I have been trying to fight off a cold but it hit me full force yesterday afternoon. This morning I started out just going through the motions but as the workout progressed I felt better. SCY with Carrie 200 swim free 200 IM drill 200 kick w/board choice 200 pull back (no paddles) 200 free swim swim 6 x 100 free on 1:50: swim the first 50 easy, then build the 2nd 50. Work on a decent 3rd turn and an excellent finish. (kept these around 1:20-21) 200 easy choice swim 3 sets of 4 x 50 back: set 1 on :50 - make 'em and hold a decent average (44±) 1 min. rest set 2 on 1:00: hold a better average than set 1 (40±) 2 min. rest set 3 on 1:10: best possible average (39±) 300 swim down Total: 2700 yards 30 minute spinning class at noon today
Updated April 20th, 2009 at 05:03 PM by poolraat
Mon Apr 20th, 2009 Left lower back hurt a little today Chest's a bit sore from Sunday weights 2009 Nats Psych Sheet NEXT MEET USMS MASTERS SCY NATIONALS May 8 - 10 2 weeks 4 days / 18 days Saturday: Did NOT swim or lift Sunday Lifted at world gym Lat Pull WU 6 x 167, 3 x 207 (right lat hurt so I stopped) Bench press 8 x 135 5 x 185 4 x 190 3 x 195 2 x 200 Leg press 6 x 240 6 x 320 5 x 380 [ame="http://www.usms.org/forums/showpost.php?p=133732"]LAT PRESS[/ame] 6 x 40 6 x 45 6 x 50 5 x 55 [ame="http://www.usms.org/forums/showpost.php?p=171194&postcount=1084"]Bands[/ame] 20 reps 1 blue 8 reps 2 blue 8 reps 2 blue 1 red 8 reps 2 blue 1 red Swam 2:30 - 3:30 Bridgette coached swam with Larry & Mark went around 2,000 TODAYS SWIM PRACTICE 5:30 - 7:00 Whitney Coached TSC LCM main pool swam with nate & mike beside Tyler & Todd dove in on time warm up 200 200 200 200 main Set 8 x 50 on 1:00 25 fl 25 bk first 4 strokes fast assigned 400 did 4 x 50 8 x 50 on 1:00 25 bk 25 br first 4 strokes fast assigned 400 did 4 x 50 8 x 50 on 1:00 done 25 br 25 fr first 4 strokes fast assigned 400 did 4 x 50 8 x 50 on 1:00 25 fr first 4 strokes fast 25 one breath under water assigned 400 did 4 x 50 assigned 4 x 150 did skipped it
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
Since I took yesterday off, I took advantage of my rested condition today and hit the weight room. Bench press: 95 x 4, 100 x 2, 110 x 1 Lat pull-downs: 120 x 8, 140 x 6, 160 x 4 Military press: 3 sets of 40 x 10 Triceps press: 3 sets of 40 x 10 Hammer curls: 3 sets of 20 x 10 Core work: 50 of the following: crunches with Swiss ball, bicycle, good morning darlings 3 sets of 3 different toe raises Thoughts: 1. Took a look at the results from Y Nationals. My age-group and the 45-49 age-group are just amazing! So many fast women. I have a feeling that Atlanta in 2010 will be one of the fastest meets ever for the two age-groups! I do think that Dara's accomplishments in 2008 and this year have motivated the over 40 crowd to come out of the woodwork! 2. I have been lifting heavy for about 3 weeks now. No weight gain. In fact, I have lost another pound, yet seem to be getting stronger. It seems I am showing more definition but not getting bulkier. 3. After helping my son get ready for the duathlon, I really have my doubts now about wanting to do triathlons again. So many details and things to remember! Just helping him get ready really stressed me out! I like the idea of cross-training to help my swimming, specifically my sprint swimming. A relay on a tri might be a possibility and a 5k here and there.
