3 x 50 free warm-up
1 x 225 on 3:20
1 x 100 on 1:40
1 x 125 on 1:40
4 x 50 on :50 (even free, odd fly)
4 x 50 kick on 1:00
3 x 400 IM on 6:30
4 x 50 kick on 1:00
6 x 75 breast/free mix on 1:10
50 easy
4 x 100 free on 1:30
4 x 50 cool-down
3500yd/1.99mi
My back is killing me today. It's been hurting all week (I chalk it up to my three weeks of forced inactivity plus the physical fitness test that worked only my abs leading to a core imbalance and hence a sore back) but today it was especially not fun, and doubly so on the flip turns. I found that breaststroke helped because the action used to pull the torso out of the water uses those lower back muscles. I'm still a little stiff, but much better than I was this morning.
250 warm-up
10 x 200 IM, 2 on 3:30, 2 on 3:25 and so on (repeated 3:05)
50 easy
8 x 100 breast, 2 on 1:45, 2 on 1:40 and so on, taking breaks every two (repeated about 1:30)
4 x 50 cool-down
3300yd/1.875mi
300 warm-up
4x50 free
100 free on 1:10 (1:08, 1:10, 1:12, 1:10)
50 easy
100 free
2x50 easy
100 free
3x50 easy
100 free
50 easy
100 IM on 1:25 (1:16, 1:18, 1:20, 1:20, 1:18)
50 easy
100 IM
2x50 easy
100 IM
3x50 easy
100 IM
50 easy
100 IM
50 easy
2x50 relay
4x25 easy
4x75 on 1:10
4x75 on 1:05
4x75 on 1:00
4x25 easy
3300yd/1.875mi
Today's weight: 158. Down from 173 in the beginning of October. Great progress. 11 pounds to go (less if I start putting on muscle)
Since I was complaining yesterday that I hadn't done any 100 fly (much less a 400 IM) in a long time, Mimi decided to pull a trick out of her proverbial sleeve this morning. We both hate sprint workouts so she suggested that we do the entire main set butterfly. Looking up at the board, I saw a 200 was on the docket but figured "what the hell" and threw my lot in with her.
I actually preferred doing the fly -- which only goes to strengthen my theory that there is something fundamentally wrong with swimmers. By the end I felt like my shoulders had swum about five miles, but it was well worth it.
Warm-up:
400 free
100 breast kick
4x50 free on 1:00
We took a long minute rest after each leg (usually about a minute and a half):
50 fly
100 fly
50 fly
100 fly
150 fly
50 fly
100 fly
150 fly
200 fly
4x50 kick on 1:10
4x75 free on 1:00
4x50 cool-down
Total yardage: 2400
Turns out that I am not, as previously thought, un-sick.
I got up for practice today. Felt... eh. I decided to get my butt to the pool anyway because it had been a week and a half and all my symptoms were above the neck. I'm stubborn like that. You gotta love my mom and me for that. Besides, I had worked out the last two days and felt fine. There hadn't been any ill effects from my physical expenditures those two dryland days.
Warm-up was ok... warm-up is usually ok.
But then we got right to business. I had no energy, no get-up-and-go, no spark, no motivation to actually push myself. And then I started to feel like crap below the neck. I actually got out in the middle of a set to sit down for a minute and drink some water.
So I finished out the set, feeling worse than ever, and then got out of the pool. I didn't even finish the workout -- which is highly unusual for me. I just didn't think I was doing myself any favors. I took a nice long shower, got dressed, went home, took a dose of NyQuil, and slept for six hours.
And then I woke up and couldn't talk anymore. The voice is gone. So much for no ill effects, huh?
So the pool is definitely out tomorrow. My next opportunity after that will be Friday. We'll see if I'm feeling up to it.
The workout:
100 free warm-up
4x50 on 1:00
6x350 free on 5:00 (although the last two were 325s, hooray for sickie)
Then I got out.
Total yardage: 2350
Decided to take it easy today. My knees don't really like it when I run two days a in a row anymore. We'll see if running more often than I used to -- and losing a few pounds -- helps improve their durability.
Just did an hour on the elliptical. Program: random, level: 13, duration: 1 hour
My quads were happy for the workout. They were sore from the run the day before. Poor quads.
I'm feeling much better. Maybe I'm un-sick again...
I've been sick for the last week. Bummer. I'm trying to keep the weight loss constant, but I guess you have to take a setback or two every once in a while.
The congestion in my head miraculously cleared yesterday afternoon so I decided I should go work out while I had the chance. Since I was doing one of those mandatory PT sessions I had to bread my situps/crunches only once a year rule. That may start happening more often since apparently the fact that I swim a lot isn't good enough. Le sigh.
