Roll With It

Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Orlando, FL
Long Course Meters
96 days to Olympic Trials

400 choice :30 rest

300 reverse IM: 50 kick/50 drill/50 swim :30 rest

2x100 back on 1:40 (avg. 1:25)

2x50 free on 1:00, four breaths per 50

1 minute break

400 free aerobic, breathing every 3 on 6:15 (5:45)

6x50 breast on 1:15 - 25 pull/25 kick

2x100 back on 1:40 (avg. 1:20)

2x50 free on 1:00, three breaths per 50

1 minute break

4x100 IM on 1:40

2x150 on 2:30 (50 back/50 breast/50 free) (avg. 2:00)

2x100 back on 1:40 (avg. 1:16)

2x50 free breathing every 4 on 1:00

200 easy (with stretching)

Total: 3,200 meters (65 minutes)

Today was my first time in the pool since Saturday, and my first true long course workout in a couple of months. I had planned to take Sunday and Monday off, but circumstances beyond my control kept me out of the pool on Tuesday. In this stage of preparation, I'm not concerned about being out of the pool for three straight days. It did affect my feel for the water today, but sometimes you have to roll with the punches when it comes to having work -- and life in general -- upend your plans. Masters swimmers experience this all the time.

I should have written an easier workout today! I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach, as they say, not to mention that I did a pretty tough weight workout here at the YMCA Aquatic Center yesterday. That added to the difficulty of the workout. It's not easy to jump in and expect things to go easily at my age, but I was happy that I didn't feel too tired at the end. It was, in the long run, a good way to clear my head.

I planned to do 4,000 meters, but I did not have time. I wanted to do a long course workout, and had to wait for the pool staff to switch the pool over to long course, after the kids at the meet competed short course in prelims (finals are long course each day). They finished at 3:00, which I knew would cut my workout short. I wasn't sure when the kids would start warming up for finals and had hoped it wouldn't be until 4:30. But they started diving in at 4:00, which is when I finished 3,000 meters. I didn't want to be in anyone's way, so I stopped short of my planned 4,000. I'm not upset by it. I was overly ambitious to write a 4,000-meter workout anyway.

As you can see, the 100 back repeats were the highlights of the workout. I wanted to descend the effort down to 1:15 on the fourth round, and that is why I'm happy I didn't have time for another round. Holding 1:16 on the third round was very tough anyway. I've been on my legs a lot at this meet, and have been walking to and from my hotel a lot. It's only a 15-minute walk, but they add up! It's good exercise for my legs, and I'm glad to keep up the cardio training.

If the pool isn't converted to long course by 2:30 tomorrow, I will do my workout in the short course meters diving well instead. It's a crowded pool until about 10 minutes after time trials, so I can't get in until mid-afternoon anyway.