It Goes Like It Goes

Date: November 28, 2011
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Long Course Meters
210 days to Olympic Trials

8x(3x50)
#1 on 1:00
#2 on :50
#3 on :40

4x200 free on 3:00
1, 3 aerobic; 2,4 strong
(2:43 on aerobic swims, 2:33 on strong swims)

300 easy

6x100 on 2:00
odd: back/breast easy
even: breast strong (1:23, 1:20, 1:19)

200 easy

Total: 3,100 meters (75 minutes)

Today was the first true long course meters workout I've done since July (the recent workout with the Washington State doesn't really count). Every swimmer knows that the first long course workout after months of short course training can be painful, and that was definitely true today. Also, I think being at altitude in Show Low for three days might have had some effect as well. It wasn't easy getting a breath on the 200s, but that could have just been general fatigue setting in.

After that set, I had planned to swim easy for the rest of the workout, but Mark threw in that set of 100s, and while I was thinking of wimping out, I figured I needed to do it. I was surprised that I was going as fast as I was. It was very tough to hold my stroke on the final 25 of each of the strong 100s. When it was over, I was glad I did it, and hope it pays off down the line.

I had hoped the pool would be in short course so I could work on my IM transitions. I figured I'm pushing off on backstroke too early in the IM, causing me to be in bad body position and making it difficult to do an effective breakout. I'm not sure if the rest of this week will be short course or long course, but no matter what, I'll just take it as it goes. I was going to break away from the pack after today's distance set (similar to what I did today) and do 20x50 on 1:00. The first 10 would have been fly/back and the last 10 would have been breast/free. Oh well. The set I did at the end was just as effective.