Swimming with a piano on my back

Are we seriously debating contraception in 2012?

2012-02-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

Or did I fall through a worm hole in my sleep and wake up in another century? A sad state of affairs becomes almost comical when when one of the many politicians leading the assault on women's health is also proposing that we establish a lunar colony. Are we even in agreement that the earth isn't flat?

Swam at Nitro this morning with Anthony, Jackie, and Stefan. Tom coached. The pool was set up long course.

400 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
6 x 100 @ 1:50, descending 1-5 from 70% to 90% effort, #6 easy
10 x 150 @ 2:20, averaged 2:08 (En2, 1:25 pace/100)
100 easy
2 x (3 x 150 @ 2:30, #1 50 moderate/50 fast/50 moderate, #2 50 fast/50 moderate/50 fast, #3 fast), went 2:05 and 2:03 on #3 and #6 respectively
100 easy

Thursday February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T08:48:00.000-06:00

I am continuing to swim through what I believe is a case of rhomboid tendinitis; technically this would be considered an overuse injury, but it is one that, like other bouts of tendinitis I have dealt with in the past, does not respond to rest and inactivity. In fact, I often feel better after practice than I did before. Yesterday's workout consisted primarily of drills. Anthony and I added a set of 5 x 100 @ 1:15 at the end. I felt strong on the first three, holding 1:10-1:11, but slowed a bit on the last two. I decided to try lifting weights again last night after taking a few weeks off from the gym. I backed off about 5 pounds on the upper body exercises and didn't experience any acute pain in my rhomboid area. I also added seated rows to strengthen the rhomboids.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Tricia and Stefan, next to David, Steve, Zach, Tom, Jean, and Jeff. Jordan coached.

200 SKIPS
2 x 100 strokes (free), #1 with a pull bouy, #2 without; I averaged 15 strokes/25 and went about 165 yards
8 x 75 fly/back/breast @ 1:20, experiencing mild but tolerable discomfort on the fly; I am working on an out of the water recovery on breast
9 x 50 fly/back, back/breast, breast/free @ :50
4 x 100 IM @ 1:40, cruised these and held 1:20-1:21
8 x 25 kick @ :30
100 easy

Monday February 6, 2012

2012-02-07T07:26:00.000-06:00

On Saturday morning I swam at Nitro with David, Jeff, Steve, and Jean. Stephen coached.

200 SKIPS
1 x 500 moderate, went 6:24
1 x 500 kick
10 x 100: 1-5 @ 1:20, 6-10 @ 1:15, made "em, held 1:12-1:13
10 x 75 @ 1:15, with fins (underwater streamline/easy/fast)
100 easy

Yesterday morning I swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs with David and Anthony. The air temp was around 45 degrees. We chose not to race and maintained a steady pace throughout. This morning I swam at Nitro with David, Jeff, Zach, Tom, and Anthony. Stephen coached. I was a bit sore at first but felt better as the workout progressed.

200 SKIPS
20 x 25 @ :30 with fins, "barrel roll" drill
10 x 25 @ :30 with fins, 10 kick "switch"
10 x 25 @ :30 with fins, 10-3-10 drill
10 x 100, 1-5 @ 1:20, 6-10 @ 1:15, held 1:11s which was 1-2 sec faster than on Saturday; felt smooth and strong on these
100 easy

Friday February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T07:52:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Anthony, and Jackie, next to Kirk, David, Zach, and Jean. Scott coached. The pool was set up long course.

200 SKPS
4 x 250 @ 4:00, averaged 3:33 (1:25 pace--En2), felt very smooth
4 x 50 @ :40, no sweat
4 x 200 @ 3:15, descended 2:48, 2:47, 2:46, 2:40; felt strong on this set
200 easy

Mild rhomboid discomfort today. Planning to swim free instead of IM for the foreseeable future. Still unsure about weights.

Thursday February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with Zach, David, Jeff, Steve, Jean, Trish, and Stefan. Jordan coached. Today was IM day, and I did notice a bit more discomfort swimming strokes than I did with freestyle.

400 swim, 150 kick, 150 pull, 200 swim
5 x (1 x 200 IM @ 3:00/1 x 50 free @ 1:00), swam the IMs smooth at a moderate pace and averaged 2:48
8 x 25 drill
3 x 150 pull @ 2:00, no paddles
5 x 100 IM @ 1:40, averaged 1:20
100 easy

Stretched and iced my rhomboid after practice. Pretty sure I am dealing with tendinitis at this point. I am considering yoga, and I may try to get a massage this weekend.

Wednesday February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T08:06:00.000-06:00

Today marks the beginning of what for me has always been the longest month of the year, which is fortunate in that I now have less than three months until nationals. My self diagnosis has changed; I believe that I am suffering from rhomboid tendinitis rather than a muscle strain. I reached this conclusion because I could not identify a specific event that would have resulted in an injury, I have had no muscle tenderness, and the pain has a tendency to flare after activity but does not resolve with rest. I have continued to apply ice after practice and again at night and have been performing rhomboid stretches in addition to my usual rotator cuff band exercises. This morning I actually felt less discomfort toward the end of practice, so I seem to be on the right track. I have also been working on my posture which, like most swimmers, is poor.

I swam at Nitro today with David, Anthony, and Steve. Stephen coached.

400 SKP
Main set, no additional rest:
3 x 100 @ 1:30
8 x 25 @ :40
3 x 100 @ 1:25
8 x 25 @ :35
3 x 100 @ 1:20
8 x 25 @ :30
3 x 100 @ 1:15
8 x 25 @ :25
Held 1:10-1:11 on the 100s and felt pretty smooth
2 x 275 pull (no paddles)

Rehab

2012-01-31T11:10:00.000-06:00

"We get old all at once
And it comes like a punch
In the gut, in the back, in the face."

The Airborne Toxic Event, All At Once.

Last Monday I swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool despite continued discomfort in the region of my right rhomboid major. I went 3300 meters, including a strong set of 6 x 300 @ 4:30, averaging 4:10. The discomfort was tolerable while I was swimming, but I experienced significantly more pain when I finished. Against my better judgment I scheduled an appointment the following day with a chiropractor who has treated many of the local triathletes as well as a few of my training partners at Nitro. I actually felt better after some deep tissue massage, but then he decided to work on my spine. Unlike physicians, chiropractors believe that misalignment of the spine contributes to many common afflictions, and he proceeded to "realign" my vertebral column, rendering me speechless (and breathless) in the process. This was followed by ten useless minutes of "e-stim" and a few more minutes of ultrasound therapy. I was in agony on the drive home, and I was in so much pain that evening that I was unable to find any comfortable position whatsoever; I found myself considering the possibility that my swimming "career" was at an end.

I decided to rest the next four days and stayed out of the water and away from the weight room. I stretched, applied ice, and continued twice daily dosing of Aleve. The discomfort gradually returned to a more tolerable level, just about where it was before my Monday evening swim. I swam at Nitro on Saturday morning but kept the pace moderate and applied ice immediately after practice. Since Barton Springs was closed on Sunday due to the recent heavy rains, I rested again but continued my routine of stretching, ice, and Aleve.

I swam at Nitro yesterday morning with David, Steve, Zach, Jeff, and Anthony. Jordan coached. The discomfort was tolerable.

400 swim, 300 pull, 200 kick, 100 swim
5 x (1 x 200 @ 2:40/1 x 50 @ :40), held 2:30 on the 200s (En2) and felt smooth
6 x 125 @ 1:50, averaged 1:31
200 easy

This morning I swam with Steve, David, Jeff, and Kirk. Jordan coached again. I have noticed that I experience more discomfort when I stop than I do while I am actually swimming. I am beginning to think that this may be more of a tendinitis than a muscle strain.

200 SKIPS
6 x (1 x 25 kick @ :30/1 x 50 swim @ :45)
5 x 200 @ 3:00, swam these a bit faster than En2 and averaged 2:27
6 x (1 x 50 kick @ 1:00/1 x 100 swim @ 1:40); I swam the 100s free instead of IM and held 1:11s with moderate effort
100 easy

Friday January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T10:04:00.000-06:00

Swam about 3000 yards yesterday, mostly at a moderate pace; when I tried to push it a bit on a set of 150s I noticed more discomfort in my rhomboid. This morning I swam at Nitro with Zach, Anthony, Jackie, and David. Tom coached. This was a great endurance workout and one of my favorites so far.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
16 x 100 @ 1:30; swam these at En2 and held 1:15s with an HR of 1:32
1 x 1650, went 21:19, a solid effort both mentally and physically. I approached the last 500 as 5 x 100s. Averaged a 1:18 pace and felt in control throughout despite some persistent discomfort from my rhomboid strain.
100 easy

Pain management

2012-01-18T10:55:00.001-06:00

I have been nursing a minor injury to my right rhomboid major the past few days; I believe that this is simply a strain and have decided to swim through it as I have done in the past. I first noticed it on Sunday after swimming at Barton Springs with Anthony and David. As always we raced our ninth lap, and Anthony and I finished together, passing David near the finish. I was really digging deep over the last 50 meters and had begun breathing every stroke to my strong (left) side at that point--another reason why bilateral breathing is so important.

I had an early morning meeting in Austin on Monday morning, so I swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. I managed close to 3000 meters but was experiencing a fair amount of pain toward the end of a set of 6 x 200s @ 3:00. I still averaged 2:46 (En2). I had another early morning meeting yesterday so I swam at Life Time in the late afternoon. I had skipped weights Monday evening but was still feeling some pain; consequently, I limited my workout to about 1400 meters.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Anthony, Zach, David, and Ron. Jordan coached. I was still sore but feeling a bit better thanks to Aleve and a massage last night.

400 swim, 100 kick, 200 pull
1 x 500, broken :10 at 50/100/50/.100/50/100/50, went 6:05 after subtracting the rest. Didn't push this too hard.
10 x 50 kick @ 1:00
6 x 100, 1 & 2 @ 1:25, 3 & 4 @ 1:15, 5 & 6 @ 1:25, made them but again didn't push too hard on these
1 x 500, broken as before, went 5:52 after subtracting the rest; this was a better effort and felt pretty good; I was breathing more to my weak (right) side which takes pressure off of the ipsilateral rhomboid major
10 x 50 pull @ :45, cruised these with a buoy but no paddles
100 easy

Overall I would say that my injury is better, so I will stay in the water this week.

