the17thman

The Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame

February's Rearview Mirror - Swimming: Leap Year Edition

With one extra day in the month you'd think I'd get some extra swim time.  But with so much other stuff going on from Group Ride Training and work I gotta admit I haven't been swimming as much as I like. 

Totals For This Month
Activity    # of Sessions    Total Time (H:MM)    Total Distance
Swimming    15                    12:30                            21.68 miles (=38,150 yards, =34,884 meters)

So 38,150 yards for the month.  Not great at all. 

My goal is to be more consistant in March.  Which means back in the pool for the rest of the week.  I think I'll be settled into swimming Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday every week in March.  At least that is the plan so far. 

So almost at 50 miles to earn my free swim cap.  Yahoo, free stuff.  Instead of swimming I've been spending lots of time riding on an indoor bike.  In fact here I am way back on the left hand side on a bike wearing a white sleeveless tee.

Oh well another month is coming tomorrow.  Time to get soakin' wet down at the pool!

Wednesday's Swim Report - Black Swan Goes Swimming

Lane 1 - US Magazine posts "Kendall Jenner, 16, Poses for Black Swan-Inspired Swimwear Ads.  Kendall Jenner posed for the Australian swimwear brand White Sands' Spring/Summer 2012 ad campaign."

Lane 2 - Marketwatch posts "Iconic Olympic Swimmer and Mom Dara Torres Relies on Sleep Innovations for a Good Night's Sleep.  REJUVENATION(™) Products Give Torres Increased Energy to Compete in her Biggest Competition in 2012.  With her biggest competition of the year just months away, Sleep Innovations is helping 45-year-old Olympic swimmer Dara Torres get a better night's sleep with their line of REJUVENATION(TM) Memory Foam Sleep Products. Endorsed by Torres, the REJUVENATION(TM) Pillow and Mattress Topper help people sleep more deeply and wake up feeling relaxed and refreshed. "

Lane 3 - Boston.com posts "Panel to discuss boy swimmers on girls’ teams.  MIAA expected to find options.  The question of whether swimming opportunities should be expanded for high school boys - or cut back for both boys and girls - will be weighed by members of a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association panel tomorrow as they discuss what to do about the growing number of boys joining girls’ swim teams in fall competition."

Lane 4 - The Canadian Press posts "Olympic Rings to Brand Canadian Swim Selections.  The Olympic rings are coming to the Canadian swimming trials.  Swimming Canada has struck a partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee that will allow the organization to use Olympic branding at next month's trials for the London Summer Games.  In the past, Olympic branding was not allowed due to rights issues."

Lane 5 - Reuters posts "Olympics-Canadian dumps real estate job for medal dreams.  The lure of an Olympic medal after an agonising near-miss in Beijing four years ago convinced Canadian breaststroker Mike Brown to ditch a career in real estate and come out of retirement for the London Games.  Brown hung up his goggles after placing fourth at the 2008 Olympics, where he missed out on a medal by .09 of a second, but after staying out of the water for 18 months he decided selling real estate was not enough to satiate his competitive appetite."

Lane 6 - Marketwatch posts "ConocoPhillips and USA Swimming Foundation Bring Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones to Houston to Kick Off Water Safety Tour, Educate Kids About Learning to Swim.  ust in time for spring break, ConocoPhillips and the USA Swimming Foundation will bring Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones, to Houston to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim. The event, scheduled for March 7, marks the kickoff of the 2012 Make a Splash Tour with Cullen Jones presented by ConocoPhillips, a six-city national water safety tour designed to educate parents, kids and communities about the importance of learning to swim. "

Lane 7 - Go Swim reviews "FINIS Swimsense® Stroke Monitor.  The Swimsense® (Powered by SportSense®) is a groundbreaking training tool, which captures critical performance data. The monitor straps onto the wrist like a watch and uses accelerometers, magnetometers and patent-pending proprietary algorithms to identify your swim. Analyze your performance on the device with interval times, pace times, distance (meters/yards/laps), stroke count, stroke rate, distance-per-stroke and calories burned across all four major strokes. Performance data can then be uploaded to the free FINIS? Swimsense? Training Log at Swimsense.com for additional analysis and historical review. The Swimsense? Performance Monitor provides a revolutionary degree of information, which is key to tracking and improving your swim performance." via youtube

Lane 8 - RTE posts "National Championships get underway.  The Irish National Swimming Championships, which double up as Olympics trials, got under way today at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) in Dublin, where the likes of Melanie Nocher and Sycericka McMahon are attempting to dip below the required A standard in their respective events."

PAC12 - Petros Papadakis vs. Ous Mellouli - 50m Sprint

British Gas Swimming - 60 Seconds with Lizzie Simmonds

Tuesday's Swim Report - Linsanity! But Can He Swim?

