Date: November 25, 2011
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Show Low, AZ
Short Course Yards
213 days to Olympic Trials
400 warmup
5x200 kick with small fins, :30 rest
1-3 free, 4-5 breast
12x25 with small fins on :30
odd: breast pull with flutter kick
even: freestyle, with 12-1/2 kick underwater
100 easy
400 IM -- 50 kick/25 drill/25 swim
4x25 on :45, butterfly with no breath
100 easy
Total: 2,400 yards (45 minutes)
It took everything I had to get through today's workout. Not only was I swimming at altitude (Show Low is at 6,400 feet), but the pool temperature was 84 degrees. I was OK through the 5x200 kick, but I started feeling the effects of the warm water more than the altitude on the set of 25s after that. I made it a goal to do more than 2,000 yards, and to decide the plan after that. I suppose I could have done an aerobic set of 100s freestyle, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to finish.
Since I knew I wasn't going to do a lot of yardage, I decided to do something of worth, hence the 12x25. I thought I could do another set of 12x25 at the end, but I overestimated the altitude effects. My lungs weren't going to be able to handle eight more.
Does swimming at altitude require not just an adjustment to the times you swim, but to the distance? If so, what is it? Did I technically do about 3,000 yards today?
I haven't done much in terms of yardage since Tuesday, and I think that could affect my training in the final 14 days leading up to my taper meet. I will swim on Monday (my usual day off), and try to get some good workouts in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as well. I plan to do some good workouts as well while working at the U.S. nationals, but taper officially starts on Dec. 1, so the quantity won't be the priority.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Short and Sweet
Date: Thursday, November 24, 2011
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Tucson, AZ
Short Course Meters
5x200 free on 3:30
50 kick/25 left/25 right/100 swim
10x150 kick on 2:45 with small fins and snorkel
1-3 free, 4-5 butterfly
Power Tower:
3x25 breast fast on 1:15
25 breast fast from a push
6x50 back on :55 (averaged :36)
100 easy
Total: 3,100 meters (60 minutes)
Thanksgiving Day isn't one of those days where it is sacrilegious to swim. I was happy to have the opportunity to put in some laps today, not just because I was planning to eat a lot today and wanted to justify the extra calories. I didn't want to interrupt my training too much, and I had written a workout that was part recovery after yesterday's lactate workout. Unfortunately, the pool at the University of Arizona's Hillenbrand Aquatic Center was only open until 10, so I had to cut my workout short by about 800 meters.
I didn't want to do much breaststroke today. I needed a break from the stroke for a day, and it was good to focus on freestyle. When I did breaststroke on the Power Tower, I felt strong for the first time in a bout a week. I could feel the catch in my stroke again, and it was great to move smoothly down the pool. If I had been able to finish my workout, I would have done a few 25s breast with dolphin kick, in order to work more on arm speed.
I had a great Thanksgiving meal with Geoff's parents. Instead of turkey, we always have a different meat, such as roast beef. Today, it was a delicious ham with sweet potatoes and spinach, followed by mincemeat pie. No swimming tomorrow, because Geoff and I are going to the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. Hopefully, I'll be able to swim Saturday and Sunday, but it's not set in stone. We might do some (very) light hiking this weekend, so that will likely be my exercise.
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Tucson, AZ
Short Course Meters
5x200 free on 3:30
50 kick/25 left/25 right/100 swim
10x150 kick on 2:45 with small fins and snorkel
1-3 free, 4-5 butterfly
Power Tower:
3x25 breast fast on 1:15
25 breast fast from a push
6x50 back on :55 (averaged :36)
100 easy
Total: 3,100 meters (60 minutes)
Thanksgiving Day isn't one of those days where it is sacrilegious to swim. I was happy to have the opportunity to put in some laps today, not just because I was planning to eat a lot today and wanted to justify the extra calories. I didn't want to interrupt my training too much, and I had written a workout that was part recovery after yesterday's lactate workout. Unfortunately, the pool at the University of Arizona's Hillenbrand Aquatic Center was only open until 10, so I had to cut my workout short by about 800 meters.
I didn't want to do much breaststroke today. I needed a break from the stroke for a day, and it was good to focus on freestyle. When I did breaststroke on the Power Tower, I felt strong for the first time in a bout a week. I could feel the catch in my stroke again, and it was great to move smoothly down the pool. If I had been able to finish my workout, I would have done a few 25s breast with dolphin kick, in order to work more on arm speed.
I had a great Thanksgiving meal with Geoff's parents. Instead of turkey, we always have a different meat, such as roast beef. Today, it was a delicious ham with sweet potatoes and spinach, followed by mincemeat pie. No swimming tomorrow, because Geoff and I are going to the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. Hopefully, I'll be able to swim Saturday and Sunday, but it's not set in stone. We might do some (very) light hiking this weekend, so that will likely be my exercise.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The First Time
Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters/Yards
215 days to Olympic Trials
Today's workout with the senior-level age group team at Phoenix Swim Club was definitely one of the most difficult I have ever done in my 33 years in the sport. The goal was to emulate race pace training while building up extreme lactate, and on a scale of 1 to 10, the lactate level was at 9 for the entire workout.
At Coley's request, I can't post the workout here, but the main set was about 700 yards of some very tough swimming using rubber tubing, swim parachutes and fins, in the span of about 45 minutes. Today was the first time I've ever used a swim parachute, and it is extremely tough to swim with one. You can't imagine that small device having the ability to keep you from moving forward, but when it first took hold of water, I instantly felt how effective it was!
The most difficult parts of the main set were the underwater kicks and the variations on what we call in Masters "wall-ups," in which you pull yourself out of the water multiple times. This time, instead of pulling ourselves halfway out of the water, we had to pull ourselves completely out of the water. My legs and lungs were screaming!