Solo

2012-01-13T14:55:00.000-06:00

Missed yesterday's practice because of an emergency case. Drove my son to school this morning and swam at Nitro during adult lap swim; the instructors were teaching in the lesson pool so I had the entire main pool to myself. How sweet is that?

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull, 200 swim
Transition set, courtesy of Tom Kristek (and an excellent one at that):
4 x (2 x 25 sprint kick @ :35, 2 x 75 swim @ 1:10); descended the 75s by round from :53 to :50
Main set, courtesy of Maglischo's Swimming Fastest and one that I have been wanting to try for awhile:
25 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:09-1:10 (1650 race pace), HR was 162
100 easy

Wednesday January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T12:23:00.001-06:00

Lifted weights last night. Swam at Nitro this morning with Anthony, Tom, Zach, Steve, and David. Jordan coached.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
8 x 25 @ :25
8 x 25 kick @ :35
Nitro Whistle Set--went 1750
8 x 25 @ :20
8 x 25 kick @ :35
8 x 75 kick/drill/swim @ 1:15
100 easy

Tuesday January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T13:28:00.002-06:00

Swam at Nitro with Jeff, Kirk, Tom, David, Ron, and Steve. Jordan coached.

400 swim, 100 kick, 300 pull
12 x 75 @ 1:15, continuous IM
6 x 150 @ 2:20, 100 swim/50 kick; held 1:09-1:10 on the 100s
3 x 300 @ 4:20, 100 IM/100 free/100 IM, went 3:59-4:03
200 easy

Monday January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T07:58:00.000-06:00

A solid practice at Nitro on Saturday followed by 4000 yards at Barton Springs on Sunday. There were a lot of ducks in the water, which made me a little nervous as I had prepared Ming Tsai's Red Roast Duck the night before for my wife's birthday. This is a wonderful dish, by the way, very flavorful and really not that difficult to make (but don't tell her that!). This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, Anthony, Zach, Tom, Stefan, Jeff, and David. Jordan coached.

400 swim, 300 pull
Vertical kicking
5 x 100 @ 1:20, held 1:10 (1650 race pace)
5 x 50 kick
5 x 75 @ 1:00, held :53
5 x 50 pull
5 x 100 @ 1:15, held 1:10; I concentrated on my turns and felt strong on these. Actually thought about swimming a few more.
100 easy

Friday January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T16:57:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro this morning with Anthony and Zach; Tom coached. The pool was set up long course.

500 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
Set 1:
4 x 100 @ 1:40, averaged 1:24
4 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:24
4 x 100 @ 1:25, missed the interval on at least one of these
1:00 rest
1 x 400, went 5:48
1 x 100 easy
Set 2:
3 x 100 @ 1:30
3 x 100 @ 1:25, missed the interval on one of these
1:00 rest
1 x 300, went 4:18 which was faster than my 400 pace
1 x 100 easy
Set 3:
2 x 100 @ 1:25, went 1:21 and 1:23
1:00 rest
1 x 200, went 2:41, a strong effort at the end of a long practive
1 x 100 easy

I should be holding closer to 1:20 on 100 repeats, but my endurance is good, and I was able to descend the longer swims which all felt pretty strong. Plan to lift weights tonight after work.

Thursday January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T10:10:00.000-06:00

Attempted swimming a double yesterday evening at Life Time but didn't have much left in the tank after the morning workout. Managed an easy 400 and a couple of 100s on 1:30. After a tough morning practice, it would have made more sense to choose an easier interval. I swam this morning at Nitro with David, Tom, Jeff, Steve, and Ron. Jordan coached. It took me awhile to warm up but I felt stronger toward the end of the workout.

400 swim, 400 pull
12 x 25 kick @ :30
12 x 50 @ :50, holding :34s toward the end
12 x 75 @ 1:20, stroke/free/stroke (IM order)
10 x 100 @ 1:30, swam these instead of pulling and held 1:11s, close to 1650 race pace; felt strong on these
100 easy

Wednesday January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T12:42:00.000-06:00

We swam an IM workout yesterday; at the end we did 2 x 200 IM fast; I went 2:38 and 2:36. Lifted weights last night. Lifting twice weekly has definitely made me stronger, but I have been cautious about increasing the amount of resistance. I did manage to tweak my left triceps, probably a micro tear, but was able to shake it off overnight. Swam at Nitro this morning with Steve, David, Anthony, Tom, and Zach. Jordan coached. This was my best workout performance in several weeks.

400 swim, 400 pull
12 x 125 @ 1:45, held 1:29-1:30, went 1:28 and 1:27 on the last two repeats--close to 1650 race pace
18 x "54" @ :45 with fins--basically 50s with two turns; good endurance set
100 easy (there was another set but I had an early case at the hospital)

January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T18:31:00.000-06:00

Still struggling a bit in the pool but making some progress.

I swam at Nitro on Friday with Steve, Jackie, and Jean. The pool was set up long course. Scott coached. After a transition set of 5 x 100 @ 1:45 (averaged 1:24) we swam a 1000 for time. I felt sluggish and only managed a 14:54, which was right at my 5K pace from last year. I really should be able to hold a 1:25 pace/100. I lifted weights Friday evening but missed the Saturday morning practice at Nitro because I was called into the hospital at 1:30 am so I slept in and swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. My main set was 8 x 200 @ 3:00 averaging 2:45 which was a solid effort.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Jennifer, who is planning to swim with her club team this semester, next to David, Steve, Zach, and Tom. Stephen coached. We are swimming short course again.

400 swim, 100 kick, 400 pull
10 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:11-1:12
8 x 75 @ 1:15, kick/drill/swim, IM order
10 x 100 @ 1:30, odds free, evens IM; averaged 1:11 on the free and 1:21 on the IM, felt stronger than I did on the first set of 100s
400 pull, breathing 3/5/3/7
100 easy

Just over 15 weeks until I will begin tapering for Nationals. There is still much work to be done.

More or less...

2011-12-29T10:57:00.002-06:00

So when I became frustrated with how I was training this month, I asked myself whether I need to train more or less. It is a difficult question. I did not feel overtrained, so I decided to try swimming one or two doubles every week. I swam again at Life Time yesterday evening in the indoor 25 meter pool. I warmed up with an easy 400 then swam a set of 5 x 300 @ 5:00. I descended from 4:15 (just slightly faster than the sixth long course 300 yesterday morning) to 4:07, which was a solid effort for the second workout of the day. Total distance for the day was 5500 meters.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Stefan and Jean. Jordan coached. The pool was set up long course. I felt a little tight but overall fairly strong.

400 swim, 400 pull
6 x 150 @ 2:45, 50 free/50 stroke (IM order)/50 free
6 x 50 kick @ 1:15, alternate free/fly
6 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:22, which is better than I had been doing earlier in the month
200 easy

Wednesday December 28, 2011

2011-12-28T14:09:00.000-06:00

Lifted weights last night, which probably affected my performance in the pool this morning. I swam with Jackie, next to David, Kirk, Jeff, and Steve. Jordan coached. The pool was set up long course. I have been on call for five consecutive nights.

300 swim, 100 kick, 300 pull
6 x 300 @ 5:00, went 4:26, 4:25, 4:24, 4:22, 4:22, and 4:16
4 x 100 pull @ 1:45, averaged 1:21
8 x 50 kick at 1:10
200 easy

I will try to return to Life Time later today to repeat the set of 300s scm.

Tuesday December 27, 2011

2011-12-28T14:04:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with Kirk and Jean. Jordan coached. The pool was set up long course.

400 swim, 200 pull, 200 kick
12 x 100 @ 1:45, 50 free/50 stroke (IM order), tough set but I was averaging :40 on the 50s free, 1:22 for the 100s free
10 x 50 pull @ :45
10 x 50 kick @ 1:05
100 easy

Monday December 26, 2011

2011-12-27T13:52:00.000-06:00

Cold and rainy yesterday, so I slept in and skipped my usual Sunday morning swim at Barton Springs. This morning I swam at Nitro with David, Steve, Jackie, and Stefan. Stephen coached. The pool was set up long course. Steve filmed some of us using an iPad2 and gave us feedback on our strokes. Today I worked on pulling more toward the midline and noticed a definite difference.

400 swim, 200 pull
12 x 50, odds @ 1:00, evens @ :45, held :39s
8 x 100, odds @ 1:50, evens @ 1:30, averaged 1:20-1:22, felt much better than I have the past few weeks
4 x 200 pull @ 3:30, breathing 3/5/7/3, used a pull buoy but no paddles

Returned to the water later in the day to swim a double at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool.

400 swim
10 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:21s and felt strong enough to swim a few more but was paged back to the hospital

Friday December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T11:14:00.002-06:00

I will be on call for 10 of the next 11 nights; it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Swam at Nitro this morning with David, Steve, and Jean. Tom coached. The pool was set up long course.

400 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
8 x 100 @ 1:40, swam these moderate and held 1:23-1:24, a bit slower than I would have liked
4 x 200 pull @ 3:15, averaged 2:45
2 x 400 @ 6:30, went 5:52 and 5:49; should have been faster on these
1 x 800, went 11:55; pretty tired by this point, holding about the same pace I held during my 5K postal last year
100 easy

Clearly there is a lot of work to be done before Nationals...

Thursday December 22, 2011

2011-12-23T11:14:00.000-06:00

Slept in this morning and swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool.

400 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
10 x (25 kick @ :45, 50 free @ :45)
10 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:19-1:20; I needed to get to work so I did not swim 15 of these as I normally do, but I am not sure that I could have done five more as I was definitely hurting toward the end
100 easy

Another day...

2011-12-21T08:36:00.000-06:00

And another disappointing workout. Swam at Nitro with David, Tom, Kirk, and Steve. Jordan coached. I am not getting the long endurance sets that I need for the mile. Patterns (as in this workout) are cute, but I don't find them particularly helpful. I would rather swim a long set of 200s, 300s , or 400s; Maglischo seems to agree with that philosophy. I plan to swim doubles twice weekly in January and February.

200 swim/kick/pull
16 x 25 @ :30, drill/build
8 x 50 @ 1:00, kick
4 x 100 @ 1:30, pull
2 x 200 @ 3:00, easy/hard by 50, averaged 2:27 which is barely faster than En2; it felt like I was pushing these but my HR was only 150
1 x 400 build, went 4:58; should have gone 4:48-4:52
4 x 100 @ 1:30, breath control
100 easy

What have we become?

2011-12-20T17:11:00.002-06:00

A physician receives a slap on the wrist from the state medical board despite a pattern of inappropriately implanting 20 or more stents within a given patient.