100 reps crunches, mixed regular, oblique, bicycle, and flutter kicks
40 push-ups
30 minutes (probably more, actually) running with the VunderHund
Back in the pool on Monday!
Starting doing 200 IMs on 3:30. Each rep's interval got 5 seconds faster. When I couldn't make IMs anymore I switched to freestyle (same distance) and when I couldn't make those I dropped a 50 and went back to IM. We ended at the 35 second interval.
Was v. sore from my fitness test. The reason I swim and the reason I do dolphin kick off walls is so I don't have to do push-ups or crunches, respectively. The only time I do them is during my fitness test.
I don't know how many yards we did, but it was a lot.
I tried to go swimming today but the pool was closed due to mechanical problems.
Don't get me started on what a joke the fitness testing system is. I think the score -- considering that I'm still pretty out of shape and the number and type of yards I did the day before -- speaks for itself.
Run: 12:12, 53 pts
Push-ups: 45, 10 pts
Crunches: 60, 10 pts
Body composition: 160 pounds, 30 pts
Total score: 93
300 warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
4x100 on 2:00, repeated ~1:10
50 easy
4x75 on 1:30, repeated ~:50
50 easy
4x50 on 1:00, repeated ~:35
50 easy
Relays:
Freestyle Swedish relay, swam 200
50 breaststroke relay
50 backstroke relay
50 freestyle relay
50 fly
4x50 on 1:00
4x100 breaststroke pull
4x100 breaststroke kick
4x100 breaststroke drill (2 kick/1 pull)
2x100 breaststroke swim
4x50 cool-down
Total yardage: 3750
300 free
50 breast kick
4x50 IM order on 1:00
5x200 IM on 3:15, repeated between 2:45-2:47
100 easy
5x100 IM on 1:35, repeated 1:25
100 easy
6x50 on 1:00, 2 fly, 2 back, 2 breast, focusing on technique
4x50 cool down on 1:00
Total yardage: 2750
Mimi wasn't going to be at the pool today and since I had a meeting at work right after practice would have let out, I decided to swim at the pool on base instead of at Ft Rich. I didn't have a ton of time or a ton of motivation (funny how swimming alone is like that) but I at least got a bit of a workout it, which is definitely better than doing nothing at all.
200 swim
100 breast kick
100 dolphin kick
4x100 free on 1:45, repeated 1:13-1:15
4x200 IM on 3:30, started at 3:00 and went about 5 seconds slower on each consecutive rep
150 breast drill and kick
Total yardage: 1750
No swimming today.
Just did the elliptical for 45min at level 13, random program. Kept RPM above 55.
250 free
4x50 free on 1:00
4x425 on 6:15, 6:30, 6:45, and 7:00
2x225 on 3:15
8x50 on :50
4x50 cool down
Total yardage (with the extra oops-I-can't-count laps added in): 2700
Next time I need to do those 425s as 450s or 475s. I made them much too comfortably. No worries though, as I'm just getting back into the serious swimming thing and so I don't really know where I am right now.
400 free
4x50 IM order on 1:00
2x50 free, all out sprint (repeated :32)
4x75 on 1:04
4x75 on 1:05
1x200 strong (2:32)
2x100 (repeated 1:13)
4x50 IM order (relay starts)
200 cool down
Total yardage: 2100
I completely bonked on this -- especially the 75s. My arms just had nothing left after yesterday so this was not a pretty swim! Good thing I have the next couple of days off.....
200 (400?) free
100 breast kick
100 fly kick
4x50 IM order on 1:00
2 times through:
25 on :30
50 on 1:00
75 on 1:30
100 on 2:00
75 on 1:30
50 on 1:00
25 on :30
First time through breaststroke, second time through butterfly
5x100 on 2:15 (first three IM, last two breaststroke)
3x50 fly on 1:10
4x50 cooldown
Total yardage: 2250
So I'm a crazy woman. I'm still out of shape and all, but for some reason there was a little voice in my head that was saying "yes, Mimi is much better shape than you, but she's just doing 100 fly and you're doing 100 IM! You can keep up with her!"
Not such a good voice to listen to.
And because I'm a crazy competitive person, I ended up keeping up with her alright, but I was having to get my heart rate up to like 190, 200 to do it! Not such a good idea since I don't have the maximum heart rate of a fifteen year old and dropping dead at the tender age of twenty-five isn't really my thing.
I was also working hard enough to achieve muscle failure on those last three 50s fly. By the end of each one I looked like one of those little kids who's only just now learning how to swim fly and they don't quite have the upper body strength to be able to pull it off.
Wheeeee.
I could be paying for this tomorrow.
