December Fish!

[Syndirelah]

Hey Everyone!

How is the swimming going?

I missed a week due to thanksgiving (noooo!) But have been back in the pool a few times since then, and getting back on track. I swim now at a new 24/7/365 gym that I joined, and I LOVE IT!! Its a saltwater indoor pool, SCM instead of yards... and I never have to share a lane. Its wonderful :)

Anyway, here is the workout I did yesterday:

3100 scm:

500 WU
400 kick drill swim w/ fins

200 desc. by 50
1 x 100 fast
200 back stroke
2 x 100 fast
200 pull
3 x 100 :55 (which is somewhere in between :40-45 for scy)
200 back stroke
3 x 100 :55
200 desc. by 50
4 x 50 :00
200 pull
2 x 50 :00

200 CD

Hope everyone is doing well, happy swimming!

Jen :)

[HillSlugger]

November was my biggest swim month ever, 24000m. I'll take it a bit easier in December (only going for 18000m).

[Selkie]

I've settled into a routine of six days of week before work (weekdays) and a long swim on Saturday mornings. During November, I started increasing my weekday swims to 1800 (from 1500) a day. Saturdays, I swim for 90 minutes or longer.

I'll be burning leave this month (use or lose), so I hope to have some more 90 minute plus swims in my log book for December.

I'm focusing more and more on technique now.

[Wahine]

I might actually get back in the pool this week. Thinking about it counts... doesn't it?

[tribogota]

Good for everyone, I am at my mother's in CA, outdoor cold swimming, so I think I am taking the month off:p

[kacie tri-ing]

Pulled it together and did a 45 minute set...I have been a super swimming slacker....In january, Ironman training starts, so my coach has been nudging me to get back in the pool. It felt pretty good. A little slow, but it still went well!

[HillSlugger]

I recently passed 200,000m swam for the year! w00t!

[Selkie]

I recently passed 200,000m swam for the year! w00t!

Congratulations! I think that earns you a nice new swimsuit!

[Bike Chick]

I was up to about 4800m a week and got sick over Thanksgiving and just got started back this week.

Our pool doesn't open until 8 am so no swimming before work and the high school swim team is there every evening using the lanes until 6 pm so I only have between 6 and 8 pm (closing time) to use the pool. It's frustrating but I'm thankful we have the facility right here in town. Syn, you are so fortunate that you have a 24/7/365 facility.

[Susan Otcenas]

I had 500 meters of pure zen in the pool this morning. I'd been having a totally normal workout, nothing special, and then something just .... changed....

Glide.....glide......glide.....wow, look at me....glide....glide....glide....

Why isn't is always that easy??

[HillSlugger]

I had 500 meters of pure zen in the pool this morning. I'd been having a totally normal workout, nothing special, and then something just .... changed....

Glide.....glide......glide.....wow, look at me....glide....glide....glide....

Why isn't is always that easy??

It's a beautiful thing when it happens! And once it happens it's likely to happen again! :D

[Susan Otcenas]

Hand to hand combat at the pool this morning. Place was mobbed. All that chop made for good race chaos simulation.

[HillSlugger]

My pool was extra quiet today and I had a lane all to myself. Nice! :D

[Susan Otcenas]

My pool was extra quiet today and I had a lane all to myself. Nice! :D

Lucky you. We were 3 in my lane, including a gal who decided to do a very sloooooow breaststroke in our "medium"-marked lane. She let me pass whenever I caught up to her though, so it all worked out.

Susan

[Selkie]

I navigated through ice bergs in the road to get to the pool -- finally reopened this morning, albeit 3.5 hours later than usual.

It was pretty quiet, too. I had to split a lane with an old guy who was a "slap" swimmer wearing fins. He left after 30 minutes, and I had the lane to myself for the rest of my swim. Put in 90 minutes...

It was so nice to be back in the water. The pool has been closed since Saturday due to the snow and I was missing my morning swim.