A dermatology practice advertises "holiday savings on body contouring," including "CoolSculpting," "SmartLipo," and "Thermage."

Following a life-saving procedure on a patient with an impending heart attack, the attending physician is required to speak with a cardiologist in another state who is unfamiliar with the case but is employed by the insurance company solely to determine, after the fact, whether the procedure will be covered.

A large radiology practice places an account in collections although the unpaid balance is only $69 and the responsible party, who was never contacted regarding payment, is himself a physician.

An oncologist warns one of his patients that, as a consequence of "Obamacare," he may not be able to complete his course of chemotherapy.

Over two thousand years ago Hippocrates admonished future generations of physicians to do no harm, to refrain from "cutting for stone," and to treat fellow practitioners and their family members as their own. Centuries later Maimonides wrote, "Let not the desire to amass wealth blind [us] from seeing truth."
The truth is that health care does need to be reformed. And we as a profession need to take a very hard look at what we have become.

December has been a disappointing month for training, which is why I have not been posting my workouts lately. Although I have been swimming consistently, I have been consistently slower. I am realizing that the viral infection I suffered last month depleted me more than I had initially thought. I definitely do not feel overtrained; one indication is that my HR remains in the moderate (En2) range (150) during most sets. I lifted weights last night and swam at Nitro this morning with Tom, David, Steve, and Jeff. Jordan coached.

200 swim/kick/pull
4 x 200 reverse IM @ 3:00, averaged 2:55 (ouch)
4 x 75 kick @ 1:30
4 x 200 Indiana IM @ 3:00, averaged 2:49
4 x 125 @ 2:00 pull; I swam these and held 1:27 (1000 race pace, surprisingly)
100 easy

Wednesday November 30,

2011-11-30T08:33:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with Anthony, Steve, David, Zach, Tom, and Anita. Jordan coached.

300 swim, 200 back, 200 pull, 200 kick
Drop down 50s, beginning @ :50; I made 15 of these (fastest interval was :36)
10 x 75 pull @ 1:15; I swam these and held :52-:53
10 x 50 kick @ 1:00
10 x 25 @ :25, odds easy, evens sprint
100 easy

Still not consistently hitting the repeat times I need to be holding. Very glad that I am not swimming at Zones this weekend. Planning to add doubles one or two days/week next month.

Tuesday November 29, 2011

2011-11-30T08:27:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with David, Tom, Steve, and Kirk. Jordan coached.

200 SKP
10 x 50 kick @ :55, alternated fly/free
10 x 100 @ 1:30, odds IM, evens free; I swam all free and held 1:10-1:11
5 x 100 @ 1:30 pull; I swam these and held 1:10
100 easy

So long, James...

2011-11-28T09:34:00.000-06:00

Nitro teammate, coach, and professional triathlete James Cotter has returned to his native New Zealand where he will be training for the next six months. He will be missed. I wish him the best of luck and look forward to his return to Austin in the spring. Last Wednesday was his final day on deck, and as always it was a challenging workout. I swam with Anthony, David, and Steve. We swam a short transition set of 8 x 25 followed by the main set which consisted of 4 x (1 x 200 @ 2:30, 2 x 100 @ 1:15, 2 x 50 @ :40). I struggled through this but made the intervals.

On Thursday I swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs with David, Anthony, and Scott. The air temperature was in the upper 50s, but my Xterrra wetsuit kept me warm.

I swam at Nitro on Friday with David and Jackie. Tom coached. The pool was set up long course. The main set was one that I had suggested--30 x 100 @ 1:40, no additional rest. I was able to hold 1:23s for all thirty of these, :03 slower than my 1500 race pace but a very strong effort nonetheless. I would like to swim this set again in a few months.

Yesterday I swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. I had considered swimming at Barton Springs, but a cold front had passed through leaving behind temperatures in the 40s with a strong breeze. After a warm up and a transition set of 50s, I swam 30 x 50 @ :45, holding :39s, a very solid effort.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Anthony and David. Stephen coached. The focus was on technique, but the workout was still challenging enough.

400 swim, 400 pull, 200 kick, 100 choice
8 x 50 @ 1:05, odds free kick on side, evens back kick on side
10 x 200: 1-5 odds one arm freestyle, evens one arm backstroke @ 3:30; 6-10 odds free @ 2:40, evens back @ 3:30. I swam 6, 8, and 10 moderate (En2) focussing on technique and averaged 2:30.
100 easy

Tuesday November 22, 2011

2011-11-23T13:29:00.000-06:00

Saturday's workout was cut short by hospital pages, so I finished with only about 2000 yards. I swam 4000 at Barton Springs on Sunday with Anthony. Yesterday's workout was another forgettable one; the main set was 8 x 200 @ 2:45, odds swim, evens pull, and I struggled to keep them under 2:30. This morning I swam with Steve, Jeff, Kirk, David, and Tom. Jordan coached. I felt pretty strong on the last set of 100s, which was encouraging.

300 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
4 x (4 x 25 kick @ :30, 3 x 50 swim @ :50, 2 x 100 IM @ 1:30, 1 x 100 strong), IM order, with 1:00 break between rounds
2 x (4 x 100 @ 1:30, pull/swim); I swam all of these and held 1:08s. I made a stroke correction which was suggested by Doug Russell, an age group coach at Nitro and Olympic gold medalist in the 100 fly in Mexico City (beating Mark Spitz). Apparently I was shortening my stroke on my left side and hadn't realized I was doing that.
100 easy

Friday November 18, 2011

2011-11-22T13:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was an IM workout which I swam at an aerobic/recovery pace for the most part. This morning the Nitro pool was set up long course. I swam with Anthony, Rachel, and Jackie. Tom coached.

300 swim/200 kick/300 pull
16 x 50 @ 1:00, odds streamline kick/free, evens free build
Main set:
6 x 50 @ :50
4 x 50 @ :45
2 x 50 @ :40, missed the interval on these but kept going
2 x 50 easy @ 1:15
2 x 50 fast @ 1:30
2 x 50 easy @ 1:15
1:00 rest
4 x 100 @ 1:35
3 x 100 @ 1:30
2 x 100 @ 1:25, made 'em
1 x 100 easy @ 3:00
1 x 100 fast, went 1:15
1 x 100 easy

Wednesday November 16, 2011

2011-11-16T19:12:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro with David, Anthony, Steve, and Zach. James coached.

300 SKP
8 x 25 @ :30, odds free/evens fly (2 breaths)
Main set, 5 x 500 (broken), easy 50 and 1:00 rest between each one
10 x 50 @ :45, held :35
5 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:10
2 x 200 @ 2:40, went 2:23, 2:25, 1 x 100 @ 1:30, went 1:10
8 x 25 @ :30, 1 x 200 @ 2:40, went 2:23, 1 x 100 @ 1:30, went 1:09
2 x 250 @ 3:10, made 'em
100 easy

I could not hold a 1:10 pace throughout the entire set, but it was still a solid effort.

Tuesday November 15, 2011

2011-11-15T19:43:00.000-06:00

Saturday's workout was forgettable, as was today's. I did swim 4800 at Barton Springs on Sunday and felt pretty strong. Then I lifted weights in the afternoon at Life Time with my son. I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning out our garage, so by Monday morning I was toast. I have really lost the edge that I had a few weeks ago before my bout of bronchitis and do not plan to swim in any scm meets this winter. I am considering swimming "doubles" on Tuesdays and Thursdays to prepare for the 1650 and to regain my mojo.

Here was today's workout:

200 SKIP
8 x 150 @ 2:10, written as 50 free/50 stroke, IM order/50 free; I did four of these, all free, holding 1:51 which was not a very strong effort, but my HR was only 144
12 x 75 @ 1:15, written as 25 free.25 stroke/25 free; I swam the first six free/fly/free and the last six all free (holding :53, again not a very strong effort)
2 x (4 x 50 kick @ 1:00), no fins
100 easy

After work I swam another 1700 meters at Life Time:

400 swim, 400 pull
8 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:22, off my usual pace by :02
100 easy

Friday November 11, 2011

2011-11-15T14:02:00.000-06:00

Swam at Nitro yesterday with David and Tom, next to Kirk and Zach. Stephen coached. I modified the workout, replacing IM repeats with free.

500 swim
3 x (1 x 100 DPS @ 1:40,1 x 100 with strong kick @ 1:40, 1 x 100 @ 1:15)
20 x 25 @ :40, dolphin kick, odds underwater
12 x 100, odds @ 1:20--held 1:10, evens @ 1:30--held 1:12
2 x 200 pull
200 easy

This morning the pool was set up longcourse. Tom coached. I shared a lane with Anthony and Jill. Still not 100% but feeling stronger every day. I plan to resume lifting weights this weekend.

400 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
4 x (1 x 50 kick @ 1:20, 2 x 50 swim @ :55)
Main set, no additional rest:
4 x 50 @ :45
1 x 200 @ 3:20, went 2:55 but felt smooth
4 x 50 @ :50
1 x 200 @ 3:10, went 2:55
4 x 50 @ :55
1 x 200 @ 3:00, went 2:54
4 x 50 @ 1:00
1 x 200 @ 2:50, went 2:45
4 x 50 @ 1:05
1 x 200 fast, went 2:41
100 easy

19:19

2011-11-09T11:58:00.000-06:00

Finally back in the water after a bout of bronchitis that lingered for several days, effectively ending my scm season. I had planned to swim at Palo Alto in December but have now decided to focus instead on Nationals in the spring. I will be training for the 1650 and have set a goal of 19:19 which translates to a 1:10 pace. My Masters PB is a 19:55.13 (wearing a full body Blue Seventy) in February of 2010; however, my lcm 800 free last summer was :09 below a 20:00 pace for the 1500, which converts to a 19:18. I will continue to lift weights twice weekly but with an emphasis on maintaining rather than adding signficant strength, as recommended by Maglischo in his chapter on training distance swimmers in Swimming Fastest. I also plan to eliminate most if not all of the IM sets, using this time to swim recovery (aerobic/En1) freestyle instead. Here was Tuesday's workout:

1000 swim
1 x 400 swim, strong/easy by 50
4 x 100 @ 1:40, averaged 1:16 (En2)
1 x 300 swim, strong/easy by 75
4 x 50 @ 1:00
1 x 200 kick
1 x 100 strong
4 x 25 easy

This morning I swam at Nitro with David, Steve, Anthony, Zach, and Tom. James coached. I decided not to lift weights last night and I was glad that I hadn't. I am trying to be patient this week rather than risk injury after a week out of the water.