Today was good. Today I swam back with the team!
It had been a year since I had last swum with them. My work schedule just wasn't letting me get to practice, but now that we're going back to The Schedule Of Doom the practice times line up better with my life. Hooray!
My stroke felt, well, weak and inconsistent. The good thing is that I was able to work on it a lot because it was a distance day... and it hurt. Always a good sign to be feelin' that lactic acid your first day back!!!! (Seriously!)
I'm still fast, apparently. This is good. Still lots of room for improvement though. A lot of improvement. And now that I'm back with the team I know I'll start shedding my excess poundage too. Not that I'm fat, but I'm a good 15 pounds heavier than I was a year and a half ago. Plus I'll pack on all that lovely swimming muscle.
It's so good to be back! I missed my swimming buddies, I missed the competition, and I missed the water. Hooray for svimmink!
Today's workout -- Monday is distance day
Warm-up:
200 free
4x50 on :30
1x800 on 12:30
1x400 on 6:30
4x200 on 3:15
4x100 on 1:40
Cool down:
4x50 on :30
Total yardage: 3000
Went cross-country skiing again for perhaps a little less than an hour. The snow conditions are getting really bad, leading to very slick ice/snow and quite a bit of difficulty going in a straight line or snowplowing. This made hills terrifying, so I tried to stay in the tracks as much as possible because they could guide me more than the slippery surface could.
There was one hill where the curve at the bottom was pretty sharp so my gurus advised me to not take the tracks and to snowplough down the hill instead. It was rather steep, and as I stepped up to the top and tried to get the hang of digging in my skis like a madwoman before I actually stepped into the cruel, unforgiving grip of gravity, all that I could hear was the panicked physicist in my head screaming "G SINE THETA! G SINE THETA!" This, of course, would have been the acceleration that I experienced just before death if I messed this hill up.
Digging in my skis one last time while attempting to point in some semblance of a straight line down the hill, I figure, "what the hell!" (I know, famous last words) and give myself the tiniest prod down the hill with my poles. In about 1/30th of a microsecond I'm going three times the speed of sound in a direction that is distinctly not straight down the slick slope, trying desperately to bend the ice to my formidable will, and attempting even more desperately to stay upright and navigate not only the hill but the sharp turn at the bottom -- all so I don't die.
Somehow, I prevail. It isn't pretty, but I stay upright with a minimum of flailing. I'm not sure how this happened -- I was so sure I was going to wipe out. Elated, I ski on, feeling accomplished and distinctly not dead.
So the moral of the story is to make sure snow conditions are favorable when you are learning a sport that, as evidenced by the fact that your survival depends on the planks of wood that you strap to your feet, is as dastardly as cross-country skiing.
BONUS: I saw fresh moose feet on the trails! In several locations! And on the drive into the park where we skied I definitely saw a moose chowing down on some bark. Be patient, Mr. Moose, the grass is starting to show through the snow and soon will be the season of plenty!
400 free warm-up
100 breast kick
100 dolphin kick
4x50 IM order on 1:00
4x100 on 1:30 (repeated 1:15)
2x200 IM on 3:15 (repeated 2:55)
Total yardage: 1600
At this point I got kicked out of the pool because the lights wouldn't stay on, so they had to close. This was ok by me since I'm pretty tired from everything I've been doing -- swimming and cross-country in the same day, two days in a row can make one tired. That certainly doesn't mean I'm not going to double up tomorrow tnough -- the snow is disappearing fast and I intend to take advantage of it while it's still here!
400 free with paddles
100 breast kick
4x50 IM order on 1:00
4x100 fly on 1:40 (repeated 1:25)
4x100 back on 1:45 (repeated 1:20)
4x100 breast on 1:50 (repeated 1:30)
4x50 fly on :50 (repeated :40)
4x50 back on :55 (repeated :40)
4x50 breast on 1:00 (repeated :45)
200 cool-down
Total yardage: 2700
Not a huge number of yards, but they were definitely quality. I took my heart rate about four times -- once it was 160, every other time it was 180. I was working really hard. That's one good thing about having The Adversary there -- I always push harder when I'm swimming against her. Apparently I'll even push myself to the point of puking. There was one 100 breast where, upon finishing, I just collapsed sideways against the wall and didn't move until it was time to go again. Most of the time I stand up, but not this time.
Felt pretty good after doing the cross-country skiing yesterday. I was a little sore in my back muscles, but it was nothing that a good warm-up in the pool couldn't work out. I have a hunch that the skiing uses a lot of swimming muscles so picking up the sport is not going to be terribly enlightening in the "Ha! You didn't know you had that muscle before, did you!" way. Very fun though.
