A Quick, Very Short Workout.

Since I have the swim meet this weekend I'm avoiding heavy weights and weights all together for the rest of the week.  So no gym time.  Now I did sleep in this morning so I tried to go swimming later.  It took some doing but I found a pool that was open for lap swimming.  Problem was that I only had 25 minutes to swim.  So a quick easy workout.

Warmed Up
200 Swim
200 Pull w/ Paddles
200 Kick

8x50's on 55 Pulling w/paddles  (400/1000)

4x50's on 45 Pulling w/paddles Breathing every 3 (200/1200)

4x50's on 45 Pulling w/o Paddles (200/1400)

4x50's on 45 Swimming (200/1600)

And that was it.  Oh well at least I got in the water.  Tomorrow I need to wake up and swim at 7am.

Active Taper Easily Morning Swim

Wish every swim was a taper swim!  No actually I don't!  But with my first Masters swim meet in months I better get my body ready.  I really do wish I had more opportunities to compete.  Just to get my body use to racing and my mind use to race strategy and just racing.

Today's Taper Swim
Mixed 500 (the usual of 200 swim/100 pull w/o paddles/200 pull w/paddles)

300 Kick (300/800)

Then 3x100's on 1:50 Swim/Kick/Pull/Build Swim.  On the first 100 I grabbed my pull buoy for the pulling and left in on the other end.  The 2nd two 100's I used the buoy as a kickboard then for pulling.   (300/1100)

8x50's on 55 Free descending in groups of 2 (400/1500)

200 FAST.  I was averaging 35's for my 50 splits so a 2:20.  Not fast but not bad.  (200/1700)

300 IM warmdown Pull/Kick/Swim (300/2000)

So a nice an easy 2,000 yard taper workout.   Now I'm trying to do a nice taper dry land routine at the gym.  Which is sorta interesting as I'm trying to complete all 17 of the classes the gym offers in 7 days.  Yesterday I took some of the easier classes such as Sit & Be Fit, Healthy Lifestyles, Yoga and Zumba.  Saturday I took Group Step (Step Aerobics) and Group Groove (Aerobic Dancing.)  With everything gym related and workout related you only get out of a workout what you put into it.  And I will admit I was a bit slacking at the gym.  But hey it's a taper!  OH yeah I even cycled to the pool and back this morning.

I am doing okay on my year goal for USMS Go The Distance.  Maybe the 42x100's I do for my 42nd Birthday will get me ahead just a bit.  That is if I do 42x100's and not 42x50's or 42x25's.  Good god I'm old!

5,000 Yard IM-Ish Sunday Morning Swim

Wahoo Sunday!  Super Sunday!  This morning I woke up at 6am slowly got out of bed and headed to the pool on my bicycle.  It's a very short trip so I don't know why I don't ride more often.  Now I printed up a workout the coach had sent to me last week that I never got to swim.  Here is it…

1x500 loosen

1x200 kick with fins

1x300 build with fins

6x50 on 1:00 no fins - descend - fast on the last 2

4x25 at a fast pace

2x100 sprint - loosen up between each one

Now I sorta did this workout.  I did it for the most part with a slight modification.

Warm Up
Mixed 500 (200 Swim / 100 Pull w/o Paddles / 200 Pull w/Paddles) (500)

200 Kick with Fins (200/700)
200 Swim with Fins (200/900)
6x50's on 1:00 (300/1200)
4x25's Free on about 30 (100/1300)
2x100's Free Sprint of 2 minutes (200/1500)

Now the same thing but backstroke
200 Kick with fins (200/1700)
200 Swim with fins (200/1900)
6x50's Swim on 1;00 (300/2200)
4x25's on about 30 (100/2300)
2x100's Sprint on 2 minutes (200/2500)

Now the same thing but butterfly
200 Kick with fins (200/2700)
200 Swim with fins (200/2900)
6x50's on 1:10 (300/3200)
4x25's on about 30 (100/3300)
2x100's Sprint on 2:30 (200/3500)

Did a bit of chatting as everyone was arriving to swim.  Rested a bit, ate some Gu Energy drank some Powerade Zero. 

8x50's 4 - Kick / 4 Drill/Swim (400/3900)

10x100's IM on 1:50 (1000/4900)

4x25's IM order warmdown (100/5000)

So a nice 5,000 yard Sunday IM Swim.  Which I really needed.  I hadn't swam since Wednesday!  I've been working out at the gym but with less then a week to a swim meet I haven't been swimming that much.  Ouch!  Hopefully this week will be enough to get my body ready.

Happy Birthday Month 2 Me!

A new month!  Happy Birthday Month To Me!  Guess that means I might have to swim 42 somthing's in a few weeks.  Hope it's just 42x25's!

Yesterday the pool was 78 and the air was 46 then today the pool was 82 and the air was 60.  Craziness!  I so would take the 78 any day of the week.  I hated the pool today!  I should be use to this 82 and hotter pool temps but I'm not.  I don't understand why they keep the pools soooooo hot!  Craziness.  Anywho…

Warm Up
500 Mixed.