400 swim
4 x 200 @ 2:45, averaged 2:31 (En2), felt pretty smooth
16 x 25 @ :20
Main set, with an emphasis on sprinting:
4 x 100 @ 1:45, 25 fast/75 easy, 35 fast, 65 easy, 100 fast; went 1:12, 1:11, 1:10, 1:05
1 x 50 easy
4 x 75 @ 1:20, 75 easy, 25 fast/50 easy, 50 fast/25 easy, 75 fast
1 x 50 easy
4 x 50 @ 1:00, 50 easy, 8 strokes fast then easy, 10 strokes fast then easy, 50 fast, went :30
1 x 50 easy
4 x 25 @ :40, similar to the 50s
200 easy

Friday October 28, 2011

2011-11-08T15:15:00.000-06:00

I missed practice on Wednesday, then swam at Life Time yesterday morning in the indoor 25 meter pool because I had a meeting downtown. I went 3300 meters; my main set was 15 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:20. This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Zach, and Anthony. The day off Wednesday, though unintended, seemed to help, since I felt very strong today.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
2 x (5 x 25 @ :25, 5 x 25 @ :20)
Main set #1:
6 x 200 @ 2:50, 2:40, 2:30, 2:40, 2:50; I averaged 2:24 on all six, which is a bit slower than 1650 race pace
100 easy
Main set #2:
10 x 100 @ 1:30, 1:25, 1:20, 1:15, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:25, 1:30; averaged 1:09-1:10 on the first five, then went 1:12, 1:11, 1:10, 1:10, 1:07
100 easy

Tuesday October 25, 2011

2011-10-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

I missed Saturday's practice because I had a meeting out of town (without access to a pool!). I swam 4800 at Barton Springs on Sunday morning; my Xterra wetsuit kept me warm, and I was able to complete 12 laps. Yesterday's practice at Nitro was largely forgettable, as I was feeling pretty sluggish in the pool, possibly due to a lack of sleep. I lifted weights last night and was a bit sore this morning. I swam with Steve, Tom, Ron, and David. Jordan coached.

200 SKIP
4 x (4 x 50), IM order, descending interval
4 x 200 IM @ 3:00, averaged 2:45-2:48; didn't feel great on these
4 x 50 kick @ 1:00, made the interval despite pulling on the lane rope less on the first two
4 x 100 @ 1:15, swam these instead of pulling and averaged 1:10, felt reasonably strong
8 x 50 @ :45, starting in the middle of the pool, averaged :33
100 easy

Hoping that my speed will return when I taper for the San Antonio meet in December (scm). The line between training hard and overtraining can be tricky to judge.

Friday October 21, 2011

2011-10-25T10:23:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with David, Steve, Anthony, and Zach. Tom coached. Did not perform as well as I would have liked on the main set, but I think that is to be expected at this point in the season.

400 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
8 x 50 @ 1:00, odds build, evens breath control
Main set:
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 100 strong @ 1:30, went 1:10 (which was the pace I wanted to hold for the entire set)
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 200 strong @ 3:00, went 2:22 (1:11)
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 300 strong @ 4:30, went 3:36 (1:12)
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 400 strong @ 6:00, went 4:52 (1:13)
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 400 strong @ 6:00, went 4:52
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 300 strong @ 4:30, went 3:37
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 200 strong @ 3:00, went 2:22
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 100 strong @ 1:30, went 1:05, which was my only good swim of the set;
100 easy

Thursday October 20, 2011

2011-10-25T10:20:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Jean, Tom, Kirk, David. Stephen coached

800 swim, 200 pull
3 x (4 x 100 kick) @ 2:00, first round fly, second round back, third round breast
16 x 55 (feet to flags--two turns) @ 1:00, held :37s (800 race pace)
1 x 200 IM, fast, went 2:37; raced Stefan on this one, caught him on the breast and passed him on the free
100 easy

Close!

2011-10-19T16:15:00.004-05:00

1 Baker, Dennis G 50 9:28.34 OREG Gil Young Memorial & NW Zone LCM Meet
2 Thomas, Bruce W 54 9:45.52 SCAQ 2011 Southern Pacific Masters Swimming Long Course Championship
3 Thain, Doug A 51 9:45.57 MTSC 2011 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship
4 Hollett, Peter G 51 9:54.57 NCMS 2011 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship
5 Brenner, Bill 53 9:57.87 SYSM 2011 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship
6 Kannegieser, Robert J 54 9:58.50 FINS 2011 IGLA Championships
7 Callahan, Jim 54 10:02.33 UNAT SynergyFest Inaugural Swim Meet
8 Czekala, Steven R 52 10:03.12 FIRE 2011 IGLA Championships
9 Mc Cracken, Bill 50 10:20.05 TVM Pacific Masters Long Course Swimming Championships
10 Strauss, Trip 53 10:27.83 ARKM MARY GRACE TUCKER MEMORIAL MEET
11 Siegel, Craig O 53 10:31.51 NITR South Central Zone Long Course Championship

My 800 free time from Zones had remained in the top ten until this morning when I was bumped to #11 by Trip Strauss. The guys ahead of me are all very fine swimmers, and I swam a great race, but it is still a disappointment. When I began swimming Masters in 2003, I had three goals: qualifying for Nationals, winning a medal at short course Nationals, and being ranked in the top ten for my age group. So far I have achieved two out of three.

Swam at Nitro this morning with David, Tom, Anthony, Patrick, and Steve. James coached.

300 swim/400 pull
12 x 25 @ :25
Main set:
1 x 50 @ :30, made it
1 x 100 @ 1:35, went 1:14
1 x 50 @ :35
1 x 100 @ 1:30, went 1:13
1 x 50 @ :40
1 x 100 @ 1:25, went 1:12
1 x 50 @ :45
1 x 100 @ 1:20, went 1:11
1 x 50 @ :50
1 x 100 @ 1:15, went 1:09
1 x 50 @ :55
1 x 100 @ 1:10, went 1:07
1 x 50 @ 1:00
1 x 100 @ 1:05, went 1:04

Tough set; I had wanted to hold 1650 race pace on the 100s, but I was happy to descend them as I did.

3 x 300 kick/swim @ 5:00
100 easy

Monday October 17, 2011

2011-10-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

I was in SoCal last week for a medical conference, and I thought I would have access to a lap pool at the overpriced hotel where we were staying. As it turned out, the 20 yard lap pool had been drained, so I swam in the hotel's main pool, heated to a balmy 85 degrees. The pool had no lines but measured approximately 27 meters in length. I would have preferred to swim in the ocean, but there was no beach access before 7 am, and we were in meetings the entire day. On Wednesday I swam a set of 2 x 1500s, and on Thursday I swam a main set of 15 x 100s on :10 rest (one easy, one hard, one easy, two hard, one easy, three hard, one easy, two hard, one easy, one hard, one easy). This was actually a challenging set, even without a pace clock.

On Saturday I swam at Nitro with my daughter, who was home for the weekend, as well as Tom, Anthony, David, and Steve. Stephen coached. The main set was 2 x 25, 2 x 50, 2 x 75, 2 x 100, 2 x 125, 2 x 150, 2 x 175, 2 x 200, all on a 1:20 base, no additional rest. Could not hang on to a 1:10 pace, finishing with 1:50s for the 150s and 2:30s for the 200s, which was disappointing but probably not unexpected because of jet lag.

On Sunday I swam at Barton Springs with David and Anthony. I tried out my new Xterra Vortex sleeveless wetsuit and really enjoyed it.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Jean, Tom, Ron, Anthony, David, and Steve. Stephen coached.

500 swim
1 x 300 kick
4 x 50 @ 1:00
4 x 25 @ :30
1 x 500 for time, went 5:58
4 x 25 @ :20
4 x 50 @ :40
1 x 300 pull
4 x 100 @ 1:20, averaged 1:09-1:10, went 1:07 on the last one
100 easy

Monday October 10, 2011

2011-10-17T16:16:00.000-05:00

My usual Sunday morning swim at Barton Springs was rained out, so I was unable to try out my new Xterra wetsuit. I decided to swim at Life Time instead and did 15 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:20 (1500 race pace). I was definitely feeling depleted of carbs after fasting on Saturday. In the afternoon I lifted weights with my son. I suppose I should not have been surprised that this morning's workout at Nitro was forgettable. The main set was 2 x (1 x 300 @ 4:00, 1 x 200 @ 3:00, 3 x 100 @ 1:30), no additional rest. I went 3:39 and 3:45 on the 300s, 2:27 and 2:31 on the 200s, and 1:11 on the 100s. Felt pretty sluggish, but my HR was only in the 150s.

Friday October 7, 2011

2011-10-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Ron, Steve, David, and Anthony. Tom coached.

400 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
Transition set:
2 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:10
1 x 50 kick @ 1:00
4 x 50 @ :45, descend
1 x 50 kick @ 1:00
8 x 25 @ :30, alternate moderate/build
1 x 50 easy
Main set, no additional rest:
4 x 25 @ :45, fast
4 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:08s and felt strong
4 x 50 @ 1:30, fast; averaged :29-:30
2 x 200 @ 3:00, went 2:21 and 2:19, felt strong on these, too
4 x 75 @ 2:15, fast, averaged :46
1 x 200 easy
3 x 100 @ 3:00, fast, went 1:03, 1:03, 1:02
100 easy

I managed to find "easy speed" today on the moderate ("recovery") 100s and 200s, maintaining 1650 race pace or faster, and was still able to throw down some fast 50s, 75s, and 100s. I will be off tomorrow for Yom Kippur but plan to swim Sunday at Barton Springs.

Thursday October 6, 2011

2011-10-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Tom, Kirk, Jean, David, Steve, and Todd, who was visiting from Washington. Scott coached using one of Tom's workouts. Very tough IM day.

500 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
16 x 25 @ :30, four of each stroke
4 x 100 IM @ 1:30, descended from 1:29 to 1:17
12 x 50 @ 1:00, three of each stroke
3 x 200 IM @ 3:00, averaged 2:40
4 x 100, one of each stroke
1 x 400 IM, went 5:26
100 easy

Monday October 3, 2011

2011-10-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

Swam at Barton Springs yesterday with Anthony; it was a cool morning with a temperature in the upper 50s when we entered the water. Lifted weights last night with my son at Life Time. Swam at Nitro this morning with Ron, Tom, Steve, Anthony, David, Zach. Stephen coached.