The part of the main set I found the most relevant to race pace training were the fast 50s, which were broken into separate components. Using smaller fins required you to work the kick more while emphasizing a faster stroke tempo.
At the end of the workout, I was ready to do a long warmdown. After 100 yards, I asked Coley if he could time me for a dive 25 breast. I went 12.3, which was pretty good given the tough hour I had just endured. I didn't have much leg power to push from the blocks, but my stroke felt strong.
I wasn't sure I could survive the workout, but when it was over, I found myself smiling. I could have done a similar workout with the Masters group, but it would have been essentially a set of push 50s or 25s that might have made me happy with the times, but ambivalent about the workout itself.
Can't wait to attend another lactate day at Phoenix Swim Club!
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters/Yards
215 days to Olympic Trials
Today's workout with the senior-level age group team at Phoenix Swim Club was definitely one of the most difficult I have ever done in my 33 years in the sport. The goal was to emulate race pace training while building up extreme lactate, and on a scale of 1 to 10, the lactate level was at 9 for the entire workout.
At Coley's request, I can't post the workout here, but the main set was about 700 yards of some very tough swimming using rubber tubing, swim parachutes and fins, in the span of about 45 minutes. Today was the first time I've ever used a swim parachute, and it is extremely tough to swim with one. You can't imagine that small device having the ability to keep you from moving forward, but when it first took hold of water, I instantly felt how effective it was!
The most difficult parts of the main set were the underwater kicks and the variations on what we call in Masters "wall-ups," in which you pull yourself out of the water multiple times. This time, instead of pulling ourselves halfway out of the water, we had to pull ourselves completely out of the water. My legs and lungs were screaming!
The part of the main set I found the most relevant to race pace training were the fast 50s, which were broken into separate components. Using smaller fins required you to work the kick more while emphasizing a faster stroke tempo.
At the end of the workout, I was ready to do a long warmdown. After 100 yards, I asked Coley if he could time me for a dive 25 breast. I went 12.3, which was pretty good given the tough hour I had just endured. I didn't have much leg power to push from the blocks, but my stroke felt strong.
I wasn't sure I could survive the workout, but when it was over, I found myself smiling. I could have done a similar workout with the Masters group, but it would have been essentially a set of push 50s or 25s that might have made me happy with the times, but ambivalent about the workout itself.
Can't wait to attend another lactate day at Phoenix Swim Club!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Fly Like An Eagle
Date: November 22, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
216 days to Olympic Trials
700 warmup
16x25 on :30 (four each stroke)
8x50 on 1:00 (two each stroke)
4x100 on 2:00 (IM order)
8x25 on :40
Odd: fly kick halfway underwater
Even: Double breaststroke pullouts
4x(3x75 on 1:15)
1: fly/back/breast
2: back/breast/free
3: back
12x25 on :45
Odd fast, even easy
200 warmdown (with stretching)
Total: 3,500 meters (80 minutes)
Not a bad workout today, though I had trouble getting my heart rate down during the main set. On the upside, I did not break stroke on the butterfly. I continue to marvel at my newfound ability to do butterfly without breaking stroke. I could never go 200 yards/meters in one set without a desire to do some one-arm butterfly. It's usually because I had no support for the lower half of my body during butterfly, and thanks to working with JR I am able to do the second kick in the stroke much better, which in turn helps set up for the next stroke. I am not saying I enjoy butterfly more, but it makes it less painful. I am anxious to see how this pans out in my IMs in a couple of weeks.
At the gym (6 p.m.)
Five minutes shoulder exercises
Sitting bench press (15 @ 110, 12 @ 140, 10 @ 160)
Sitting row (15 @ 80, 12 @ 110, 10 @ 140)
Three rounds:
12x Medicine ball throwdown (12-pound ball)
10x throwing ball up
10 back lifts (while holding 8-pound ball and extending it out front at top of exercise)
Three rounds:
10 Jumping lunges (while holding 12-pound ball)
15x Cable pull (motion similar to butterfly pull/breaststroke pulldown)
2x25 breaststroke pull (with 6-pound dumbbells)
Five minutes stretching
I mixed in a weight workout with some exercises JR gave me, since he was taking an early start to his Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Doing his exercises are fun to do at the gym. I got lots of stares when I was doing the jumping lunges, and a few people freaked out when I started doing the ball throwdowns.
My left shoulder is still giving me some problems, and though I don't think this is cause to believe the tendonitis is back, it is cause to believe that the exercises I am doing are putting some stress on the shoulder muscles. Part of my rhomboid muscle on my left side has a lot of scar tissue on it. I felt it when I did some self-massage today, and when I leaned against a corner, I recalled the feeling of the muscle not responding to the pressure. Usually when you massage a tired muscle, you feel a the knots release when you are done. With this rhomboid muscle, I only felt tough sinews, as if they had atrophied. It had a "crunchy" feel to it as I passed the corner of the wall over the muscle. What I need is one of those portable electric stimulating machines. I could put a couple of pads on my back and let the electric pulses shock the rhomboid muscle back to life. That's what my physical therapists did when I first experienced the tendonitis. They shocked the weakened muscles back to life.
This pain doesn't present itself very much when I am swimming. Only when lactic acid starts to build in my shoulder muscles do I feel some pain referral, mostly in my Deltoid muscle. I'm doing more shoulder stabilization exercises now, and those should help.