[Bike Chick]

1200 meters tonight but the pool will be closed Thursday, Friday AND Saturday for the holiday:( I think I'll swim again tomorrow since it will be Monday again before I can get back in the water.

[Selkie]

1200 meters tonight but the pool will be closed Thursday, Friday AND Saturday for the holiday:( I think I'll swim again tomorrow since it will be Monday again before I can get back in the water.

That's a bummer. Go for a longer swim, since you'll be missing a few days. It was tough missing my long swim this past Saturday and my Monday swim due to the inclement weather pool closure.

Fortunately, "my" pool is closed Xmas and New Year's Days but is open the rest of the holiday (w/extended hours, since the kids aren't in school!).

Susan, I feel your pain about rebels swimming in the wrong lanes! My problem is opposite: speedsters with tons of equipment get in the slow lane with me. If a third person doesn't want to join us, it's not a big deal. However, I am pretty outspoken about asking a speedster to please switch lanes if someone slow wants to circle swim w/us.

[GLC1968]

I think I might join you ladies in this thread. I started swimming a little over a week ago, and so far, so good. I'm not doing nearly the distances that you all are working on, but at least I'm swimming, right?

Last night the pool was nuts. First of all, as I'm exiting the locker room, I run into a guy from work who was waiting for his young daughter. Ugh - it's a bit of a shocker to see a work face while I'm in a bathing suit!

Secondly, there were TONS of people about. Luckily, there were only 4 of us sharing the two lanes, so that was nice. Until the lifeguards changed and the new one was a wimp. She seemed to look the other way when about 6-8 teenagers started goofing off in one of the lanes. My H was getting out, so the only serious swimmer in that lane came over to join me. I was glad that I only had a couple of laps to go at that point because it seemed to be getting out of hand in there. Gotta love it when school is out...not.

Anyway, I'm improving. This was only my third lap swim since 8th grade and I'm slowly getting the hang of it again. I managed 12 laps with only short rests at the wall. I'm also getting better at breathing on my weak side because a couple of times last night I had to stop and think to myself 'wait, which side is my strong side?'. I've got a long way to go, but I REALLY like that when I get out of the pool, I feel refreshed, a little tired and not the least bit sore. No pains like there is with biking or running - I can see how swimming appeals to the older folk...it's so easy on the body!!

The only downside is the snot. OMG, I was up for almost 2 hours in the middle of the night last night trying to stem the flow. My sinuses do NOT like chlorine at all. I hope that I can adjust but if I don't, I'm willing to try and learn to swim with nose clips to solve this issue.

[katluvr]

GLC, I am not an expert in the swimming, but about the "snot".
Took me a while. Mostly it is HOW you breathe out and you do need to also forcefully breathe out your nose. That helps. I tried the nose plug and it TOTALLY made me feel like I COULD NOT breathe at all. I found I got used to the pool, but first time in OW --salt water that is--my nose burned and burned. So I think you will get used to it. But try the nose plug and good luck w/ that!
My worst part was water in my ears. So I use ear plugs...thank goodness for those!
Glad you are swimming. Maybe I'll start back soon. Oh yeah, that is my "new years GOAL"--to start swimming again!

[Susan Otcenas]

Susan, I feel your pain about rebels swimming in the wrong lanes! My problem is opposite: speedsters with tons of equipment get in the slow lane with me. If a third person doesn't want to join us, it's not a big deal. However, I am pretty outspoken about asking a speedster to please switch lanes if someone slow wants to circle swim w/us.

We have a lifeguard that I call The Swim Nazi. Heaven forbid you don't circle swim in the prescribed direction (varies by lane) - she'll be on your @ss in a flash. And she will not permit lane splitting, even if it's just you and one other in a lane and you both want to do it. Total pain, but it also means that when it's busy, there's no ambiguity about what's OK and what isn't. The place runs pretty smoothly.