Later than morning: an hour-plus of cross-country skiiing again. I repaid my "I didn't fall at all on my first time skiing" karmic debt by falling twice today. It's a damn good thing that one of my favorite pastimes is laughing at myself!
300 free warm-up
100 breast kick
4x50 IM order on 1:00
4x400 IM on 7:00, strong pace (went 5:45, 5:43, 5:50, 5:46)
50 easy
4x200 free on 2:45 (repeated 2:35)
4x50 easy on 1:00
5x100 free on 1:30 (repeated 1:15)
4x75 free on 1:00 (repeated :55)
4x50 free on :45
4x25 free on :30
Total yardage: 4350
The fly in the 400 IMs hurt. I think that leg was responsible for my lackluster third IM. It's been oh, three to four weeks since I've gotten some quality butterfly in, so it's no wonder that those were killing me. So on the fourth I made a real effort to really swim it strong with good technique and pace -- I was exhausted by the end but it seemed to have paid off in my time. I definitely need to put in some quality distance butterfly time -- perhaps after practice tomorrow will be a good opportunity.
Jack made some recommendations about my flip turns -- I push off too deep. I've known that but hadn't realized that it was forcing me to really pop up my head when I start swimming, which kills my momentum. He noticed that my chin was tucked way too much on my push-off and that I should get my head back to where they should be, streamline-wise. It made a huge difference.
It's so awesome to have someone helping me with my stroke again!
That afternoon: went cross country-skiing for the first time. Was out for about an hour -- great fun! I seemed to have picked up the rhythm and such pretty quickly.
500 free warm-up
4x50 IM order on 1:00
3x400 IM on 6:15 (repeated 6:05, certainly not my best effort)
325 IM (300 IM + 25 free) on 5:00
5x150 on 2:00 (repeated 1:55)
5x100 IM on 1:45 (repeated 1:25)
8x75 -- 25s IM order, staggering starting stroke on each 75)
6x50 on 1:00 (2 fly, 2 back, 2 breast)
4x25 cool down
Total yardage: 4475
When I was doing breaststroke today I really concentrated on keeping my head still (addressing my bobble head issue) and it made a huge difference. I felt like I was actually moving forward instead of up and down and my recovery was easier and faster. Sweet.
Tried really hard to narrow up my butterfly catch, but had some issues with timing my breathing. I'm not distraught over this though since it will take a couple more days before my fly is up to snuff.
Total yardage: 4475
Skipped yesterday because I didn't think I would be able to drive into practice safely.
Today:
400 free warm-up
100 breast kick
4x50 free on 1:00
3x
{
75 - 25 stroke, 50 free
75 - 25 free, 25 stroke, 25 free
75 - 50 free, 25 stroke
75 - 50 stroke, 25 free
75 - 25 free, 50 stroke
75 stroke
}
Fly first time through, then back, then breast. All were on 1:15.
8x50 idiot IMs on 1:00
200 breast kick
Total yardage: 2450
Later that day: 55min on elliptical
Got back in the water for the first time in... a long time. Since 24 February, it looks like.
Did a nice, long warm-up, freestyle with paddles and breaststroke kick of uncounted yardage.
4x50 free on 1:00
5x
{
2x75 free - interval varied, repeated :55
1x50 free on 1:15
1x150 free - interval varied
1x50 free on 1:15
}
The 75s started on the 1:05 and increased by 5 seconds on each time through, ending on the 1:25
The 150s started on the 2:40 and decreased by 5 seconds on each time through, ending on the 2:20
(I thought there was a sixth time through, but the intervals aren't working out in my head)
4x50 free cool-down
Total yardage: 2400 (possibly 2800), excluding warm-up.
Felt, well, like a fish out of water. My stroke was weak and misguided -- really had to concentrate on reigning it in and making it follow the right path.
More tomorrow.
That night at work: 50 minutes on elliptical.
300 free warm-up
100 dolphin kick
4x50 on 1:00 (done IM order because Mimi makes me swim IM 80% of the time so I figure I should warm up all of the strokes at least a little)
6x
{
100 IM on 1:45 (replacing breast with fly because I apparently have a bum knee)
150 free on 2:00
}
8x50 kick on 1:100
6x75 on 1:15 swum as follows:
25 fly, 50 free
25 free, 25 fly, 25 free
50 free, 25 fly
50 fly, 25 free
25 free, 50 fly
75 fly
Supplemental:
4x500 (the fact that I have no idea what my interval or pace was is part of a major thorn in my side)
2x100 cool-down
Total yardage: 5150
I don't know why my left knee was hurting. It was bothering me yesterday too. I really think that all of my breaststroke-leg-related issues are due to no strength training on the important bits (most especially my adductors). I've also be fretting about what to do for swimming on days where I work mids since I will be at work during practice and the pool I swim at has extremely limited hours. The base gym is too inconvenient since it is a half-hour away and also has limited hours.
