the17thman

Rearview Mirror - Running

Umm..I haven't ran in a month!  Holy Crap!

Rearview Mirror - Swimming

Another month of swimming has gone by.  I actually feel sorta sluggish as I haven't swam since Friday.  I have a little bit of an ear infection so trying to stay dry.  So I'm on a mini-break.  I'm going back to swimming most likely tomorrow but we'll see.  As for this past month I've swam a total of 39.350 yards.  Well sort of.  I did race one day at a Masters swim meet which was a 1,000 free, 200 fly and 200 back.  Plus warming up and down.  So add in another 2,400 yards.  So 41,750 yards in the pool.
 
Past Months To Compare -

January I swam 42,300 yards.

December I swam 22,050 yards.

November I swam 34,375 yards

October I swam 2,700 yards.

September I swam zip, nada, nothing

August I swam 25,000 SCY

July I swam 49,900 SCY

June I swam 43,650 SCY and 4,000 LCM

May I swam 55,000 SCY

April I swam 46,050 SCY

February I swam 53,250 SCY

January I swam 46,750 SCY

WPix 11 talks with Olympic Medalist and Susta Natural Sweetener Spokesperson Dara Torres

Jeah! Ryan Lochte Surprises Swim Team with SwimOutlet.com Delivery!

 

go to swimoutlet.com

Saturday's Swim Report - Thanks, Insanity and So Much More!

1.  The very Wicked Local out of Marblehead, MA has a great letter "Swimming dad: ‘Thanks for the ride’…Four years ago, my son announced he was going to join the high school swim team. It was a bit of a surprise since he had not previously been enthusiastic about team sports, but we supported his decision. He started out with sometimes-awkward strokes and not the smoothest turns, but as the months and years passed, he grew not only as a swimmer but also as a man…"  Read the full letter.  It really makes us remember why we love our sport!

2.  From the insanity files, The Telegraph reports "Goggles banned at school swimming lessons.  Children have been banned from wearing goggles during school swimming lessons for fears they could hurt themselves."  I also heard that next they'll ban teaching swimming in water in fear that the kids might get wet.

3.  NCAA.com has "Swimming psych sheet released...The NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Committee announced the participants in the 2011 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships"

4.  The Reezy Daily has "More Aaron Okayama photos" of Ryan Lochte.  One of them you may recognize from his own twittering of.  Is twittering a word?

5.  aquAdonis looks at "Legs – Stabilizing Force…We (The Race Club) started a video swim tip series on kicking. This is the 3rd part called “Legs – Stabilizing Force” and features yours truly to the best of my abilities as I’m trying to get back in the pool more often myself. If you want to find out how to improve your kicking skills, I highly suggest to watch all four parts of this special series."  If you are like me your legs are actually two lead like objects that sink to the bottom of the pool.  So reading articles / watching videos like this is important!

6.  RUMOR ALERT!  Maybe he's just eating cake to eat cake.  But someone was tasting  wedding cake!  I searched the internet for a quick confirmation story but I've yet to read anything.  Hmm...stay alert to twitter!

7.  Swim Sally has been posting pictures of pools from all over including her latex "Plantation Resort, Rainbow Beach."  She has some great pictures of various pools and beaches.  Amazing!

8.  Swimming Science continues it's weekly feature this week with "Friday Interview with John Lohn…I recently had a book published, The Historical Dictionary of Competitive Swimming, a reference book through Scarecrow Press."  As always it's an interesting read, the article I don't know about the book as I've yet to read it.

9.  From the Tisk Tisk File, The Boston Herald reports "Swim coach pleads guilty to porn charges."

10.  Can never get enough of these type of stories.  From AZ Family "Drunk driver crashes in backyard swimming pool of unlucky home."

