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Elise's Fitness Fun

Week of May 11

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by
USMS Memberelise526
, May 13th, 2009 at 09:04 PM (825 Views)
Been busy getting ready to teach a class this summer, so haven't been blogging every day.

Monday
Swam 2,000 yards and did a good bit of work with fins. Not a great practice because my legs felt zonked from running over 12 miles during the weekend.

Tuesday
Swam 3,000 yards and again did a good bit of work with the fins. Felt much better today. Fins are great for catching the flaws in your stroke - from crossing over the mid-line on freestyle, poor body position in free and fly, to a too-wide kick. Really tried to focus on keeping my head down in freestyle and where I was putting my hand in.

Fly seems a little too up and down right now. Don't feel like I am stretching it out enough. I wonder if part of this is inflexibility in lower back. I made a mental note to work on doing back bridges. I think this strengthens the core and stretches out the back. Anyway, I get to go to yoga tomorrow night after having to miss the last two times. I really think I must make the yoga thing a regular thing.

Ran a mile real easy after the swim just to keep the hamstrings loose.

Wednesday
My favorite kind of running - a little bit of speed work at the track. Warmed up with an eight minute mile. Alternated running 400 meters hard and 200 meters easy for 1.5 miles. Kept the 400 meters right under a 7 minute per mile pace. Just jogged the 200s. Did an easy 400 and then alternated running 200 hard with 200 easy. Ran the 200s at 39 -40 seconds and jogged easy on the 200s. Walk/jogged a 400 to cool down.
Running is feeling pretty good right now. As much as I hate to say it, the long runs do help your speed. At least mine. May be something akin to getting the feel of the water. I don't think I'll be doing a 9 mile run every week though. Maybe just every other week and never longer than 9 miles.

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Updated May 13th, 2009 at 09:43 PM by elise526

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Comments

  1. The Fortress's Avatar
    My fly feels ugly when I'm tired. I don't feel as flat and sleek and have trouble with easy speed. Maybe it's all the running? Although I'm sure more flexibility would help.
  2. elise526's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fortress
    My fly feels ugly when I'm tired. I don't feel as flat and sleek and have trouble with easy speed. Maybe it's all the running? Although I'm sure more flexibility would help.
    Yeah, I don't think running and fly go together too well. I had a goal to run 15 miles a week, but after Monday's practice, I decided I needed to evaluate my goals. I decided to keep it at 10 miles a week. In some ways, I almost feel like that amount is not worth it and does not accomplish anything. I thought back, however, to times I've kept the running mileage that low and think it helped on body comp in the legs.

    I still think the running helps with keeping cholesterol levels in check for some reason. I have a test in a month and will be curious to see how it compares to a year ago when I was doing virtually no running. One thing I do know is that I won't be running the week before LC Nationals. No legs, no race.

    I'll keep working the flexibility also. May be time to go see the chiro.
  3. The Fortress's Avatar
    I'm limiting my running to a max of 10 miles per week as well. But I won't be running 3 weeks before Nats. I used to knock off the week before a taper meet, then I set it back to 2 weeks. But I've had my best results stopping a full 3 weeks out.
  4. elise526's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fortress
    I'm limiting my running to a max of 10 miles per week as well. But I won't be running 3 weeks before Nats. I used to knock off the week before a taper meet, then I set it back to 2 weeks. But I've had my best results stopping a full 3 weeks out.
    That is probably what I should do. I'm such a compulsive idiot though that I don't know it I could stand it.