Thankfully, speed variances aren't usually a big problem at my pool. I start swimming between 5am and 5:30 am, and there just isn't a whole lotta people in the pool at that hour. I often have a lane to myself for at least part of my workout. But yesterday I didn't get there until almost 6, and by 6:30 the place was packed.

Tomorrow's workout is 2200 meters, so I'll get there right when they open at 5. It takes me a little under an hour to get through a workout that length, so I should be through before it gets busy. I'm thinking that it might not be too bad regardless, since it's the 24th.

GLC - Glad you are enjoying swimming! Three workouts and you're already gaining strength on your weak side. WooHoo! :) It'll all come together for you, faster than you expect. It has for me. My coach has been having me keep track of my times, and it's fun to watch the progress. Very motivating!

[HillSlugger]

Our life guards don't get involved at all and people don't seed themselves with regard to the speed signs or try to match up with other(s) in the lane. It can get pretty chaotic at times!

[colby]

The only downside is the snot. OMG, I was up for almost 2 hours in the middle of the night last night trying to stem the flow. My sinuses do NOT like chlorine at all. I hope that I can adjust but if I don't, I'm willing to try and learn to swim with nose clips to solve this issue.

Mucinex and a sinus rinse do it for me when my sinuses aren't enjoying the chlorine. The more chlorinated the worse. Sometimes it doesn't seem to bother me, sometimes it's really bad. The mucinex helps dry up the mucous and the sinus rinse helps to get rid of what's in there. Make sure to drink lots of water, though. ;)

[Selkie]

GLC - Glad to hear you're in the water. Don't worry about someone seeing you in your swimsuit---it's amazing how unselfconscious you become about it after awhile. Swimmers come in all shapes/sizes, and the pool seems to be a pretty "no judging" sort of place (unspoken rule of swimmers). By the way, I made two batches of your gramma's pumpkin bread--added chocolate chips to it--for Christmas. Husband has already demolished a loaf. Thanks so much for sharing that recipe.

About the snot, the plus side is that I haven't had a cold since swimming. Dunno if there's a correlation but... Your body should adjust to it, in the meantime, keep the hankies handy.

I've found that if you ask the lane "interlopers," very politely, to go elsewhere if they would rather goof off than swim, they will let you have the lane. It really becomes a safety issue, too.

I like Susan's Nazi Lifeguard, speaking of safety. It's nice to find that there are some who actually watch what's going on and will enforce the rules. Don't understand the reason she won't let you split lanes---at my pool, splitting the lane is a "rule" when only two are sharing a lane.

[Susan Otcenas]

I like Susan's Nazi Lifeguard, speaking of safety. It's nice to find that there are some who actually watch what's going on and will enforce the rules. Don't understand the reason she won't let you split lanes---at my pool, splitting the lane is a "rule" when only two are sharing a lane.

Maybe they think it discourages others to join the lane? The way it is now, you can just slide right in and start swimming. If you had to get in and warn both other swimmers you were there so that the 3 could circle, maybe that would be disruptive? I don't know. But I've gotten used to it over time.

Unlike Tuesday, the open lap lanes were nearly deserted this morning. The swim team/masters swin lanes were busy, but not the open. Started out sharing a lane with a gal I see there all the time, but she left and the lane was mine until I was through. Yay!

[GLC1968]

Heh - the work guy I saw was actually way more out of shape than me AND he is European, so for some reason, it made me think he'd be less judgemental. I actually didn't really think of my body so much as I thought about the fact that my worlds were colliding! It just felt odd. Actually, at my last job, the locker room was mere steps away from my desk, so I snickered every time I showered there after a ride. It was always funny to think that I was just naked at work! :p

Thanks for all the snot recommendations. It was really, really bad after the first swim, not a problem at all after swim #2, and slightly less of a problem after swim three than it was for the first one. I think it may be due to fluctuating chlorine content as well as my body getting used to swimming.