Orlebar Brown 2011 Collection

I love my Orlebar Brown swim trunks!  Check out the Orelbar Brown video "Our latest 2011 shoot in Lake Mesolongi, Greece showcasing our most recent collection including our new Geometric range (to be launched Friday 25th February)." http://www.orlebarbrown.com/

Friday's Swim Report - Now With 69% More Scandal, Opprobrium & Turpitude

1.  The Daily News of Open Water Swimming talks up "Hipster Open Water Swimming Goggles…Keo Nakama, an inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, was a multi-sport star and one of the greatest swimmers of his era.  And, boy, did he use some classic goggles. Too bad manufacturers don't make those anymore. Who cares about fit, when you look cool?"  I so could go for some steampunk goggles.

2.  I promised more Scandal and while I sit back the SCAQ Blog delivers "Scandal? - The IOC investigating Vancouver’s secret Russian deal that may have brought the 2010 Games to Canada - Alexander Popov key voter?"  Maybe I do just sit back and wait for another scandal. 

3.  The FINIS Blog asks "Why are swimmers so clumsy out of water?"

4.  Reezy Daily has the vid of "Preview: Ryan Lochte Surprises Rose Bowl Aquatics."  Umm...Nice Hat!

5.  I went to the QUAC Ski-N-Swim a few years ago and had a blast!  I so want to again.  Till then I'll just look at photographs from this year over a dav.d photography.

6.  The West reports "Abu Dhabi base no publicity stunt: Thorpe…Ian Thorpe has strongly rejected any suggestion that his training stint in Abu Dhabi is a publicity stunt."  Meanwhile The Sydney Morning Herald reports "Thorpe gives little away before taking off…HE STILL won't reveal who his coach will be, or any of his training partners, but as Ian Thorpe left Sydney for Abu Dhabi yesterday, he did make one thing clear: he needs to make big improvements if he wants to make the Olympic team for London 2012."

7.  It's OSCAR Weekend!  The Guardian UK reports on "The top 10 Oscars books."  Now why is this swimming related?  Well, check out book number four - "4) Anthony Holden – The Oscars: The Secret History of Hollywood's Academy Awards (1993)  As you would expect from Holden, a highly readable, professional, well-researched job of work, though I don't think any great secrets are disclosed. He has an interesting passage on the brief and doomed attempt to give Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz a movie career and make him the'"male Esther Williams'."  If you want to see Spitz and his acting "ability" go to Hulu and search for Emergency!: Season 4: Episode 8.

8.  Gord's Swim Log reports on the craziness of "Cold water swimming is like drugs (not that I know what that's like though)  Ever go swimming in water that is 41°F/5°C?  At first you think, why would anyone want to do that?  Initial impression is "That's so stupid".  But once you do it, you achieve a high that I couldn't reasonably explain.  You have to experience it to relate."

9.  The Wobbly Block "CONFIRMED: Diving into freezing water backwards really does not help very much."

10.  "Watch: Sea Monsters and Water Chestnuts" via Towleroad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

h2oaudio - Office Prank #2: Blackberry in the Water Cooler

Infraspinatus? Is That Anything Like A Empanada?

Last night while lying in bed I started to get twitches or muscle spasms.  I was just lying trying to get some shut eye when it started.  I streched whie sitting up in bed and rolled my shoulders.  Finally it stopped and I went to bed.  This morning when I was at the pool warming up I could feel the area that was twitching starting to feel a bit tight.  After swimming it felt okay but I didn't want to push it.  So I swam the basic 1 hour workout and got out.  No need to kill myself, at least not today.  When I got home I had to look it up to see which muscle it was and I'm guessing it was the Infraspinatus.  Yeah, I never heard of it either.  According to wikipedia the Infrasinatus is -

In human anatomy, the infraspinatus muscle is a thick triangular muscle, which occupies the chief part of the infraspinatous fossa.[1] As one of the four muscles of the rotator cuff, the main function of the infraspinatus is to laterally rotate the arm, and stabilise the shoulder joint.

I don't know if I'm guessing correct but at least I learned something new today.  As for empanada, well I'm just hungry!

