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. 

November's Swimming Rear View Mirror

Ahh another month has come to a close.  Most of the month of November has been a challenge for me in the pool.  Mostly I've been "not feeling it" during most workouts.  Slowly getting a bit frustrated workout after workout.  At one point I pretty much had written off competitive swimming.  With the fancy tech suits going away and just not feeling any speed I pretty much told myself that I'd hang up my competitive swimming come the new year.  Hey if I'm never going to do those times again why bother?  I still feel that way but the last week of this month I got my swimming mojo back.  Hopefully I will ride this crest into regionals this weekend.  After this my blueseventy nero comp suit will become a very expensive dust rag. 

In the pool I swam a total of 35,475 yards and 3,500 LCM.  Figure I averaged 2350 yards per workout for the month give or take a few yards.  I only did one LCM workout for the month.  Bad, bad me!  I did less yardage and meters in November then I did in October but that is okay. 

Next up is December and I'll be away for one week around the Holidays so I will not be swimming at all.  Okay, maybe once but more on that adventure later.  I'm guessing I'll be lucky to break 30,000 yards in December but that is okay.  After this weekends swim meet I'll be able to coast for the rest of the month.

Just Another Monday Workout

The one thing about these cold mornings is that I am getting in the water and swimming right on time.  Not as much swim a 50 chit chat and swim another 50.  Our coach gave us an assigned warm up.  Even swimming with only one short chit chat I didn't finish the whole warm up set.  Then again no one did.

600 mixed (I try to do some pulling in every warm up since I never feel that we pull enough.  Mixed it up with some free with and without paddles then finishing up with a 100 IM pull)

50 kick (it was to be a 200 reverse IM kick but I only a 50 in before it was time to regroup and swim along) (50/650)

200 IM Drill (200/850)

400 Free - 50 Drill / 50 Swim (400/1250)

300 Pull - 100 DPS / 200 breathing 3/5/any/7 (300/1550)

3x300's on 4:15
 1st build
 2nd descend by 100
 3rd 100 technique / 200 race strategy (900/2450)

The last one I came in a 3:30.  I forgot what I did for the other two.  We had our choice between an interval of 4:10 or 4:15 and since I like my rest and I was with swimmers who wanted the 4:15 we did the 4:15.  It's only 5 seconds but rest is rest.

100 easy (100/2550)

4x125's rotating a fast 50 from the end to the beginning.  Don't remember interval but we sorta fudged it to get more rest.  (500/3050)

4x125's IM rotating and extra 25 stroke from beginning to end.  Once again my lane made our own little interval up. (500/3550)

25 to the deep end

3x25's off the blocks (+2x2's swimming back to the deep end to the blocks) (150/3700)

3700 Yards.  Not bad.  Actually for a Monday morning that was a bit of yardage.  I'm so use to lots of drill work on Monday mornings.  Will admit I was tired at the end.  My arms were slowly becoming jello.  This is my 4th day in a row and my body was crying for some rest.  After the 3x300's I sorta dogged it. 
 
And so another month in the pool comes to a close. With regionals a few days away I'll be skipping the gym and doing a mini-taper.  Nothing to drastic but pulling back a bit.  Running will also be put on hold till next week.  

Sunday Afternoon Swim

It was pretty packed swim for a Sunday afternoon.  Luckily it wasn't that hard of a swim.  Either that or I am swimming better then I have been.

Warm Up"

400 Swim

200 Kick (600)

Then we had a warm up set:

100 Easy Kick on 1:50

25 Fast Kick on 30

100 Easy kick on 1:50

50 Fast Kick (forgot interval)

100 Easy Kick on 1:50

75 Fast Kick

I had to make the whole set fast kick since I'm not that very strong of a kicker a 1;50 is a tight interval for me.  (450/1050)

Warm Up Set:

200 Pull breathing 3/5/3/7

Hmm...we did some drilling and swimming in between the pulling.  I know one round of 50's we did free and another stroke. 

