the17thman

Friday Morning

I wanted to sleep in.  I even hit the snooze button as my iPhone tried to wake me up.  Even as I was walking the bike out the front door at 5:42 I was thinking how nice it would be to sleep in.  Hell even during most of the warm up once I started to swim I was thinking I can head home and skip swimming.  I've left workouts before I can do it again. 

I stuck it out.  It wasn't pretty but I finished the workout.  Actually once I got past the warm up everything was okay.  As for the warm up I did about a 150 before we started the warm up set.  Some of which I had to take a pee break.  The warm up set was three times 75 Drill 1:10 / 4x50's Kick on 55 / 100 Swim / 25 Build.  First round freestyle, second round stroke choice and third round IM.  Before I head to swim I take my FRS energy drink with a big tumbler of water so I usually need to pee during the warm up set.  Plus I figure I'll get it out of the way so I can do the main set without stopping. 

Freestyle Main Set:
4x100's on 1:15
200 on 2:40
4x75's on 55 I think
2x200's on 2:40

The 200's were to be descended.  So the last 200 was to be 85-90%.  I really felt strong during most of the set.  Actually was doing pretty good timing.  The last 200 took all my energy. 

50 easy

Stroke or IM Set:
4x75s on 1:05 (i did them backstroke)
1x100 on 1:30 (i did it butterfly)
4x50's on 45.  (i did one fly, 2x back and one freestyle)
2x100's on 130 (i did them butterfly)

Like the 200s the 100's were to be descended.  I haven't been swimming that much butterfly recently so I was a bit rusty.  Between running last night and just my general feeling of being tired doing 3x100's butterfly was a bit much.  I don't even know if my stroke is looking good or not for the fly it was just a matter of finishing today. 

Don't know when I'll swim next my best guess is Tuesday.  I could try a lap swim first thing Saturday morning but who knows.  I may just take a few days off from swimming.  I won't swim Sunday afternoon as I'll have the Nike Human Race that evening.  So this might have been the last swim for August.  So three months to Short Course Meters Regionals.  Let the countdown begin. 

Middle Distance Freestyle

After yesterdays long course meters freestyle workout concentrating on my kick it was back to short course yards this morning.  I got to admit it is a lot easier to work on one's stroke in a long course pool.  I did try to make sure I was kicking with my swim but to be honest when the intervals got tougher I went into my old style of swimming.  Which is all about the pulling.

Warmed up around a 350 on my own in between my chatting.  Then we did a warm up set of 50 Drill / 75 Swim four times with fist drill, catch up drill, finger tip drag drill and fist drill to finish it up.

Then we did a 400 Pull.  The first 200 breathe control by 50 every 3/5/any/7 and the last 200 just distance per stroke.

6x150's Freestyle on 2:00

Another 400 Pull.  This time the first 200 counting your strokes. So first 25 count and then second 25 minus one stroke.  Third 25 count stroke and then fourth minus two strokes.  Fifth 25 count strokes and then sixth minus three strokes.  Seventh 25 count strokes and then eighth minus two strokes.  The second 200 was just distance per stroke.

3x300's on 3:55 descend

4x25's on 30

warmdwon  

The 150's I tried to put in as much kicking in my stroke.  But I was getting tired.  It takes so much energy to add in that kick.  I just feel so much slower.  For the 300's it was all about keeping a pace.  The third one was pretty fast.  For all three I was doing sub 1:10's on the splits.  My legs were killing me and I thought I was going to cramp up.  Pushing off the wall during the last 300 I was beginning to feel the cramps coming.  By the time we did the 4x25's I was so tired.  I just used them as part of my warm down.  

Kicking, Why Must I Kick When Swimming?

Over the weekend I came up with a workout for today which you can read LINK but when I got up and biked to the Culver City Pool my mind had changed a bit.  First of all only one other team mate was joining me this morning.  Second that person was my coach from yesterday and she was talking about my kicking when I swim.  Usually when I swim my feet are two little anchors that just drift back and forth behind me.  I don't kick.  My little size nine feet do more of a scissor like movement at best and not the fast small kick that is needed.  So I decided to work on my kick when swimming freestyle today.  Without having our typical intervals I was able to think about my kick.  I warmed up a 200 before starting a series of 100's.  4x100's broken 50 drill / 50 swim.  I then did a few more 100's I think 4 this time pulling thinking distance per stroke.  Then it was kick time.

