Hammering it out

I am of course referring to myself here. This week has been tough increasing the yardage and adding paddle work back into my workouts. My shoulders are screaming for ....MORE! This was a long course workout which always makes me want to do long fly swims.

10x50 @ :55 Free
5x200 @ 3:30 Free w/paddles & bouy descend went 3:10, 3:08, 3:05, 3:00, 2:52
500 Free kick w/fins
400 Fly w/fins
200 Back kick w/fins
400 Back w/paddles
10x100 @ 2:00 Free nice and long with 6 beat kick

Total 4000 meters

I wish the guard at our pool would be more reliable. Today I missed 15 minutes due to his late arrival. This time I stuck with what I had planned somewhat.

1000 Free as 200 swim/pull/swim/kick/swim
5x50 @ 1:00 Free right arm w/paddle breath on left side
5x50 @ 1:00 Free left arm w/paddle breath on right side
5x50 @ 1:10 Back right arm only w/paddle
5x50 @ 1:10 Back left arm only w/paddle
500 Free kick w/fins
500 Free w/paddles and bouy went 6:48
500 Free EZ every 3rd lap back

Total 3500 yards

This is the workout I wanted to do yesterday but couldn't due to time constraints. My shoulders were sore from yesterday but to my surprise free was the only stroke that they hurt on. My fly felt nice and loose.

10x100 @ 2:00 Free 1/2 pull 1/2 kick
400, 300, 200, 100 @ :30 Rest IM
800 IM Kick with fins broken at the 200 with :30 Rest
200 Free kick w/fins EZ
800 IM swim with fins broken at the 200 with :30 Rest
200 Free EZ

Total 4000 yards

Today I thought I was going to be late but the guard was even later missed the first 15 minutes of my swim time because he over slept.

Had planned a different workout for today but wanted to get 4000 in so had to change it up.

10x50 @ :50 Free
4x500 @ 8:00 Free w/paddles and bouy descend went 7:05, 6:55, 6:44, 6:36 a little shoulder issue on #2 but just widened my stroke a little on the left arm and that seemed to correct the problem
250 Free kick w/fins
250 Back kick w/fins focus on rotation
10x50 @ :50 Free with a good kick
500 Free every 3rd lap back

Total 4000 yards

Back to work today, yuck. I hope my allergies don't come back but I feel like they are starting to rear their ugly head.

10x100 @ 1:45 Free every 3rd IM
20x25 @ :30 Free kick drills
30x50 @ 1:00 1-10 Fly w/fins 11-20 Back w/paddles 21-30 breast w/fins
5x100 @ 1:30 Free kick w/fins held 1:21's last in 1:18
500 Free every 3rd lap back

Total 4000 yards

Started off with packing the car and then the last walk to the pool.

1200 warmup

Next was the 500 free which was a 6:21.48 not a best but was ok. For those wondering I did actually kick on this one.

300 warm down then the trek home began.

Total 2000 yards

Today started out kind of slow. In warm up my backstroke felt good but I never could get the breaststroke going right, it just felt FLAT!

1000 for a warmup today

Swam the 100 Breast in a lack luster time of 1:30.53 coming in 12th. After that dismall showing I had to get my head back into the game.

The 200 Back went surprisingly well with a lifetime best of 2:44.75 coming in 6th.

As soon as I got out of the 200 Back I ran over to the clinic that Rowdy was holding. I used the 300 I did there as my warmdown from the backstroke.

All in all it was a good day. Only one more day to go. I do the 500 Free in the morning and then take the long drive home.

Total 1600 yards not much yardage for a yardage hog like myself.

Did a whole lot less swimming today.

1000 warm up

was going to where my knee length Aquapel but during warmup I noticed that I had alot of air pockets so I choose to change into a full leg Aquapel even though I was going to swim the 200 Breast which I went a 3:11.96 just squeezing into 8th place.

300 warm down/up

The 100 free was a season best with a 1:04.46 a good effort

Next was the 100 Back and I surprised myself with a personal best at 1:17.74

Total 1700 yards decided to warm down in the showers.