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
216 days to Olympic Trials
700 warmup
16x25 on :30 (four each stroke)
8x50 on 1:00 (two each stroke)
4x100 on 2:00 (IM order)
8x25 on :40
Odd: fly kick halfway underwater
Even: Double breaststroke pullouts
4x(3x75 on 1:15)
1: fly/back/breast
2: back/breast/free
3: back
12x25 on :45
Odd fast, even easy
200 warmdown (with stretching)
Total: 3,500 meters (80 minutes)
Not a bad workout today, though I had trouble getting my heart rate down during the main set. On the upside, I did not break stroke on the butterfly. I continue to marvel at my newfound ability to do butterfly without breaking stroke. I could never go 200 yards/meters in one set without a desire to do some one-arm butterfly. It's usually because I had no support for the lower half of my body during butterfly, and thanks to working with JR I am able to do the second kick in the stroke much better, which in turn helps set up for the next stroke. I am not saying I enjoy butterfly more, but it makes it less painful. I am anxious to see how this pans out in my IMs in a couple of weeks.
At the gym (6 p.m.)
Five minutes shoulder exercises
Sitting bench press (15 @ 110, 12 @ 140, 10 @ 160)
Sitting row (15 @ 80, 12 @ 110, 10 @ 140)
Three rounds:
12x Medicine ball throwdown (12-pound ball)
10x throwing ball up
10 back lifts (while holding 8-pound ball and extending it out front at top of exercise)
Three rounds:
10 Jumping lunges (while holding 12-pound ball)
15x Cable pull (motion similar to butterfly pull/breaststroke pulldown)
2x25 breaststroke pull (with 6-pound dumbbells)
Five minutes stretching
I mixed in a weight workout with some exercises JR gave me, since he was taking an early start to his Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Doing his exercises are fun to do at the gym. I got lots of stares when I was doing the jumping lunges, and a few people freaked out when I started doing the ball throwdowns.
My left shoulder is still giving me some problems, and though I don't think this is cause to believe the tendonitis is back, it is cause to believe that the exercises I am doing are putting some stress on the shoulder muscles. Part of my rhomboid muscle on my left side has a lot of scar tissue on it. I felt it when I did some self-massage today, and when I leaned against a corner, I recalled the feeling of the muscle not responding to the pressure. Usually when you massage a tired muscle, you feel a the knots release when you are done. With this rhomboid muscle, I only felt tough sinews, as if they had atrophied. It had a "crunchy" feel to it as I passed the corner of the wall over the muscle. What I need is one of those portable electric stimulating machines. I could put a couple of pads on my back and let the electric pulses shock the rhomboid muscle back to life. That's what my physical therapists did when I first experienced the tendonitis. They shocked the weakened muscles back to life.
This pain doesn't present itself very much when I am swimming. Only when lactic acid starts to build in my shoulder muscles do I feel some pain referral, mostly in my Deltoid muscle. I'm doing more shoulder stabilization exercises now, and those should help.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Playing With the Boys (Girls, Actually)
Date: November 20, 2011
Time: 11:40 a.m.
Location: Tucson, AZ
218 days to Olympic Trials
Today, the plan was to do about 3,500 meters in the short course meters pool at the University of Arizona. Before I got into the pool, I went over to the head coach of the Washington State women's team, which was starting a workout in the main pool, to say hello. The head coach is Tom Jager, one of the legends in swimming. Don't know who he is? Shame on you. Here's a link to information on his stellar swimming career.
Tom grew up on the other side of the Mississippi River from St. Louis, in Collinsville, Illinois. He swam for Parkway Swim Club in St. Louis for many years before going to UCLA. Having grown up in St. Louis a generation after Tom left for UCLA, I knew him well. After we caught up on each other's lives, I was planning to go to do my workout. Tom introduced me to the women on his team, and they greeted me joyfully. I was going to wave to them and leave them to their workout, when one of them invited me to swim with them. I agreed to do so, not knowing what was in store.
I only had an hour before I had to teach a swimming lesson, so I had hoped to get at least 3,000 meters in before that. I only swam 2,000 meters (long course) in that hour:
5x100 choice on 2:00
400 kick, with the last 12.5 meters of each 100 fast
6x50 drill on about 1:20
4x50 free on 1:00 (averaged :38)
3x50 free on :50 (averaged :36)
3x50 free on :40 (averaged :34)
200 easy
4x25 breakouts
The team was getting ready to swim against Northern Arizona University on Monday, hence the extremely relaxed workout. Even they were surprised at all the rest they got. I'm sure they'll swim well tomorrow. Today's workout was like a taper! As I was about to head to my lesson, Tom got into the water and showed the team his stroke. It was just as I remembered it from his days of winning Olympic medals. I could tell the team was impressed. Tom said later it was the first time he had gotten in the water with his team in seven years, but it looked like he had probably been splashing around on his own a few times.
Here is a photo of Tom and I, taken today.
So, I didn't get in the workout I had planned today, but after yesterday's performance at the swim meet, it was clear my body needed a little recovery. I didn't mind spending more time hanging on the wall than swimming today. The girls were a delight to talk to, and if I had done my planned workout I might have stopped after about 2,000 meters anyway. The diving well was about 83 degrees, and at that extremely uncomfortable temperature, my brain would have instantly found ways out of the workout. So, the 2,000 meters I managed to get done today was much more pleasant than the 2,000 meters I would have forced myself to do otherwise.
Add in the fact that tomorrow is a normal off day, I should feel better on Tuesday. This week will present a few challenges in terms of swimming. I don't think I will be swimming Thursday, and on Friday morning, Geoff and I are going to the White Mountains in Arizona for the weekend. The closest pool to us will be 20 miles away in Show Low. Hope we have time for it, and that the pool is conducive to a halfway decent swim.
Time: 11:40 a.m.
Location: Tucson, AZ
218 days to Olympic Trials
Today, the plan was to do about 3,500 meters in the short course meters pool at the University of Arizona. Before I got into the pool, I went over to the head coach of the Washington State women's team, which was starting a workout in the main pool, to say hello. The head coach is Tom Jager, one of the legends in swimming. Don't know who he is? Shame on you. Here's a link to information on his stellar swimming career.