Susan - I think I'm not so much improving or getting stronger as I am just slowly remembering what I used to know. I know muscle has memory, but I wasn't sure how good of a memory it has! Apparently, even 30 years isn't long enough to completely erase what I used to know! ;)

I'm off today, so I'm heading out to swim late-morning after I run a few errands. Hope it's quiet in there. :)

[tribogota]

17 days of no swimming, am in withdrawal.
Snot, I swim five days a week and sniffle five days a week, it's annoying to other people now, but I am used to it.
Unfortunately, the 17 days I haven't been swimming, the lat 10 I have had a headcold, stuffed up nose, phlegm in the lungs, and boy would I take the sniffle over this.
No pool until January 12th, eeeeeek!

[Jones]

I swim at noon and it is extremely rare to have to share a lane. I don't think I would like it, but I bet it is a good way to meet people.

tribogota, I saw in another thread you are in the bay area. Did you decide not to swim while on vacation or are there no pools by you? What about taking your bike on Bart to a pool. I know the Concord/Cowell pool is easy biking from the Bart station. My high school boyfriend (28 years ago) was a life guard at the Albany pool but I looked it up and it is closed for remodeling. Walnut Creek has pools too but I know any of the names.

How about the Cal Berkeley pool? You could swim with Natalie Coughlin.

[HillSlugger]

I swim at noon and it is extremely rare to have to share a lane. I don't think I would like it, but I bet it is a good way to meet people.


I always try to think of it as good practice for triathlon swimming. Any contact I've had while sharing a lane is mild compared to what I've experienced while racing.

[tribogota]

ahhh, the pools of Oakland, well, actually I do swim in the cold nights of 48 degrees outdoors, but the majority of the pools are closed due to budget cuts and the ones that are open, are on obligatory furlough days, ahhh, the joys of the budget of the state of california. Now, riding my bike to Bart and then to a pool in some other city, (min. $10 trip including pool fee),
I AM NOT IN THAT MUCH WITHDRAWAL:D

[Bike Chick]

Back in the pool tonight for a 2000m swim.
2 x 200m
4 x 400m

DH took a video of part of my swim tonight. Interesting to watch. It showed how I really cross over on my stroke even though I felt like I was entering the water straight as an arrow. It's causing me to swim in a zig-zag instead of a straight line. So much energy wasted! I would recommend having someone video you swimming if you've never done it.

[B]GLC[B]-Good for you getting back in the pool. I just learned to swim last year so I'm still a beginner and very slow. As far as the snot, I struggled with that too until I learned to exhale under water. It makes a huge difference.

[Susan Otcenas]

1700 meters this morning. Got there a little late again (6am) and it was busy. I'm beginning to think I need to just suck it up and makes sure I get there at 5 or 5:15 all the time to avoid the 6am rush. By 6:45 it had thinned out quite alot, but by then, I was done too!

[Selkie]

I love being on leave---more time to swim on weekdays!

I went for a rare Sunday swim and put in about 45 minutes. Usually it's a madhouse on Sundays because the pool doesn't open until noon and it's "senior citizens swim free" for the first 90 minutes. Probably because of the holiday, it wasn't too crowded.

Monday, I went 90 minutes and yesterday, ~85 minutes, which was tough because the water was cooler than on Monday (it was much colder outside, too, so at 5:30am, the chilly pool water was a $%^&*).

Hopefully, my pull buoy will arrive today....

Fingers crossed that swimming isn't the "hot" exercise for the 2010 New Year's Resolution crowd. Of course, that likely will last only a short while, but in the meantime, it will mean back to circle swimming w/people unfamiliar with proper pool etiquette.

[GLC1968]

Fingers crossed that swimming isn't the "hot" exercise for the 2010 New Year's Resolution crowd. Of course, that likely will last only a short while, but in the meantime, it will mean back to circle swimming w/people unfamiliar with proper pool etiquette.