4x100's 25 Catch-Up / 50 Kick / 25 Build on 1:40.  Well I did one on 1:40 and the rest on 1:50/  (400/900)

Main Set -
Part I:
3x300's on 4:30 Descending
1st 300 the 1st 100 was catchup
2nd 300 the 2nd 100 was catchup
3rd 300 the 3rd 100 was catchup

Now I know I descended them.  Good size drops in times also.  My first one I think was like a 4:10, then a 4:00 then a 3:50.  I think.  My memory is fuzzy.  Catchup just sinks me.  All drills do!  (900/1800)

Part II:
6x150's on 2:20. Descending. The middle 50 was catchup.

How do I forget my times in just a matter of minutes?  Grrr…  I did descend.  Small descends but finished up the last on on 1:47.  (900/2700)

Then I did an easy 100 for 2,800 yards and called it a day.  Group Power at noon today.

January Swimming Rearview Mirror

Here it is.  The last day of the month means time to look back at my swimming.  Since I'm using the USMS Go The Distance to log my workouts it means no more math for me.  I don't have to add up a month of swimming.  Yeah!

Looking at my swims I seem a bit eratic.  But I think that has to do with work and such.  That and recovery days.   I did swim 46,000 yards for the month.  That's pretty good.

Compared to 2011 Swims -

In December I swam 30,950 yards.

In November I swam 51,550

In October I swam 37,550

In September I swam 41,150

In August I swam 42,900 yards.

In July I swam 29,550 yards.

June I swam 42,000 yards

May I swam 47,950 yards.

April I swam 44,950 yards.

March I swam 62,125 yards.

February I swam 41,750 yards.

January I swam 42,300 yards.

So I was a bit above average compared to 2011 and up from January last year.  Of course we had more very cold mornings last year which kept me in bed.  Now I would normally do a Running Rearview Mirror but I only ran once this month.  Oh well.

78F+41Y/O=1WK+1Y/O Workout

Happy Last Day of the Month!  Can you believe it's only two weeks till my birthday?  Well it is, and what are you buying me?  Anywho…

It was back in the water for me today.  Although I did swim in a few fun relays on Saturday that was for fun so it felt like I haven't swam in ages.  I skipped Friday since it was rainy and everyone was swimming at a different pool then we normally swim at.  Didn't want to get up an extra 15 minutes early to swim in the rain.  Sunday I slept in.  Stupid as I thought I would be swimming on Monday but I got called into work for the early morning shift.  So today was a make or break day.  I had to swim.  Hell I'm not tapering or anything. Or am I?  No, not yet.

So swimming it was today.  The coach gave me a workout all hand written to swim by.  As we all were getting ready to jump in one of the swimmers announced the temperature of the pool a very fine 78.7F.  Wahoo!  Well wahoo if it wasn't 45F outside on deck.  Yesterday the pool people backwashed the pool and I don't really understand pool stuff but I guess when they do that the heater is turned off or turns off or somehow magically goes off.  Either way the pool's heater wasn't working all night.  So 78F was the pool temperature which is perfect for me.  I loved it.  I jumped in and was swimming pretty damn good from the get go. 

Warm Up
Mixed 500 then 300 kick (800)

Main Set:
1x100
1x200
1x300
1x400 Pull
1x300
1x200
1x100

The first 100/200/300 was breathing every 3 on a 1:40 base interval.  Piece of cake as I was easily coming in on 1:20's at my slowest.  I was a slightly faster in my pull and didn't use paddles.  I wanted my arms to be ready for my next part of the set.  I think after the 400 instead of a 6:4 interval I took an extra 20 to square up the clocks.  I think.  Then the last 300/200/100 was fast on an 1:30 base.  My 300 I was in around a 3:40 if not a bit faster.  I sorta forget.  My 200 I was in right at 2:20 and my 100 was a 1:07.(1600/2400)

I then did 8x50's IM Switches on 55.  (400/2800)

Overall a good workout.  Glad I woke up and swam.  Hopefully I can get some quality swims in this week.  I'd like to be faster in workouts but I'm slowly getting to be a bit faster or my old speed.  Getting older is making me slower and only one week till I'm even slower, I mean older.

Push, Pull, Push, Pull. Pushing Past My Mind.

Oh yeah.  That hurt so good.  As Jillian Michaels once said "Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!"  This was one of those swim practices that I had to get beyond my head and just do it.  Enough of the slogans…

The Workout:
500 Loosen.  Oh well I did a 550 since I messed up how much I wanted to pull.  So a 550 followed by a 200 kick with fins.

3x100's on 1:40 Swim/Kick/Pull/Build by 25 (300/1050)

1x800 Good Pace - Even Split.  Well I tried.  My first 100 I was still working out the kinks and aches.  Was a 1:25.  But picked it up for a 200 but fell back for the 4th 100.  Then I picked it up.  I came in at about 10:30 which is 10 seconds faster then the 1:20 pace I was shooting for.  So that was llke a 1:18:45 pace or average.

4x100's on 1:30 descending.  Shit.  No I can't remember what I did.  Umm…I think it was 14, 13, 12 and 10.  Or something close to that.