I over slept this morning and did not get to the pool until 7:15. This is the day of the dirty double and yes I survived it. Will I do it again? probably.

Here is how the swimming yardage went:
1000 warm up
1650 Free in 22:06.88 for 5th place not a great time but ok
1000 warm down
300 warm up before the 1000
1000 Free in 13:12.75 just sqeaked in to 8th place
500 warm down

Total 5450 yards
This doesn't seem much like a taper does it, more like a workout.

Got in at the hall of fame pool today and swam for about an hour. Felt good strong and loose by the time I was done. Had one head on collision with a backstroker who got off course and that still hurts alittle.

5x200 @ 3:30 Free EZ
6x100 @ 2:00 odds free drill evens back
4x100 @ 2:00 as 50free/50back
500 EZ

Total 2500 yards

A little late on this one but was at Disney with the family. Tried swimming in the hotel pool which I figured out was a 20 yard pool. Managed a short workout in COLD water on Monday then opted not to swim on Tuesday. Too COLD a pool for me.

500 Free EZ
10x100 @ 1:45 Free

Total 1500 yards was all I could tolerate.

The allergies are starting to let up now as I have just arrived in Ft. Lauderdale. My hotel is just a room nothing fancy like Disney but this time I am here to swim and that is it. Hoping to get in a workout this evening at the hall of fame pool.

Still coughing here but trying to get better. Can't wait to get to Florida tomorrow. Were doing Disney!

Our workout today was more stroke than distance but we did work on some speed.

500 Free every 3rd lap kick
40x25 Drill 10 of each stroke with the last 2 of each stroke sprint full stroke

8x25 Work starts 2 of each stroke
8x25 half pool turns 2 of each stroke

Total 1900 yards then the hot tub not much hotter than the pool was today.

Got alittle more sleep last night. I found a mask like the ones that lawn maintenance persons might use while mowing the lawn and I wore it to bed. Not nearly as many coughing fits and I seemed to actually sleep in several extended segments. Today I will use the mask some and tomorrow until I can get down to Florida and away from the Georgia pollen count.

I actually tried to sprint today and did well.

1000 Free every 3rd lap kick
12x25 @ 1:00 Free odds sprint evens easy went 20, 18, 18, 19, 18, 18
200 back pull with kickboard
200 breast kick
300 kick with fins
200 IM drill
300 free pull
500 free easy

total 3000 meters

Another night of no sleep, went to bed at 8:30 just about ready to hopefully drift off around 10:30 I get a page from work. Once that is taken care of cough till about 2:30 then up at 4:30 again. No sleep for the weary.

Managed to stop coughing long enough to swim pretty good this morning. Nothing hard except maybe on my kicking. Back muscles are feeling much better today. Now if I can just get this allergy thing under control.

500 Free every 3rd lap kick
5x100 @ 2:00 Back as 50 swim/50 double arm
1000 kick with fins alternate 100 free kick on side/100 back kick 6 kicks on each side with rotation
8x50 from blocks 1 for each race I will do at Nat's
500 Free EZ every 3rd lap with over kick
100 back ez

Total 3000 yards

The massage did what it needed to do but now I have the 2 day wait for the muscles to start feeling better. My Lats were really tight, they are still hurting but the ache is gone so I know I am on the mend.

Today was just some easy swimming working on a long reach, pace and proper breaststroke form.

500 Free as 50 swim/50 drill choice of drills
500 Free kick with fins varying position holding the kick board was alitte painful
500 Free pull with bouy only nice and long stroke
10x50 @ :55 Free hold pace went 43,43,42,41,41,40,40,39,39,38
4x200 @ 4:30 Breast #1 kick w/fins #2 swim w/fins #3 drill #4 pull
200 Fly kick w/fins streamline
500 Free as 50swim/50 drill choice

Total 3500 yards

Feeling sluggish today. Did get to sleep earlier last night somewhere around 11ish is when the coughing stopped. But I forgot to take my allergy meds.

