Roll with it

Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Time: 12:45 p.m.
Short Course Yards
282 days to Trials

300 warmup*

6x150 swim on 2:15
1-3 free (holding 1:55)
4-6 back/breast/free (holding 2:00)

8x50 on 1:00
25 kick to 10 meters/25 breathing twice

6x100 -- 25 back/25 breast/50 free
1-4 on 1:30 (averaged 1:15)
5-6 on 1:20 (averaged 1:10)

9x100 breast kick on 2:00
odd easy (averaging 1:45), even fast (descended to 1:30)

8x25 easy with :15 rest

Two rounds:
100 free on 1:30
4x25 breaststroke with double pullouts, :15 rest

100 easy

Total distance: 3500 yards

* This afternoon I taught a lesson at the Oro Valley Municipal Pool, which is just north of Tucson. I needed to be in the water for this lesson, as the student was very new to learning backstroke. Because I got in the water with him and swam beside him up and down the pool for 15 minutes of the 30-minute lesson, I count the 300 yards I did as warmup!

Today's workout was first tested out by the Masters team we own through Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy. I amended the workout through after the 8x50s, as I discovered after starting the set of 150s that the pool had only one pace clock, and it was constantly being blocked by parents cheering for their kids at the other end of the pool, where a USA Swimming meet was being conducted. I was able to crane my neck and see the clock for the first two sets, but it was very important that I see the clock right away on the next set, because the rest interval was to be very short.  Initially, I planned to do 12x75, with the last eight of those on 1:00, but I couldn't see the clock at all at the turn end of the pool, so I just rolled with the punches and did an extra 25 freestyle.

After the sixth 100, I gave up on the set because it was near impossible to see the clock. The set was designed to give me about 10 seconds rest if I held 1:10 on the 100s, and I was missing the interval on five and six because I couldn't see the clock. I gave up on the set altogether and decided to start the kick set earlier.

I was also doing this workout alone, and the difficulty of seeing the pace clock made it mentally tougher for me to get through it. By cutting the IM set short, as well as the last recovery set, I didn't do the 4,400 yards I originally planned to do. I don't feel bad about it, though.

Tomorrow is another solo workout, but I'll be doing this one at the University of Arizona's Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, so I know there will be pace clocks everywhere!