Tom grew up on the other side of the Mississippi River from St. Louis, in Collinsville, Illinois. He swam for Parkway Swim Club in St. Louis for many years before going to UCLA. Having grown up in St. Louis a generation after Tom left for UCLA, I knew him well. After we caught up on each other's lives, I was planning to go to do my workout. Tom introduced me to the women on his team, and they greeted me joyfully. I was going to wave to them and leave them to their workout, when one of them invited me to swim with them. I agreed to do so, not knowing what was in store.
I only had an hour before I had to teach a swimming lesson, so I had hoped to get at least 3,000 meters in before that. I only swam 2,000 meters (long course) in that hour:
5x100 choice on 2:00
400 kick, with the last 12.5 meters of each 100 fast
6x50 drill on about 1:20
4x50 free on 1:00 (averaged :38)
3x50 free on :50 (averaged :36)
3x50 free on :40 (averaged :34)
200 easy
4x25 breakouts
The team was getting ready to swim against Northern Arizona University on Monday, hence the extremely relaxed workout. Even they were surprised at all the rest they got. I'm sure they'll swim well tomorrow. Today's workout was like a taper! As I was about to head to my lesson, Tom got into the water and showed the team his stroke. It was just as I remembered it from his days of winning Olympic medals. I could tell the team was impressed. Tom said later it was the first time he had gotten in the water with his team in seven years, but it looked like he had probably been splashing around on his own a few times.
Here is a photo of Tom and I, taken today.
So, I didn't get in the workout I had planned today, but after yesterday's performance at the swim meet, it was clear my body needed a little recovery. I didn't mind spending more time hanging on the wall than swimming today. The girls were a delight to talk to, and if I had done my planned workout I might have stopped after about 2,000 meters anyway. The diving well was about 83 degrees, and at that extremely uncomfortable temperature, my brain would have instantly found ways out of the workout. So, the 2,000 meters I managed to get done today was much more pleasant than the 2,000 meters I would have forced myself to do otherwise.
Add in the fact that tomorrow is a normal off day, I should feel better on Tuesday. This week will present a few challenges in terms of swimming. I don't think I will be swimming Thursday, and on Friday morning, Geoff and I are going to the White Mountains in Arizona for the weekend. The closest pool to us will be 20 miles away in Show Low. Hope we have time for it, and that the pool is conducive to a halfway decent swim.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Location: Mesa, AZ
Short Course Meters/Yards
219 days to Olympic Trials
This morning, I made the trek out to the westernmost part of Mesa for a quick Masters swim meet. All I wanted to do was get some fresh racing under my belt before I prepare to taper in a couple of weeks. Things didn't go as expected.
2,300 yards warmup
100 breast: 1:05.79
400 warmdown
100 IM: 1:01.17
300 warmdown
100 back: 1:00.80
500 warmdown
Since I had done a very tough pool workout and an equally tough gym workout yesterday, I don't know why I put such high expectations on myself this morning. The muscles in my upper body were in knots. The tendons and muscles in my left shoulder (the one afflicted with minor tendonitis) were very sore. Nothing I did could stretch them out.
The 100 breast felt technically good, though I knew the speed wasn't fully there, based on how I felt the first 50. Still, I felt like a 1:03-low was happening, and I would have been pleased with that. I felt dejected to see 1:05 on the scoreboard, and when I got out, I wondered if the bulkhead in the pool was set at 26 meters, instead of 25. For about a minute, it was a joke rattling around in my head, but I briefly wondered if that were true. (I subtly verified that the pool was 25 meters at the end of the meet.)
About 20 minutes after my 100 breast was the 100 IM, and my transitions were not clean. My fly-to-back turn felt weird, and I didn't have much speed coming off the wall. But again, the technique was good.
The 100 back was a victory in that I stayed in the middle of the lane for the last three 25s. That is my major issue on swimming backstroke outdoors, and though I had hoped for a sub-1:00 swim, I was happy with the way it was swum.
Again, I know I worked very hard yesterday, but I am taking a while to process what today's swims mean as I move forward to taper. Does this mean I am working harder than ever? Yes. Does this mean I am overtraining? Not sure.
I don't have much of a benchmark for in-season times in short course meters, but no matter the pool format, I am never four seconds off my taper time in an in-season meet. I've swum three 100 breast races in the past month, and the times were agonizingly slow. At the Rowdy Gaines meet in Orlando, I chalked it up to devoting more time to working than swimming. At the pentathlon two weeks ago, the rationale was that I had raced 750 yards in 30 minutes. I had no real reason for today. I should have been able to step up and swim as fast as I normally do, even with tough workout still lingering in my muscles.
I am not discouraged, but I am being very introspective about this. I just hope that with a good taper, everything will fall into place. I will admit I am a little afraid about how to approach the next 11 days, and the nine-day taper I have planned after that. Should I back off weights and JR's boot camp early? The dryland seems to be the only thing I can figure to be weighing me down right now.
I have a lot of reflecting to do. But on the upside, tomorrow's workout will be largely aerobic, since I did my race pace training today.
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Location: Mesa, AZ
Short Course Meters/Yards
219 days to Olympic Trials
This morning, I made the trek out to the westernmost part of Mesa for a quick Masters swim meet. All I wanted to do was get some fresh racing under my belt before I prepare to taper in a couple of weeks. Things didn't go as expected.
2,300 yards warmup
100 breast: 1:05.79
400 warmdown
100 IM: 1:01.17
300 warmdown
100 back: 1:00.80
500 warmdown
Since I had done a very tough pool workout and an equally tough gym workout yesterday, I don't know why I put such high expectations on myself this morning. The muscles in my upper body were in knots. The tendons and muscles in my left shoulder (the one afflicted with minor tendonitis) were very sore. Nothing I did could stretch them out.
