the17thman

The Afternoon At The Gym

After swimming this morning it was time to hit the gym this afternoon.  Over the last few weeks I've been adding weight and tweaking my workout routine.  Was in a rut and needed to break out of it and get to the next level.  I think it might be working.  I did my 10 minute cardio warm up before actually doing the weights.  And yes that one elliptical machine is broken but the gym will be closed on Thursday for construction.  Hopefully new machines will replace the broken ones.  I can't wait to hit the gym and check out the new changes. 

Stay tuned for some big news right here later tonight/early tomorrow!  Time to go play some Wii.

The 2012 Olympic Pool Gets Capped

Things are slowly coming together for the 2012 London Olympics.  According to Universal Sports the scaled back "sweeping, wave-shaped roof has begun to be lifted into place on the Olympic aquatics center that will be used for the 2012 London Games."  The Olympic aquatic center will be the jewel in her Majesties Olympics. 

Watch the construction video at the London 2012 Blog LINK

Read More LINK

Swim & A Bike Ride

The Culver City Plunge is one of my favorite pools so every Tuesday morning that I get to swim LCM at Culver is like heaven.  Not just because it is LCM but I love how the water is kept at a nice chilly temperature.  If my body didn't get so tired in it's old age I could just keep swimming all day. 

Warm Up
200 Swim
200 Kick
200 Pull
100 Swim (700)

6x50's Odds Drill / Evens Swim (300/1000)

Main Set:
6x100's  2 @ 1:40 2 @ 1:35 2 @ 1:30 (600)
4x50's on 55  (200/800)
2x200  3:20 (400/1200)
1x300  4:30 (300/1500)
1x100 active recovery no interval Square Up Clock (100/1600)
6x100's  2 @ 1:40 2 @ 1:35 2 @ 1:30 (i messed up the intervals so I took extra rest after the 5th one.  Between counting my strokes so that I'd do alternate side breathing and remembering how many 100's I was swimming I lost track of when I left the wall.  (600/2200)
4x50's on 55  (200/2400)
2x200  3:10 (400/2800)
1x300 (300/3100)

Then I got out.  I swam the 300 pretty hard so without a warm down I'll be feeling the pain in a bit.  Total LCM was 4100.  After the swim I rode my bike home the whole way.  On the way to the pool I take a bus usually from La Cienega to Venice then ride to the pool.  But on the way home I like to ride the full 7+ miles.  It's on a gradual hill up La Cienega.  And since I'm driving on a busy street during the morning commute it's a lot of fun.  Well if you like cars coming within inches of you. 

MTD Yardage: 63,000
MTD LCM:  10,500

YTD Yardage: 178,650
YTD LCM 21,300

And that ends the month of March in Swimming.  63.000 Short Course Yards and 10,500 Long Course Meters.

It's Big!

I will be announcing some BIG news later this week.   Stay Tuned...

Just In Case I Go...

Just in case I want to go I entered the 2009 USMS SCY Nationals.  A few weeks ago I decided just to enter in case I want to swim.  That way I wouldn't be kicking myself down the line if I change my mind and want to swim at Nationals.  I doubt I will, but just in case I'm signed up and here is my entry:

Most of these times are a few years old but they are times. 

My New Toy: TYR Catalyst Paddle

Since I had to order a new pair of Swedes and shipping was going to be more than the Swede goggles I decided to toss in a pair of TYR Catalyst Paddles.  I can't wait to they come in 2 biz days.  So I guess that means Thursday!  Hmm...I might hafta swim Thursday.  I'm so excited to have entered the "my paddles are bigger than yours" battle!

Easy Sunny Afternoon Gym Swim

Since I skipped this mornings swim practice I put together a workout and headed to the gym pool.  Now I'm not a fan of gym pools but the WeHo Pool was closing early for Cesar Chavez Day.  So I jotted down a workout and headed to the 24 Hour Fitness pool. 

Once I got swimming the workout went out the window.  Just wasn't motivated to swim hard or fast.  The pool at the West Hollywood 24 Hour Fitness is warm to begin with but with the sun beating down it was like swimming in a hotel pool.  Too Warm.  I will admit it did feel nice during the warm up with the sun on my back.  I could have just lounged all day in the pool.  Well except that I'm Irish and would not just get sunburned in the sun I'd combust into flames.   Then I'd be a real flamer. 

I don't remember exactly how much I swam.  I'd stop.  Look around.  Swim some more.  At least I started off with good intentions of swimming a workout. 

