Paul I have been reading your blog for sometime now.
Not being sarcastic but wondering do you really like what you are doing. I would have given up long ago. I am lazy and could not do it.
Paul I have been reading your blog for sometime now.
Not being sarcastic but wondering do you really like what you are doing. I would have given up long ago. I am lazy and could not do it.
Last edited by geochuck; January 5th, 2008 at 10:43 AM.
Keep it simple George Park
Swimsuit Sale http://www.swimdownhill.com/index.html
Sometimes I wonder but the simple fact that I feel better now that I ever did when I was powerlifting makes me realize that I must be doing something right.
Also, I have realized (and so have a lot of folks I interact with on a daily basis) that I am much calmer and easier to deal with now than I was just 6 months ago. I find myself slower to anger and when I do get angry, it is a very brief thing and I can move on a lot better than I used to.
I can understand the lazy angle and I think that you have earned the right to be lazy whenever you want. For me, I just can not afford to be lazy. I invest money for my retirement, it would be a critical failure on my part not to invest time and effort in myself to be able to be physically fit and ENJOY my retirement. I learned a long time ago (and unfortunately seem to forget this for periods of time), I LOVE to move and enjoy being active so, at least with regards to swimming, this is an activity that I will continue for the rest of my life.
As for enjoying this, I would say that I am enjoying the results but certain stages of the journey have been difficult. But I love being in the water. One of my major faults (and one that has unfortunately been passed to my daughter) is that I am VERY hard on myself with regards to physical performance. I have to learn to let it go and that is also one of the reasons why I have set up this training log. So I can express how I'm feeling at the time, get it out and move on.
I appreciate you (actually everyone) taking the time to read this. All feedback is appreciated.
case in point, you asking 'wondering do you really like what you are doing' has made me stop and really think about it and realize, hell yes, I am enjoying this. As in all things some parts are less enjoyable than others but that's what makes up an 'experience'
Salut
Paul
A great reply to such a stupid question.
I do understand the way you feel and am jealous of your dedication.
Keep it simple George Park
Swimsuit Sale http://www.swimdownhill.com/index.html
Not so stupid, Goerge, if we don't periodically stop to THINK about why we do something, then eventually it will just be a never ending series of mindlessly going thru the motion sessions. And this applies to everything in life (god, I'm getting more Zen every day) family, job, relationships, etc.
As for dedication, I only WISH I had been HALF as dedicated 25 years ago as I am now.
Paul
Some would call this an iron deficiency.Originally Posted by pwolf66
Paul -
Very well said, Zen or not! This is especially important for swimmers who spend most of their time in solo practices (sans team environment). I find it is all too easy to become "rutted" if I do not stop and rethink why I am in the pool and what I want to do with it.
Keep up the good work!
6 Jan 08
9am SCM with team
300 swim, 150 kick, 200 pull w/u
[4x125, 4x75, 4x25]x2
1st - 125's Free descend on 1:50, 75's Breast stretch out on 1:30, 25's Free EZ, sprint, EZ, sprint
2nd - 125's IM - 50 Free, 75's Free descend on 1:15, 25's EZ
150 EZ pull
That was practice, I stayed around and did a little more
4x25 Fly on :35
R 1:00
4x25 Free Sprint no breath with Fins on 1:00, :14, :13, :12, :12
100 EZ
2900m
Paul
Don't worry. This sounds a bit like me when I started. It was physically grinding at first because I was injured out of the box. Plus, I was hard on myself. Not so much now after 2+ years. I train and race the best I can, but don't beat myself up over mistakes. My last meet was one mistake after another, but I tried to focus on the positive. After all, we're not professionals. We're just striving to do the best we can.
Sleep is becoming a real issue. Getting to sleep, staying asleep for more than an hour, waking up not feeling like death on toast. I have so far not worked out Monday morning, not swam Tuesday morning, not worked out Wednesday morning.
This is really starting to seriously bug me and might actually start a descending cycle.
I NEED SLEEP!!!!
Paul
Nothing is more of a downer than a vicious bout of insomnia. My empathy and sympathy.
Turn the TV off, sleep alone if you have to, eliminate caffeine, relax before bedtime and take drugs if necessary in the short term.
I feel your pain Paul. I can't remember the last time I had 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I usually wake up hourly after sleeping 2-3 hours. Sometimes, like this morning, I wake up around 4 and cannot go back to sleep. I usually get up and go swim when the pool opens at 6:00. This morning, instead of swimming, I shovelled the 8" of snow that fell last night, off the walks and driveway.
