Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Date: Friday, October 21, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards

300 warmup

12x50 free on :50
odd: no breaths from flags to wall
even: 25 catch-up free/25 swim

4x250 flutter kick with short fins on 4:30
(averaged 3:40)

Five minutes vertical kicking with 10-pound weights, alternate 30 seconds kick 30 seconds rest

12x25 on :35 underwater kick

4x100 free on 1:30 aerobic
(averaged 1:10)

Easy 50 and one minute break, then 100 breast fast from dive (59.6 -- 27.6, 32.0)

easy 200

Fast 50 breast from dive: 27.2

easy 200

Total: 3,200 yards (75 minutes)

Before workout began, I specifically asked Coach Mark Rankin if we could do a fast swim from a dive. He said yes, so that swim was running through my mind the entire workout. Not knowing what the distance would be, I planned to not push the set of 250s kick too hard, nor did I force myself to push it on the underwater 25s. After yesterday's massage, I was a little sore from the work done on my muscles. Usually, working with Tod Miller takes two days to recover from, so tomorrow I might feel wonderful!

After hearing my time on the fast 100 breast, I was crestfallen. It seemed like such a slow time. I don't normally do a 100 breast from the blocks in workout, but I know I need to do it. The 50 was better, but not great. I know I am training hard, both in and out of the pool, but I thought the times would reflect the work I'm doing. I had expected to go at worst a 58.0. After the workout, I asked Mark to give me his thoughts on the 100 breast. "Solid" is what he said. That's coach-speak for "Eh, it was more good than bad." He did mention that my first 50 might have been too fast, and I agree. But given the state I was in today, I wasn't sure that laying off the first 50 would be a good idea. I believed I would not be able to adjust to a faster gear. So, taking it out hard and holding on the last 25 was the only option on the table this morning. Having a 4.4-second discrepancy between 50s is not good. You want to be no more than 3.5 seconds off. I know my body is in tumult, and I will take that to heart.

This morning we had a couple of visitors to the workout, making lane two a very fast freestyle lane. In addition to Alan Carter, who seems to do everything from the 100 to the 10K, the lane had Sean Justice, a Florida grad who is a very good distance swimmer. And then there was Marin Naranca, who swam at Arizona State as a sprinter and now coaches at Grand Canyon University. I stayed in lane three for workout, knowing my freestyle would not match up to these guys. I don't know how fast they went on the 100 fast or the 50 fast, but I bet they were all quite good.

No exercise tomorrow! I have to cover the prelims of the world cup in Berlin, then I get to sleep in until 9 a.m., which will be wonderful. I am looking forward to Sunday's workout. Lots of Power Tower and short-distance speed work ahead!