Be nice - that's me (even though I started in December)! Honestly, I'm way more nervous about breaking pool etiquette rules than I am about the actual swimming. :o

I had to miss my swim last night because 1) it took me 3 hours to get home (stupid surprize snow storm and lousy drivers!!) and 2) there was NO WAY I was going to immediately grab my suit and drive another 3 hours just to swim for 30 minutes (yes, my pool is near my office) and then 3 hours to get home. Sorry.

I'm taking tomorrow off, so I'm going to swim in the morning instead.

[Susan Otcenas]

I had to miss my swim last night because 1) it took me 3 hours to get home (stupid surprize snow storm and lousy drivers!!) and 2) there was NO WAY I was going to immediately grab my suit and drive another 3 hours just to swim for 30 minutes (yes, my pool is near my office) and then 3 hours to get home. Sorry.

Why don't you bring your swim stuff to the office?

I find that once I walk in the door at night it's reeeeeeaaaally hard for me to get motivated to go back out to the gym. That's why I do almost all my workouts at 5am. :)

[GLC1968]

Why don't you bring your swim stuff to the office?

I find that once I walk in the door at night it's reeeeeeaaaally hard for me to get motivated to go back out to the gym. That's why I do almost all my workouts at 5am. :)


Had I known it was going to snow, I would have!

I prefer to swim at 8pm on a normal weekday. That way, I can go home and get Rick to join me and there is less that will get in my way (schedule-wise). As you know, I can never predict when I'll get out of work, so I'm sure I'd often miss lap swim times if I tried for the 5:00 - 6:30 pm slot. Early mornings would be smartest, but then I have to work it around my animal chores, so it gets to be a pain.

Plus, I LOVE working out in the evenings - I'm so strong and energetic then (compared to early mornings when I'm in danger of dropping weights on my toes!) and it feels soooo good to blow off steam before bed. :D

[Susan Otcenas]

I sooooooo wish I had your evening energy! I have a 45 minute easy spin on my training plan for tonight (on the heels of this morning's 9 mile run) and the very thought of getting on my bike after work tonight makes me just want to put my head down on my desk and have a little nap. :D

I used to do the "moonlight swims" at the Beaverton Swim Center. 9pm-10pm. Adult laps only. They turn off the facility lights and just leave on the underwater pool lights. It's actually very relaxing, and not too many people show up typically. But I found I was really inconsistent about going. It was too hard to roust myself off the sofa after dinner. :o

Susan

[GLC1968]

But I found I was really inconsistent about going. It was too hard to roust myself off the sofa after dinner. :o




That's me in the morning! I was totally inconsistent because it was too hard to drag my butt out of my warm, toasty bed in a 55F house. :o

[Selkie]

......

I used to do the "moonlight swims" at the Beaverton Swim Center. 9pm-10pm. Adult laps only. They turn off the facility lights and just leave on the underwater pool lights. It's actually very relaxing, and not too many people show up typically. But I found I was really inconsistent about going. It was too hard to roust myself off the sofa after dinner. :o

Susan

That sounds so nice.... I'm usually sleeping by then though! :)

[Selkie]

Anyone else have a New Year's Eve swim?

My final swim of 2009. After scraping a stubbornly clingy, substantial layer of ice from my windshield, I drove to the pool in first gear on slippery roads (it was sleeting heavily). I live about 3/4 mile from the pool, so it's not as bad as it sounds, despite the hills, particularly at 5:15am.

I was surprised that many of the other early bird regulars made it, but thank goodness, it never got crowded. Had a lane to myself most of the time. My pull buoy came yesterday, so I tried it out (more on that in another post).

Managed to slog out 90 minutes. It was a "sheer determination slog" partially due to cool water and a tired body. Lots of swimming this week, and I was feeling it. The pool being closed tomorrow is probably a blessing in disguise in terms of enforced rest. ;) I'll be ready for my regular long Saturday session on the 2nd!