Last edited by poolraat; January 9th, 2008 at 01:51 PM.
I have entered the snapdragon stage of my life (Part of me has snapped and the rest of me is draggin ).
Usually, I get the best sleep when I'm working out on a regular basis. I almost always fall asleep within 5 minutes after I lay down, and usually sleep until my alarm goes off during the week (sometimes a pee break in the night). I swam yesterday morning, ran last night, and think I fell asleep as soon as I laid down.
If you do need some help, I've found Tylenol PM (or its generic) handy to have. I used it on a transatlantic flight in Dec and got a good 5+ hours of sleep. Not saying I woke up 100% refreshed in Europe, but I was able to make the most of the day from 11am onward.
On the rare occasion I have trouble sleeping at home, I've found a glass of milk with Kahula helps too.
OK, so I took my frustration and channeled it into a decent workout.
9 Jan 2008
6:45pm - gym session
Treadmill 10min, .78 miles (4)
Squat - 45x10(3),115x10(6),115x10(7)
Seated Leg Curl - 95x10(3), 110x10(4)
Seated Calf Raise - 70x12(7),70x12(7)
Incline BB Press - 45x10(2), 95x10(4), 105x10(6)
DB Flyes - 10x10(3), 15x10(6)
Straight Leg Raise - 20(7),20(8)
Cable Crunch - 150x20(5), 170x20(7), 190x20(8)
Done in 45 minutes.
The numbers in the parens indicate level of effort on a 1-10 scale.
Paul
Your body is going through some serious changes right now. Your metabolic rate is going into warp drive, and this will effect your sleep patterns, and there isn't an easy way around this. Take naps if you can, and drink lot's of tea. Camomile at night, and rooibos during the day, add a table spoon of Essiac into each. Also, make sure to eat properly during the day, frequent smaller meals... Stay away from coffee, if you need to perk up, have earl grey tea instead...
If you still can't sleep after a few days of this, try having a jet bath for 30 minutes before bed...
Best Regards,
Jonathan
Sleep - My father told me for twenty five years he could not go to sleep.
He visited me for 4 months every year from 1978 til he passed.
I used to find him cat napping during the day. I would wake him up and ask him if he was sleeping. He would come out of this deep sleep and say (no just restin me eyes).
Could it be we don't need all of that night time sleep.
Keep it simple George Park
Swimsuit Sale http://www.swimdownhill.com/index.html
Once again, sleep or lack of it, hit me this morning. So I did the evening workout.
10 Jan 2008
8pm SCM with team
400 swim, 150 kick, 150 pull w/u
6x50 Free on :55
4x25 Fly on :30
2x75 IM on 1:30
6x50 Free on :55
4x25 back on :35
2x75 IM on 1:30
6x50 Free on :55
4x25 Br on :35
2x75 IM on 1:30
4x50 Free on :55
100 w/d
2650m
Now, I was really sore from yesterday's workout so I dogged the 25s and 75s BUT I went real strong on all the 50s and was clipping along at 34-35 seconds per. I was really focused on long strong pulls and was hitting the same mark on the flip turn on every rep. Was hitting a good streamline and breaking out past the flags every time. I felt really good on every 50, even the later ones when I was starting to tire. All in all I'm very pleased with this one. One of the better level of efforts that I have put together.
Paul
Paul, get yourself some pills to help with the insomnia. Melatonin works pretty well. Diphenhydramine is a sedative and it can give you a bit of hangover, but it will really knock you out if you need it.
Ha, ha, ha. No way. This stuff doesn't work for a bad or ongoing case of insomnia. Only for some mild stuff. If you want to go the pill route, and it's not bad for a short term fix, get some ambien. Do not get Lunesta -- doesn't work as well and that stupid butterfly commercial makes me ill.
Not everybody responds the same way. Paul could be the sort of person who responds well to the OTC stuff, and it's a worth a shot if it's bothering him. My brother uses diphenhydramine a few times a week, and he's been doing well with it.
If you've never taken OTC stuff, it might work. I'm assuming you have. I think people in their 40s also are different. For me, OTC stuff never works. Benadryl gives you a worse hangover effect than ambien.
If you don't want to use drugs and the sleep issue becomes chronic, you can use the mayo clinic's behavioral conditioning system to snap yourself out of it. It's a very tough fix; I've done it myself.
Check out this prior thread from my draculina twin:
http://forums.usms.org/showthread.ph...+lawrenceville
pwolf66
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