400 swim
8 x 50 @ 1:00, alternate kick/swim
8 x 50 @ 1:00, alternate drill/swim
Main set:
2 x 200 @ 2:40, went 2:22 and 2:21
2 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:10
2 x 200 kick @ 3:30
2 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:09
2 x 200 pull @ 2:40, went 2:20
2 x 100 @ 1:30, averaged 1:09
12 x 25 @ :30, odds sprint, evens easy
100 warm down

Friday September 30, 2011

2011-10-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Anthony, Jean, Kirk, Steve, Zach, and David. Tom coached.

400 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
3 x 500 @ 7:30, descend, went 6:19, 6:12, 6:00; felt strong on the last one and didn't realize I was going that fast
3 x (2 x 25 kick @ :35/3 x 50 swim @ :45, :40, and :35 by round)
2 x 500, #1 moderate,#2 fast; went 6:18 and 5:59
100 easy

Wednesday October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T12:51:00.003-05:00

Swam a fairly strong IM workout yesterday, finishing with 3 x 200 IM @ 3:00; I averaged 2:40 on these. Didn't sleep well last night. Swam at Nitro this morning with David, Anthony, Ron, and Steve. James coached.

600 swim
6 x 100 @ 2:00 kick/swim
20 x 25 @ :20
300 kick easy
Main set, 12 x 100--1 @ 1:10/1@ 1:20/2 @ 1:10/2 @ 1:20/3 @ 1:10/3 @ 1:20; I made only one of the last three on 1:10 and swam the final three "easy" repeats on 1:30 instead of 1:20. Not a very strong set for me and a bit of a disappointment.
100 easy

Ordered a sleeveless Xterra Vortex wetsuit @ 50% off yesterday so that I can continue swimming at Barton Springs this winter.

Happy New Year!

2011-09-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

I typically do not work on Rosh Hashanah, but arranging coverage at the hospital was challenging because the other interventionalist with whom I share call is also Jewish and planned to observe the holiday. So there it is.

Swam at Nitro this morning with Steve, Tom, and Jean, next to Kirk, Ron, and Zach. Stephen coached.

400 swim, 300 kick, 100 pull
8 x 75, odds free @ 1:00 working on streamline off the walls/breathing on the third stroke, evens fly/back/breast @ 1:15
4 x (2 x 100 @ 1:30, rolling IM by 50, 2 x 50 @ :50, IM order); tough set without a lot of rest
8 x 100 @ 1:20, held 1:10-1:11, 1650 race pace
100 easy

Wednesday September 28, 2011

2011-09-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

Lifted weights last night; my shoulder felt fine. Swam at Nitro this morning with Ron, Anthony, and Tom. James coached.

500 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull
4 x (4 x 50 stroke @ :50, 3 x 100 free @ 1:25, 1:20, 1:15, and 1:10); averaged 1:11s on the first three rounds, made the 3 x 100 @ 1:10 on the last round
300 kick, every third 25 fast
100 easy

Tuesday September 27, 2011

2011-09-28T07:40:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Ron, David, Tom, Zach, and Jean. Jordan coached.

200 SKIPS
4 x (2 x 50 IM @ :50, 1 x 100 IM @ 1:30)
12 x 50 @ :45, 25 stroke (IM order)/25 free
8 x 75 kick @ 1:20
6 x 100 @ 1:20; swam these instead of pulling them and averaged 1:09
100 easy

Monday September 26, 2011

2011-09-27T08:22:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro on Saturday with my daughter Jennifer, who was home for the weekend, as well as Anthony, David, Steve, Tom, and Zach. Stephen coached.

500 swim
8 x 100 @ 2:00, drill
1 x 200 pull
1 x 200 fast, for time; went 2:11, which is a practice PB. I really didn't think I was adequately warmed up to throw down a fast 200, but I decided to go for it anyway and was very happy with the result. But I paid the price later.
4 x 100 @ 1:30
4 x 75 @ 1:00
4 x 50 @ :40
4 x 25 @ :20
100 easy

After practice I began experiencing some discomfort in my left shoulder; it has been awhile since I have had a flare of tendinitis, but I knew it wasn't an injury so I didn't panic. I did my band exercises, iced the shoulder at bedtime, and took some Aleve. By the next morning it was significantly better, and I swam 4400 yards (11 laps) at Barton Springs with David and Anthony. It was still warm enough outside that I didn't need a wetsuit, although I will likely need one during the winter months. I backed off a bit on "number nine" and didn't try to stay with my training partners who were racing that lap as we usually do. My treatment plan was successful; Monday morning the shoulder was 100%, and I was swimming without pain.

"My body tells me no, but I won't quit, 'cause I want more..."

2011-09-23T10:36:00.001-05:00

That's a line from the song My Body by Young the Giant, one of my favorite new groups. They played a fantastic set at ACL on Saturday, and I was listening to their CD on the way to Nitro, anticipating a set of fast 200s. I skipped practice yesterday morning and resisted the tempatation to swim last night, so I felt rested. My goal was to hold 2:15s; when I last swam this set three years ago I struggled to hold 2:17s.. I shared a lane with David, next to Ron and Zach, Steve, Anthony, and Jean. Tom coached.

500 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
12 x 25 @ :30, alternated drill//swim
6 x 100 @ 1:130, descend 1-3, 4-6; struggled to hold 1:10s, so I was a little skeptical at this point about the 200s
Main set: 5 x 200 @ 7:00, 100 easy active recovery after each; I went 2:14, 2:15, 2:15, 2:13, 2:13--a personal best

Wednesday September 21, 2011

2011-09-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro this morning with Anthony, Tom, Steve, David, Zach, and Ron. James coached.

500 swim
300 SKP
6 x 200, 1-2 @ 2:45, 3-4 @ 2:40, 5-6 @ 2:35; did not feel very strong on these, averaging 2:27s
100 easy
6 x 100, 1-2 @ 1:15, 3-4 kick @ 2:15, 5-6 @ 1:10, made 'em (1:07 and 1:08)
100 easy
8 x 25 @ :20
100 easy

Not a great workout for me, but I pushed through it.

Tuesday September 20, 2011

2011-09-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

Lifted weights with my son at Life Time last night. Swam at Nitro this morning with Kirk, Steve, Tom, David, Ron, and Jean. Jordan coached.

200 SKIP
6 x (1 x 25 fly @ :30, 1 x 50 back @ :45, 1 x 75 breast @ 1:20, 1 x 100 free @ 1:20), no additional rest; apparently this was a set which had been assigned to the TAGS group. Held 1:10 or better on the 100s.
10 x 50 kick @ 1:00, alternate fly and free
4 x 200 IM @ 3:00, went 2:43, 2:43, 2:43, and 2:38; this was a strong IM set for me
100 easy

Monday September 19, 2011

2011-09-21T10:40:00.001-05:00

Sunday was just about perfect. Began the day at Barton Springs and swam 4000 yards with Anthony. The pool was quieter than usual due to the fact that the front entrance was closed for ACL, and we had a great swim. Afterwards we met my wife and daughter at Mozart's on Lake Austin and had some outstanding lattes. Then in the afternoon it was back to ACL to hear my favorite band, The Airborne Toxic Event, who performed an amazing set that even included a cover of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire."

Swam at Nitro this morning with Steve, Ron, David, Tom, and Anthony. Stephen coached.

500 swim
4 x 100 drill @ 1:30
4 x 75 kick @ 1:30
4 x 50 easy @ 1:00
4 x 25 @ :30 no breather
4 x 25 @ :30 sprint
4 x 50 @ :45, fast, held :31-:32
4 x 75 kick @ 1:30
4 x 100 @ 1:15, held 1:08-1:09, felt strong
5 x 100 @ 1:20, pulled these and swam them moderate
100 easy

Saturday September 17, 2011

2011-09-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

Saw Coldplay at the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival last night, so I slept in and swam in the outdoor 25 meter pool at Life Time later in the morning. The concert was incredible; they played several cuts off of their new album and performed a tribute to Amy Winehouse (a cover of Rehab followed by Fix You) which was outstanding. September and May are the only months of the year that the outdoor pool is suitable for training; the water is very warm during the summer, and they close it down in the winter.

800 swim, 400 pull
10 x 75 @ 1:30, 25 kick/50 swim
10 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:20 comfortably
4 x 200 pull @ 3:30, averaged 2:40
100 easy

3900 meters

Friday September 16, 2011

2011-09-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Missed yesterday's practice because of a meeting downtown. Swam at Nitro this morning with David, Ron, Anthony, Kirk, and Zach. Tom coached. We swam a lactate set today, something we have not done in a while.

200 S/K/S/P/S
3 x (2 x 25 kick @ :30/1 x 50 @ :50)
8 x 100, 1-2 @ 1:35, 3-4 @ 1:30, 5-6 @ 1:25, 7-8 @ 1:20, held 1:10 (1650 race pace), felt smooth on these
Main set:
5 x 100 @ 5:00 with 100 active recovery after each one, went 1:03, 1:01, 1:01, 1:00, 1:02; I tried breathing every fourth but my stroke felt choppy, particularly on the second 50 of each repeat
200 easy

Wednesday September 14, 2011

2011-09-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

Swam a mostly forgettable IM workout yesterday. This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Anthony, Tom, and Zach. James coached.

600 swim, 400 kick
6 x 100, odds IM @ 1:40, evens free @ 1:15; averaged 1:21 on the IMs, 1:09-1:10 on the free
200 easy
6 x 200, odds pull @ 2:40, evens free @ 2:30; averaged 2:21-2:22 on the pulls, 2:20 on the swims
200 easy
12 x 25 @ :20, strong; averaged :15s and :16s
9 x 50: 1-3 @ :45, 4-6 @ :40, 7-9 @ :35; made 'em
100 easy

Monday September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T10:21:00.002-05:00

Swam 4000 yards early yesterday morning at Barton Springs with David and Anthony. There were only a few other swimmers in the water when we started at 5:30; the sun was just beginning to rise when we finished after 7:00.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Tom, and Zach. Scott coached and modified one of Stephen's workouts.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull; I started a bit late and swam a straight 600
16 x 25 @ :20
4 x 75 kick @ 1:30
Main set, 2 x through on a :40 base, no additional rest:
25/50/75/100/100/75/50/25; held 1:10 pace or better (1650 race pace)
4 x 75 kick @ 1:30
4 x 50 @ :35, made 'em
100 easy

Saturday September 10, 2011

2011-09-12T10:16:00.000-05:00

Missed the morning practice at Nitro because I was at the hospital past midnight. Swam in the afternoon at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool.