So to solve this problem I went and checked out the Alaska Club. I figured that this would be a good solution since it is a half a mile away from my house and they have a pool that has at least two lanes open for lap swim 17 hours a day. Plus they have all the weight and cardio equipment you would expect at a place like that and lots of classes as well. They also have five other locations in Anchorage that I can use, one of which is open 24 hours. Totally sweet. That definitely solves the shift worker's access problem.
Joining a gym isn't something I really ever expected to do, but I'm really excited about it. There is a huge variety and convenience that has just opened itself up to me. I'm already planning what classes I'm going to hit up tomorrow! Hopefully the "Today's Workout" category will get a lot more interesting soon -- and definitely expect to see double workouts happening.
Felt like crap when my alarm went off at 4:50 yesterday, so I reset the alarm for eight hours later and didn't wake up until I heard the buzz.
This morning:
Long, very miscellaneous warm-up -- at least 600 yards
4x50 on 1:00
2x200 IM on 3:15
2x200 IM on 3:10
2x200 IM on 3:05
2x200 IM on 3:10
2x200 IM on 3:15
2x200 IM on 3:20
I repeated all of them on the 2:50.
6x75 on 1:00 (repeated :54)
Stayed in the pool for a big longer to get some extra yards. They weren't high intensity, but I just needed to get at least another mile under my belt.
100 free easy
4x100 fly on 1:50 (repeated 1:35)
4x100 back on 1:40 (repeated 1:30)
4x100 free on 1:20
4x50 breast pull with paddles and buoy
100 free cool-down
Total yardage: 5250
This was prettymuch a perfectly-swum workout. I repeated the same on the IMs regardless on interval and somehow managed to not puke during the 75s, which was by no means a given -- especially since I was keeping up with Mimi and Jack. I'm trying to keep the intensity, uhm, intense since my swimming schedule is kind of erratic, but if I can go to Nationals or Worlds I want to know that I at least trained my hardest.
Today was the first day back in the pool since the meet. Rather than letting us loosen up after the fast swimming we did this weekend, she instead had us do distance
400-ish free warm-up with paddles
150 breast kick
4x50 free on 1:00
1x400 IM on 6:15
1x400 free on 5:00
1x250 IM on 3:45
1x200 free on 2:30
1x100 free on 1:15
Minute or two of rest....
Looking back at how I made some of the stuff on that set we made some adjustments on the way back up.
1x100 free on 1:15
1x200 free on 2:30
1x225 IM on 3:45
1x375 free on 5:00
1x400 IM on 6:15
4x50 free on 1:00 cool-down
Total yardage: 3600
Bonus: I get to go to practice every day this week! Woohoo!
Last practice before taper! I wanted it to be hard, and Mimi delivered:
200 free warm-up
100 swim (50 fly/50 back) warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
3x200 on 2:45
6x200 on 2:40
3x200 on 2:35
4x125 on 1:45
4x125 on 1:40
4x50 on :45
4x50 on :40
2x50 cool-down
Total yardage: 4400
The way I felt during this practice was reminiscent of, but nowhere near as bad, as the last Saturday practice I went to. Since I never feel like this during the week and I also happened to be shifting my sleep schedule the last time I felt like this kind of ass in the pool, I think that that is probably the culprit.
It was weird. I was swimming fairly fast on the first rep of each set, but I couldn't maintain it, which is very unusual for me. That is typically something I am very good at. I still swam very hard and definitely got a good workout, but I could tell that I was... off somehow.
Now that I'm starting taper, I'm going to have to watch it -- no more circuit training for a couple of weeks and nowhere near as much food. I'll need to do something every day though -- yes, seven days a week. I don't want to gain any weight before the meet, so the food intake will have to come down. This shouldn't be much of a problem since I won't be as active and hence not as hungry, but somehow I have to keep the ice cream cravings at bay, or at least moderate them a lot
I think one reason I've been craving so much junk food that I would not normally crave is because I might not be getting enough protein. I definitely try, but with such elevated activity levels and such decreased intake of beef and chicken I don't think I'm doing my body enough of a favor. I have noticed a huge difference when I get more lean protein in (such as a cup of plain yogurt with some granola), so perhaps I need to start eating one serving of animal a day (preferably fish). This is a lot more than I have been eating recently. Alternately, I could make a couple batches of black bean burgers and freeze them or make some of that 15-bean soup I've bought. Either way, I need to be getting far more protein. I'm doing so much with my body, I need to take good care of it and give it the means to repair itself.
