on addressing early next year. MR with contrast report highlights: “circumferential tear of labrum with displaced fragments into axillary recess along inferior and posterior inferior labrum”, “biceps anchor and superior labrum are nearly completely denuded”, “glenoid thickening”, and “Hill-Sachs impaction fracture” among others. Whatever that means, it doesn’t sound normal. On a good note, my rotator cuff group like the right side, is good. I am looking forward to having this worked on. I’ve been swimming with this train-wreck in my arm since the day I learned proper swimming just over 10 years ago. This recent 2 month break from swimming jumping back in yesterday (like a reset) really exposed this limitation, which I learned to ignore out of necessity during years of stroke development. If this will be a successful outcome, I reckon I will have to redevelop stroke by scratch. I will continue to swim leading up to it

10 laps free with fins
4 laps back with fins
2 laps breast

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At physical therapy. Warm-up, stretches, then:
3 x 30 reps ea of abductions to side, fwd, and between no rest using 1lb db (270 reps).

PTA wasn’t watching and I was supposed to do 10 reps of 2 sets (PT was on vacation and I wanted to leave early to swim before thunder storms arrive)

1 x 10 each, on belly 1 lb db arm raises to front and side

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My Shoulder improves every day with range of motion, strength, and decrease in pain. However I have no idear how to judge if I am doing too much or too little. According to the doctor I shouldn’t be even trying to swim for another 2 months, but he is not a swimmer and does not understand I can be fairly gentle with my arm using fins and moderately passive strokes.

1:30 am nearby pool
2500 yds kick on sides with fins

assault air bike
5 x 030 on 4:00
briefly hit 11XX so arm getting stronger

weights and stretching doing what I can mostly light weight

pool
500 fr with surf fins 8:XX
300 of various other fins stuff

every day shoulder is better than before, but only just slightly. Really quite painful when I wake up. Stretching lightly in all ranges with both internal/external rotations.

My right arm still slightly over an inch smaller than other, wife calls it my deadpool arm lol

100 easy
300 fr with fins
500 one arm (non rehab arm) fr with fins
50 br
6 x 25 UW atlantis kick on 0:45 fins
10 x 25 UW atlantis kick on 1:00 fins
10 x 25 one arm fr on 1:00 fast

Drylands yesterday
Assault bike: 5 x 0:30 AFAP on 4:00 (easy with using right arm), hit 1015 watts
Leg press 1 x 270 x 25
Stretches
10 min kicking heavy bag

2 months since surgery (LHBT tenodesis, extensive posterior and inferior debridment, and chondroplasy), pain still there but finally letting off, range of movement and strength coming back - can finally push off wall with a quasi streamlined arm. It is difficult to tell if I am pushing too hard and aggravating healing. My PT says i can use weights next week at 10wks, but I’ve been doing that at 6 wks, albeit with 1-3 lb db. Good news for me though are signs that I will have promising results with this surgery, the “dead spot” I’ve had during power phase of stroke for 5 years seems to not exist anymore. I will never know if my aggressive approach to rehab gave me 120% or 80% than if I would have followed strict protocol. If I did anything else wrong with recovery, it would be not doing enough pendulum cycles as I am making up with painful stretches now, overdoing it (did active arm raises once at 2 wks), not resting enough. My right arm measures an entire inch smaller than my already skinny left arm

If schedule permits, might participate in a local meet late next month, NT for all events of course.

Aruba is around the corner, should be good to go to enjoy the ocean, no cliff jumping however. Plan on saving money and just stay at my in-laws home.


Going to gym later tonight

SCM
10 x 25m 1arm free on 1:00 (non surgery arm)
500 frg kick (arms passive) 14:00
60 min various things: rehab shldr range of motion, active range, neuromuscular control, and super easy stroke with recovery not fully above surface. also did relaxing stuff: UW swims for CO2 tolerance, Bubble rings etc

Drylands


back machine 55 pounds left arm for 45 reps, 0 pounds right arm for 5 reps.
Assisted dips: 100lbs 10 reps x 2
assisted pull-ups: 100lbs 10 reps x 2
arm bicycle: 3 minutes
back extensions 60 reps
calf raises 20 reps

snorkel throughout
Kick, both arms trailing back passively (o: flutter, e: frog)
20 x 52.4 yd on 0:80

0-arm fly with surf fins, easy / moderate per length
5 x 52.4 yd on 1:00

25 min: sculling, slow kicking with arm at about 110° using frontal drag as mild resistance, and atlantis with and without fins

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31 days post surgery. Just started active range of motion on Tuesday. Md doesn’t want me to push the range too quickly, his theory is it will prevent instability later down the road. So I am keeping it no more than 100° now.

been swimming 3 x wk doing 500 to 1500m kicking similar to above

Maintaining base fitness 3 x wk with the Assault air bike (rehab arm free, in brace). 2 workouts:
1) 6 x 0:45 (500-600 watts) on 4:15 (50-100 watts easy)
2) 10 x 1:00 (300-400 watts on 2:00 (50-100 watts easy)

Also doing RC scrap for the other shoulder, and whatever else I can manage.

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6|3|18
650 kick with fins, arms passive
200 very slow sculling motion with rehab arm no more than 110 degrees
12 min of one arm LP on assult bike, 4 x 40 sec 9550 watt) on 3:00
active range of arm using arm weight to about 80 degrees

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6|5|18
524 yd kick with arms trailing back, o length frog/e length flutter, 15:00
15 minutes with fins stretching rehab arm

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6|6|18 scm
kicking as usual
passive UW range of motion within comfort as usual

the three entry wounds from surgery are closed- 18 d post op

1150 kick with arms back

3|31 SCM / drylands
3 x 200IMK on 5:00
10 x 25 flutter kick (0:25’s) on 1:00

upperbody high reps
400m run 1:20

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4|1 drylands
400m run 1:20

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4|2 drylands
400m rum 1:20
stretching

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4|3 SCM drylands
4 x 200 IMK on 5:00

400m run 1:17.90
lower body high reps

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3|28:
3 x 200IMK on 5:00

• arms down on bk kick
• 12.5m UWDK/12.5m UWalantis on fl kick
• board/snorkel on br and fr kick

dryland:
400m run 1:23

3|29 drylands:
400m run 1:19.70 :-)

3|25
Ran barefoot 400M
Ran fast 700M
Upperbody light, high reps
20 min of continuous cyclic yoga

3|26
Ran 400M 1:24
Lower body light, high reps
10 min of continuous cyclic yoga

3|27
SCM
5 x 200IMK on 5:00
had to leave pool - grossed out over the floating film and how the water felt

SCM Kicking as normal

200 IMK's

shoulder shot didn't help

Been using a kickboard modified from an old skim board - good for UW's

Used fins today for UW's - was fun

also did 20 x 25 fr kick 0n 50 striving 4 30's

500 kick, flutter, frog by the 25
6 x 50 flutter as 25 AFAP / 25 easy kick

1000 IM kick as touchngo 200’s

• fly kick done UW alternating between atlantis per 12.5’s
• board and snorkel for frog and free kicks
• 25:33

200 warmdown

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SCM just for kicks

5 x 200IM kick - 23:45 (4:45 200's)

• touch and go intervals
• fly portion as 2x 12.5m UWDK/12.5m UW atlantis
• grabbed lane line once each bk
• br and fr - used board and snorkel

Fastest kick yet, by good margin - pleased. Probably should do 5:00's now and work on split times until consistant at 0:20 r

Felt right foot was about to cramp from start, but managed to keep relaxed enough to prevent.