the17thman

Laziness And Cycling

Yesterday I cycled to the Koreatown 24 Hour Fitnesss before heading to work.  I haven't had a chance to get a new tube for the rear tire so the last two days I've been cycling with more of a cruiser cycle.  And I thought my mountain bike was heavy!  This cruiser cycle is cheap, heavy and very uncomfortable.  Hopefully I'll have time today or tomorrow to get a tube so I can start cycle again.  Right now I'm nursing a bit of pain from the horrible bike sear!  Ouchie! 

Once I was at the gym it was time to hit the weights.    Since I cycled 4.88 miles to the gym I skipped cardio.  Did as close to my usual weight routine of arms, chest and shoulders.  I think I'm done with this particular gym as there are too many broken machines and not enough free weights.  Plus I prefer coming home and showering and changing before heading to work. 

After the gym I started to cycle the few blocks to work.  But then I started to walk.  As I was in the cross walk a driver in a suv decided that to continue the "california roll" into the intersection bumping into me.  After getting bumped I moved out of his way and started to yell at him to which the driver just drove away.  No damage to me except a smudge of dirt on my off white pants.  Damn! 

After work I cycled home.  My iPhone battery was dead since the iPhone battery isn't made to last a full days or normal use.  Usually I keep it plugged in at work but forgot the cord at home.  Doh!  With the two bike rides I was tired so I skipped swimming.  Then this morning still feeling some pain from the uncomfortable bike seat I was too lazy to go swim.  I'll have to make up for skipping swim's over the weekend.  Maybe do another double Friday! 

This month I've cycled 64.98 miles.  Most of that is to and from work.  At least if I'm not running pretty much at all anymore I'm getting in some non-swimming cardio.  Now if I can get back to running I'd be happier. 

Sleep Swimming - Insomnia Strikes Back

Chalk it up to stress over various things but I've been battle restless nights for the last month.  This ongoing lack of sleep is making my morning workouts seem like impossible tasks.  Last night was one of the worst nights as I would get about 40 minutes of sleep then wake up, toss and turn then fall back asleep for another 40 minutes.  Finally around 4:45am I gave up and got up to check emails and get ready for 6am swim.  I didn't get a new air tube for the rear tire on my bicycle but luckily I have access to another bicycle at the moment.  So I cycled to the pool.  Unluckily I realized that the brakes don't work very well on this bicycle. 

Once at the pool I felt like a zombie of the night.  I spent the whole workout just trying to wake up and get my body into gear.  I warmed up a 500 mix swim / pull and a 100 kick.  It was a very slow warm up as I was just sleep swimming. 

Warm Up Set:
50 Fist Drill / 200 Pull / 400 Distance Per Stroke.  (650/1250)

5x100's Pace on 1:15.  I started off with a 1:07, then a few 1:08's and finished up with a 1:09.  (500/1750)

Grr...can't remember the whole workout. 

500 on 6 Minutes. Followed by something. 

Then something here.  Then we did some 50's and 25's.  I think maybe 4x50's build on 45. As for the 25's I just don't remember maybe 4 of those also.  (300/2050)

I'll have to update this post when/if I remember. 

Stroke Warm Up:

50 Drill / 100 Swim / 50 Drill / 50 Swim.  (250/2300)  I did this butterfly.

Stroke Set:

100 on 1:30

2x50's on 50

extra 30 seconds

4x50's on 50

4x25's on 30

I did this all fly.  (500/2800)

That's 750 yards fly.  It was bit tough but I made it.  I was tired and sore but I pushed myself.  Was easier that there was only two of us in the lane so I didn't have to worry about one arm butterfly.  I was able to just get into the stroke and keep at it.  Will admit I did hang at the walls a bit longer than I should have to get an extra second or so rest from time to time.

Warm downed a 150. (150/2950)

Wendy Buckner (1959 - 2010)

Since starting this blog I've been lucky enough to have e-mailed and chatted with swimmers from around the world.  One of these swimmers was Wendy Buckner.  About once a week Wendy would comment or email me about something I posted on my blog.  When I had a great swim meet usually the first email I'd get would be from Wendy.  When I had a bad swim meet Wendy would give me encouraging words.  It saddened me to read today that Wendy has passed away. 