800 swim, 400 pull
15 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:21, about a second off my usual pace despite having slept for only four hours last night; probably could have swum a few more but I had to answer a page
100 easy

Friday September 9, 2011

2011-09-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Ron, David, Anthony, and Zach. Tom coached.
300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
4 x (2 x 25 kick @ :30, 2 x 25 swim @ :30, 1 x 100 @ 1:30), averaged 1:10-1:11 on the 100s
Main set:
6 x 250 @ 3:30, held 3:01, 1650 race pace
1 x 100 easy
3 x 250 @ 3:05, made 'em, went 2:55, 3:00, 3:03
1 x 100 easy
1 x 250 fast, went 2:55

Wednesday September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T08:57:00.000-05:00

Lifted weights last night; thus far I have been able to adhere to a twice weekly schedule for resistance training. Swam at Nitro this morning with Ron, David, Anthony, Steve, Tom, and Zach. James coached.

400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull, 100 swim
6 x 150 @ 2:00 (100 free/50 back), averaged 1:51
8 x 100 kick with fins @ 1:45
12 x 25 @ :20
3 x 100 @ 1:10, made 'em.
100 easy

Tuesday September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

I stayed out of the water last Thursday and Friday so that I could shake off a cold; when I have swum through these in the past I have had to deal with a bronchitis that would linger for days. I did lift weights on Friday afternoon and swam at Life Time on Saturday morning in the indoor 25 meter pool using one of Tom's scy workouts from Nitro.

400 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
2 x (4 x 50 @ 1:00), breathing 5/4/3/2 times per 50
1 x 400 @ 7:00, went 5:31
5 x 100 pull @ 1:45, descending from 1:19 to 1:13
1 x 400 @ 7:00, went 5:24
2 x 200 @ 4:00 (50 kick/100 swim/50 kick)
1 x 400, went 5:21, which is close to 1500 race pace

On Sunday I swam at Barton Springs with Anthony; we went 4000 yards (10 laps) and went hard on #9 as usual. On Monday I returned to Life Time and swam in the indoor 25 meter pool again. I plan to continue swimming 1500s and 1650s in practice throughout the season in preparation for Nationals in the spring.

1500 swim
10 x 100 @ 1:25; made 'em, holding 1:21s, even though I didn't feel that great at first
100 easy

This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, Kirk, Tom, Zach, and David. Jordan coached.

200 SKIPS
6 x 25 fly @ :30
5 x 100 IM @ 1:30, held 1:21
8 x 25 back @ :30
5 x 100 IM @ 1:30, held 1:19-1:20
10 x 25 breast @ :30
4 x 200 pull @ 2:45, breathing 3/5/7/5, averaged 2:21
100 easy

On Sunday I swam at

Wednesday August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

Lifted weights last night. Swam this morning at Nitro with David, Ron, Anthony, Zach, and Jean. I didn't wake up feeling 100% but decided to swim anyway. James coached.

400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull, 100 swim
3 x (1 x 100 kick @ 1:50, 1 x 100 drill @ 1:40, 2 x 100 @ 1:30 25 strong/50 moderate.25 strong), averaged 1:11s on the 2 x 100s.
1 x 100 easy
5 x 100 @ 1:30, best average, held 1:05-1:06, went 1:04 on the last one (500 race pace)
1 x 200 easy
12 x 25 @ :30, one breath or less

Tuesday August 30, 2011

2011-08-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

Swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs on Sunday with David and Anthony. We hit the water at 5:30, so it was still pretty dark. Anthony had brought some glow sticks which we attached to our caps so at least we could see each other. As always, we swam the 9th lap hard as an open water race. I passed Anthony in the 50 yards, but David beat us both.

Yesterday I missed the morning practice at Nitro because I was seeing a couple of consults at the hospital. Later in the day I swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. My main set was 18 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:20 (1500 race pace). This has become a test set for me so that I can gauge my level of endurance. I would like to build up to 25 x 100 holding the same pace in preparation for the 1650 in April. I believe there is still value in overdistance training.

This morning I swam at Nitro with Jean, David, Kirk, and Zach. Jordan coached.

200 SKIPS
4 x 300 @ 4:30: #1 50 fly/50 back/50 breast/150 free, #2 50 fly/50 back/150 free/50 breast, # 3 50 fly, 150 free, 50 back/50 breast, # 4 150 free, 50 fly/50 back/ 50 breast; averaged 4:00 on these
10 x 50 pull @ :45
5 x 100 IM @ 1:30, held 1:20
16 x 25 @ :30, one breath
100 easy

Saturday August 27, 2011

2011-08-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Had to leave practice early on Friday because of a conference call at 7:00. I swam half of the main set, which consisted of 50s on progressively faster intervals (6 @ :45, 4 @ :40, 2 @ :35) without additional rest. I swam this morning with Anthony, Steve, David, Ron, and Jean. Stephen coached.

300 swim, 200 kcik, 300 pull
4 x 50 @ 1:00
4 x 25 @ :30
1 x 500 pull, went 5:50, a personal best
4 x 25 @ :30, IM order
4 x 50 @ 1:00, IM order
5 x 75 @ 1:20, fly/back/breast
4 x 100 IM @ 1:30, averaged 1:20
5 x 100 @ 1:15, averaged 1:10
200 easy

Wednesday August 24, 2011

2011-08-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

Swan at Nitro this morning with Steve, Ron, Anthony, David, Tom, and Anita. James coached.

400 swim, 200 pull
12 x 25 @ :20
2 x (1 x 400 @ 5:15, 1 x 500 kick with fins, 12 x 25 @ :20), went 4:51 and 4:47 on the 400s but need to be closer to 4:40
1 x 200 easy
4 x 50 @ 1:00, over/under

3700 yards

Three miles

2011-08-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

Today at Nitro we swam a set that I have not done since 1978: 3 x 1650. The interval was 25:00, and the goal was to descend all three. I swam with Zach and Anthony and went 21:26, 21:20, 21:11. The set was as much mental as it was physical. I plan to repeat this monthly between now and short course Nationals so that when I step on the starting block in Greensboro I will think to myself, "I only have to swim one 1650 today."

Friday August 19, 2011: Drop down 200s

2011-08-22T07:38:00.001-05:00

Swam at Nitro on Friday morning with David, Zach, Anthony, and Ron. Tom coached.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
1 x 400, descend by 50 1-4 and 5-8; very nice transition set--I was able to descend from :39 to :35
Main set--10 x 200, beginning at 3:00 and dropping the interval by :05 to 2:25 for #8, then swimming #9 easy on 4:30 and #10 fast for time. I averaged 2:25s on 1-7 but missed the interval on #8 with a 2:27; went 2:14 on #10
1 x 600, 50 kick hard/100 swim moderate, 50 kick moderate/100 swim hard, 50 kick hard/100 swim moderate, 50 kick moderate/100 swim hard
200 easy

Wednesday August 17, 2011

2011-08-17T11:05:00.002-05:00

Lifted weights last night. Swam at Nitro with Zach, Steve, Ron, Tom, and David. James coached.

200 SKIPS
8 x 50 @ :40, held :35s
8 x 75 @ 1:15, 50 kick/25 swim
20 x 25 @ :20, felt strong on these
8 x 75 @ 1:05, 50 swim/25 kick
200 easy

I have dropped to #9 in the age group event rankings for the 800 free, but the results of the recent meet at Mission Viejo have not been included. I will drop to #10 at that point, and I know of at least one other swimmer who has posted a faster time this summer. My next realistic shot at a top ten ranking will be in 2013 when I age up. Planning to swim a set of 3 x 1650 @ 25:00, descend, sometime in the next week or two.

Tuesday August 16, 2011

2011-08-17T11:05:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro on Saturday with Zach, Tom, and Anthony. Stephen coached. The main set was 10 x 100 @ 1:30; I descended 1-5 from 1:09 to 1:06 and 6-10 from 1:11 too 1:06. On Sunday I swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs with Anthony, then skipped yesterday's practice because of a meeting downtown. THis morning I swam with David, Ron, Tom, and Zach. Jordan coached. The pool will remain short course for the rest of the year.

200 SKIPS
5 x 200 Indiana IMs @ 3:15, averaged 2:45
10 x 50 kick @ 1:00
3 x 100 IM @ 1:30, averaged 1:20
8 x 50 @ 1:00 IM order
1 x 200 IM for time, went 2:31
100 easy

Friday August 12, 2011

2011-08-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

Skipped practice yesterday morning because of some tendinitis in my left deltoid which appeared Wednesday afternoon but resolved within twenty four hours with ice and Aleve. I need to be more careful when I return to the gym after tapering. Swam this morning at Nitro with Anthony and Zach and felt pretty close to 100%. Tom coached.

400 swim, 300 kick, 300 pull
6 x (25 kick @ :40/50 swim @ :50)
Main set, no additional rest:
6 x 125 @ 2:00, held 1:28 (1650 race pace)
4 x 125 @ 2:00, held 1:28
6 x 75 @ 1:10, swam these moderate
4 x 75 @ 1:00, held :52
6 x 25 @ :25
4 x 25 @ :20
200 easy

Miles to go...

2011-08-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

So I have decided to swim the mile at short course Nationals in Greensboro. My best is a 19:55, but I believe that I can go 19:20, holding a 1:10 pace, which should be good enough to medal (but probably not fast enough to make top ten in my current age group). In the pool I plan to focus on race pace 100s, and at Barton Springs I will continue to build endurance through the winter months. One of the sets I will use as a benchmark will be 20-25 x 100 @ 1:20 holding 1:10s, another will be 10-15 x 100 @ 1:15 holding 1:10s. On longer repeats I will try to descend to 1650 race pace. I plan to continue lifting twice weekly.

I missed yesterday morning's practice at Nitro when I was called to the hospital at 4:45, so I swam yesterday afternoon at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool.

800 warm up
Main set, no additional rest:
18 x 100, 1-3 @ 1:35, 4-6 @ 1:30, 7-9 @ 1:25, 10-12 @ 1:30, 13-15 @ 1:35, 16-18 @ 1:30; held 1:19s
200 easy

I felt as though I could have done another 3 x 100 @ 1:25; overall this was a very good set and one which I will build upon this year.

Swam this morning at Nitro with Anthony, Tom, and Zach. James coached.