[Susan Otcenas]

Anyone else have a New Year's Eve swim?



Yup! 2200 yards this morning.

warmup:500 yards.
main set:
2 x (5 x 50 with :15 RI)
2:00 RI between the set.

2 x 500 zone 2.
1:00 RI between.

Cooldown: 200 yards kick set w/fins.

I'm getting faster. My 50s were all 55-57 seconds. Yay! And my 500s are 10:30-10:45 at a Zone 2 pace. (I used to be slower than this at RACE pace! :eek: ) Even better, I'm having more moments where it all suddenly feels "right". Some laps feel like I'm swimming through molasses, but then others feel effortless. Steadily working towards less molasses! ;)
Happy new year, everyone!

Susan

[GLC1968]

I just finished a whopping 13 laps for my swim (650 meters). The place was busy, but not too many people were in the lap lanes (yay!). I only had 30 minutes before I had to leave to get to work (on my day off, yipee.) but it felt pretty good. I'm trying to swim with my eyes closed as much as possible because I find it way more relaxing that way. I get all worked up when I imagine that people are watching me and then I mess up my tenuous rhythm. Of course, no one is actually watching me but whatever...oh the mind games I play with myself! :p

OK, I have a question about lane speeds. I'm not sure what lane to choose. When I swim, I'm doing a lap in about a minute...maybe just over a minute (1:10 ish). BUT, I still have to rest after every lap for at least a couple of minutes. I've gotten to where I don't rest after a length, but I do need to catch my breath after a lap. What lane do I chose? I'm swimming a lot faster than the slow swimmers even when I try to put forth very little effort, but I can't swim continuously yet, so I'd hold up the medium swimmers, right? Luckily, I've been able to avoid the circle swim so far, so it hasn't really been an issue yet, but I'm not sure what to do when that happens.

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm not sure what lane to choose. When I swim, I'm doing a lap in about a minute...maybe just over a minute (1:10 ish). BUT, I still have to rest after every lap for at least a couple of minutes. I've gotten to where I don't rest after a length, but I do need to catch my breath after a lap. What lane do I chose?

Personally, I'd pick a lane with a slower swimmer. I'd start my lap when the other swimmer was most of the way back towards me. That way, you can swim whatever speed you want and not catch that swimmer at the end of your lap (as she will already be starting down the lane on her next lap, while you take a break.)

[HillSlugger]

After cleaning about a 1/2 inch of snow off the car I drove the 1.5 miles to the pool and swam 2300m.

My total for the year: just over 215,000m! :D

[GLC1968]

Personally, I'd pick a lane with a slower swimmer. I'd start my lap when the other swimmer was most of the way back towards me. That way, you can swim whatever speed you want and not catch that swimmer at the end of your lap (as she will already be starting down the lane on her next lap, while you take a break.)

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. I'm just not sure how it will work if there are three or more of us (which hasn't happened yet but I expect that it will after Jan 1st).

[Susan Otcenas]

My total for the year: just over 215,000m! :D

WOW!!! Way to go! That's dedication. Do you have a goal for 2010?

I just went back and checked December - my first full month of swimming under my new coach's direction. 17,050 yards. I'm pretty happy with that!

[HillSlugger]

I've really come to love swimming (but never as much as I love biking!)

I'm having a hard time right now figuring out what my goals for next year should be. I don't think I need to be doing more, maybe more focused, but not sure what that means. I definitely want to do more OWS.

[salsabike]

Yup, 2100 yards:

Warm Up:
200 swim
100 kick alternating 25 easy, 25 hard

Main Set:
6 x 150 (R:15)

Odds are 50 easy, moderate, fast

Evens are pull with PERFECT form

Rest 1:00 at the end of the 150's

2 x 300 (R:20)

1st 150 is HARD like race start then settle into 150 moderate pace

Rest 1:00

8 x 25 done as alternating easy/hard,R:10
Cool Down:

100 easy focus on form

Happy New Year!