Thirteen: Unlucky or Lucky

Last night was one of those nights that I woke up several times, tossed and turned and got another hour or so sleep before it was time to repeat the process.  I even woke up 20 minutes before my alarm was to go off at 5am.  I got all my swim stuff together and got on the bike.  Bicycling at 5:30am is perfection.  It is still dark outside but the winter cold hasn't set in yet.  I illegally ride listening to music on my iPhone to get myself pumped up for the swim.

I figure it takes about 20 minutes to bike to the pool in the morning since I don't have to deal with much traffic and I may or may not follow all the traffic rules.  I stake out a lane and start to warm up.  I warmed up a 600 free swim followed by 200 Pull with paddles, 100 pull without paddles and then a 100 swim.  At some point during the 1000 LCM warm up one of my team mate joins me.  Today it would be just the two of us as the others bailed out on us this week.  We then move on to 6x50 drill / swim taking 10 seconds rest.  Our final warm up set was 4x50's build taking 10 seconds rest.  At this point I have 1500 LCM under my belt so I move onto the beef of the workout.

After talking to my lane mate plus factoring in various emails and chats I've had over the last week about swimming we decided to dust off an oldie but goodie, the 10x100's!  If you look to the side under categories you'll see a whole section on Ten 100's Breakthrough Set.  Once apon a time our team had a set on the first Monday of every month we'd do 10x100's.  The point was to go all out on all ten.  Over time you'd hopefully be improving your times from training.  At first I thought the 10x100's were the best thing this butter on toast.  It was a fun way to see how I was doing without having to compete.  Over time it became a chore.  Swimming on a Monday at 6am is hard enough never mind swimming all out.  Last Spring before Nationals and IGLA the workout was retired.  I'm sure at some point someone will suggest that we do that set again but for now this morning was my 10x100's Set:

10x100's LCM on 2:30
1. 1:15
2. 1:14
3. 1:13
4. 1:13
5. 1:13
6. 1:12
7. 1:13
8. 1:13
9. 1:13
10. 1:13

As you can see I was averaging a 1:13.  Not bad for a LCM 100 free.  I've never swam this set in a LCM pool so let's just say it was a good swim.  I think if I had someone next to me racing and pushing me I could have done a bit faster.  It's so hard to just go all balls out when swimming alone with no one to psych you up.  I felt pretty good to the 8th one and then after that it was a struggle.  Considering I held a pretty good pace I'm happy.  1:13 was my fastest 100 time in my 1500 a few months ago LINK so that is the pace I need to be doing in a set like this.

We then did a 100 recovery.  We then did 6x50's one kick / one swim IM order no freestyle.  Finishing up with a 50 fly as my lane mate wanted to try to do it.  Then another 50 warm down.  I was tired so I got out.  Then I biked the scenic route home trying to avoid traffic.  Which meant going up one very steap hill in Beverlywood which I gave up and walked the bike up it.  It's actually a nice scenic route as I'm riding towards the hills with Century City view to my left and peeping out on my right was downtown in clear view.  But before that I was scrambling fast to get to the left turn lane in Culver when my bike light bounced off my bike.  I pulled aside and was waiting for traffic to stop to pick it up as it layed in the street.  Cars and trucks went by without hitting it and then when I see the last car coming, which might have been the 13th car, I was in the street walking towards it when it was run over and smashed into many itsy bitsy pieces.  Mind you the light has been on the fritz so it was time to get a new one.  I've been driving in the dark without it working for over a week.  I've just been too cheap to buy a new one.  Now I really don't have a choice. 

Comments

Overdone ...