200 (?) free warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
4x200 IM on 3:10 (repeated 2:55)
4x
{
100 fly on 1:50 (repeated ~1:20)
100 back on 1:50 (repeated ~1:25)
}
2x50 free relays
4x25 cool-down
Total yardage: 2200
Not a terribly invigorating workout, though admittedly I wasn't swimming my hardest because I was dead-tired. I'm in the middle of switching to mids, so I slept for about 4 hours, went to practice, then came back and slept some more.
I'm to the point where an hour in the water just isn't enough for me, even if it's a pretty robust workout. Speaking from a cariovascular and strength point of view, I can take a whole lot more. I know Mimi works out on land after swimming, so maybe I can convince her to stay in the water with me for another 30-60 minutes after practice officially ends.
One more practice before we start taper!
400 free warm-up
50 fly warm-up
100 breast kick
2x
{
400 IM on 6:20 (repeated 5:35)
2x200 IM on 3:10 (repeated 2:50)
4x100 IM on 1:35 (repeated 1:25)
}
4x25 free cool-down
Total yardage: 3050
Fun workout... hooray for distance two days in a row.
300 free warm-up with paddles
100 breast kick
50 dolphin kick
4x50 free on 1:00
500 free on 6:15
400 free on 5:00
300 free on 3:45
200 free on 2:30
100 free on 1:15
1 minute rest
100 free on 1:20
200 free on 2:40
300 free on 4:00
400 free on 5:20
500 free on 6:40
4x25 cool-down
In the first half of the workout I didn't really make much after the first 500 (which I got a whopping 3 seconds of rest on!), so I cut some 50s so I would make it. That was a pretty quick pace to maintain. I made the stuff in the second half, but it was painful.
Stayed in the pool again:
2x
{
2x100 breast kick
4x50 breast pull with paddles and pull buoy
}
4x100 fly
4x100 back
4x100 breast
4x100 free
100 cool-down
Total yardage: 6250
New circuit training regemin. Still three rounds of 0:30 muscular/1:00 cardio, with the exception of three stations that are one exercise for 90 seconds.
Station 1: Push-ups/run the hallway
Station 2: V-crunch with medicine ball/medicine ball toss while running in place
Station 3: Bench crunches/straddle step
Station 4: Down and back sprints with 5 jumping jacks inbetween (for whole station)
Station 5: Push-ups with row/bench step with weights
Station 6: Bicycle crunches/4-flight stairwell run
Station 7: All with stability ball: wall squats (round 1), back extensions (round 2), lower ab leg lifts (round 3) for whole station
Station 8: Side-to-sides (for whole station)
Could have used a better warmup after the massive yardage I did yesterday. I was definitely fatigued from that.
I definitely need more practice with the v-crunches -- I lack both the strength and coordination to do them properly. I partially blame my long legs and the crazy end-of-fulcrum weight effect that results. Perhaps I'll try them without the ball to see how that works as far as letting me more on the basic still first.
Saturday is a well-deserved day off!
Hooray for middle distance day!
Having been given the stamp of approval for the events I want to swim in next month's meet, I was given the choice to do a middle-distance freestyle workout or an IM/breaststroke workout. Since it's been a long time since I've done any freestyle middle distance, I went with that. Started out with:
300 free warm-up with paddles
100 breast kick
4x50 free on 1:00
The main set consisted of a 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 ladder where your per-100 pace was supposed to increase on each rung. We got a 200 easy free in between each.
500 free -- swum in 6:22 at a 1:16+ per 100 pace
400 free -- swum in 5:03 at a 1:15+ per 100 pace
300 free -- swum in 3:42 at a 1:14 per 100 pace
200 free -- swum in 2:24 at a 1:12 per 100 pace
100 free -- swum in 1:06
Woohoo, I was successful! It was a really fun workout, though I would be interested to swim it again. I'm trying to get re-used to swimming sets fast enough so that I have consistent lactic acid pain, which is really important come competetition time. I didn't really feel much until the 300, which tells me that I could have swum the 500 and 400 faster, which would have made the last 600 yards really interesting. But we had a lot of rest and there was a HUGE difference between my 200 and 100 paces, which tells me I just need to toughen up start swimming faster.
I stayed in the pool later again today, though I certainly couldn't say that I hadn't gotten a good workout with the rest of the team.
4x200 breast with 15 sec rest, repeating about 3:15
1x100 breast kick, during which my adductors went out on me. No more whip kicks today.
4x50 breast pull with buoy and paddles, 15 sec rest
2x500 free with 45 sec rest, did the first one in about 6:15 and the second in about 6:25.