200 Pull breathing 3/5/3/7 (400/1450)  Well plus what ever else we did.

Main Set:

2x50's on 50 Stroke Choice (I did butterfly) Descend (100)

2x100's on 1:25 (75 easy free / 25 fast stroke I did butterfly) (200/300)

3x50's on 50 Stroke Choice (I did backstroke) Descend (150/450)

3x100's on 1:25 (same as earlier but did backstroke) (300/750)

4x50's on 50 Stroke Choice (I did these butterfly) Descend (200/950)

4x100'a on 1:25 (same as above but did them backstroke) (400/1350/2800)

50 easy (2850)

Then I did two rounds of the following (the set called for 4 rounds):

25 free on 30

2x25's fly on 30

50 FAST Free on some interval I forget (300/3100)

So 3100 yards plus the part I can't remember.  My arms are a bit sore but I will survive.  On another note I haven't been running in a few days due to an injury.  I've been dealing with a sore ankle mystery pain for the last few days.  So I'm staying away from running with regionals only a week away.  I'm sorta disapointed that I'm not running as I was so close to having my most miles run in a month.  Oh well.  Next month!

Saturday LCM Swim

Today's workout was at Culver City so I decided to head on over.  We only had 3 lanes but luckily that kept people away.  In my lane we had 6 people which in a LCM isn't bad at all. 

Warm  Up

400 Swim

Hmm...then we did another set here.  Um...something Kick Reverse IM then something then something Drill IM.  Guess if I remember later I'll update

Warm Up:  no interval/no stopping

100 Kick

200 Pull DPS

400 (50 Drill / 50 Swim) Mixed up the drills

200 Pull (breathing every 3/5/any/7)

100 Kick (1000/1400)

10x150's Odds (free/stroke/free) on 2:30 and Evens (stroke/free/stroke) on 2:45  I mixed it up starting with more backstroke and slowly working in some freestyle.  (1500/2900)

The we did 12x50's.  2 Free on 55 / 2 Choice on 60.  The odds were sprint the 1st half and evens were spring the 2nd half.  I mixed up some backstroke and butterfly. (600/3500)

So we did 3500 LCM well a bit more but I don't remember the warm up set.  Overall the workout was good.  Felt good in the freestyle in the long course pool but that is usually the case.  My butterfly took a bit of getting use to but once I found my rhythem it was a piece of cake.  My very last 50 butterfly felt so good and easy.  I was tired and sore when I was done but it didn't kill me.  

This week I'm trying to balance out not a full taper but knowing that I have a meet in a few days but still need to get some quality swims in.  May swim another LCM workout tomorrow morning.  If only we swam at a LCM everyday.

Another Swim Practice

I was feeling in a negative mood before going to swim but that quickly changed.  Had a bunch of laid back fun mates in my lane so it made the workout fun to do. 

Warmed Up

400 Mixed

Then we started some kicking and drilling.  Four rounds of 50 kick / 50 drill / 50 swim.  I was still in my goof off warmup mode.  I did maybe 450 yards of this set. (450/850)

Then we did a 400 Pull.  (400/1250)

Up next we did 3x200.s on 2:55 descending.  A super easy interval so I pushed myself.  Pushed myself, now that is something I haven't done in some time in the pool.  I did them on 2:25, 2:23 and 2:18.  Which is pretty slow compared to past swims but I am okay with that.   (600/1850)

Three Rounds (1 Free on 1:25, 1 IM on 1:35 and 1 Choice on 1:35)

100 (last 50 fast)

100 (middle 50 fast)

100 (first 50 fast)

100 all fast

(1200/3050)  Then we did 3x50's off the vblocks doing relay starts.  It was fuckin' freezing on deck.  (150/3200)

At this point we were down from at least 6 per lane in the workout to only 6 swimmers.  We did 6x50's on 55.  I pulled them. (300/3500)

Then we did 4x40 yards of swimming fast into the wall and fast turns.  Then I warmed down a bit.  (150/3650)  Not bad of a swim.  After lifting today my arms are sore as hell but that is all good!

Monday Nite Swim Swim

Tonight's swim was pretty okay even with me not making some intervals and leaving after about an hour.

Warmed Up

400 Swim

250 Pull (650)

Then we started a kick and drill warm up set.