The 100 breast felt technically good, though I knew the speed wasn't fully there, based on how I felt the first 50. Still, I felt like a 1:03-low was happening, and I would have been pleased with that. I felt dejected to see 1:05 on the scoreboard, and when I got out, I wondered if the bulkhead in the pool was set at 26 meters, instead of 25. For about a minute, it was a joke rattling around in my head, but I briefly wondered if that were true. (I subtly verified that the pool was 25 meters at the end of the meet.)
About 20 minutes after my 100 breast was the 100 IM, and my transitions were not clean. My fly-to-back turn felt weird, and I didn't have much speed coming off the wall. But again, the technique was good.
The 100 back was a victory in that I stayed in the middle of the lane for the last three 25s. That is my major issue on swimming backstroke outdoors, and though I had hoped for a sub-1:00 swim, I was happy with the way it was swum.
Again, I know I worked very hard yesterday, but I am taking a while to process what today's swims mean as I move forward to taper. Does this mean I am working harder than ever? Yes. Does this mean I am overtraining? Not sure.
I don't have much of a benchmark for in-season times in short course meters, but no matter the pool format, I am never four seconds off my taper time in an in-season meet. I've swum three 100 breast races in the past month, and the times were agonizingly slow. At the Rowdy Gaines meet in Orlando, I chalked it up to devoting more time to working than swimming. At the pentathlon two weeks ago, the rationale was that I had raced 750 yards in 30 minutes. I had no real reason for today. I should have been able to step up and swim as fast as I normally do, even with tough workout still lingering in my muscles.
I am not discouraged, but I am being very introspective about this. I just hope that with a good taper, everything will fall into place. I will admit I am a little afraid about how to approach the next 11 days, and the nine-day taper I have planned after that. Should I back off weights and JR's boot camp early? The dryland seems to be the only thing I can figure to be weighing me down right now.
I have a lot of reflecting to do. But on the upside, tomorrow's workout will be largely aerobic, since I did my race pace training today.
Friday, November 18, 2011
I Did It My Way
Date: Friday, November 18, 2011
Time: 11:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
This morning, I pressed "off" instead of "snooze" on my alarm, and when I woke up again, it was 6:05. Too late to rush to the pool and do anything of worth. I decided to try and make the noon workout, which is always a crapshoot for me. Usually, I'm rushing to the pool in order to get there in time for the first set, and today was no exception. I had one minute to spare, which was enough to do a little dynamic stretching before diving in.
8x100 on 1:45
Odd: Kick last 25
Even: Kick first 25
150 underwater kick
Four rounds:
4x25 kick on :30
100 easy on 2:30
12x25 kick on :40
150 recovery (25 drill/25 swim)
4x50 breast on :55
4x50 fly on :50
4x50 back on :45
4x50 free on :40
200 easy
Total: 3,200 meters (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warm up
Sitting bench press (12 @ 160, 8 @ 180, 6 @ 200)
Lat pull (12 @ 150, 8 @ 175, 6 @ 190)
Leg extension (12 @ 140, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 180)
Bicep curls (12 @ 25 pounds per arm, 8 @ 30, 6 @ 37.5)
Leg adductors (12 @ 160, 10 @ 180, 8 @ 200)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Those who swim at the noon workout have the advantage of seeing the entire workout before they start. Those of us who normally swim in the mornings do not have that luxury. I saw the set of 50s at the end and spent the workout mentally preparing myself for making the intervals, especially the 4 on :40. The wrinkle was that I thought all 16 of them would be freestyle. Only when Mark began describing the set did he mention that the challenge was to do each stroke, but we got the choice of which strokes to do for each interval. I knew I could make breaststroke on 55 or 50 seconds. Doing them on a 45-second interval would have been a big challenge in short course meters, and it would have affected my ability to do the final four on :40. I figured I would do the set the way I did it because I wanted to get maximum rest as the set went on. I realized I would get more rest on the 50-second interval if I did it butterfly, and so that's what I did.
I was very happy that I made all four of the butterfly intervals without any desire to break stroke. I have to give a lot of credit to JR Rosania for making me do that dreaded hip extension exercise. It's strengthened my lower back in a way that's helped me stay with the undulating rhythm of butterfly. My arms and shoulders were hurting on number four, but I was able to keep my body position and technique fairly consistent. I was so proud of myself that before starting the 50s of backstroke, I yelled to Mark, "I didn't break stroke! Take that!" Saying that gave me a little adrenaline for the rest of the set. I felt like I was going to vomit when we finished, but everything stayed down. I just needed to get my heart rate down and catch my breath.
I've been answering a lot of challenges lately, both in and out of the pool. Last week, it was 10x50 breast short course yards on :45. This week, I improved in my dryland work with JR and today, I didn't back down on a very tough set. Mark thought in the future I should try the whole thing breaststroke. I'm not sure I would make it past the round on :50. The last eight might be a straight 400.
In any case, I'm pretty sore tonight, and yet looking forward to racing tomorrow at the Masters meet in Mesa, Arizona. I will start the meet with a 100 breast. I don't really have a goal time, since I don't swim short course meters much in season. I just want to work on race strategy. After that is a 100 IM and 100 back. It's a one-day meet, and I didn't want to overload myself like I did with the pentathlon a couple of weeks ago.
But life doesn't stop for a swim meet. I've got to do some housework before going to bed. I wish I had one of those robot vacuums that could clean my entire house while I put my feet up and watch television. COnsider my bathroom and vacuuming duties as extra dryland!
Time: 11:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
This morning, I pressed "off" instead of "snooze" on my alarm, and when I woke up again, it was 6:05. Too late to rush to the pool and do anything of worth. I decided to try and make the noon workout, which is always a crapshoot for me. Usually, I'm rushing to the pool in order to get there in time for the first set, and today was no exception. I had one minute to spare, which was enough to do a little dynamic stretching before diving in.