2x100 dolphin kick
1x100 cool-down
I've ommited some yardage from the main workout, so the math may not add up but I did 5350 yards today. That's the most yardage I've done in a single workout in many a year. Let me tell you, I ate the hell out of some food when I got back.
Alas, no more swimming for me until Monday, but I'll get to go to four practices next week!
Today was supposedly a sprint day, even though it contained way less sprints than I am used to in a sprint workout!
200 free with paddles warm-up
100 breast kick warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
3x50 fist freestyle drill on 1:00
1x50 free on 1:00
4x50 freestyle drill (kickboard in between legs, reaching back to touch it on each recovery) on 1:15
2x50 free on 1:00
50 fly time trial (with racing start) -- done in :32
100 breast time trial (with racing start) -- done in 1:19
50 free sprint relay -- done with only two breaths
50 breast sprint relay
50 free cool-down
This was technically the end of practice, but we had swum so few yards that even though I was sore from the little sprinting we did and from circuit trianing yesterday I stayed in the pool to swim some more. The IMs had to be swum very gingerly as my right lat was KILLING me, but I got an extra 2300 yards in.
4x200 IM on 3:15 -- repeated on 2:55
4x100 breast kick with 10-15 sec rest
2x500 free with 45 sec rest
100 cool-down
Total yardage: 3600
I'm really glad that I stuck around so that I feel like I at least got a decent yardage in, especially since today and tomorrow are the only days this week that I'm going to get to swim. The meet is coming up in just a few weeks!
More circuit training.
I was definitely trying to kick my own ass since I was going station-to-station with the other Lt and the guy running the session is on my swim team.
I'm going to start doing more stairwell runs. When I did it in the last round yesterday it seemed like it was practically a warm-up -- far from being exhausted, I was really energized when I got my breath back.
I finally got some new running shoes, so I'm going to get some screws put in them so I can run outside without slipping on the ice and falling on my ass. I'll start running outside once the temperature gets warmer. And by warmer, I mean warm enough to run outside without ice crystals forming in your lungs or getting bronchitis. It should be warmer out in a couple of weeks :)
200 free warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
10x:
{
2x100 free on 1:30
1x100 IM on 1:30
}
8x50 kick on 1:05
8x50, 25 stroke 25 free on 1:00
4x50 free on 1:00
Total yardage: 4000
Around the 19th 100 I hit a wall like I have never hit before. It felt like I was going to have total muscle failure in the middle of an aerobic workout, and I don't know about you, but my personal philosophy is that if you are going to have muscle failure, you should not be in a large body of water when it happens. I've been a lifeguard, and what's more is that I have managed teenage lifeguards... I know how much more mind-numbing it can be to watch people swim laps than play in the pool and I know how teenage guards can be particularly inattentive.
So I got out of the pool. I came back at the 23rd 100 and finished it out, swimming very slowly. Not fun.
Perhaps I'm getting sick. Perhaps my body is angry with me because I stayed up for 28 hours and then slept for 12 so that I can work days for the next couple of weeks. Who knows? I just wish I could have claimed a good workout today.
200 free warm-up
200 free with paddles warm-up
100 breast kick
100 dolphin kick
4x100 free on 1:45 warm-up, repeated on 1:20
(It should be noted that only a few weeks ago 1:20 was pretty fast for me)
2x400 IM
100 breast drill -- two kick, one pull
2x50 breast pull with paddles and pull buoy
4x100 breast kick
100 free easy
4x100 free on 1:45, repeated 1:08
(This is the fastest I've gone in years!)
Total yardage: 2900
I felt great when I got out of the pool, which was kind of surprising because I almost didn't go to practice -- I just really wasn't feeling it. I'm so glad I made myself go swim though!
I also hopped on a scale for the first time in several months -- they tipped at 147. Not too shabby at all, since I don't think I have weighed that since I was 16. My body composition probably isn't much different than it was back then either, since I wasn't lifting or doing dryland or strength training outside of the pool.
I attribute this to not only staying active but also the eating habits that I've picked up since moving to Alaska. Because I work long shifts, I make myself bring huge amounts of food that mostly consist of fruits, vegetables, a sandwich, or a bowl of homemade soup. I'm eating a lot of small, healthy meals and really focusing on getting more fruits and vegetables. I don't buy beef or chicken anymore either, as fish is so plentiful here and so much healthier for you. In addition, since I'm here alone and don't have many friends yet, I'm not eating out much at all. This means I know exactly what I am putting in my body, and I'm doing it in smaller portions (not to mention for less money!). Today I realized that I haven't felt that stupifying I'm-so-full-I-can't-move feeling in a really long time, which is good. I try to keep my hunger levels steady and eat something healthy every two to three hours so I'm never starving and never full.