Warm Up

300 Swim / 100 Pull / 50 Catch Up Drill / 50 Swim (500)

5x100's on 2:20 3 Kick / 2 Kick/Swim (500/1000)

10x100's on 2 Minutes.  1-5 IM Descending / rest 30 seconds / 6-10 Back Descending BUT starting at the pace of the third one previously.  So I did a 1:20 for my third IM so I had to start my backstroke descend from 1:20.  The other two swimmers did this freestyle in my group while the two other swimmers did set sof 4x100's at an easier interval.  I finished my IM descend on a 1:13 and my back on a 1:12.  I'm okay with that.  Not earth shattering fast but okay.  (1000/2000)

I warmed down a 100.  I actually was going to swim a bit more but I had to pee.  And since I have to walk all the way to the restroom I can't be bothered coming back.  So I got out.  Let my infraspinatus rest.  Since today is my 4th day in a row swimming I plan to take tomorrow as a recovery day.  Wahoo, sleep in! 

Thursday's Swim Report - Is That Your Trident In Your Swim Suit Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

1.  Nick Brunelli blogs about "My Favorite Training Device and most commonly used Equipment…My favorite training device I work on is The RocketTower. This thing can put a beating on you but also teach you how it feels to go 20.00 In a 50 free LC from a push. I have used this device for 2 years consistently and not until recently have used it enough."  It's actually a pretty cool device.  I'd love to try out the rocket tower sometime.

2.  The Tahoe Daily Tribune report "Korean swim team training in South Lake pool…Part of the Korean national swim team is training for the 2012 Olympics in South Lake Tahoe — and not just at the pool. The group of five sprinters and one butterfly competitor led by coach Sung K. Baek is also hitting the slopes with hopes that the high-altitude exercise will heighten their abilities in the water."

3.  Who are the most impressive US Masters Swimmers?  Well Scott has posted a list over at the USMS Forum of the "Top Ten Most consecutive years."  A post that includes numerous swimmers who have made top ten times at least 20 consecutive years and up!  HOLY SWIMMERS!

4.  Swimming Science looks at "Master's swimmer flexibility…Many Master’s swimmers are inflexible…or this reason, initiating a proper dynamic warm-up and prehabilitation program out of the pool, encompassing flexibility and strengthening into the workout and encouraging adequate warm down and stretching following workout is essential."  While I do believe with this post I just wish for the sake of "science" there would have been some medical article reference and a bit more science. In other news from Joel Science comes the news that "the sun is hot".

5. The Race Club has a video on "Breathing Patterns…This week we’re going to talk about oxygen, the most important nutrient and one that we often overlook."

6.  TodayOnline reports on "From swim star to hockey CEO…Former national swimmer Mark Chay has swapped his swimming trunks for hockey sticks as the new chief executive officer of the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF)."

7.  As Homer Simpson once said, "Wait a minute! This isn't Weird magazine!" But anyways,  Wired Magazine talks (with video) about "Secrets of Swimming in Sand Revealed…Using a lizard, a snaky robot and computer simulations, researchers have captured the secrets of swimming through sand."

8.  Hey, It's Got Aquaman in it!  From io9 - "Exclusive premiere of the Justice League XXX
trailer, with Ron Jeremy as the Penguin…When a great evil threatens porn's very existence, The Justice League of Porn Stars Heroes comes together to battle The Legion of Poon. Can Batman and Robin tag-team Catwoman into submission? Are Wonder Woman's truth juices enough to get the General talking? Will the sexy Mob Boss stop the Flash in his tracks? Can Superman get Zatanna to turn a trick? Will the Green Lantern let Harley Quinn strip him of his clothes and his ring? What are Lex Luthor and Poison Ivy scheming, and will the blow bang of Wonder Woman help the heroes focus on the mission ahead? Only watching 'The Justice League XXX' will reveal the answers, as the porn star heroes try to save the world, one orgy at a time." photo via extremecomixx.com.

9.  Athletic Business asks "Did You Hear the One About the Naked Swimmer?"  It's not as exxxciting as I had hoped but gave me a chuckle just the same.

10.  That's Gonna Hurt!  How not to dive via Failblog