Suddenly, in her 51st year, during a visit to her brother Brent in Grand Cayman, on Saturday, June 19th, 2010. Beloved daughter of Charles and Christine Buckner, sister of Brent, niece of Anne Tetley, and cousin of Paul and Kevin Tetley. Niece of Tom Laite, cousin of Neil, Suzanne, Lenora and Jamie. Wendy will be sadly missed by both her relatives plus her many, many friends. A memorial celebration of Wendy's life will be held at the Pinecrest Visitation Centre, 2500 Baseline Road, Wednesday, June 30th, 2010. Visitation will be held from 12 noon until Words of Remembrance at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the United Way, Good Companions, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, or a charity of your choice would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.colefuneralservices.com

My thoughts and condolences go out to her family.  Wendy will be missed by many.

T. G. I. Friday's Swim Report: JACK DANIEL'S® Edition

It must be around lunch time as I'm thinking about food and T.G.I.Friday's.  Although I haven't been to one since 1994 but that is another story of me puking my guts out on Newbury Street.  I do know that they seem to cover everything they cook in some sort of Jack Daniel's sauce so it can't be all bad.  Anyways...

1.  Big Mac Attack?  Swim Network looks into "A popular urban legend once said that Olympic Champion Mike Barrowman would eat a McDonald's Big Mac before each 200 breaststroke race."

2.  Olympic Swimmer and Food Blogger Garret Weber-Gale's "Friday Food Fact: get the best of those tough beans with a pressure cooker."  Hmm…I must be hungry.  That's three food references.  One more…I just noticed Weber reminded me of Weber Grills!  Time to eat.

3.  Arizona Masters Swimming blog posts about "Swim Power and Efficiency Begin on Land".

4.  Swimming Science task a look at "Unconventional Abs."

5.  The Finis Blog head's to the dry land for "Fraid Nots Friday – Body Weight Stretches."

6.  Gizmodo warns "Careful Not to Backstroke Over the Edge of Singapore."

7.  Michael Phelps will be swimming in four events at the Paris Open.  ESPN profiles this in "Phelps aiming for Pan Pacific berth."

8.  Some cool pictures over at Kast-a-way with "Tim Tadder Swimming Photography On ‘The Design Inspiration’."

9.  Go Swim's Swimming Picture of the Week is of Eric Shanteau's dolphin kick.

10.  In US Masters Swimming the swim suit tech war continues on.  Go Swim talks about it with a post about the "Proposed Amendment to USMS Rules".  Over at the USMS Forums two new discussions have cropped up.  First go and vote in the poll "Do you want the tech suits back for SCY?"  Then check out the SPMA's discussion "Bringing Back Tech Suits for SCY".  Both of these forums have some lively discussion on the topic.  So head over and be heard!

The Flat Morning

Finally a night that for the most part I slept all night.  Of course I didn't fall asleep to after midnight and was up at 5 but that is a full night.  Once up I grabbed my stuff for swimming and cycled to the pool.

Started to warm up and was feeling sluggish.  I don't know what it is but it seems to take me longer and longer to be able to wake up and swim.  Swam about a 400.

Warm Up Set:

4x150's Kick.  (50 breast / 50 free on side / 50 fly on side)  Took a 100 off for a pee break.  So wasn't feeling the set.  Was ready to just go home.  (500/900)

2x300's Pull descending on 4:15 or was it 4:30.  My lane was the slower of the two fast lanes.  The first 300 I pulled it nice an easy feeling comfortable.  The second 300 I tried to get some speed but it just wasn't there.  Around the 200 mark I was so hating the workout or at least myself.  (600/1500)

Main Set:

12x150's as follows.