4x50's Freestyle Swim on a minute.
take an extra 15 seconds
4x100's Freestyle Swim on 1:45. 

These intervals were easy as I was really working at adding the kick.

4x50's Freestyle Swim on 50
i rested a bit
4x100's Freestyle Swim on 1:45

then i chatted a bit with the coach about my kick.  she was counting my stroke cycle which was less than normal with my kick added in.

400.  I kept each 100 on a 1:29 pace.  Once again all I though about was kicking and kicking.  I don't think my legs moved so much in one workout.

4x50's Kick no board on 1:30.

100 warmdown

I just gotta keep on thinking about the kick.  I know I've mentioned it before but when the a coach mentions doing freestyle with a 6 beat kick I had to ask what that meant.  That was only a few months ago.  I don't know if I was doing a 4 or a 6 beat kick I just worked on just putting that kick in.   Counting would have over taxed my mind.

I didn't do a whole lot of meters/yardage but it was a quality swim. 

Back In The Water. Monday Morning Swim.

What can I say about the weekend besides me just being lazy.  I planned on just taking Saturday as a recovery day but ended up taking the whole weekend off from working out.  No swim, no gym and no run.  I should have ran last night but instead I sat on the couch and watched movies.  Of course that meant that this morning I'd be a bit sluggish trying to dust off those cobwebs and get moving.

Luckily for me it's Monday and the workout wasn't as demanding as it could have been.  Warmed up a 400 before our warm up set. 

2x400's.  The first one pulling.  The second one swimming.  I did these on 5:15.  I was by myself in the fast lane and the coach gave me a interval of 4:45.  That was a bit pushing it.  So I added 30 seconds and got 15 seconds rest.  I would of had to fly to make a 4:45 interval for 400 yards.

Main Set:
Why can't I remember it.  Hmm...I just remember that we were working on our freestyle kick while swimming.  I actually was kicking while swimming.  Which for me is really hard.  I hate kicking.  When I swim freestyle my feat just drag behind me as my upper body does all the work.  I know I did 50's on 45 and I did  4x200's on 2:45 freestyle rotating a 50 Kick from front to back the rest swim.  If I remember I'll post an update later.

Stroke Warm Up:
2x100 Kick / 50 Drill / 40 Swim.

Stroke Set:
100 on 1:45 fly
2x50's on 60 fly
4x25's on 30 fly
1x100 FAST Freestyle working on kicking on 2:00
100 on 1:45 back
2x50's on 60 back
2x25's on 30 back
1x100 FAST Freestyle working on kicking on 2:00

I took a slower interval for the stroke work to swim with another lane.  I just don't like to swim alone.  I may go running later or I may wait to tomorrow.  Once again tomorrow is Tuesday so I'm heading to Culver for the lap swim to get in some long course meters in.  Hopefully waking up tomorrow will be easier than this morning. 

Friday Morning Swim Practice

Not much to say about this mornings swim.  I biked to swim and arrived about 5:55am.  It's getting so dark in the morning.  Soon it will cold and dark.  Not a fun way to start the day.  Warmed up about a 350 before moving on to the warm up set.

Warm Up Set:
Twice (first round freestyle / second round stroke)
2x75's 50 kick / 25 swim
100 Drill
50 Swim

Main Set:
4x150's Free on 1:55
1x100 IM or Stroke on 1:30
3x150's Free on 1:55/1:50/1:55
2x75's Stroke on 1:10
2x150's Free on 1:50
3x50's Stroke on 55
1x150 Free FAST

50 easy

300 Pull on 4:00
100 Pull Breathing every 3 on 1:20
75 Pull Breathing every 5 on 1:10
50 Pull Breathing every 7
25 Pull Breathing every 9

Then I did a 100 warmdown