Swam a 300 Free
Pulled a 300 Free
Kicked a 100.

Then I did 3x100's Freestyle.  Then the workout really went buh bye.  I started to do a few 50's.  I had a hard time seeing the clock so at one point I swam a 25 to the other end of the pool.  Then a 100 IM and a 200 IM.  Then I did another 50, about a couple of 100's and finished up with a 50.  Not much but at least I got a swim in.

Being in a warm pool in the sun started to make me a bit dehydrated.  And of course I didn't bring water or anything.  Doh!  After the swim I showered and walked home.  A nice easy day of sorta swimming.  I figured I did about 1,500 easy yards today.  Tomorrow I'll do a LCM swim and get a quality swim in at the Culver City Plunge. 

MTD Yardage: 64,500. 
MTD LCM:  6400

YTD Yardage: 180,150
YTD LCM 17,200

Jason Lezak Runs Naked Through Los Angeles

Well not yet but while he is on his Tin Cup Press Tour he may take a little lesson from French Pole Vaulter Romain Mesnil.  Meznil like Lezak lost his sponsorship with Nike last year.  But instead of just going on Fox News and whining about it Meznil decided to do something to atttract a little attention.  His idea, run through the streets of Paris naked.  Meznil and his pole was broadcast all over Europe.  No word if he did get another sponsorship but we all get to watch this YouTube video of him running naked. source

The Walls & A Reminder Change Is Not Always Good

New Coke.  Crystal Pepsi.  Dynasty II: The Colbys. Change is not always a good thing.  After over 10 years of having the same swim lane assignments our team recently changed the order the various speeds levels go in the various lanes.  Because for all my ranting and bitching I sometimes actually really do just bite my tongue.  And because  I l am not alwys one of the first group of people in the water I end up getting in the less populated fast lane.  Which when it's the fast lanes turn at the wall the less populated or empty lane is usually the wall lane.  Even the few times when I've bitched about it on deck to other fast swimmers they still all got in the one lane away from the wall leaving the wall lane empty.  So tonight I decided to look at my notebook over the month of March and it seems I have swam almost every swim practice but ONE in a wall lane.  Change is good, just not for me.  I need to bitch some more. 

A Random Afternoon Workout

Swimming on a Sunday afternoon is always an interesting workout as I never really know how I'll actually be feeling to I get in the water.  Last two Sunday's I have been feeling good and doing pretty well in the pool.  Then today came.  It wasn't so much that I was tired, or I was slow it was a new mandated check set like our 10x100's.  Mind you this isn't in place of the 10x100's but an addition to.  From now to some undetermined date in the future at two random workouts we will be sprinting for time a 200, a 100 a 50 and I thought I heard something else.  I blocked it all out and almost didn't even bother to swim today once I started to hear that.  Once in the pool it was all down hill.  I pretty much goofed off for an hour.  I figured I was already at the pool I'd just swim to we got to the mandated sprints. 

If I want to see how fast I am in a 200 of any particular stroke I'll go to a swim meet thank you.  Give me a set of a series of 200's like last Sunday and I'l work them and do a faster time in each one of them then I will with just swimming one 200 sprint.  And a 100 and a 50 why even bother?  I always sorta feel if I really need to know how fast I am that is what meets are for.  But a lazy Sunday after noon or a random 6am workout is not the time for me to go fast.  So today was a waste of a workout for me.  I just did random strokes up and down the pool not really caring about the workout. 

Warmed up a 300.

Warm Up Set:
4x
75 Drill on 1:20
50 Swim
100 Kick
50 Swim
25 Swim
It was choice of stroke and I just did random strokes in no particular order.  Some fly, some back and I did a 25 breast at one point.(1200/1500)

Then we had one more warm up set.  Which had a 200, 3x100's some 50's and then 4x25's.  Once again I just did random strokes.  Then I got out as it was time for the first 200 sprint.  Let's say this warm up set was 600 yards.  So I did a 2100 yard workout.  I'll be having a few of these workouts over time.  The 200/100/50 Mandated Sets will not be announced before hand so depending on my mood I'll either load them, get out early or maybe do one or two over time. 

MTD Yardage: 63,000
MTD LCM:  6400

YTD Yardage: 178,650
YTD LCM 17,200

Monday I'l be either not swimming at all or doing a lap swim.  I plan on skipping the one morning workout that is offered tomorrow at 7am as it'll be too crowded.