Ande's Swimming Blog

**Karen Duggan** · May 3rd, 2005, 12:32 PM

Good idea Ande.

Have fun at camp. Listen to the counselor, brush your teeth, and behave yourself!

**ande** · May 3rd, 2005, 02:00 PM

actually this particular camp is about back packing in the new mexico mountain wilderness and they have bears.
http://www.scouting.org/philmont/main.shtml

the camp goes to great lengths to reduce the chances of curious bears ripping open tents to find what's inside.

One of the things we have to do, is have a bear bag, which contains food items and smellables, we'll hoist them up each night so the bears won't get them. We're not permitted to keep any keep smellables in our tents.

Like if you're eating and spill a little food on your shirt, it goes up in the bear bag, if you're cooking and food odors get on your clothes, we have to have a separate set of clothes just to sleep in, some deordorants have odor so you can't use them. day packs that hold food, nalgene water bottles that have had sugary powder mixtures like gatorade and such go up in the bear bag. I'll be drinking water the whole time

one bear attack happened because a kid barfed in his tent.
another happened because a guy used foot powder.

it'll be quite an adventure. I'll be gone july 3 - 16

ande

Originally posted by Karen Duggan
Good idea Ande.
Have fun at camp. Listen to the counselor, brush your teeth, and behave yourself!

**Matthias** · May 3rd, 2005, 02:23 PM

sounds like you have to train for middistance sprinting on land, too, ande

**DanSad** · May 3rd, 2005, 03:35 PM

Hey Ande, I noticed you mentioned that you'll be on a trip for about two weeks and won't be able to swim. I just got back from a one week vacation and it seems as though I've lost a feel for the water, am out of swimming shape, and it's seems like it'll take for ever to get back to where I was. I ran ~4 miles almost every day on vacation so it's not like I got completely out of shape but it didn't seem to lessen the blow when I hit the water after the vacation. I've experienced this before so it wasn't too much of a surprise. What can you say about absences from the pool like that? How long does it take to get back to where you were? Should you look at it as a way to start fresh and/or prevent burnout? I had a great time on vacation but I kept thinking about how much swimming ability I was losing.

**ande** · May 3rd, 2005, 04:56 PM

hate to write it but it takes as long as it takes
I believe it's similar to the watched-pot-never-boils situation
the more you pay attention to it and
pine over what you had and what you lost, the longer it will seem
just show up for practice do you the best you can and you'll improve how you'll improve, you may need to modify your distance and intensity to build back up again

in a few weeks or so you'll be back to where you were.

plus just because you're in shape from running
doesn't mean you'll be in shape for swimming
the best thing to do is to train a little when you can.
i may bring surgical tubing stretch cords for my trip

ande

Originally posted by DanSad
Hey Ande, I noticed you mentioned that you'll be on a trip for about two weeks and won't be able to swim. I just got back from a one week vacation and it seems as though I've lost a feel for the water, am out of swimming shape, and it's seems like it'll take for ever to get back to where I was. I ran ~4 miles almost every day on vacation so it's not like I got completely out of shape but it didn't seem to lessen the blow when I hit the water after the vacation. I've experienced this before so it wasn't too much of a surprise. What can you say about absences from the pool like that? How long does it take to get back to where you were? Should you look at it as a way to start fresh and/or prevent burnout? I had a great time on vacation but I kept thinking about how much swimming ability I was losing.

**ande** · May 4th, 2005, 10:35 AM

10 x 75 2 free 1 stroke
round 1 free on 1:10, back on 1:15
round 2 free on 1:05, back on 1:10
round 3 free on 1:00, back on 1:05
last one easy

5 x 300 on 4:00 desc 1, 3, 5, pull 2, 4
but I don't use equipment so I swam 2, 4
went 3:00 on #5 which is my best practice 300 in a long time.

200 easy

10 minutes kick
I did easy breast

warm down

**SwiminONandON** · May 4th, 2005, 11:34 AM

In that case, Ande don't brush your teeth ... wait you'll need to get the food odor out ... so brush them, make sure not to brush them with any sort of smelling toothpaste ... and don't use mint mouthwash drives those bears KRAZY!

Seriously, just don't get mauled or eaten. Remember, you only have to outrun one other person in case of bear attack!

**SwiminONandON** · May 4th, 2005, 11:39 AM

Oh helpful wilderness tip ... play dead with grizzly bears, be aggressive with black bears ... seriously! Grizzy bears are brown (duh) and larger. They will leave "pray" alone if it appears dead ... think of the grizzly bear this way, it enjoys the chase, just like many men do.

(oh wait that's a different thread)

Black bears (smaller and black) are about the size of a full grown man and will run away if you are aggessive with them.

Polar bears ... well if you are in the artic and near a polar bear you are screwed!

Sharks ... I hear you are suppose to try and punch them in the nose ... the idea of moving my arm through water fast enough to punch the shark in the nose and not lose my hand ... hmm .. not so much.

Alligators/Crocodiles ... on land, run zig zag ...

I have more for different animals, but I don't remember them currently. Though, Ande, I'd be interested to hear about your shark and croc/gator encounters in the dessert of New Mexico!

**Karen Duggan** · May 4th, 2005, 12:12 PM

Heather,

You're a nut!

**SwiminONandON** · May 4th, 2005, 12:15 PM

You wouldn't believe how often I hear that!

**ande** · May 7th, 2005, 08:21 AM

hey guys,

i'm back from my rip to Dana Point california
I stayed at the St Regis on Monarch Beach
I have to say the resort and rooms were extremely nice and the views were stunningly beautiful
http://www.stregismb.com/

they had several pools but the only one ai swam in was at the spa. It was a lap pool, it had 3 lanes with real lane ropes.
I walked beside it and it was 22 paces to maybe 20 yards or meters. The pool also had underwater speakers and they piped in current pop hits.