Updated April 20th, 2009 at 04:44 PM by elise526
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
Saturday: As I expected, couldn't get to the pool. Wasn't feeling great anyway. Did some stretching and RC exercises. Sunday: Couldn't get to my team practice today. Older two kids were running/helping with a 5K and younger one is now sick. And Mr. Fort is at his law school reunion. Haven't done a start since Auburn. Oh well, lol. Ventured to the Rec Center, which is usually mobbed on weekends. Had a lane to myself for awhile and then there was a massive influx of triathletes and noodlers. I'm happy to share a lane with triathletes, but I don't want to do their endless freestyle circle swimming. They actually seems surprised by that, as if regular pool swimming doesn't exist ... I ended up switching lanes and sharing a lane with another fellow prepping for Zones. Had noodler trouble as well. One woman was doing a frog kick (with weights on her ankles) that was wider than my body length. She repeatedly kicked me on my side of the lane line. I finally had to stop and explain why this was not acceptable. With two illness and two more weeks of tapering, I'm sure the taper bitchies will really be in full swing ... Warm up: 700 variety swim Main sets: 16 x 25 backstroke shooters @ 1:00, no fins 50 EZ 8 x 50 backstroke @ 1:10 10 SDKs off the walls 50 EZ 8 x (25 easy speed fly + 25 easy) 50 EZ 6 x (25 AFAP free + 50 easy) 100 C/D Total: 2600 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dynamic Stretching: At Patrick and Q's suggestion, I did some dynamic rather than static stretching this am. Did straight leg march, scorpion, handwalks, side bends, trunk rotations, hamstring stretch, back/ab stretch on ball and leg swings. I have to admit, it didn't feel like I was doing much of anything. Read up on it a bit: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sp...112pewarm.html What I haven't taken the time to research is whether static stretching is still good to do after working out? That's when I typically, but not always, do it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zones: Checked the psych sheet for Zones. Pretty competitive this year! I will have to get my ass in gear for a couple events or my Zone records will be erased. My former secret nemesis is swimming again this year. I have a borrowed LZR that I might use for a swim or two. I think it's seen about 10 swims, so it could technically be "done." As for the stretching, I think it would just have stretched to my size. But I'll have to try it on. Found Chris' comment that Sue Walsh prefers the LZR interesting. I know Michelle Chow does too. In fact, from what I have gleaned from masters and USS swimmers, it seems the slimmer-sprinter types prefer the LZR. This would be consistent with my own view that the B70 "float" helps relatively more in distance events. But who knows for sure? With respect to B70 use, Jim Clemmons tells me his suit now has 60+ swims. He's still swimming extemely fast in it too. This was supposed to be a "maintenance" week. I was worried I wasn't doing much at all, but still got in 5 swims for almost 16,000 yards and one short weight session. The last couple workouts have been pretty light, I guess, owing to being sick.
Updated April 19th, 2009 at 07:29 PM by The Fortress
In a nut shell, Ive yet to break a minute in the 100FR SCY. 1:00.87 . Really sloppy turns, my sdk's were gone, streamline was more like a collision, then I realized in the home stretch I wasn't really kicking, so I put that into gear, but it was all too late. What I got out of it was experiencing a huge community of swimmers, from all over Northern California. I saw one guy do :46 in the 100FR, I think he seeded at :47:10 It was amazing to watch someone go that fast. I left before the 50FR. Ive been planning a new workout schedule, hopefully over the coarse of the next 2 months before the SCM season arrives, I hope to do much better. Ive noticed it wasn't that hard to shave off the first :30 seconds from my 100FR time, but each second after 1:03 becomes so much harder to do.
I had a very satisfying Sunday morning swim.(great lane mates, good workout, fun interactions!) Here it is: 1) 400 freestyle Warm-up swim 2) 4 X 75 on 1:20 Freestyle 3) 5 X 100 on 1:45 (the 1:45 interval is getting easier for me) 4) 4 X 150 on 3:15 (Broken 50 free-rest 5 sec-50 stroke-rest 10 sec-50 free) I alternated fly and back on the stroke 5) 3 X (2 X 50 Kick fast w/fins/2 X 25 Kick fast w/fins) I did dolfin on back with arms straight out of the water in line w/nose. 6) 2 X 250 on 4:30 (1st one 5 X 50 w/5 seconds rest between each, 2nd one 2 X 125 w/10 seconds rest inbetween) 7) 8 X 25 Hard on :30 (all free) 8) 300 cool-down swim. Continous 100 IM's. 3,200 Yards I'm making a big batch of spicy chili for tomorrow. I figure this will be the last cool 3 or 4 days before spring! Tomorrow is Boston marathon monday...Patriot's Day. I wish I were gonna be there! Running through Wellsley is such a rush!