400 swim/400 pull
Main set:
4 x (4 x 100), 50-100 easy after each round; round 1 @ 1:35, round 2 @ 1:30, round 3 @ 1:25, round 4 @ 1:20. Averaged 1:19-1:20 on the first three rounds. I made two on 1:20 in round 4, then swam the last two on 1:25 (averaging 1:23), finishing at 5:28 for the 400.
16 x 50 @ 1:00, 3 fast/1 easy, averaged :37s
200 easy

Monday August 8, 2011

2011-08-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

Missed Saturday morning swim practice because of call responsibilities. Swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs yesterday with Anthony, stopping only once to answer a page. This morning I swam at Nitro with Anthony, Zach, and Rachel. Stephen coached. The pool was still set up long course.

500 swim
4 x 100 drill
300 kick
200 pull
100 swim
5 x 100 @ 1:40, held 1:19
4 x 100 @ 1:30, held 1:20, felt harder than it should have
3 x 100 kick @ 2:10
3 x 100 pull @ 1:25
8 x 50 @ 1:00, held :37 (400 race pace)
200 easy

Friday August 5, 2011

2011-08-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was an IM workout; we swam 4 x (4 x 50 @ 1:10, drill/swim), IM order, followed by 4 x 200 IM @ 3:30. I went 3:00 on the last one. Today I swam with Kirk, Anthony, Zach, and Michael. James coached.

400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull, 100 swim
4 x 200 @ 3:30, went 2:46, 2:43, 2:42, 2:38
4 x 150 @ 2:30, 100 moderate/50 fast, held 2:00 on all four
1 x 400 pull
4 x 100 @ 1:25, averaged 1:19-1:20, felt strong
100 easy

Wednesday Augusut 3, 2011

2011-08-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was an IM workout coached by Jordan. We did a set of drop down 50s toward the end, finishing with two @ :40. Swam at Nitro this morning with James, David, Zach, and Anthony. Tom coached. We are still training long course and will continue to do so for another week or so.

400 swim, 300 pull, 200 kick. 100 swim
4 x 200 @ 3:30, descend; this was supposed to be a transtion set, but I swam it strong and descended from 2:48 to 2:38.
Main set, all on 1:05:
1 x 50 easy, 1 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 2 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 3 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 4 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 5 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 4 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 3 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 2 x 50 fast
1 x 50 easy, 1 x 50 fast
Held :35-:36 on the fast 50s
100 easy

One Fine Day

2011-08-03T07:55:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs with Anthony, one of my training partners from Nitro; we began at 5:45 while it was still dark and finished shortly after 7:00, which is when many of the triathletes and open water swimmers arrive. The water was clear and cold, and as always we swam the ninth lap (out of ten) strong. Then it was off to Starbucks for my usual grande latte, followed by brunch with my son at the Counter Cafe on South Lamar, home of the second best burger in Texas according to Texas Monthly. Afterwards, we lifted weights at Life Time, then caught a matinee of Cowboys and Aliens. Before going to bed I checked the event rankings for the 800 free and saw that I was still #6 in my age group, which was a nice way to end a perfect day.

Monday morning I swam at Nitro with Anthony, Tom, and David. Stephen coached.

800 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
6 x (100 free @ 1:30/50 kick @ 1:30), averaged 1:17-1:18 on the 100s, went 1:15 on the last one
4 x 200 pull
100 easy

Saturday July 30, 2011

2011-08-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a couple of days off after Zones then swam at Nitro on Wednesday and again on Friday. I skipped Thursday morning practice but swam about 1500 meters in the outdoor pool at Life Time. This morning I swam at Nitro with Anthony, Tom, David, and Steve. Stephen coached. The main set included a set of 4 x 100 @ 2:30; I went 1:13, 1:13, 1:13, and 1:12, which was a very good effort for me. Plan to swim at Barton Springs tomorrow morning and lift weights later in the day.

Perfect

2011-07-25T08:45:00.004-05:00

I swam at our Zones meet in the Woodlands this weekend; I was joined by my daughter, Jennifer, who returned to competition after a two year lay off and swam a technically perfect 50 meter breast on little if any training, just missing a medal by .19 seconds. I was fully tapered for this meet, my first long course competition since 2008. The 400 free was the first event on Saturday, and while I did not break 5:00 as I had hoped, I still swam a personal best of 5:04.52, over two seconds faster than my previous best wearing a full body FSII. Later, I swam the 100 free in a virtual race against my good friend and coach Tom Kristek, who had sandbagged his entry time and was seeded in a different heat. We had wagered a latte for the loser, so my eventual victory (1:05.81 to 1:06.72) was bittersweet.

On Sunday I decided to scratch the 200 and focus on the 800. I warmed up at 8:00 (500 free followed by 6 x 50 pace) and again at 11:00 (300 free followed by a few 50s pace). I was expecting to race at noon, but the organizers decided to seed the heats with both men and women, slowest to fastest, which pushed the start time back to 1:30. I had had my usual grande latte, a yogurt and berries parfait, and two Aleve at 7:00, followed by a Cliff Bar and an EFS liquid shot washed down with Gatorade mid-morning. At this point I was wishing I had eaten a full breakfast. I had another Cliff Bar around noon and swam an easy 200 in the diving well about fifteen minutes before my race. My pre-race nutrition was really worrying me, but I was committed so I tried to push it out of my mind. I had consumed enough calories, but I hadn't eaten much real food, and I was feeling hungry.

I swam in the final heat of the final event in lane 2. Beside me in lane 3 was Larry Wood, who at 57 is currently in the next age group; he is consistently ranked in the top ten nationally and holds multiple Zone records. Surprisingly, swimming in a different heat I had posted a faster time than Larry in the 400 on Saturday, a first for me.  Consequently, I was expecting the 800 to be a good race, and it was. We were even throughout the first 700 meters, and I have never felt better in a race. My goal was to break 10:40 (in 2004 at age 46 I swam an 11:14.79 at long course Nationals); Jennifer counted for me, and we had agreed that she would signal with the lap counter if I was off pace, either too slow (up and down) or too fast (side to side). The counter never moved. I picked up the pace at the 500 mark, and Larry followed. With 100 meters left, as expected, he put the hammer down and split a :35.33 for the last 50. He finished in 10:27.11, and I finished a few seconds back in 10:31.51, having negative split the race 5:18.23/5:13.28.

Afterwards, he reached over the lane rope, shook my hand and said, "That was perfect." And he was right.

00:36.90   :36.90
01:17.28   :40.38
01:57.87   :40.59
02:38.18   :40.31
03:18.43   :40.25
03:58.43   :40.00
04:38.24   :39.81
05:18.23   :39.99
05:58.13   :39.90
06:38.04   :39.91
07:17.45   :39.41
07:56.65   :39.20
08:35.76   :39.11
09:14.57   :38.81
09:53.40   :38.83
10:31.51   :38.11

Wednesday July 20, 2011

2011-07-20T12:16:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro this morning with Tom, next to Steve and David. James coached. Felt good in the water for the first time during this taper.

500 swim, 300 pull
8 x 50, 2 @ :55, 2 @ :50, 2 @ :45, 2 @ :50
4 x 50 @ 1:10, 25 fast/25 easy, averaged :39s
4 x 50 @ 1:10, 400 race pace, held :37 low and felt smooth, HR 132-144
300 easy

1900 meters

Tuesday July 19, 2011

2011-07-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro this morning with Eryn and Patrick. Stephen coached. I modified the workout for my taper. Still waiting for the feeling of easy speed.

400 swim, 400 pull (no paddles)
2 x (4 x 50 @ 1:10 drill/easy swim, 4 x 50 @ 1:10 race pace, 4 x 50 @ 1:10 race pace, 200 easy), averaged :36s on the race pace 50s, HR 130s but felt a bit tight

2400 meters

Plan to drop the volume to 2000 meters Wednesday and Thursday, then swim a meet warm up on Friday morning. My goal at Zones is to beat my times from 2007/2008 which were swum in an FS II body suit.

Monday July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T08:41:00.000-05:00

Survived another call weekend. Swam 1500 meters at Life Time yesterday afternoon in the outdoor pool, which was a bit warm as expected. I did an easy ladder (500, 400, 300, 200, 100) followed by 4 x 25 swum as 12.5 fast/12.5 easy. This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Tom, James, and Anthony. I modified the written workout for my taper. Felt a bit tight but better overall than I did on Friday.

600 swim, 400 pull (no paddles)
10 x 50 @ 1:00, smooth, averaged :39s
8 x (50 at 400 race pace/50 smooth), held :37s (feet to feet) and :40s respectively
200 easy

2500 meters

Saturday July 16, 2011

2011-07-18T08:35:00.002-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Tom, Kirk, and Jeff. Stephen coached. I modified the workout for my taper. Felt a bit sluggish as expected

500 swim, 300 pull
4 x 50 drill
1 x 200 @ 3:30
4 x 50 @ 1:00
1 x 200 @ 3:30
4 x 50 @ 1:10, 400 race pace, held :37s feet to feet
2 x 200 @ 3:30
4 x 50 @ 1:00, 400 race pace, held :37s
1 x 200 pull
200 easy

2600 meters

Friday July 15, 2011

2011-07-18T08:35:00.001-05:00

I had an early meeting in Austin this morning so I swam at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. This was day two of my taper.

800 swim, 400 pull
10 x 100 @ 1:45, moderate effort, went 1:21-1:22 on the first few then held 1:20s the rest of the way
1 x 50 easy
8 x 50 @ 1:10, 400 race pace, held :37s feet to feet
200 easy

2850 meters

Thursday July 14, 2011

2011-07-18T08:35:00.000-05:00

Day one of my taper. Swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Tom, and James. Jordan coached.

400 swim, 400 pull
5 x 200 @ 3:30, swam these moderate, odds swim, evens pull, went 2:42 on number 5
10 x 50 kick, no board, not sure of the interval
8 x 50 @ 1:00, 400 race pace, held :37s
200 easy

2900 meters

Thursday July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Anthony, Tom, and Michael. James coached.

400 swim, 100 kick, 400 pull
8 x 50 @ 1:00, odds easy, evens fast
Main set, 1:30 base:
3 x 400
3 x 200
3 x 100
Averaged 5:40-5:42, 2:46, and 1:19. We swam an easy 100 between rounds.
100 easy

I will begin tapering tomorrow. I plan to swim 3000 meters/day each of the next few days, a mix of easy aerobic swimming and quality work with more rest, then 2500 on Monday and Tuesday, 2000 on Wednesday and Thursday, and 1500 on Friday. This has been my best summer of long course training yet in Masters, so we will see if I can hit my taper just right and swim some personal bests at Zones.