Four Rounds - 2x75's Kick on 1:20 2x25's Drill on 30 IM Order (I missed a 50 kick during the backstroke) I pretty much missed most of the kicking intervals.  Which lead me to skip a 50 of kicking.  The coach noticed and came over to me so I told him I wasn't make the intervals.  So he asked the other swimmers who said that the interval wasn't that hard and they could do it.  Whatever.  (750/1400)

Four Rounds - 2x50's Drill on 50 and 2x25's Swim on 30 IM Order(600/2000)

I think that was it.  Maybe not.  Meh..whatever.

Main Set:

I only did 2 Rounds -

100 free on 1:30

75 free / 25 stroke on 1:30

50 free / 50 stroke on 1:30

25 free / 75 stroke on 1:30

100 stroke on 1:30

Did 1st round backstroke and 2nd round fly (1000/3000)

And then just did a 50 easy and got out.  3050 yards for the nite.  I was dying the whole workout.  I'm getting slower and slower with each workout it seems.  So thinking it's time to move down to the medium lanes.

Friday Night Sprint

I went to workout tonight which was the first time swimming since Monday.  Felt like forever.  Between pool closures and my laziness last night and this morning I just haven't been swimming. 

Warmed Up a 350 which I pulled.  100 Free / 100 IM /100 Free w/ paddles then just a 50.

Warm Up Set:

200 Kick

100 Free Drill

100 Free Drill / 100 IM Drill

100 Kick(600/950)

Main Set:

5x50's on 45 (250)

100 free on 1:30 (100/350)

5x50's on 45 (250/600)

100 IM on ??? (100/700)

4x50's Free on 40 (200/900)

100 Free on 1:30 (100/1000)

3x50's Free on 35 (150/1150)

100 Easyv(100/1250)

Then I got out.  Yeah a bit early.  I had enough for the nite. 2200 Yards.  Not bad but not great.  A swim is a swim.  Oh and I bought a new suit LINK.  Ho Ho Ho!

Doh...Strike Two

Guess I really don't need to swim that bad.  After cycling to swim last night only to see the power out block by block on the way to the pool and then finding the pool in darkness I figured I'd try to swim this morning.  Power came back on last night at 9pm so the pool should be okay, right?  In the back of my mind I knew that something would go wrong as it always does at the pool after a power outage.   So for some reason knowing that it was a crap shoot this morning I cycled back to the pool for the 6am practice.  And of course with my luck the pool was closed.  Something about the water pump not working.  Doh!  So I just headed home and went back to bed.  I thought about hitting the gym and going swimming but really I don't need to swim that bad.  I'll just run tonight and do some EA Sports Active: More Workouts.  At least it'll be better then nothing. 

Monday Morning Getting Into The Swim Of Things

Another day and another swim.  I got to swim and figured I'd swim the freestyle workout as on every other Monday we get to swim either Free or Stroke workouts.  I jumped in the fast free lane which was the wall lane today.  But as warmup went on the lane eventually had 4 swimmers.  So I decided to move to the Fast Stroke lane which was in the middle of the pool.  So I did some Butterfly and Backstroke swimming today.

Warmed Up

450 Mixed

4x(75Kick/50Drill/75Swim) Reverse IM (800/1250)

Main Set:

4x25's on 30 (did them backstroke) (100)

rest 15 secs

2x200's Back 3 mins (400/500)

we were supose to only take 15 seconds rest but the last person was behind so we took 30 so he'd catch up

4x25's fly on 30 (100/600)

rest 15 seconds

3x100's on 1:45 fly (the interval was supose to be faster but I was leading fly and the last person was doing breast.  so we changed the interval) (300/900)

rest 15 seconds

4x25's back on 30 (100/1000)

rest 15 seconds

4x50's back on 55 (200/1200)

rest 15 seconds

4x25's on 30 fly (100/1300)

rest 15 seconds

8x25's fly on 30 (200/1500/2750)

then a 50 easy (50/2800)

3x50's on 55 (fly/back, back/breast, breast/free) (150/2950)

3x50's on 55 (fly) (150/3100)

Then we did 2x25's on 30 (50/3150) That was sorta a mistake.  My remaining lane mate took the last 3x50's off.  He thought the other lane was doing the same set as us.  So he asked the other lane how much was left and so he did 2x25's.  We really were supose to do 3x50's Free on 50.  We had time to finish those 50's after the 2x25's but whatever.  I was done for the day.  Warmed down a 50 for a totla of 3200 yards.