The swimmers gathered at the start around 6:00 to connect with their pilots and load the goodies for the day. Patty and I found our captain (Mike Murray) and filled the coolers with water, perpetuem, endurolites, hammer gels, bananas, ginger snaps, lance peanut butter crackers, bag balm, zinc oxide, and the largest bottle of aspirin i could find that wouldn't incur additional baggage fees from jet blue. Of all these provisions, only the ginger snaps worked to remove the burning salt sensation from my mouth. I led off for the Coney Island Whitefish and fell into a comfortable pace swimming four abreast with my friend Gilles Chalandon on my left and Ramses Rodriguez and Boris Fernandez to his left. Gilles and I have swum a lot together and the time always passes quickly when you have company, so we held that formation until I broke off to take my first feeding at 30 mins. I was able to leave my escort and re join Ramses and Boris a bit longer, but by the second feeding, the boats were spreading out and it was time to swim alone. By this time the wind was coming from the east and the seas were 3 -4 feet...... left breathing only for the last half hour of my 90 minute leg. Patty relieved me for 60 minutes....during which the boat was getting swamped repeatedly. I prepared my mix for my next round, knocked back a gel, a banana, and about a dozen ginger snaps. Captain Mike bailed while driving without missing a beat. My next dip (120 mins) was technically the hardest. Unrelenting chop and impossible to get into any kind of groove the timing of my stroke was dictated by the waves and I had to roll almost 180 degrees to get a "sure" breath. It was during this leg that I heard a clicking noise that seemed only a few feet from me. I stopped to look around but couldn't see anything... keep swimming. Over on the boat, Patty was snapping lots of pics and gave me the sine wave hand motion.... dolphins? According to Capt Mike and Patty, they were all around (maybe I could catch a ride?) but i never saw them. Patty jumps in for her second round, and I hear on the radio that two of the leaders have dropped out.... now I'm a little nervous. I have only been sick once while swimming, and i know how it can suck all the energy out of you in no time... I make a mental note to make sure not to take in any sea water, keep my mouth closed, and breathe patiently. Round three: It looks like the bridge is about a half mile away, and i am expecting to cross under well before my first 30 minute scheduled feeding. Nope. An hour and ten minutes goes by but at least the water is calmer now and finally i feel like we are in the home stretch (6 +/- miles to go to Wisky Joe's). Round four: One more bridge, two jumping eagle rays, and we can almost smell the burgers from WJ's. Patty yields the finish to yours truly and cracks open a Negro Modelo on the boat.... I'd like to say it looked good, but it would be another hour before I could consider a beer of my own. The crowd of swimmers and diners all looked so relaxed as I stumbled up to the dining deck... still a few more out there. Hell of a days work. The drive back to the hotel seems sooooo long... hard to believe we swam all this way.
Friday Swim Solo LA Fitness-Distance Pyramid 1) 500 yd free. Swim-8:30 interval (went 7:25) 2) 450 Free Swim-16:30 interval 3) 400 Free Swim-23:45 interval 4) 350 Free swim-30:00 interval 5) 300 free swim-35:30 interval 6) 250 Freestyle -39:45 7) 200 freestyle-43:15 8) 150 freestyle-45:30 9) 100 freestyle-47:30 10) 2 X 50 freestyle-48:30/49:30 11) 4 X 45 Fly-50:15/51:00/51:45/52:30 12) 2 X 50 Backstroke- 53:30/54:30 13) 100 Breastroke-56:45 14) 100 IM easy 3,200 Yds. I liked this, I just stayed on key with my watch and kept going. Saturday: NASTI workout-I was a couple minutes late, lanes were crowded, and I ended up being more social than workout driven. I will work hard tomorrow! 1) 300 IM Warm-up 2) 8 X 50 (2 each stroke) on 1:30 3) 3 X 100 Kick dolfin on back w/fins on 2:00 4) 5 X 100 IM on 2:15 5) 8 X 25 on :45 (breathing 3-2-1-0 repeat) I didn't make the 0 breath laps 6) 6 X 50 Kick on 1:00 (flutter on side/change side at 25) 7) 200 easy cooldown 2,000 social yards I spent the rest of the day shopping w/ youngest daughter. She's going to graduate early next year and head off to Tampa for College!