1000 as 200 swim/pull/swim/kick/swim
4x100 @ 1:45 kick with fins evens free on side evens back with rotation every 6 kicks
200 breast kick with fins
8x50 from a dive with good breakout and swim for 20 yards then cruise the rest one for each event doing at nationals
5x100 @ 1:45 as 50free/50back
500 free every 3rd breast
500 Free pull EZ

Total 3500 yards

Sleep, what is sleep? I think I finally stopped coughing somewhere around 2am but had to get up at 4:30 so...

Left muscle left under the arm feels really tight. Is fine while I swim just feel it kind of ache when I am not swimming.

My swim was actually fine today except for bouts of coughing here and there, which I just swam thru. Nothing too hard today just a lot of drill/kick work.

10x100 @ 2:00 Free 1/2 pull 1/2 kick
5x200 @ 3:30 Free as 50 breath every 3rd, 50 breath every 5th, 100 swim with 6 beat kick went 2:57, 2:52, 2:53, 2:51, 2:47
3x200 @ 3:30 Back kick with fins good kickouts, #1 kick, #2 kick with rotation, #3 kick with partial recovery
4x100 @ 2:00 as 50 Free/50 Back Stretch it out went 1:37, 1:35, 1:32, 1:30, 1:27
500 Free with bouy every 3rd lap back

Total 3500 yards

My purpose for going to this meet was to support a local meet since we have so few meets in south Georgia. Since my taper is going on I figured I would try out a new suit to see if I liked it. I didn't, but I swam fast so who knows it may just get some wear time after all.

The pool was outdoors and we had a beautiful day. Since we were low on timers and I had planned to just swim easy at this meet and really not push, I volunteered to time when I was not swimming. This means I really did not get any warm up or warm down after races.

I started with the 200 Free and went a 2:22.40 the fastest I have gone this season. Then came the 200 Back outside in the sun, just swam nice and loose felt strong so I cranked the last 100 of it and WOW went a 2:46.54, 2 seconds faster than last weekend and only 1 second off my best time from last year.

The final swim was the 500 Free and I did not want to hurt on this one so I chose to do something I never do on a 500, KICK. I kicked the entire 500 and for the first time this season went under 6:22 with a 6:19.74.

I am still having issues with my back muscles being alittle on the tight side but atleast they are not hurting like before. Nothing another massage and plenty of ice won't cure.

Total 2100 yards today

I just did not feel speedy today but it was long course today too. Kicking was all I really wanted to do and this from a non kicker. What is happening to me? I have no energy in the pool. I know I am beginning to hit that YUCKY FEELING!

The back muscles are still alittle bit of a problem but mostly normal. Don't want to blow it. Tomorrow is the Hilton Head meet and I am going to go and swim SLOW, just try out a new suit for Y Nationals to see if I like it or not. I asked the meet director to play some Pink Floyd music for me to swim by tomorrow.

2x400 @ 8:00 Free went 7:38 and 6:56
400 free kick every 3rd lap sprint
8x25 @ 1:00 IM order 2 of each stroke FAST with fins fly kick on breast
200 IM drill
400 free pull every 3rd lap back
2x400 @ :30 Rest kick with fins #1 easy, #2 pick 4-25's to Sprint kick
200 IM drill EZ

Total 3000 meters

I really did not expect to feel this good today. The muscles have relaxed enough to actually feel fairly normal in the water. I did not push today since I did not want to agrevate anything. Did push the legs and they got a great workout.

10x100 @ 2:00 Free 1/2 pull 1/2 kick
20x25 @ :45 SDK off wall to 1/2 pool finish with free
5x100 @ 1:30 Free kick with fins went 1:18, 1:21, 1:20, 1:19, 1:15
200 Free EZ
3x100 @ 2:00 Back pull with bouy only
5x100 @ 1:45 Free Easy arms 6 beat kick went 1:31, 1:30, 1:30, 1:26, 1:21
500 Free Easy every 3rd lap kick

Total 3500 yards