8x100 on 1:45
Odd: Kick last 25
Even: Kick first 25
150 underwater kick
Four rounds:
4x25 kick on :30
100 easy on 2:30
12x25 kick on :40
150 recovery (25 drill/25 swim)
4x50 breast on :55
4x50 fly on :50
4x50 back on :45
4x50 free on :40
200 easy
Total: 3,200 meters (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warm up
Sitting bench press (12 @ 160, 8 @ 180, 6 @ 200)
Lat pull (12 @ 150, 8 @ 175, 6 @ 190)
Leg extension (12 @ 140, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 180)
Bicep curls (12 @ 25 pounds per arm, 8 @ 30, 6 @ 37.5)
Leg adductors (12 @ 160, 10 @ 180, 8 @ 200)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Those who swim at the noon workout have the advantage of seeing the entire workout before they start. Those of us who normally swim in the mornings do not have that luxury. I saw the set of 50s at the end and spent the workout mentally preparing myself for making the intervals, especially the 4 on :40. The wrinkle was that I thought all 16 of them would be freestyle. Only when Mark began describing the set did he mention that the challenge was to do each stroke, but we got the choice of which strokes to do for each interval. I knew I could make breaststroke on 55 or 50 seconds. Doing them on a 45-second interval would have been a big challenge in short course meters, and it would have affected my ability to do the final four on :40. I figured I would do the set the way I did it because I wanted to get maximum rest as the set went on. I realized I would get more rest on the 50-second interval if I did it butterfly, and so that's what I did.
I was very happy that I made all four of the butterfly intervals without any desire to break stroke. I have to give a lot of credit to JR Rosania for making me do that dreaded hip extension exercise. It's strengthened my lower back in a way that's helped me stay with the undulating rhythm of butterfly. My arms and shoulders were hurting on number four, but I was able to keep my body position and technique fairly consistent. I was so proud of myself that before starting the 50s of backstroke, I yelled to Mark, "I didn't break stroke! Take that!" Saying that gave me a little adrenaline for the rest of the set. I felt like I was going to vomit when we finished, but everything stayed down. I just needed to get my heart rate down and catch my breath.
I've been answering a lot of challenges lately, both in and out of the pool. Last week, it was 10x50 breast short course yards on :45. This week, I improved in my dryland work with JR and today, I didn't back down on a very tough set. Mark thought in the future I should try the whole thing breaststroke. I'm not sure I would make it past the round on :50. The last eight might be a straight 400.
In any case, I'm pretty sore tonight, and yet looking forward to racing tomorrow at the Masters meet in Mesa, Arizona. I will start the meet with a 100 breast. I don't really have a goal time, since I don't swim short course meters much in season. I just want to work on race strategy. After that is a 100 IM and 100 back. It's a one-day meet, and I didn't want to overload myself like I did with the pentathlon a couple of weeks ago.
But life doesn't stop for a swim meet. I've got to do some housework before going to bed. I wish I had one of those robot vacuums that could clean my entire house while I put my feet up and watch television. COnsider my bathroom and vacuuming duties as extra dryland!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Just What I Needed
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Time: 4:40 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
221 days to Olympic Trials
Today's workout with Coley Stickels' senior-level group at Phoenix Swim Club was easier than I expected. All of his swimmers are racing this weekend, and he didn't want to overload them with a lot of work. We "only" did about 3,500 meters, and that was fine with me. I suppose I should have stayed in a little longer to do some extra work, but I'm not concerned. I needed a good recovery workout today, and that's what this was. None of the sets were physically challenging, but did have me, as usual, concentrating on various aspects of my strokes. Today did not have a breaststroke focus, which was fine.
Below is what we did for the main set:
300 on 5:15
100 pull/50 drill/50 swim/50 kick/50 swim
2x25 on :30
#1 free with seven strokes, #2 breast pull underwater with flutter kick
150 on 2:30
25 pull/25 kick/25 swim x2
200 on 3:00
50 pull/50 swim/50 kick/50 swim
2x25 on :30, same as above
2x75 on 1:20
25 pull/25 kick/25 swim
100 on 1:40
50 pull/25 kick/25 swim
2x 25 on :30, same as above
3x50 on :50
#1 fly/free, #2 back/free, #3 breast/free
I'm glad I swam this in the short course meters pool. The group was split into the short course yards part of the pool and the short course meters part of the pool, with no discernible reason why some were in SCM and some were in SCY. The first set we did was largely freestyle-based, and it involved a drill that has become very popular, but I have honestly never done before. I"ve heard it called the "bow drill," where you stop your freestyle arm recovery at halfway and hold it there for about eight kicks. I don't have the leg strength to balance my body at that part of the stroke! It was quite difficult for me to do that drill correctly. I'm sure my arm wasn't perfectly positioned on the drill, but no one corrected me.
The aches from working with JR yesterday lingered with me throughout the day. My office is in a retrofitted house, and there is a fireplace with a mantel. The corner of that mantel has become my favorite place for a quick back massage. I put my knotted muscle on the corner of the mantel, plant my feet and dig in. After a minute or so, I feel the knot going away. I had a few of those this afternoon, and though they are still there after swimming, the knots aren't as tight. I'm expecting to get some bodywork with Tod Miller after Thanksgiving, and he'll be able to work out the knots better than the corner of any fireplace mantel.
After today's workout, Coley suggested that I attend the USA Swimming Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, in mid-January, as well as the sectional meet in March. I do need to swim some long course meets before Trials, and I won't get that opportunity swimming in Masters until June. The only issue is that I won't shave for the meets, though I might rest a few days for sectionals. If I can get the time off from work, it might be fun to swim in those meets, especially Austin. I went to college there, and I miss that city dearly. I told Coley that if I were to go to the meet there, I might not want to come home!