Well, took my son to the PowerKids Duathlon today. He won the 10 year old boys division. The race was a 1/2 mile run, 2 mile bike, and 1/4 mile run. I felt kind of bad for him on the bike because mom naively assumed that all the kids his age would be on mountain bike type bikes. I was surprised at the number of sophisticated racing bikes some kids 10 and under had. A girl that had a nice-looking racing bike won the 10 and under division overall and looked like a mini-pro on her bike. My son hung in there the best he could and averaged about 16 mph on the mountain bike which I think is pretty good for a 10 year old kid. Still, I felt bad for him trying to keep up with the kids on the road bikes. Without me saying a word, he is smart enough to know the difference between the two types of bikes and the advantage of a road bike. I'm not sure what to do next time. On the one hand, I want my child to feel like he has a level playing field when he competes. Should I be willing to shell out several hundred dollars for a road bike that he may only use once or twice and may outgrow next year? I really wanted to wait until he was 14 or 15 and had grown before buying him a true road bike. At least he'd get some mileage out of it.
Updated April 19th, 2009 at 01:09 AM by elise526
I jumped in for an EZ 10 x 100 on 2:00 went about 1:29 on the first few then got the rest about 1:24. Just trying to stretch out the stroke without making it a drill. Did 100 after to cool.
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.
Exhausted and not even doing much! Had 4 days off at Easter and arms still feel like lead. Swimming so slowly I'm almost going backwards. UGGggggg To swim through it or rest more?
Not so much for what I did but how the strokes felt today... I was convinced my back spasm played havoc on my form and feel..I think it was coming back today... just in time for zones. 1 x 200 K 1 x 200 FR 3:20 (2:55) 2 x 100 FR 1:35 (1:25) 4 x 50 FR :50 (45) 8 x 25 FR :25 (18-20) This set went like a warm up. 1 x 200 K 1 x 200 IM 4:30 (3:30) 2 x 100 IM 2:30 (1:40) 4 x 50 IMO 1:15 (40-45) 8 x 25 IMO :45 (20-25) Felt good; Fly was feeling quite wavy...got my head down fast after the breath before arms landed...Fort can analyse next week! 1 x 200 K 1 x 200 FR 3:15 (2:48) 2 x 100 FR 1:30 (1:25) 4 x 50 FR 1:00 (:40) 8 x 25 FR :30 (18-20) I ended up working the 50's and 25's out for quality...my stroke feels like it's coming back together..we'll see. 3 x 100 Snorkel 2 x 50 Paddles DPS 2 x 50 Swim DPS
Updated April 17th, 2009 at 08:52 PM by SwimStud
Had a light workout this morning, focus was more on technique and kick stroke coordination. I never counted my strokes, after reading several books that mentioned this and [ame="http://www.usms.org/forums/showpost.php?p=34154"]ande's[/ame] blog about the subject, I started today and I noticed something about timing SDK's to reach the opposite wall (inspired by Chris Stevenson's "kick pattern" SKD's) Anyways, it turns out for a 50 or 100 FR SCY; (fast, not really race pace. moderate add one stroke) Start - either dive or push off - 5 SKD's 10 strokes to wall, 3 SDK's and 9 strokes to a another turn or 10 to hit the wall dead on. If I add or subtract a SDK on the first turn, I end up with a half stroke to the wall. (Bear in mind last summer I was swimming 100FR @ 1:35 best effort, breaking 1:30 was the challenge) The PsychSheet was posted to the Pacific Masters Swimming site...Of the 188 male swimmers, all age groups combined for the 100FR SCY, I fall in at #125 with my time from the BEAR meet of 1:02. Hard to believe that 107 men in Northern California can swim below a minute... The top 11 of these guys swim in the high :40's. Ive got a long way to go... Someday, hopefully, Ill look back at this blog and laugh. Warm-up 400 Straight, no break, no open turns. 4x100 build it up ez 4x50 focus on form and strong pull/kick 1x100 FR K , moderate 4x20 FR Sprints 2x100 1:20 6x50 Count strokes/sdk's 12x50 Work on 6 beat kick coordination. This Sunday April 19 Pacific Masters Swimming Championships. (Why did they have to put the 100 and 50 FR on a Sunday?)
