January Swims

[Susan Otcenas]

Ahem - you already have nice abs, woman!

But that dolpin kick thing on your back sounds like fun, I might give it a try tonight. If I don't check in tomorrow, I probably drowned!

Well, thank you. But still....

I wonder if 200 yards of dolphin kicking will get me abs like Dara Torres...

http://tinyurl.com/yddt9yo

Those are some amazing abs.

[colby]

I have similar swimming schedule challenges... less in the morning (that's usually when I run/ride/strength train) but more in the afternoon/evening. I would love to go around 5:30 or 6, but that's either masters swim or swim team - and some days the swim team goes until 8:30 at night. I don't mind swimming late, but it messes with my sleep schedule, and the gym closing at 10 puts 8:30 on a tight schedule.

That said, the later in the evening swim team does share, but the more regular swim team (for whom it is the home pool) won't really share. I'm considering trying masters swim, but as with all things I enjoy swimming alone - or at least swimming my own workout, even with a buddy there. I don't want to get caught in the competitive-ness of anything.

Anyway, I'm hoping to swim tonight and again on the weekend. I skipped my swim workouts last week, I'm trying to orient myself around daily workouts, and then two workouts a day most days, and the second one is proving to be difficult.

[fatbottomedgurl]

My pool at the Y opens Monday after being closed for repairs for three weeks. Yay! And it's indoors. Yayay! Of course its 63º out today. I feel bad for everyone in the arctic freeze.

[crazycanuck]

Cantwaitcantwaitcantwait...Our Mon night squad starts up again tomorrow after the holiday break

I hate the school holiday (Dec-Feb) schedules at the outdoor pools...only one public lane avail...ugh

BAH!

[channlluv]

I finally have a real swim to report here. I did half a mile in the Y pool yesterday afternoon (18 laps in a 25-yard pool), in 29 minutes. Mixed strokes and only one 2-minute hang-on-the-wall to catch my breath, and that was after a 17-minute mile on the treadmill. I felt pretty awesome.

Roxy

[HillSlugger]

I finally have a real swim to report here. I did half a mile in the Y pool yesterday afternoon (18 laps in a 25-yard pool), in 29 minutes. Mixed strokes and only one 2-minute hang-on-the-wall to catch my breath, and that was after a 17-minute mile on the treadmill. I felt pretty awesome.

Roxy

Congrats! Be proud of your accomplishment!

[channlluv]

I can't wait to try that dolphin kick thing on Monday when I go back. I watched several versions on the video. Thank you, Susan, for recommending it!

Regarding the workouts you ladies are posting here, is there a shorthand deciphering cheat sheet somewhere? Being new to the swimming-on-purpose bit of tri, I don't know all the acronyms. WU?

How do you all keep track of your lap count? I find I've had to focus on one number, like a mantra, there and back, and keep count that way in my head. I repeat it with each stroke ("one, one, one, one...ten, ten, ten, ten...fifteen, fifteen, fifteen, fifteen...") or I lose track pretty quickly. Someone mentioned a watch with a lap counter button. What brand, etc. should I look for there?

Thank you all!

Roxy

[HillSlugger]

For counting laps I use a Sportcount. I also tend to count in my head, too, although I often lose track if my mind wanders.

I don't know all the shorthand, but WU=warmup (cd=cooldown)

[channlluv]

Ooooh, warm up and cool down, of course. Ha!

Somebody's going to need to explain that shorthand for the workout descriptions, though. (Syndirelah, can you point me to the site where I can learn the swimming lingo there? I'd love to be able to understand what you're talking about.)

Roxy

[HillSlugger]

Hi Roxy!

I do most of my workouts on a timed interval--

so, 3 x 100 = swim 100 meters (or yards, depending on the pool) three times, leaving every 1:45. So, if I do a 100 in 1:35 (a minute thirty five secs), I'll get ten seconds rest before the next one. If I go slower, say 1:39, I get less rest and STILL leave every 1:45. (so the second hand will be on the :30 the second time, :15 the third time, etc).

It will vary with distance-- for example, 50's I'll do every :55 or :00 (minute).

Adding some interval structure to the work out is a great way to up the intensity and make some progress in your overall endurance--MUCH more so than just swimming laps. A lot of people will just try and increase the distance they swim overall...which is OK up to a point. If you're interested in starting something like that let me know, I can try to talk you through finding the base time for you-- (there might be sites that talk about it ont he US Masters Swimming web pages too).

I've recently started using proscribed rest intervals and it really ups the intensity and degree of difficulty I only wish I could do 100's on 1:45! I once managed 6x100 on 2:00, but can do 12 on 2:05. It's shown me that I can hold a faster pace longer than I thought and has improved my overall speed. 1:45, something to aspire to!

[sgf726]

I took last week off since I was traveling on business and had no good access to a pool. This week I am starting a new 6 week plan with a coach I have been working with, I just finished the first 6 weeks and sense some improvement but I am still pretty inefficient.

I am getting more comfortable with my stroke and he said its looking better, my problems seem to exaggerate when I add the legs back in. When I do the pull bouy and just focus on arms I feel like I can get into a groove (sometimes) when I start kicking it just seems like my legs don't know when to move.

Any tricks? How often do you kick, is there a recommendated stroke/kick ratio? Of course between counting strokes, laps and keeping my form there just seems to be so much to think about...

[Susan Otcenas]

I've recently started using proscribed rest intervals and it really ups the intensity and degree of difficulty I only wish I could do 100's on 1:45! I once managed 6x100 on 2:00, but can do 12 on 2:05. It's shown me that I can hold a faster pace longer than I thought and has improved my overall speed. 1:45, something to aspire to!

My coach gives me prescribed rest intervals (RI for Roxy ) So, she might give me 6 x 100 at a certain pace, with a :10 RI. I like that I always get the same RI, especially as I start to tire later in the set.

[Urlea]

Officially started my 70.3 training today! A week late, because I got arm-barred during brazilian jiu-jitsu class and didn't think it was wise to use aero bars & free-style swim until my arm felt normal again. Thankfully it didn't take long.

Decided to ease back into it and swim a set amount of time, not distance. So, 15minutes of swimming which was about 750yds. My form isn't where it was last season, but I was surprised at how comfortable I felt in the water. Energy was good & nothing hurt.

Thanks for being my inspiration to get back at it ladies!

[Susan Otcenas]

I had a redux of last week's workout yesterday:

swim = tempo 2100 yards
warmup: 300 choice then 200 kick (alt between 25 yards dolphin/25 free)
main set:
10 x 100 as:
first 5 100's = negative split. (:20 RI)
second 5 100's do as a TT (:20 RI).
then:
400 FR as (25 sprint/50 tempo/25 recovery) do continuous.

Cooldown 200 yards kick set with TYR fins.

Again did the "cooldown" as a dolphin kick on my back. I still can't get over what a great ab workout that is. I was still sore from some core work I did in the gym on Monday, so it was definitely fatiguing. But I really like it, so I plan to keep it up.

URLEA - I suspect you'll be back in form in no time. You're so dedicated!

Susan

[channlluv]

I swam another half-mile today at the pool - it was a beautiful afternoon. The sun came out just as I arrived, so I went to the outdoor pool, and because it was supposed to be raining all day, there weren't many people there, so I got my own lane.

It took me 35 minutes to swim 900 yards today, mixed strokes. I'm not sure why the difference from the other day, unless maybe I just miscounted. I'll have to take an average when I go next time.

Susan, I tried your back dolphin kick, but I don't have fins, so mine was pretty slow, and a bit off-center, but it was fun and I'll do it again.

Roxy