Tuesday July 12, 2011

2011-07-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Kirk, and Jeff. Stephen coached.

600 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
4 x 150 pull @ 2:30, held 1:57s, felt very strong on these
4 x 100 kick @ 2:15
16 x 50 @ 1:00, IM order, #1 easy/fast, #2 fast/easy, #3 technique, #4 fast
100 easy

I plan to start my taper on Thursday.

Monday July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

I am in my "pre-taper" phase of training leading up to Zones on July 23. I decided not to lift weights yesterday and will not lift again until after the meet. I did swim 4000 yards at Barton Springs on Sunday with Anthony, but I kept the pace moderate. This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Anita, Tom, Anthony, Michael, and Michael. Stephen coached. I felt pretty good in the water today.

800 warm up (I swam 700)
8 x 50 streamline kick on back @ 1:15
1 x 500 pull breathing 3/5/3/7/3
2 x (1 x 200 @ 3:30, 1 x 200 pull @ 3:20, 1 x 100 @ 1:40, 1 x 100 pull @ 1:30, 1 x 50); I went 2:40 and 2:37 on the 200s and felt strong
8 x 50 @ 1:00, 400 race pace, held :37s
100 easy

Saturday July 9, 2011

2011-07-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro this morning and had a pretty forgettable workout. I'm not sure I had fully recovered from yesterday's 3000 meter main set, and I was having trouble staying focused due to work related issues. At the end we were assigned 8 x 100 @ 1:30 of which I only swam 6, averaging a disappointing 1:25. So this afternoon I stopped by Life Time and after a 500 warm up swam a set of 8 x 100 @ 1:25, holding 1:18-1:19. A very strong effort and my best set of 100s on that interval yet.

Friday July 8, 2011

2011-07-09T16:41:00.000-05:00

The highlight of yesterday's workout was a set of 5 x 150 @ 2:30; I swam these free with Steve and held 1:59 on the the first four, then went 2:00 on number five. Today I swam with Steve, David, Anthony, and Zach. Tom coached.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull
Main set, a ladder, 1:45 base on the way up, 1:30 base on the way down; I held a 1:25 pace or better throughout, and went 1:18 on the last 100:
100/200/300/400/500/500/400/300/200/100
100 easy

Wednesday July 6, 2011

2011-07-06T21:01:00.001-05:00

Swam at Nitro this morning with Tom and Anthony. James coached. I was very sluggish and still pretty sore from weights on Monday. My repeat times were horrible; I struggled through a set of 4 x 200 @ 3:10, averaging 2:50-2:55, and I bailed on a set of 8 x 100 (2 each on 1:35/1:30/1:25/1:20), swimming only 5 of them.

After work this afternoon, I stopped by Life Time and swam in the indoor 25 meter pool. I warmed up with a 500, then swam the set of 8 x 100 from this morning. I felt strong and held 1:18s, just off my 800 race pace. Great set and a nice way to end the day.

Tuesday July 5, 2011

2011-07-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

Took the day off on Sunday and skipped Barton Springs. Yesterday I swam at Nitro with Steve, James, and David. Tom coached.

400 swim/200 kick/400 pull
Main set:
1 x 500 moderate @ 8:00
2 x 100 kick
1 x 500 @ 8:00
1 x 200 pull
1 x 500 @ 8:00
2 x 100 @ 1:45
1 x 500 @ 8:00
1 x 100 easy
1 x 500
Descended the 500s 7:20, 7:12, 7:04, 7:04, 6:59
100 easy

Today was an IM workout with 1700 meters of kicking, very forgettable.

Planning a one week taper for Zones in Houston 7/23-24. I entered the 100, 200, 400, and 800 free. Hoping to break 10:30 in the 800, 5:00 in the 400, and 2:20 in the 200.

Saturday July 2, 2011

2011-07-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

Thursday was an IM workout, but after the main set we swam 16 x 50 @ 1:00; I held 800 race pace feet to feet (:40).

Yesterday we swam a challenge set of 20 x 100 @ 1:30, a long course first for me in Masters. My fastest was a 1:19, the slowest was a 1:22.

Today I swam with Steve and Jeff, next to Tom, Larry, and Rachel. Stephen coached.

400 warm up
400 moderate, went 5:40
3 x 300--#1 200 moderate/100 fast, #2 100 moderate/200 fast, #3 fast, went 3:12, 3:10, 3:01
3 x (1 x 200 @ 3:30, 1 x 150 IM @ 3:00), held 2:42 for the 200s
5 x 100 pull @ 1:30
100 easy

Wednesday June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T08:17:00.000-05:00

Lifted weights on Monday night. Because of an early meeting downtown, I swam yesterday morning at Life Time in the indoor 25 meter pool. The main set was 15 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:20. Didn't feel great but I managed to maintain 1500 race pace throughout the set. This morning I swam at Nitro with Steve, David, Kirk, Anthony, Tom, and Zach. James coached.

400 swim/400 pull
2 x (1 x 400 @ 6:00, 1 x 500 kick with fins with 1:00 rest, 4 x 50 @ :45, 1 x 400 pull @ 6:00), went 5:29 and 5:26 on the two 400s
100 easy

Monday January 27, 2011

2011-06-29T08:16:00.000-05:00

Swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs yesterday with David and Anthony. We raced the next to last 400 and finished in a dead heat by virtue of the fact that David had a near collision with another swimmer, and Anthony paused to look while I swam around the two of them. Swam at Nitro this morning with Steve, Kirk, David, and Tom.

800 swim
2 x (4 x 50 @ 1:00, 1 x 100 @ 1:30, 1 x 100 @ 1:20)
4 x (4 x 50 dolphin kick @ 1:15)
4 x 200 pull @ 3:15, went 2:40
8 x 50 @ 1:00, 400 race pace, held :37, went ;35 on #8
100 easy

Saturday June 25, 2011

2011-06-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro yesterday with Anthony, David, and Steve. Tom coached. Tough lactate workout.

400 swim, 300 pull, 200 kick
6 x 50 @ 1:00, build
Round 1:
4 x 50 @ 1:00, descend
2 x 200 @ 5:00, went 2:36
1 x 100 easy
Round 2:
2 x 200 @ 3:15, moderate
3 x 100 @ 3:00, went 1:14, 1:13, 1:12
2 x 50 easy
Round 3:
2 x 100 @ 1:45, moderate
4 x 50 @ 1:30, averaged :34
1 x 100 easy

Swam this morning with David, Steve, Tom, and Anthony. Stephen coached, but we modified the workout because we had not fully recovered after yesterday.

8 x 100 @ 1:45; I really dislike timed warmups.
8 x 50 kick @ 1:15
1 x 500 pull
4 x 250 IM order, swim/drill/kick/swim
10 x 50 @ 1:00, 400 race pace, held :37
100 easy

Wednesday June 22, 2011

2011-06-25T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a long course IM workout; the main set was 1 x 400 IM, followed by 4 x 200 IM. This morning I swam at Nitro with Tom, Michael, and Anthony, next to Kirk and David. James coached.

800 warm up
4 x 50 kick @ 1:10
Main set:
5 x (2 x 150 @ 2:10, 1 x 150 kick/swim/kick), went 2:00 and 2:03 on the first and second 150s of each round
100 easy

Monday June 20, 2011

2011-06-21T17:06:00.000-05:00

Swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs yesterday morning. Definitely felt the effect of that this morning. Swam with Steve, David, Tom, and Michael. Stephen coached.

600 swim
12 x 50, 1-4 @ 1:00, 5-8 @ :55, 9-12 @ :50
4 x 200 pull @ 3:30
4 x 100 fast @ 2:30, went 1:16, 1:14, 1:15, 1:13 (400 race pace)
6 x 50 @ 1:00, DPS, felt better on these, averaged :38s
100 kick/100 easy

It was a slow post call afternoon at work, so I decided to swim a double at Life Time. I warmed up with 500 meters, then swam 8 x 100 @ 1:25, holding 1:20. Felt strong and smooth on these, maintaining a six beat kick and keeping my stroke together for the entire set. Later I lifted weights with my son at the South Austin location.

Saturday June 18, 2011

2011-06-20T08:12:00.000-05:00

Swam at Nitro Friday morning with Steve, Kirk, Anthony, and David. Tom coached.

400 swim, 200 kick, 400 pull
10 x 50 @ 1:00
10 x 250 @ 4:15, held 3:22-3:24, at or near 1500 race pace; very tough endurance set
100 easy.

Lifted weights last night. Swam this morning at Nitro with Steve, David, Tom, Anthony, and Larry. Stephen coached.

1000 warm up
50/100/150/200/200/150/100/50, 2x through, round one @ :55/:50 base, round two @ :50/:45 base
100 easy

Wednesday June 15, 2011

2011-06-15T07:46:00.002-05:00

Swam 4000 yards at Barton Springs Sunday morning with Anthony, then lifted weights later that afternoon. I was definitely feeling the effect of that on Monday morning. Swam with Steve, Tom, Anthony, and David. Stephen coached.

400 swim/400 pull
4 x (4 x 50 @ 1:00, 1 x 100 @ 1:40, 1 x 100 @ 1:30), no extra rest, held 1:20 (800 race pace)
1 x 300 pull
1 x 200 build
1 x 200 for time, went 2:36
1 x 100 easy
1 x 300 pull
100 easy (ran out of time, fortunately)

Tuesday was a forgettable IM workout with two kicking sets, but we finished it off with 3 x 100 @ 1:30, holding 1:19s. Swam this morning at Nitro with Anthony, Steve, and David. James coached. The pool was set up long course

1000 swim/pull
Main set, "double down":
3 x (1 x 400 @ 7:00, 1 x 200 @ 3:30, 1 x 100):
5:50    5:37    5:26
2:48    2:42    2:38
1:21    1:19    1:16
100 easy

Friday June 10, 2011

2011-06-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

Swam at Nitro with Steve, Anthony, and Jackie. Tom coached. The pool was set up long course.

300 swim, 200 kick, 300 pull, 200 swim
4 x 800 @ 13:00, descend. I have not done a set of long course 800s in over thirty years. Went 11:42, 11:30, 11:30, and 11:28, which was only :14 slower than at Nationals in 2004. My goal at Zones is to be under 10:30.
100 easy