The above little fellow is kind of cute, I suppose, what pet shop dealers call "a fancy rat." True, the rat that has infested my house goes by the same Linnaean name: Rattus norvegicus. But he probably should not be confused with his big-eared, big-eyed, domesticated cousin. My unwanted Rattus norvegicus is most likely feral, a greedy little creature upon whose oily coat hop about the sort of fleas whose own passengers once killed half of Europe. If you would have told me three days ago that I would have a rat infestatin, I would have not believed you. My house is reasonably sanitary; our neighborhood is good; the neighbors not the sort to provoke suspicions that they have laid out an enticing chain of breadcrumbs from the sewer to my door. Now, I suspect them all. I heard the skittering above the ceiling, back and forth, punctuated with gnawing sounds. I tried to tell myself it was nothing--a piece of loosened insulation blowing around in the night breeze. Then the stench of rat urine became way too much to ignore. Sawdust and plaster falls like snow. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, tell-tale pellets are everywhere, and every unguarded crust bears teeth marks. I cannot catch him in the act. He is a conservative little fiend, very secretive, hiding and lurking as I tug my hair out and wonder about the future of my house and health. I think his numbers are proliferating. Rats breed like fire; their appetite for destruction is exhilarating. I have taken all the usual steps: mowed the unkempt clumps of heather surrounding my estate; searched on Craig's list for rat tarriers to let; considered even the possibility of an allergic life of running eyes and nose in exchange for one devoid of rats. How quickly would Geoffrey dispatch these devils! For he made a great figure in Egypt for his signal services. For he killed the Ichneumon-rat very pernicious by land. I know, of course, that once entrenched, it is very difficult to unhouse a rat; it is, in fact, hard to even espy him. But it is true, as well, that the lurking rat prefers his anonymity. Much better for him the life before his presence is known--suspected, perhaps, maybe even dreaded, but not entirely 100 percent surely confirmed. That there is a rat wandering about in my community is no longer the stuff of paranoia and suspicion. I have heard him skittering, smelled his piss, seen his toothmarks, understand sans doute his capacity for destruction. It has even become clear to me now that sometimes the fancy rat uses his fanciness as a disguise for his feral nature. Happy the rat that conducts his business in secrecy! Less content willl he be now that his presence is understood. Back to your sewer, I warn you, for I am dedicated to your extermination.
Still under the weather and an energy-less FAF, but better than yesterday! AM: Massage Got a deep tissue massage. Ouch! Guess I had some cranky muscles. The tightest area is my middle back. (Lower back was fine.) How exactly does one stretch the middle back? PM Swim/SCY/Solo: Just a short workout. Wanted to keep feel and not sure I can get to the pool tomorrow. Did some hypoxic work that I like to do when I'm resting or feeling sub par. Warm up: 700 variety swim, kick, drill Hypoxic Sets: 10 x 25 back UW shooter w/MF @ :30 50 EZ Then, realizing that I had just told She Puff that I had become too besotted with my MF lately and needed to do some fin-less SDK work, I grudgingly took it off. 10 x (25 back UW shooter no fins + 25 EZ) @ 1:15 50 EZ 3 x 150 (50 scull, 50 kick, 50 swim) 7 SDKs off each wall on kick and swim 50 EZ 5 x (25 belly UW shooter no fins + 25 EZ) 200 C/D Total: 2275 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The UW shooters with no fins were easier than I anticipated. For the last year, I've felt faster/better on my belly shooters than my back shooters and have started avoiding back shooters because of the air bleeding. With a nose clip, I felt like this phenomenon was reversed: I felt faster and more comfortable on my back. Though I took about 21 kicks each way. Will try to get to my team practice on Sunday if I'm feeling better to practice some starts, etc. I won't be doing 3000, though, so I may be a dirty rotten selfish rule breaking teammate that is disrupting the normal swimming protocol. I suspect a few others are tapering for Zones too though. But, since I'm one of few sprinters, I'm sure I'll do less yardage.
Needed to do a little fly work as I've been doing almost all free and maybe some back here and there. Warm-up: 200 easy swim, 4 x 50 fly - alternate 25 rt/25 lt - 15 seconds rest between each 50 5 x 100 dolphin kick -no fins - on 2:00 - keep each 100 under 1:30 8 x 25 fly pull with buoy only on :45 4 x 50 fly - 3 rt., 3 lt., 3 full on 1:00 8 x 25 hard fly on :45 4 x 25 fly - alternate 25 rt./25 lt. - work timing - on :45 4 x 50 fly with fins AFAP on 2:00 200 easy Thoughts: 1. Pulling fly for me is really hard. I stink at this because I am overly dependent on my kick. Everybody else seems to love the pull buoy when swimming fly. 2. Have just been paddling around the last month, so going AFAP didn't feel great. Glad I got it done. Time to start doing hard swims in practice again.
Recent Comments