And hey -- it seems to be working! I'm swimming faster than I have since probably my sophomore year of high school, and I'm looking pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.
Hooray for swimming!
Same circuit training routine as last week, but started on the walking lunge station instead.
Also replaced some of the hallway running with stairwell running -- whew, that's a different feeling!
Felt pretty blah today, so I made myself get in the pool, but my heart wasn't in it.
400 free warm-up
100 breast kick
100 dolphin kick
4x50 free on 1:00
2x400 IM
2x200 IM
2x100 free
Total yardage: 2200
Pretty lackluster, but I figured it was better than nothing. Plus I was sharing a wall lane, which makes swimming IMs really difficult.
Mimi gave us a great "see what you're made of" set today. We started swimming as long a distance as we could for 3:30. The next was on 3:25, then 3:20, and so on, down to 1:15. When you couldn't make the interval, you knocked a 50 from your distance. Everyone was doing them freestyle except Yours Truly, who had the honor of doing them all IM. Seriously, it could have been much worse. The nice thing about 200 IMs is that after a while they stop hurting and you just go numb.
I made about eight or nine 200 IMs before I kicked them down to fly/back/breast. Doing that, I made it down to about 2:15 before I started with the 100 IMs, which I did until we got to 1:25. I finished up the last two with a 50 fly and a 50 back.
Honestly I think I could have swum the workout harder, but I was still so sore from circuit training two days ago that I didn't want to push it too hard and hurt myself. I had also been up for 21 hours at that point, so I surely wasn't going to perform at my best.
Today's stroke ideas:
Backstroke -- relax the hands - reject Ze Claw! You don't need the claw to get a good catch when you roll your hips and shoulders enough and really stretch out your arm on entry. Saw improved stroke rate when doing this as well. And for the love, keep your head still!
Freestyle -- again, roll the hips. This gives you the power you need in the catch and pull so you don't have to do out searching in the periphery of the periphery with that right arm. Perfect that elbow bend through proper rotation.
Breaststroke -- well, shit, I just don't have enough time to spend in the water to strengthen up my adductors to the point where they can take that wide, powerful whip kick. Without that, my breaststroke is very lackluster. I will not be able to rely on it in the meet next month to be in a wide lead going into the freestyle. Looking back, a fitting motto for my glory days would have been "Better IMs through breaststroke domination," but now it looks like I'm a jack of all trades -- and a master of none.
Really sore from Thursday (lets me know I did something good for myself!), so I took it kind of easy today. Just did the elliptical:
20:00 Around the World hill program on level 13, then 10:00 of same program on level 15.
5:00 cool-down.
Tomorrow I get back in the pool.
Did some circuit training today for a change.
3x8 stations, with each station having a strenth component and a cardio component. First and third time through: 0:30/1:00, second time 0:45/0:45.
Station 1: Seated row with resistance band/run in place
Station 2: Medicine ball crunches/medicine ball toss while running in place
Station 3: Incline or decline push-ups/straddle bench stepping
Station 4: Wall sit/run the hallway
Station 5: Front and lateral raises/run the hallway
Station 6: Tricep dips/mountainclimbers
Station 7: Stability ball crunches/jumping jacks
Station 8: Bicep curls/walking lunges
It's been a loooong time since I've done walking lunges... anticpate much soreness tomorrow.
I was super-energized after doing this workout and a nice long stretch-out afterward. It was definitely a lot more fun than just doing cardio in the gym.
Sprint day at the Buckner Masters Swim Team!
200 free with paddles warm-up
100 breast kick warm-up
4x50 free on 1:00
3x100 free on 2:00
3x100 free on 1:45
3x100 free on 1:30
(Repeated the 100s on 1:10)
50 easy
3x50 free on 1:15
3x50 free on 1:10
3x50 free on 1:05
3x50 free on 1:00
(Repeated the 50s on :33)
50 easy
Sprint 50 relays: fly, breast, free
2x25 easy
Total yardage: 2300
IM day. Apparently we IMers aren't allowed to say that 400IMs hurt since "we're good at them!" :)
200 free with paddles warm-up
100 breast kick warm up
4x50 free on 1:00
2x400 IM on 6:30 (repeated on 5:40)
4x200 cycling IM order by 100's (100 fly/100 back, 100 back/100 breast, etc) on 3:30
8x50 IM order on 1:00
Total yardage: 2500
I was keeping up with Mimi on the 50 frees on the last set -- a first for me! I feel like I made a breakthrough in making my right arm do a tighter s-curve, which has been a perpetual problem for me!