I swam wed, thu and fri.
nothing far hard or fast just keeping the feel.
I swam 2 x's thur and fri.

I ate entirely too much food, Thursday afternoon I Went sailing on a 42 foot catalina sail boat and saturday night we ate dinner at the mission san juan capistrano.
http://www.missionsjc.com/

i discovered it was disney land's 50th anniversary.
monday I get back to real training.
I've got 4 weeks to train and 1 week to rest before I swim in my only long course meet this year

Ande

**ande** · May 7th, 2005, 02:09 PM

drove to circle c in south austin for 10:00 am practice
the pool was set up long course meters.
whitney was coaching

300 fr
100 k
300 fr
100 k

8 x 150 free on 2:15
400 kick
4 x 200 free on 2:40
400 IM drill
2 x 400 free on 5:05

I forgot how hard it is to train LCM,
you don't get to rest as much
you've gotta swim

**ande** · May 9th, 2005, 10:05 AM

whitney was coaching
swim center, diving well
weighed 216 before practice

10 x 400
I missed #1
can't remember what they all were but here's some I do recall
in no particular order
16 x 25's 3 free 1 stroke
8 x 50's 3 free 1 stroke on :45
4 x 100 3 free 1 stroke on 1:10
400 kick fly on my side no board no fins ave 1:19 per 100
most everyone else wore fins

#09 400 easy

#10 400 fr fast for time
I went 4:04 which is my best 400 in practice in a long time

100 easy

**ande** · May 10th, 2005, 10:08 AM

alegra coached
swim center main pool and diving well

400 fr

12 x 50

3 x (200 bk on 3:00 followed by 4 x 50 on :45)
take 6 dolphin kicks off each wall on both back and free

6 x 150 on 1:55 50 fr 50 bk 50 fr

8 x 100 50 drill 50 swim on 1:30,
odds free
evens back

100 easy

**ande** · May 11th, 2005, 10:14 AM

patrick coached
trained diving well

warmed up

8 x 25 k

main set
8 x 100 kick on 1:45 descend 1 - 4
kicked the first 4 breast went 1:18 on # 4
kicked the next 4 fly went 1:04 on # 8

4 x 200 free pull on 2:45
breathe 3 / 5 by 25

8 x 100 swim free on 1:25
descend 1 - 4
went 1:01 on # 4
went 55 on # 8

I need to work on my flutter kicking and freestyle sprinting

**ande** · May 12th, 2005, 09:50 AM

this morning I woke up late and arrived late
whitney coached us in diving well
the diving well tends to be warmer than the main pool
which makes long sets more difficult

2 x 100 IM

4 x 300 free aerobic on 4:00
went 3:30, 3:27, 3:19, 3:14

4 x 100 IM desc on 1:40
went 1:01 on #4

ladder kick set
1 length, 2 lengths, ... up to 8 lengths
I did fly kick on my side
every one else wore fins
went 2:36 on the last one
my right knee often hurts when I kick and push off the wall

100 easy

**ande** · May 13th, 2005, 09:47 AM

I left early this morning thinking I might arrive on time then I noticed I didn't place my work shoes in my swim bag, since I was only a mile from my home, I turned around and went home to get them, but when I got to practice today I only missed the first 200.

5 x 200 sw fr on 3:00
400 kick breast ave under 1:30

4 x 25 kick on belly hands on side on :45

4 x 25 kick hands on side rotating side to side on :45

16 x 25
4 kick
4 10 3 10 drill which is 10 kicks 3 pulls 10 kicks
4 finger tip drag
4 build

6 x 100 free on 1:25 (with fins and paddles but I don't use either)

4 x 50 fast on 1:00
went 28 27 27 26

500 kick 200 br 100 fl 200 br averaged 1:26

100 easy

**ande** · May 16th, 2005, 10:09 AM

lifted weights Friday
ate entirely too much this weekend
weighed 216 after practice this morning
I did not swim on sat or sun.
My back is sore
I picked up tons of branches on Saturday.

Mon Morning whitney was coaching
we started out in the main pool, then moved to the diving well when UT men arrived.

2 x (300 swim, 200 pull, 100 kick)
I did the last 200 and 100

5 x 800
1) 50 free fast, 50 finger tip drag
2) (can't remember) ???
3) 300 free, 100 IM fast
4) 3 x 50 fast on 35, 50 easy on 1:15
5) 150 kick 50 fast

100 easy

I plan to swim in a meet on Sat June 11 in San Antonio
It will be my only LCM meet this summer
It's 26 days away,
My plan is to train hard till June 2 then rest 9 days for the meet
Friday June 3 - Sunday June 5, I have a back backing trip in Big Bend, and probably won't get to train.

**ande** · May 17th, 2005, 09:54 AM

alegra coached us in the the diving well

12 x 150
4 swim missed this
4 pull missed 2 did 2
4 swim free on 1:45 get 10 sec rest

12 x 125
4 100 IM 25 stroke
4 under water turns
4 75 easy rest 5 sec 50 fast

12 x 100 (with fins but I don't wear fins)
4 free on 1:25
4 kick on 1:30
4 fast 25 back 75 free on 1:30
went 3 1:00's and 57 on the last one

6 x 75 easy

**Karen Duggan** · May 17th, 2005, 01:47 PM

Ande,

Great workouts, I especially like the 100 fly kick on 1:04

Well done.

Now, on to more practical matters. Do you think Aaron would willingly fit into a box and be air mailed to Heather? You could poke holes in the box, give him some drinks, snacks, etc. I thought it would be a nice gift for her