the17thman

AQUAview: Giorgio Armani In A Speedo

see more photos at x17

RIP Artist Robert Graham

Artist Robert Graham died at age 70 this past weekend.   Graham is best known for his sculpture of two headless figures known as the "Olympic Gateway" at the Memorial Coliseum for the 1984 Olympics.  US Water Polo Coach Terry Schroeder was the model for the male figure. 

I posted about this statue back in August check out that post LINK

You can read more about the late Robert Graham at the LA Times

Michael Phelps Does Subway In Boston

Michael Phelps was in Beantown on the 15th shooting his commercial from Subway during the day and on to the Celtics game at night.  Here are a few pix:

Oh.  Great arm position.  Look at how his arm and body are in a good rotation. 

Stretching as always even before a shoot.

Ready for his close-up!

Must have been tired from playing online poker all night.

source boston.com

2008 Swimming World Magazine Covers in Review

source lane9 news

Baby Swims 25 Meters

This video is one of the best things I've seen all week.  Then again it is only Monday.

Michael Phelps: The Streamline

Another great photo of Michael Phelps.  This time he is coming off the wall on his side in a tight streamline.  Notice his hands and how they overlap.  I've heard a few swimmers recently as the coach about handplacement.  More of us seem to do an almost Superman-like streamline with out hands out and stretched out but not connecting.  Up, up and away! 

Michael Phelps The Start

I found these pictures on various sites and found this one interesting.  As the swimmers including Michael Phelps are in the air we can see the various swimmers in movement.  Notice the back feet are still in position from the track start.  Then notice thow you can almost see the arm movement in time lapse photography when you compare each swimmer to swimmer.

Check out the USA Today story "Phelps 2.0" LINK

Back In The Water

After a week out of the water and battling a cold I decided to swim this morning.  I kept debating with myself last night and this morning if I should or not.  It wasn't a debate of if I can swim it was more of me debating how contagious I am to my lane mates.  Monday is an easy workout so I knew I could hack it even if I was hacking.  I warmed up a very slow 400 free.  Some swimming but mostly pulling without paddles.  Just swimming a few laps it was clear to me that my body was not use to swimming and the muscles would need to relearn how to engage themselves. 

After the 400 we did 8x25's kick.  Funny enough that this was pretty easy for me even being a non-kicker.  These were all free and on 30 seconds.  I will admit later on some leg muscle pain/fatigue started but not during this set.

400 Pull as follows.  1st 200 Distance Per Stroke.  2nd 200 breath control every 3/5/any/7 by 50.  The eagerness in me got to me during the 1st 200 as I tried to test my limits of speed.  My stroke was sloppy and after one push off the wall ran into the lane line head on.  I have a little mark smack dab in the middle of my forehead to prove it.  Which also shows that I need to be looking down not up on my streamlines.  Then again since I am looking up they shouldn't be called streamlines as I am not very streamline.

Two sets of 4x100's.  Round One on 1:25 and Round Two on 1:30.  These were descending 1-4 and 5-8 with second round faster than the first.  My times sucked as I did a 1:09/1:09/1:08/1:06 then 1:10/1:09/1:09/1:05. 

Then we did a 100 easy before switching to stroke.

3x150's.  10 secs rest.  75 kick / 50 drill / 25 swim.  Fly/Back/Breast

8x25s on 30 IM order

And that was it.  Wasnt the best workout ever but just enough to reengage my muscles and body to swimming.  Now I can let the muscles recover and swim again hopefully tomorrow night.  I figure by the end of the week I'll be my old self swimming.

Aquaview: Eamon Sullivan

Cough and Hack

I got back to LA on Saturday and with my luggage I carried a bit of a cold with me.  Spent most of the last 35 hours sleeping.  I am feeling almost all better now so hopefully waking up a 5am will be a go and I'll hit the pool.  I haven't been in the pool for over 7 days.  At least if I do make it tomorrow the practice on Monday mornings wont be that difficult if past Mondays are a guide.