4 Free on 2:00 Descending

4 75 Free / 75 Stroke on 2:20 Descending

4 All Stroke on 2:30 Descending

The freestyle 150's were okay.  Not saying I was swimming super fast but comfortable.  Better then the 300's at least.  Which isn't saying much.  During the 75/75's 150's I was beginning to feel a bit better.  It was like I was finally waking up.  Then the last which were the all stroke felt good.  I was able to crank up some speed.  I did backstroke for all my stroke.  I was going to do the 75's butterfly but chickened out in fear I'd die during the 150's stroke.  There was NO extra rest between each set of 4.  Also since the coach didn't specify a slower interval for our lane which I'm sure was just implied I did the faster lane's interval so I didn't have to think about intervals on top of remembering how many and what stroke to do.  (1800/3300)

Then we did 8x25's on 30.  25 Easy Free / 25 Sprint Free or Fly no breathing.  The first two fly no breathers were doable.  But then the third I needed more.  I like oxygen!  (300/3600)

Overall the workout wasn't so bad once I woke up.  3,600 yards was the total workout.  I think that will be it for swimming until Monday.  No more Sunday afternoons and don't know if I want to drive all the way to Roosevelt to swim early on Sunday morning. 

On the way home I had a flat.  Tried putting air in the tire but it didn't take.  So I had to walk home.  Grrr....

Thursday's Swim Report - Summer Time Fun Edition

Time for some non-swimming summer time pool fun! 

1.  Gizmodo asks "A Floating Electric Massage Chair For Your Pool: What Could Go Wrong?"

2.  The Telegraph reports "Beach warning: Speedos on the rise."  On The Rise!

3.  Get your Kindle Kickboard!  Engadget talks about the M-Edge waterproof case for the Kindle.  Yet another way to make kick sets interesting.

4.  Gizmodo looks at a pool float with "a detachable propeller unit."  The only way to finish a kick set.

5.  Try doing this next time you are in the pool.  Technabob shows how the Japanese researchers have figured out how to "making pictures with water and waves."

6.  Did you know that LA had 33 seasonal pools?  Well they do and the laist has a list of them all.  So get out your noodles and beer cozies.  The pools are open!

7.  The Huffington Post says it so it must be true!  "Speedos Are Back: Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Suits Hit Milan's MEN'S Runways (PHOTOS, POLL)"  Screw the tech suits I'll have the Armani and the models.

8.  The Apartment Therapy blog looks at "Pools We Wish We Could Cannonball Into."

9.  Unplggd looks at "5 Helpful Tools For Pools."  It's music and ambient lighting things mostly.  Cool for home pools.  And just think of ambient lighting while you cannonball naked!

10.  Like to Run but don't like the pesky issue of getting all wet and sticky from the summer heat? The folks at OhGizmo! has found the solution for you.  It's a pool sprint concept device.  Think of it as an underwater conveyor belt that you run on.

But wait there is more…"The BUTT Magazine Beach Towels Are Here" via Buttmagazine.com NSFW and umm…most homes.

Cycling Home

Another day of cycling.  Since I posted my morning cycling to the gym here is my ride home.  Basically I take 4th most of the way then Martel.  It's really a pretty ride on 4th seeing some of the mega-million dollar homes.  For the most part cars are pretty good since the street is a designated bike path.  Martel is a whole other thing as people use it to avoid Fairfax or La Brea.  Some cars don't think they need to share the road with me.  It's still a nice ride home.

Lost Technology: The Discman

Today after my workout I went to the locker room to shower and get dressed.  I noticed a   strange looking device that I remembered from the past.  It was a discman or a portable cd player.  The poor pre-iPod device was abandoned on the bench.  After I showered and got ready the poor device was still there.  Not even worthy enough for someone to steal it.  

Cycling & The Gym

Cycled to the gym this morning. 5.03 Miles.  Not bad.  Hit the 24 Hour Fitness in Koreatown.  Did weights.  Nothing much to report as it was just another trip to the gym.  Weight training, yawn.

Today's Cycling

I'm not going to cycle every day to work but I will from time to time.  At least well...let's say when things change, stay tuned for information in September.  So here are today's miles cycled: