the17thman

Group Swimming By Myself

One day off and the wheels fell off.  That is how I felt this morning after taking yesterday off from swimming.  Not that it was a choice as I had a meeting at 7:30am.  I wasn't a slacker yesterday I just didn't swim.  I actually went to the 5:45am Spinning (Group Ride) Class then some lunges on the smith machine after.  Then I took a nap and headed back to the gym.  Now I sorta have started to run a bit again.  Now I got new sneakers but still just breaking them in.  I ran .88 miles on Wednesday with them but got blisters.  So I was back to my older sneakers yesterday when I ran on the treadmill for a bit while watching my soap.  I'm going to try to warm up on the treadmill for 10 minutes so at least I'm getting some running in.  Plus I keep promising myself to get up a bit earlier and go running before swimming.  On my second trip to the gym I did run as you can see 3.28 miles.  I then did 10x10's on box jumps on 60.  Then did 10 rounds of wall chairs or whatever they are called.  And that was it.  So leg day.  I have a swim meet next weekend so going to do a slight taper next week. 

As for today's sluggish swim...

Mixed 500 warm up then 4x50's kick with fins.  Ouchie!  Did I mention I have blisters from my new sneakers?  Also while running yesterday I realized I need to trim my toe nails.  Felt that this morning while kicking.  (700)

Main Set:

4x200's Free Descending on 3 minutes.  Easy interval.  I did a 2:34, 2:27, 2:24 and a 2:15 I think.  Doh, can't remember.  I think it was a 2:15.  I so can't really remember all the intervals.  Damn me! (800/1500)

Short Rest

6x100's on 1:40.  Fist/Catchup/Pace/Sprint by 25.  (600/2100)

Short Rest

6x50's on 60 Pulling W/ Paddles going fast.  (300/2400)

Felt okay during that set.  Struggled at first.  I was alone doing the set which sometimes hurts me.  Not physically but more mentally since I dont' have someone to push me.  My mind starts to wander to other places.  Which isn't good.  Now the 100's were to be swum w/fins but after my 1st one I took them off.  Later I just warmed down a 150 so 2,550 yard swim.

I'll be back at the gym for the last day of the release of Group Power before it changes on Monday.  I may also practice with one of the Group X instructors the new release of Group Active.  Got to remember to text her and see if she still wants to do it.  Tomorrow I'll swim a short workout and the same for Sunday.  Working this weekend so going to squeeze it in before work.  I also want to take a Group Ride Class tomorrow before work so it'll be a touch squeeze.

Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY! Monster Truck, ahh, Swim Day!

Well not that much of a monster.  But I woke up and headed to the pool before the other folks came.  This time the coach gave me a workout to do...

1x300 loosen (300)

2(100 pull, 50 kick, 100 swim) (500/800)

Main Set:

1x400 free on 5:40 4x100 IM on 2:00

1x300 free on 4:20 3x100 IM on 1:50

1x200 free on 3:00 2x100 IM on 1:40

1x100 free on 1:40 1x100 IM on nothing

There are 10 100 IMs altogether.  Descend them 1>10.  The freestyle swims should be pace.

The free pacing was pretty much easy and kept on the pace for all the freestyles.  The IM descending were not so much descending as they were pace.  I just couldn't get into gear.  I just kept plopping along.  So that was 2,800 yards.

I took an easy 100. (100/2900)

Then did 12x50's Kick.  I did 3 free on 1:15, chatted with some folks, 3 free on 1:15 took a pee break, 3x50's fly/back/breast, chatted some more, 3x50's free.  (600/3500)

Then did a 150 pull.  (150/3650)

So then I'm all caught up with the swimmers. 

8x50's on 1:40 4 kick & 4 kick/drill (400/4050)

Since everyone was tappering but me it was an easy workout.

A 300.  First 200 we swam on a pace.  The coach picks one person and we are to stay on pace with that person for the 200.  The last 100 is whatever.  Two of us raced.  I was getting tired from the workout but held my own. (300/4350)

4x25's Sprint (100/4450)

4x50's Spint on 60.  We were to be sprinting them holding what would be our 200 pace.  I had a swim mate to race against.  Damn, those sprinters. (200/4650)

and that basically was it.  I warmed down a 100 (100/4750)  Everyone stayed for some turns and stroke work.  But I was beat and got out. 

 

 

 

Rearview Mirror: Swimming in 2009

These year end numbers are not exact as I may not have logged every workout into my ongoing log totals.  But from what I have logged I have swam a total of 533,344 yards for 2009.  That is using a total of yards and meters and then having the log on the USMS website figure it all out for the Go The Distance login. 

The year itself was an okay year for swimming.  Swam at the USMS SCY Championships and had an okay swim meet.  Had a few personal best times.  Had some okay times.  But I swam and didn't get DQ'ed which is half the battle.  For SCY Season I ranked 10th in the 1650 for Men 35-39 in USMS Swimming.  Not too shabby.

Then I sat out LCM season with no swim meets.  Not that I swam many meets in 2009 in any pool length.  I swam at 4 SCY and 2 SCM meets.  That is more then enough.

When SCM season rolled around I gotta admit my swim meet swimming started off pretty bad and kept on getting worse.  I swam a meet at UCLA and in my 100 back and 100 fly did some of my slowest swims ever.  I alsn my 1500 i did my 2nd fastest time but it was so far behind my best time that I wasn't happy.  My 400 free, 200 fly and 200 back were also not very fast times for me.  On the last day of the meet I finally got into my grove and did a personal best in the 800 free.  Guess 2009 was the year of the 800 free for me. It'll be a few months before any Top 10 times are released but looking up my rankings I have a few but those can and may change as meets are still being loaded into the USMS database. 

Overall it was a good year.  As for 2010 and my goals you can read that post LINK that I typed up on my flight to Florida last week. 

Lap Swim Workout It Is

I overslept this morning so I skipped the morning swim workouts.  Basically I woke up, felt beat up from the gym and swimming yesterday and just went back to sleep.  Since I have plans in a bit I decided I swim a lap swim workout instead of the 7pm workout.

Warmed Up
400 Swim
300 Pull
300 Kick (1000)

Then during the workout I had to share the lane at various times with people so I just swam a bit in between the other swimmers.

I did a 200 Pull fast in about a 2:20 then a 100 Pull fast in about a 1:05  I did a few easy 50's in between. (1300)

I then did 5x100's free kick on 1:50 and 5x100's free kick on 1:45.  Normally I hate kicking but I was kicking as fast as my lane mate was swimming so it made sense.  Plus I need to work on my kicking. (2300)

I think I then did a 150 pull / drill work. (2450)

300 Sprint Pull.   I was cranking pretty good.  I forgot what I did but I did it under 3:30 I think.  Ahh...i can't remember but I know I was doing under 1:10's when I look up to get my splits. (2750)

Then did a 100 the same way before doing 5x50's pull burnouts.  In that I sprint for a 25 and come easy back on 45 seconds.  By the 5th one the sprinting part is getting harder. (3100)

Then I warmed down a 100. Hmm...I think I left out a 200 IM.  So My workout was about 3400 yards.  Not bad on my own.  I really worked my kicking since normally I slack off during kick sets.  The last 5 of them on 1:45 I was coming in on 1:30.  I was huffing and puffing but I kept going.  Someday I'll be able to kick without feeling like crap.

MTD Yardage: 53,300
MTD LCM:  3,700

YTD Yardage: 232,700
YTD LCM 2,000

Oscar The Grouch, Grouchy Smurf and Joel In The Morning

I've never been a morning person until I started working out a few years ago.  Pretty much had no choice as I worked long hours I had to workout at 6am or I couldn't really workout at all.  Over time I got used to waking up at 5am and slowly getting myself together and to either swim practice or the gym.  But some mornings I wake up in a haze and my grouchiness returns.  This morning was one of those days.  First i did hit the snooze at least twice before finally dragging my ass out of bed.  I got to swim practice and slowly got in the water.  And when I did get in the water I pretty much just stood in my lane for a bit.  It was Friday so like on Monday I get the wall lane.  I didn't have the energy to even start complaining.  Well at least not to after I swam a 200.  At about the 200 mark of my workout a third person entered my lane while the other fast lane had only 2 people.  So I moved over to the fast lane which then I had to explain that it made no sense that the wall lane has 3 people and this lane only has 2.  The coach commented that she'd change that after warm up.  Which to me doesn't make sense so I swam a 100 in the non wall lane before moving over.  The grouchiness continues on after that.

Warm Up Set:
6x75's on 1:20 (i think 6 or was it 8?)  3 Free / 3 Stroke (450/650)
100 Kick (well it was a 200 but I took a pee break) (100/750)
6x50's kick as follows 1 free / 1 butterfly on back / 1 choice and repeat (300/1050)
8x25's 4 Free on 20 and 4 Stroke on 25.  The interpretation of what was written on the board caused a bit of confusion in the lane.  I interpreted them as doing 4 on 20 then 4 on 25.  The leader of the lane interpreted 1 on 20 / 1 on 25 then repeat.   (200/1250)

I might have missed something of the warmup but that was the gist of it.  After warmup I lead the lane for the rest of the workout.

Main Set:
1x100 Free on 1:10 (100/1350)
4x50's Stroke on 50 (i did backstroke) (200/1550)
2x100's Free on 1:15 (200/1750)
3x50's Stroke on 50 (i did backstroke once again) (150/1900)
3x100's Free on 1:10 (300/2200)
2x50's Stroke on 50 (i did backstroke, see a pattern) (100/2300)
4x100's Free on 1:15 (400/2700)
1x50 Stroke (another backstroke) (50/2750)

At 6am the fast lane make up changes depending on who shows up.  Today the coach kept me on a faster interval while telling my lane mate that she understood that he might not make the free.  Which to me made me a bit pissed off as he took a 100 off and later a 50 off.  And during his 50's was doing more one arm fly with some free than fly.  I think I would have liked an extra 5 seconds rest on the 100's and then I also would have done fly but actually do the full 50 fly.  Now I know I shouldn't care what the other person in my lane is doing and do my own thing.  But it does irk me off when someone takes a 100 off to catch up.  Luckily at least this person kept ten seconds behind me even when he took a 50 off the 100.  So I didn't get really pissed off.  Just a bit mad.  But whatever.  I need to focus more on myself and just things like this slide off me.  As my favorite spin teacher says "you paid for this class, put what you have into it or you wasted your money."  I pay to swim so I should just be thinking of me and who cares about someone loafing in my lane.  Another thing about the set was that I got about the same amount of rest in the 100's on both the 1:10 and 1:15 intervals.  Mind of matter and matter won.

Then we did some 50's breath control.  10 as follows (500/3250)
1 on 45 breathing every 5
1 on 40 any just make the interval
1 on 45 b/5
2 on 40
1 on 45 b/5
3 on 40
1 b/5

8x25's on 30.  1st reverse build / 2 build / 3 easy free / 4 sprint.  I did these butterfly.  (200/3450)

Then I warmed down a 200.  Since the 7:15 workout was slowly getting in the pool I was able to work on the kick/swim drill 1-2-3 Swim that I posted LINK yesterday.  I gotta admit it sorta worked.  I'm going to work that into my warm  up and warm downs and see how it goes.  Yesterday I hit the gym in the morning for my circuit weight routine and then last night went to the spin class.  I like the Thursday night instructor so I'm trying to make a go of the class every week.  I'm going to try a few other classes to see if I like the instructor.  I just know to skip Sat/Sun morning as that instructor is clueless. 

Total Yardage Today 3650

MTD Yardage: 49,900
MTD LCM:  3,700

YTD Yardage: 229,700
YTD LCM 25,000

Oh one last thing.  I'm adding this later on so hopefully not too many of you have read this yet.  I'm compiling a list of swimmers, swimming websites / news or just in general swimming Tweeters for a future post.  So feel free to email me at joelmckenna at yahoo.com or comment below with the Twitter info.  Thanks.