Lane 1 - CBS21 posts (w/video)  "What does swimmer Jeremy Linn think of Jeremy Lin?  Before the Lin-vasion of Lin-sanity and the infusion of Lin-fusion, there was another Jeremy Lin.  "I'm the original Jeremy Lin(n)," said Jeremy Linn into a CBS 21 News camera.  Yeah, he is.  It's been almost 16 years since Jeremy Linn the swimmer was Lin-demand.  Linn won gold and silver medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; and now at 37, is still in great shape. He also can't help but notice that everyone everywhere is saying his name."

Lane 2 - Cleveland.com posts "Sink or swim: Masters Swimming drives participants to new heights.  No one in his right mind would call me a master swimmer. To merit that label, I'd have to improve my strength, speed and endurance by vast degrees.  But "Masters" swimmer might soon be an apt descriptor, if I follow up the exhilarating experience I had last week with continued participation in the national organization by that name…"

Lane 3 - London Evening Standard posts "Olympic milestones: Eric the Eel's 100m freestyle swim.  This is fantastic. In some ways, it epitomises the Olympic ideal. An unknown "swimmer" arrived in Sydney from Equatorial Guinea, his proud country's single representative in the 100m freestyle, and basically, he couldn't swim.  Eric Moussambani, it turned out, had been practising in a hotel swimming pool back in Africa and had never been in an Olympic-sized pool in his life. He must have seen the water stretching into the distance in Sydney's famous Aquatics Centre - the very place where Ian "Thorpedo" Thorpe had been hailed as a human shark in his full-length racing suit - and wondered what on earth he was doing there."

Lane 4 - Play The Game posts "The year of the protester: Will swimmers join in?
Comment: Will 2012 be our year, asks the Olympic swimmer and human rights attorney Nikki Dryden on behalf of the stakeholders in swimming who are calling for more transparency, accountability and democracy in the top of the international swimming federation (FINA)."

Lane 5 - Adelaide Now posts "London countdown - 150 days to go.  MAGNUSSEN SAYS BYE, BYE TO BOOZE.  HE says it's going to be one of the hardest things he's ever done, but world champion James Magnussen has sworn off the drink ahead of next month's Olympic swimming trials.  At just 20 years of age, and while his mates are probably out drinking, Magnuessen has dedicated himself to keeping his body clean before the March 15 trails in Adelaide.  If he does make it, there's going to be a big after party."

Lane 6 - EyeWitnessNews posts "Swim SA gets royal lifeline.  The Princess of Monaco Charlene Wittstock has come to the aid of Swimming South Africa (Swim SA).  Eyewitness News Sport understands she has offered to host the South African Olympic Swimming team for free, ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.  Swim SA is in major financial strife following the exit of a major sponsor and problems with Lotto funding."

Lane 7 - SportsPro posts "Energy firm backs Swimming Australia.  EnergyAustralia, a subsidiary of TRUenergy, has become the new principal sponsor of Swimming Australia and the Australian Swim Team for the next five years.  The partnership sees the energy firm take the naming rights to the EnergyAustralia Swim Team, the 2012 EnergyAustralia Swimming Championships and the EnergyAustralia Go Swim development program."

Lane 8 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune posts "Fired gay water-polo coach filing discrimination suit against Charter Oak Unified.  A discrimination lawsuit is being filed today against the Charter Oak Unified School District, said the attorney of a former water-polo coach who claims he was fired for being gay.  Mitch Stein, who worked as an assistant water-polo coach at Charter Oak High last summer, was fired in August after the school received an anonymous letter containing two photos of him taken from the Internet.  Stein said one photo showed him posing with two drag queens; the other showed him holding a corn dog near his mouth.  According to the complaint, the letter's author called Stein "unfit to coach" and threatened to go to the school board if he was not fired immediately.  Stein said Principal Kathleen Wiard complied and fired him on the spot, despite Stein's promises to have the online photos taken down."

But I Have Some Great Friends That Are Swim Team Owners...

 Ouchie!  I went into workout with a bit of a closed mind this morning and of course thinking negative before hand is not a good thing to do before workout.  After a weekend of training on a spinning bike I figured I might have some leg fatigue.  The odd thing was that I didn't.  I actually

had a strong kick during a short kick portion of warm up.  But my right hand lower back / front above the hip was giving me a bit of discomfort.  Not direct pain but a bit of "oh yeah, i can fell it" type of discomfort.  Maybe I shouldn't have used fins and eased way back into using hips and legs in swimming.  Maybe it was all in my head.  Either way I got out shortly after warm up. 

Warm Up:

1x500 Mixed (200 swim / 100 pull w/o paddles / 200 pull w/ paddles)

I already was feeling some discomfort when I was reaching on my left side and breathing to my right.  Now the coach mentioned that it looked like I was sinking my left hand to deep and letting it just slide down instead of catching.  So maybe just maybe this was my problem.  Or not?

