Of Swimming Bondage

After the Ron Johnson meet (http://forums.usms.org/entry.php?413...I-love-to-race!), I kind of went on an unintentional extended taper, getting in a couple of easy swims before Thanksgiving and then flying up to Toronto to visit my second daughter for the long weekend. I did nab two new pools for my www.1001pools.com effort, #322 (Miles Nadal JCC) and #323 (U of T Benson Pool), that were both 25 yards rather than metres long. I was in somewhat crowded open lap swimming times in each pool, but managed to get in a semblance of my Broken Mile set at the JCC and then a partial 'Hackett 200' effort at the U of T training pool. I was kind of slow getting back into swimming this week, but managed two good workouts this week.

Friday - 3 x 300 Test Set
As with the last effort about a month ago (http://forums.usms.org/entry.php?412...s-good-to-bonk), I did my typical 1,750 warmup and then got into it, with MUCH better results:

• 12-13-13 - 3:25, 3:23, 3:20, 3:14 (went 4 for some reason)
• 02-27-14 - 3:16, 3:12, 3:10+
• 05-21-14 - 3:14+, 3:10, 3:06
• 01-04-16 - 3:16, 3:15, 3:14
• 01-20-16 - 3:11+, 3:09, 3:06
• 02-03-16 - 3:09, 3:09, 3:11
• 11-20-16 - 3:09, 3:10+, 3:09
• 12-03-16 - 3:08+, 3:09, 3:08++

• 11-05-17 - 3:31, 3:35, 3:44
• 12-01-17 - 3:24, 3;21+, 3:17

If I could get back to the 3:10 average range by February, I'll be setting myself up for a great spring of racing.

Sunday - 400 IM Test set
I did a bit shorter warmup and cool-down, but made some marginal improvements on my 400 IM Test set today:

Warmup sets (1,450 set)

• 1 x 400: IM, kick-drill by 25
• 4 x 100: on 1:30, free descend swim, (1:12, 1:08, 1:08, 1:07)
• 4 x 100: on 1:45, dolphin-flutter kick descend odds w/board, evens on back (1:26 -> 1:21)
• 8 x 25: on 0:30, odds easy, evens fast IM order (0:13+, 0:15, 0:17, 0:12+)
• 1 x 50: easy

400 IM Test Set (2,050 set / 3,500 total)

• 8 x 50: on 0:55, 2 each stroke, build the odds and make sure the evens are at your target 400 IM race pace
  
  • My SCY splits to dream of would be 29+ fly, 31+ back, 36+ breast, 29.0 free
  • 10/10/13 - SCY - 29, 30+, 36-, 28- (awesome)
  • 10/17/13 - SCY - 31, 31+, 37, 28+ (sluggish start, OK finish)
  • 03/04/14 - SCY - 30, 32, 37, 30 (only fly feels good)
  • 03/15/14 - SCY - 29+, 32, 36, 30 (felt pretty cruiseful)
  • 12/30/14 - SCY - 30, 31, 37, 28
  • 02/12/15 - SCY - 31+, 30+, 36, 27+
  • 01/18/16 - SCY - 32+, 33+, 39, 30 (my foot cramped on the last 5 yards on the backstroke and I had to stop for almost 5 minutes to stretch it out)
  • 02/08/16 - SCY - 31+, 32+, 37, 29
  • 11/04/17 - SCY - 31, 35, 39, 29
  • 11/11/17 - SCY - 31, 33, 37+, 28
  • 12/03/17 - SCY - 32+, 33, 38, 29
  
  
• 1 x 50: on 1:00, easy
• 4 x 100: on 1:40, do as 100 IMs, descend to your target race pace divided by 4, ideally starting on #1 no slower than 12 seconds above that
  
  • SCY target would be to descend from 1:14+ to 1:02+
  • 10/10/13 - SCY - 1:11+, 1:10, 1:07, 1:03+
  • 10/17/13 - SCY - 1:12, 1:09, 1:06, 1:04
  • 03/04/14 - SCY - 1:08, 1:06, 1:07, 1:06+ (I forgot these were supposed to be descend and started hard)
  • 03/15/14 - SCY - 1:09+, 1:09, 1:05, 1:03++
  • 12/30/14 - SCY - 1:10, 1:08+, 1:06+, 1:04
  • 02/12/15 - SCY - 1:15, 1:12, 1:08, 1:05
  • 01/18/16 - SCY - 1:13, 1:11, 1:08, 1:05+
  • 02/08/16 - SCY - 1:16, 1:12, 1:09, 1:05
  • 11/04/17 - SCY - 1:18, 1:15, 1:12, 1:08+
  • 11/11/17 - SCY - 1:17, 1:15, 1:10, 1:07
  • 12/03/17 - SCY - 1:16, 1:14, 1:10, 1:06
  
  
• 1 x 50: easy on 1:00
• 2 x 200: on 3:00, build each stroke on #1, try to make #2 at your target 400 IM race pace divided by two (e.g., 2:05+ in SCY)
  
  • 10/10/13 - SCY - 2:28, 2:13+
  • 10/17/13 - SCY - 2:26, 2:15
  • 03/04/14 - SCY - 2:24, 2:22
  • 03/15/14 - SCY - 2:27, 2:15
  • 12/30/14 - SCY - 2:30, 2:18
  • 02/12/15 - SCY - 2:31, 2:17
  • 01/18/16 - SCY - 2:35, 2:17
  • 02/08/16 - SCY - 2:36, 2:17
  • 11/04/17 - SCY -2:40, 2:26
  • 11/11/17 - SCY -2:33, 2:23+
  • 12/03/17 - SCY - 2:36, 2:23
  
  
• 4 x 50: active recovery on 0:45, 0:50, 0:55, 1:30
• 1 x 400: IM on 5:20, hard
  
  • 10/10/13 - SCY from push - 4:36 (1:05, 1:09, 1:20, 1:02)
  • 10/17/13 - SCY from push - 4:38 (couldn't see splits in the sun)
  • 03/04/14 - SCY from push - 5:02 (if only the pool was SCM)
  • 03/15/14 - SCY from push - 4:40
  • 12/30/14 - SCY from push - 4:42+ (1:09, 1:11, 1:20, 1:02+)
  • 02/12/15 - SCY - 4:47
  • 02/08/16 - SCY - 4:46
  • 11/04/17 - SCY from push - 4:56
  • 11/11/17 - SCY from push - 4:53
  • 12/03/17 - SCY from push - 4:51
  
  
• 3 x 50: active recovery w/snorkel on 0:45, 0:50

TOTAL: 3,500 SCY

Comments:

• Have to start some core work in addition to my PT workouts. My abs were burning on the IM set today on both the 200 and 400.