Time: 4:40 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
221 days to Olympic Trials
Today's workout with Coley Stickels' senior-level group at Phoenix Swim Club was easier than I expected. All of his swimmers are racing this weekend, and he didn't want to overload them with a lot of work. We "only" did about 3,500 meters, and that was fine with me. I suppose I should have stayed in a little longer to do some extra work, but I'm not concerned. I needed a good recovery workout today, and that's what this was. None of the sets were physically challenging, but did have me, as usual, concentrating on various aspects of my strokes. Today did not have a breaststroke focus, which was fine.
Below is what we did for the main set:
300 on 5:15
100 pull/50 drill/50 swim/50 kick/50 swim
2x25 on :30
#1 free with seven strokes, #2 breast pull underwater with flutter kick
150 on 2:30
25 pull/25 kick/25 swim x2
200 on 3:00
50 pull/50 swim/50 kick/50 swim
2x25 on :30, same as above
2x75 on 1:20
25 pull/25 kick/25 swim
100 on 1:40
50 pull/25 kick/25 swim
2x 25 on :30, same as above
3x50 on :50
#1 fly/free, #2 back/free, #3 breast/free
I'm glad I swam this in the short course meters pool. The group was split into the short course yards part of the pool and the short course meters part of the pool, with no discernible reason why some were in SCM and some were in SCY. The first set we did was largely freestyle-based, and it involved a drill that has become very popular, but I have honestly never done before. I"ve heard it called the "bow drill," where you stop your freestyle arm recovery at halfway and hold it there for about eight kicks. I don't have the leg strength to balance my body at that part of the stroke! It was quite difficult for me to do that drill correctly. I'm sure my arm wasn't perfectly positioned on the drill, but no one corrected me.
The aches from working with JR yesterday lingered with me throughout the day. My office is in a retrofitted house, and there is a fireplace with a mantel. The corner of that mantel has become my favorite place for a quick back massage. I put my knotted muscle on the corner of the mantel, plant my feet and dig in. After a minute or so, I feel the knot going away. I had a few of those this afternoon, and though they are still there after swimming, the knots aren't as tight. I'm expecting to get some bodywork with Tod Miller after Thanksgiving, and he'll be able to work out the knots better than the corner of any fireplace mantel.
After today's workout, Coley suggested that I attend the USA Swimming Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, in mid-January, as well as the sectional meet in March. I do need to swim some long course meets before Trials, and I won't get that opportunity swimming in Masters until June. The only issue is that I won't shave for the meets, though I might rest a few days for sectionals. If I can get the time off from work, it might be fun to swim in those meets, especially Austin. I went to college there, and I miss that city dearly. I told Coley that if I were to go to the meet there, I might not want to come home!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
You're the Best
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Time: 5:40 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
222 days to Olympic Trials
1900 warmup and main set prep
100 IM fast from push (1:03.2)
300 easy
100 back fast from push (1:02.5)
300 easy
100 free fast from push (59.8)
250 easy
50 breast fast from push (32.1)
200 easy
Total: 3,300 meters
Today's main set as written was 10 rounds of 100 fast/100 easy on 4:30. Before the start of the set, I had only done 1,100 meters of swimming, which is not enough for my body to wake up and start swimming fast. So, I used the first four rounds of the set to do some aerobic swimming and breakouts. I felt like my blood sugar was getting low after the first round, so I hopped out and took a few big chunks out of an apple I brought to the pool. After about five minutes, I felt better. I rarely eat before workout; the apple was to be post-workout fuel restoration. I believe swimming in the warm water had quickly burned up the fuel stores I had in my body, and I was in need of more quickly.
I was happy with my times today, as the 100s were within six seconds of my taper goal time (though I'm not swimming the 100 free in three weeks, I have long hoped to go 53 in short course meters). As for the 50 breast, I felt a little choppy in the first 25, but eased into the stroke off the turn.
Today, my left shoulder gave me some problems. It's the same shoulder that had tendonitis in 2009 -- and will always have issues for the rest of my life, since tendonitis never fully goes away without surgery. I've been negligent in maintaining strength in my shoulder muscles and tendons, and I realized that when doing exercises last week with JR Rosania. Tonight, I put a lot of focus on my shoulder work without overstressing my left shoulder. When I am not doing dryland, my goal is to do some shoulder stabilization exercises to keep my shoulder strong. I feel it mostly on backstroke and freestyle, mostly in posterior muscles (deltoid and rhomboid).
JR toldme that today was the best I've worked since starting with him. I kind of agree, but I still feel as sore as the first session. The difference, he said, is that my muscles have adapted to the stress of the exercises ot the point that I'm able to finish the exercises strongly. The hip extensions, where I lift my legs from perpendicular to parallel to the floor, is still the toughest exercise. My lower back is in knots for hours afterwards. A little Ben-Gay helps soothe the soreness. But that exercise has helped my butterfly, which is my worst stroke. I feel like I'm using my second kick more, which does originate in the lower back and travels down the leg. It helps with the finish of my breaststroke kick, too, but the biggest improvement has been in butterfly. I am anxious to see if it will provide any assistance in getting through the first quarter of the individual medley.
Wednesdays are awesome when I know I am swimming with Coley Stickels' group the next day. I get to sleep in until 6:30! You would think I would stay up later, but usually my body is ready for sleep at 9:00.
Time: 5:40 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
222 days to Olympic Trials
1900 warmup and main set prep
100 IM fast from push (1:03.2)
300 easy
100 back fast from push (1:02.5)
300 easy
100 free fast from push (59.8)
250 easy
50 breast fast from push (32.1)
200 easy
Total: 3,300 meters
Today's main set as written was 10 rounds of 100 fast/100 easy on 4:30. Before the start of the set, I had only done 1,100 meters of swimming, which is not enough for my body to wake up and start swimming fast. So, I used the first four rounds of the set to do some aerobic swimming and breakouts. I felt like my blood sugar was getting low after the first round, so I hopped out and took a few big chunks out of an apple I brought to the pool. After about five minutes, I felt better. I rarely eat before workout; the apple was to be post-workout fuel restoration. I believe swimming in the warm water had quickly burned up the fuel stores I had in my body, and I was in need of more quickly.
