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Freestyle Veggies, Friday, Sept. 10

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7 Comments
by
USMS MemberThe Fortress
, September 10th, 2010 at 09:58 PM (1797 Views)
Swim/SCY/Solo @ Mason:

Arrived and put on the 2XU wetsuit. Wetsuits are so much easier to get on than B70s.

Warm up:

700 various

Transition Set:

8 x 50
odds = free @ :50
evens = backstroke kick @ 1:00

1 x 100 good cruise

I had contemplated doing a long freestyle set with my wetsuit on. But, that was a non starter. Even though the water was 80, I was roasting after 1200. So I stripped off the wetsuit and carried on with my "freestyle veggies" workout, which I did solely out of a sense of obligation to my Savageman relay mates.

Main Set:

30 x 100, done as:

2 rounds of:

5 x 100 free @ 1:20
5 x 100 backstroke kick w/fins @ 1:20
5 x 100 free w/paddles & fins @ 1:20

:20 seconds transition between sets of 5
50 EZ between the sets of 15

I broke it up this way to not drown of boredom and to avoid losing count. I started off easy, basically cruised the kicks (by far the easiest part), and then picked up the last 5. I was holding 1:06-07s on #11-15 each set. I was faster if I remembered to kick, something I frequently forget to do in freestyle. I didn't push it too much, as I was trying to get into a good rhythm. I am very pace impaired sort.

200 EZ

Total: 4400

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Commentary:

Short rest freestyle is absolutely dull as hell to do on your own. No idea how anyone does it. I do not enjoy this type of solo workout. It would be much more palatable with a team.

And, wow, was that wetsuit floaty. Compared to my workout suit, I was very buoyant. Much more so than a tech suit. But I felt very uncomfortable around the neck, like I was vaguely choking. I hope I can ignore this sensation. Hopefully, it's because I'm not used to wetsuits, at all.

I've also resolved to do somewhat more freestyle without fins just focusing on kicking. I've always tended to do long freestyle sets or long aerobic sets with fins b/c of stress on the shoulders, sore shoulders, shoulder paranoia, shoulder anxiety, actual shoulder issues, etc. And it's certainly produced a lot of leg strength (and can ramp up the cardio). But, as I was telling Speedo the other day, my shoulders feel surprisingly good these days. I think next week, which is a relative rest week after killing myself for 3 weeks, I will do some mellow pace freestyle really focusing on kicking. (This also makes sense according to Chowmi's post on the Myth #9 Busted thread.) I do plenty of dolphin kicking and backstroke kicking, but very little freestyle kicking integrated with freestyle swimming. Of course, I say this now ... I may be sick to death of freestyle after doing (for me) an insane amount of it lately. I'm a sprint stroker at heart.

I can't go to my team practice tomorrow because it conflicts with Fort Son's race. So I will hit the gym and hope to get to my team practice on Sunday.

Happy weekend! Good luck to everyone at Big Shoulders.

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Updated September 10th, 2010 at 10:09 PM by The Fortress

Categories
Swim Workouts

Comments

  1. jim thornton's Avatar
    Leslie, if you did 2 rounds of 5 x 100 on 1:20 without fins, I, for one, am very proud of you.

    That seems more distancy than you usually undertake. It also makes me convinced you could break 6:00 in an actual 500, which would have to place you pretty high.

    Well, maybe not as high as I thought...

    These are last year's TT for the 500 in the 50-54 (but aided by B70s):

    # Name Age Club LMSC Time
    1 Suzanne M Heim-Bowen 50 WCM Pacific 5:16.88
    2 Marguerite Meyer 50 TOC Pacific 5:32.00
    3 Nancy Steadman-Martin 54 GSM New Jersey 5:32.98
    4 Jenny L Cook 51 SCAQ Southern Pacific 5:40.93
    5 Ahelee Sue M Osborn 50 MVN Southern Pacific 5:41.74
    6 Mary L Hughes 50 TXLA South Texas 5:42.09
    7 Tracy L Grilli 52 NEM New England 5:43.88
    8 Stacey S Warmuth 52 VCM Southern Pacific 5:44.64
    9 Lisa A Bennett 52 SQST Virginia 5:49.53
    10 Marilyn E Early 51 MICH Michigan 5:51.80
  2. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jim thornton
    Leslie, if you did 2 rounds of 5 x 100 on 1:20 without fins, I, for one, am very proud of you.

    That seems more distancy than you usually undertake. It also makes me convinced you could break 6:00 in an actual 500, which would have to place you pretty high.

    Well, maybe not as high as I thought...

    These are last year's TT for the 500 in the 50-54 (but aided by B70s):

    # Name Age Club LMSC Time
    1 Suzanne M Heim-Bowen 50 WCM Pacific 5:16.88
    2 Marguerite Meyer 50 TOC Pacific 5:32.00
    3 Nancy Steadman-Martin 54 GSM New Jersey 5:32.98
    4 Jenny L Cook 51 SCAQ Southern Pacific 5:40.93
    5 Ahelee Sue M Osborn 50 MVN Southern Pacific 5:41.74
    6 Mary L Hughes 50 TXLA South Texas 5:42.09
    7 Tracy L Grilli 52 NEM New England 5:43.88
    8 Stacey S Warmuth 52 VCM Southern Pacific 5:44.64
    9 Lisa A Bennett 52 SQST Virginia 5:49.53
    10 Marilyn E Early 51 MICH Michigan 5:51.80
    Thank you, I did undertake to swim 5 x 100 without fins. As I said, the backstroke kick intervals were easier. And, likewise, I was able to drop my times more w/paddles and fins. I have very strong legs, I just need to harness my freestyle kick. I am thinking more in terms of 100s than 500s though. I am still quite pace impaired. If I could get my kick up and moving, I might possibly do a decent 100 free. I have no aspirations for a 500.

    Today was "distancy" only because I have a 1.2 mile "race" next weekend. Which I refuse to start off fast like last year. This training is far to dull to undertake solo regularly.
  3. qbrain's Avatar
    Short rest freestyle is absolutely dull as hell to do on your own. No idea how anyone does it.
    Long rest freestyle alone is even duller. What would you do with all that free time, talk to yourself?
  4. aquageek's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qbrain
    Long rest freestyle alone is even duller. What would you do with all that free time, talk to yourself?
    We had 20 secs rest on some of our sets today. We had no idea how to talk to each other for that long. It was weird, and a little uncomfortable.

    I swam on my own for a few years and it is hard to do, regardless of intervals.
  5. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qbrain
    Long rest freestyle alone is even duller. What would you do with all that free time, talk to yourself?
    On long rest intervals, I do recovery swimming in between. Or, I sit at the wall and pant until my heart rate comes down. No time for talking when you're gasping for breath.
  6. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aquageek
    We had 20 secs rest on some of our sets today. We had no idea how to talk to each other for that long. It was weird, and a little uncomfortable.

    I swam on my own for a few years and it is hard to do, regardless of intervals.
    lol, Pete and I caught up quite a bit on our rest intervals the other day.

    Swimming solo all the time is extremely hard. It's so much better to mix it up with training partners or a team.
  7. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jim thornton
    It also makes me convinced you could break 6:00 in an actual 500.
    Jimslie, I thought about this some and believe I've done it once. Our family used to do an annual aquathlon together. One year, I did a relay with Mr. Fort and seem to recall I went around 6:00 for a 525. (We went off the blocks but had to touch the runner's hand at the other end of the pool, hence the extra length.) And I didn't go all out cuz Nationsls was a week later. So Pffftttt!
    Updated September 11th, 2010 at 05:26 PM by The Fortress