1 minute rest
4x100's Pace on 1:45 holding the time of the last 100 which for me was 1:10 if I recall.  I did the first one on 1:10 then 1:07, 1:07 and 1:08. 

1 minute rest
4x100's on 2 Minute.  Pace/Fast/Pace/Fast so 1:20's for my two pace.  I forget my first fast one but my last fast one was like a 1:05.  I was shooting for a 1:01 but meh.  I really had to dig deep for the last 4.  I was the only person in the pool and no coach around.  So I had to push myself on the honor system.   Never been really good with that.  Mind over matter and matter usually wins.

2,000 main set plus 50 easy makes it 3100 yard workout.  Not bad for a Thursday.  Oh and I gotta admit I'm hurting.  My lats were burning during those 100's.  Really had to dig deep, think about my stroke and push through it.  Good swim!

A Little Bit Of IM In The Morning...

Busy morning.  Heading out in a bit to head to the gym but before I do my morning swim workout…

250 Swim / 200 Pull / 200 Kick (650)

Wish I had mixed it up with some stroke…

6x175's on 3 minutes (50 Fly/Back/Breast and 25 Free) (800/1450) (1050/1700)

4x75's Free Pull breathing every 3 (300/1750) m(300/2000)

And that's it.  Now on to spinning at 9:30 and 10:45.

Ultimate Water Challenge: PINK vs CLEAR

I was the first on deck but the last one to actually start swimming this morning as I was adjusting my new goggles.  Now I bought two different yet the same pairs of goggles at SwimOutlet.com so you'd figure they'd fit the same.  I got -
Sporti Antifog Swedish Goggles - Clear
Sporti Antifog Swedish Premium Goggles - Pink

They seem the same but on closer inspection the Pink or Premium Swedes feature a "Silicone eye gaskets."  So they seem to be nicer around the eyes.  I still gotta play around with them but the Pink do fit better.  Anyways, playing with them this morning took up some of my warm up time so I missed a junk of the warm up.

 

Warm Up

 

350 Swim / 200 Kick

Main Set:

5x100's on 1:40 - 50 Catch Up / 50 Build

2x500's on 7:30.  2nd one faster

5x100's on 1:30 Descend.

With no extra rest in between each section.  So a 2,000 yard main set.  Now my first 5x100's I was easily coming in the low 1:20's.  My first 500 I was coming in under 1:20's I forgot exactly what my time was in but I remember saying to my mate that we had one minute rest so I was under 6:30.  Grrr....for my 2nd one I was faster but I so can't remember what it was, when I landed on the clock to figure out the math but I was faster.  I know I was.  I know I started at like a 1:10 was below a 1:15 for the splits.    I wanna say I was like a 5:56 it my memory is right.  I know I was under the 6 minute mark. Which makes sense.  Then the last 5x100's were not descended.  But I was consistent coming in at 1:09 then all 1:10's. 

And that was it.  End of the swim.  2,550 yards in less then 45 minutes.  May have been 40 minutes but let's say 45.  I should have warmed down but really had to pee so once I got out I was out. 

The rest of the week is sorta up in the air.  I gotta work early Wednesday so most likely no swimming.  I should be able to swim tomorrow but they are working on the pool's heater today so who knows if it'll be open tomorrow or how cold or hot it'll be.  Thursday and Friday are clear for swimming.   That is if folks are swimming at the pool closer to me as the last two Fridays they've been swimming at another pool and I've slept in.  Then on Saturday we or they are having a Relay Carnival that I'll be swimming a few 50's in.  So got a bit of swimming to do this week.

Hopefully I'll get in some good yardage this week to boost up my Go The Distance.  I'm ahead of my revised down goal for 2012!

I See Everything In Pink! Pink Goggles That Is!

Sunday!  It's my morning for a nice long swim.  And this morning I got to try my new goggles. 

The Workout:

Warm Up
200 Swim / 100 Pull w/o Paddles / 200 Pull w/ Paddles
3x100's Kick on 2 minutes. (800)

6x50's Kick (300/1100)

3x200's Pulling with paddles on 3 minutes.  I alternated breathing every 3 and 5 by 50.  (600/1700)

6x50's Pulling w/o paddles (300/2000)

Then the other swimmers started to show up and I did about a 200 mixed kick and a 100 swim till everyone was ready to start together.  (300/2300)

3x100's Kick on 2 minutes.  I was flying on these with butterfly kick doing 1:35's.  Which is fast for me.  (300/2600)

3x200's Backstroke on 3:20.  I descended these and ended up at a 2:32.  I think.  It's a fuzzy.  I so need one of those swim watches to keep track of this shit.  (600/3200)

4x100's Breaststroke on some interval.  I actually felt okay with these and did a descend.  I think I ended up with like a 1:37 which is again fast for me.  (400/3600)

10x50's Butterfly on 55.  OY!  I was pretty much coming in between 35 and 40.  (500/4100)

And that was it.  I was beat and sooo hungry!  A banana on Sunday morning just doesn't cut it.  I felt okay during the last butterfly part except I had a damn Avril Lavigne or however you spell her name song stuck in my head.  That almost killed me!