4x100's on 2:00 25 Drill / 50 Kick / 25 Swim - all with fins.  A few of those last laps swimming with fins I may have tried to kick too much too fast too soon.  With my left hand just slipping and me kicking I may have placed too much torque on my right side lower back / front which was my discomfort.  I'm blaming everything stupid I did on the discomfort and not the cycling/spinning. (400/900)

8x50's on 50 Pace. (400/1300)

Meh...then it was time to call it off.  That was only the very beginning of the main set.  It was to be 8x50's/400, 6x50's/300, 4x50's/200 and 2x50's/100 always working the distance part descending the distance while finding the pace in the 50's for the distance part.  Great workout if I wasn't being so wimpish.  I could have done it and maybe should have done it.  But I got lot's of classroom time to practice my class to do so I didn't want to kill myself.  Not yet!

So a sorta quick and easy 1,300 yards.  I'm way off my goal of swimming 50 miles before the end of this month for 2012.  Oh well.  I'll do my monthly swim summary tomorrow.  Gotta work very early so no swimming in the morning.  I may, may try to swim in the afternoon tomorrow before sunset but that is a maybe.  I keep worring about how much swimming I'll be doing as I start to teach classees and all the other stuff I want to do in my mind.  Now that my body is going to be my money maker how can I fit swimming in between it all?  I know I will, people do it and I have access to plenty of pools around here.  Gotta just not thing about tomorrow and just try to swim when I can and where I can till then.

Headline and graphic inspired by the great Jon Stewart via Gawker

Sesame Street: Swim Like Sea Lions

Ryan Lochte Gatorade Ad

Check out the final version of the ad Ryan Lochte Gatorade Ad which will premiere tonight during CW, MTV and NBC Sports programming.

"Ryan Lochte was a world-class swimmer. But he wasn't serious about what he ate while training and competing. Florida Gators and US Olympic Head swim coach, Gregg Troy gives his first hand account of Lochte's dramatic change. We see the combination of training and Ryan's commitment to what he put in his body, Gatorade and proper nutrition. And we see the result--the fateful race where Lochte breaks the first world record since the high-tech suit ban and becomes the fastest swimmer in the world."- via youtube

Monday's Swim Report - Here Come The Brits & Some Others

 

Lane 1 - London Evening Standard posts "Here come Team GB's swimmers.  Competition for a place in the Team GB men's swimming squad is intense. Matt Majendie introduces the main contenders…"

 

Lane 2 - The Guardian posts "British women swimmers making fast profit from Smart Track training.  Ellen Gandy, Fran Halsall, Lizzie Simmonds, Jessica Dickons and Jemma Lowe carrying main British hopes for London 2012.  he countdown to London 2012 begins in earnest for Britain's swimmers next Saturday, with the start of the national selection trials at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London. It is indicative of the sport's rude health that the performance director, Michael Scott, expects this group to be the most competitive in British history. The team claimed six medals at last year's world championships in Shanghai – matching the target they have been set for the Games."

Lane 3 - BG Swimming posts "Rebecca Adlington - The Journey" via youtube.

Lane 4 - BG Swimming posts "60 seconds with James Goddard " via youtube.

Lane 5 - The Guardian posts "Ellen Gandy: A new and improved Speedo swimsuit? Not for me, thanks.  Next week's Olympic trials will be dogged by a familiar controversy – but not everyone is getting involved…nd I did it all in my old Speedo suit. All the talk on the circuit right now is about the new Speedo suits, which launched last December. Speedo say it is their fastest ever. People were trying them out in NSW and will be again at the trials. I've decided I'm not going to wear one in the trials…"

Lane 6 - Reezy Daily posts "Olympian Ryan Lochte talks Daytona" via youtube.

Lane 7 - NINE MSN posts "Magnussen bans booze before swim trials.  Magnussen, 20, is hot favourite for the 100m freestyle in London and is expected to have no problems qualifying for the Australian team in the Adelaide meet, starting March 15.  But the 20-year-old is leaving no stone unturned on his path towards Olympic glory, revealing he has yet to touch a drop of alcohol in 2012.  "I've been off the drink since New Year's and I won't be drinking again before the Olympic trials, which is tough for someone my age," Magnussen told AAP."

Lane 8 - CBS Miami posts (w/video) "Shark Attack Survivor’s Harrowing Tale.  If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you were attacked by a shark, you’re probably not alone.  “It’s the kind of thing where you start thinking about it, and you start getting cold shivers down your spine, and you kind of shake your head and you don’t want to think about it anymore,” said Anthony Segrich, a shark attack survivor."

Bonus:  In case you needed to see the Brit's Bigger...

Six pack: (left to right) Roberto Pavoni, Ross Davenport, Liam Tancock, Simon Burnett, Michael Jamieson, James Goddard