I was happy with my times today, as the 100s were within six seconds of my taper goal time (though I'm not swimming the 100 free in three weeks, I have long hoped to go 53 in short course meters). As for the 50 breast, I felt a little choppy in the first 25, but eased into the stroke off the turn.
Today, my left shoulder gave me some problems. It's the same shoulder that had tendonitis in 2009 -- and will always have issues for the rest of my life, since tendonitis never fully goes away without surgery. I've been negligent in maintaining strength in my shoulder muscles and tendons, and I realized that when doing exercises last week with JR Rosania. Tonight, I put a lot of focus on my shoulder work without overstressing my left shoulder. When I am not doing dryland, my goal is to do some shoulder stabilization exercises to keep my shoulder strong. I feel it mostly on backstroke and freestyle, mostly in posterior muscles (deltoid and rhomboid).
JR toldme that today was the best I've worked since starting with him. I kind of agree, but I still feel as sore as the first session. The difference, he said, is that my muscles have adapted to the stress of the exercises ot the point that I'm able to finish the exercises strongly. The hip extensions, where I lift my legs from perpendicular to parallel to the floor, is still the toughest exercise. My lower back is in knots for hours afterwards. A little Ben-Gay helps soothe the soreness. But that exercise has helped my butterfly, which is my worst stroke. I feel like I'm using my second kick more, which does originate in the lower back and travels down the leg. It helps with the finish of my breaststroke kick, too, but the biggest improvement has been in butterfly. I am anxious to see if it will provide any assistance in getting through the first quarter of the individual medley.
Wednesdays are awesome when I know I am swimming with Coley Stickels' group the next day. I get to sleep in until 6:30! You would think I would stay up later, but usually my body is ready for sleep at 9:00.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Just That Kinda Day
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
223 days to Olympic Trials
24x25 on :30
2 free, 2 non-free
16x25 kick on :30
2 free, 2 non-free
Three rounds:
4x100 on 1:40
(Round 1: 50 fly/50 back, round 2: 50 back/50 breast, round 3: 50 breast/50 free)
4x25 on :30
(Round 1: 2 fly, 2 back; round 2: 2 back, 2 breast; round 3: 2 breast, 2 free)
1 minute break
3x50 easy :15 rest
6x100 IM on 1:40
Odd: Regular order (averaged 1:13)
Even: Reverse order (averaged 1:17)
250 easy (with stretching)
Today's workout fulfilled my butterfly quota for the week ... and then some! The only time I did not do butterfly as instructed was on one of the reverse 100 IMs at the end. I am physically getting through more difficult butterfly sets, and I'm not sure why, but I know it will help my 100 and 200 IMs.
The main set was tough, and the 25s were supposed to be all out, but the 100s on the set were so hard that I didn't have the energy for four all-out sprints in each round. I was concentrating on technique while swimming a little bit faster than aerobic pace. For the first round of 100s, I was averaging 1:13, and about 1:14 on the second and third rounds. That's about 1:06 to 1:07 for those who need those times converted to yards for comparison. I had to do that a little bit today, as this was only the third short course meters workout I've done in a month. With the taper meet being short course meters, I'm glad the bulkhead at the pool was removed, and we'll likely do short course meters all the way through the next three weeks.
When I don't feel like swimming fast, my breaststroke is usually the stroke that falls apart first. I tend to find an easy way to swim comfortably, and that easy way usually involves bad technique. It took a lot of mental effort to continue to think about the kick Tako taught me a couple of weeks ago, and to concentrate on the hand pitch after the catch. Those are my two main focus areas on breaststroke right now, and the more I can swim correctly when I'm tired (and a little bit lazy), the easier it will be to swim fast when it matters.
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Meters
223 days to Olympic Trials
24x25 on :30
2 free, 2 non-free
16x25 kick on :30
2 free, 2 non-free
Three rounds:
4x100 on 1:40
(Round 1: 50 fly/50 back, round 2: 50 back/50 breast, round 3: 50 breast/50 free)
4x25 on :30
(Round 1: 2 fly, 2 back; round 2: 2 back, 2 breast; round 3: 2 breast, 2 free)
1 minute break
3x50 easy :15 rest
6x100 IM on 1:40
Odd: Regular order (averaged 1:13)
Even: Reverse order (averaged 1:17)
250 easy (with stretching)
Today's workout fulfilled my butterfly quota for the week ... and then some! The only time I did not do butterfly as instructed was on one of the reverse 100 IMs at the end. I am physically getting through more difficult butterfly sets, and I'm not sure why, but I know it will help my 100 and 200 IMs.
The main set was tough, and the 25s were supposed to be all out, but the 100s on the set were so hard that I didn't have the energy for four all-out sprints in each round. I was concentrating on technique while swimming a little bit faster than aerobic pace. For the first round of 100s, I was averaging 1:13, and about 1:14 on the second and third rounds. That's about 1:06 to 1:07 for those who need those times converted to yards for comparison. I had to do that a little bit today, as this was only the third short course meters workout I've done in a month. With the taper meet being short course meters, I'm glad the bulkhead at the pool was removed, and we'll likely do short course meters all the way through the next three weeks.
When I don't feel like swimming fast, my breaststroke is usually the stroke that falls apart first. I tend to find an easy way to swim comfortably, and that easy way usually involves bad technique. It took a lot of mental effort to continue to think about the kick Tako taught me a couple of weeks ago, and to concentrate on the hand pitch after the catch. Those are my two main focus areas on breaststroke right now, and the more I can swim correctly when I'm tired (and a little bit lazy), the easier it will be to swim fast when it matters.
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