Catch a wave...Or the swimming thread

[Veronica]

Before my half IM I ate 1.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I ate and drank on the bike like I would normally on a bike ride. My run was very hot so I sucked on ice cubes and walked a lot.

Veronica

[Urlea]

Swam twice this week so far. Monday's swim was short to allow for more biking. I felt kind of fatigued coming off the bike Mon., but I found that if I walk a few laps around the track before going into the pool it helps quite a bit.

Today I had a short bike and longer swim. I broke it up into 1/2 mile sets. The first set of laps I did wasn't great. I needed an attitude adjustment. Wasn't feeling like a swimmer so I wasn't performing like one. Second set was much better once I pulled myself together. It's crazy how much confidence and a little stubborn will can get you moving.

I'm really looking forward to Friday's swim!! Turns out a friend of mine who did competitive swimming in college is going to start swimming with me as many times a week as our schedules can accommodate. I swam with her a few times last year and her advice was very helpful. She says she's willing to teach me drills and such too. I'll motivate her to stay active and she'll tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Eclectic Not sure I'm much help on the food issue. At this point I am still trying to figure out what sticks with me the longest and stays settled well before training. So far Odwalla's Berries GoMega bars & a 1/2 cup of Bolthouse smoothie have been working great!

I do know that a fair amount of my fuel will need to come from what I consume on the bike though. My preliminary plan (which will be thoroughly tested in training) is to munch on shot-bloks & Sport beans washed down with Heed &/or Pertpetuem. Gels will probably be saved for the run portion.

Gotta admit I'm very curious what the rest of you do/have done.

Anywho, here's to good swims the rest of this week for all of you, keep kicking!

[Urlea]

Before my half IM I ate 1.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I ate and drank on the bike like I would normally on a bike ride. My run was very hot so I sucked on ice cubes and walked a lot.

Veronica

Peanut butter would be a decent way to add protein! I'm half temped to slather some on my Odwalla oat bar Friday to see how that goes.

[eclectic]

Urlea - I am glad to hear you have a swim partner who will help you w/ drills.

I was doing the Popov drill (3 stroke roll to side 6 kick) today and realized I have been getting slack on the purpose of the drills - I have just been sluffing through them. I started paying attention to the drill, why I was doing it, what purpose it served and what my body was doing.

The Popov is mainly for balance. I realized when I started to pay attention that I was very well balanced on one side (my breathing roll side) and poorly balanced on the other side. I started really focusing on balancing on that side too. It is my weaker side and I have more problem w/ roll, getting high elbows and my arm nicely out of the water.

So do your drills and have her explain what purpose they serve so you can be aware of it. If there are any she isn't sure of and you can't find just let me know and I will ask my coach she is really good about explaining the whys behind everything, body position, arms, breathing etc and how the drills help.

When I first started out I found the Popov, finger tip drag and catchup to be the most beneficial.

[eclectic]

Oops thought of another thing I JUST had to share.

I am swimming in the Blizzard Biathlon on Sunday. I have the easy leg. the run is 5 miles outside on all the snow and ice. It is supposed to warm up by sunday to the mid 20's so lets hope it does (-10 F this morning w/ -25 to -30 windchill).

the swim is jsut a 500. The only hard part is they don't seed the lanes. Last time I got in a lane with a speedy high school swim team girl and a pokey young semi beginner swimmer. Even though we were circle swimming in the lane we would end up in the same place at the same time so couldn't pass.

Although it is just a fun Bi. I am going to suggest for next year people put a guesstimate on their 500 time and seed the lanes for 8 min, 9 min 10 min etc. At least it would be a few laps before anyone caught up and had to pass someone.

Oh well it is just for fun and honor.

Next year i hope to do the whole thing - my relay partner is learning to swim better and I am learning to run!

[rocknrollgirl]

Salsa,
Those videos are great, thanks for posting them. I ran this morning and then changed and went right to the pool. I normally do that in reverse order so it was a bit odd.

I shared a lane with one of my students that is on the swim team. It was fun. At one point we were on the same sets, on the same interval without knowing it. It was weird. I looked over at her and said...hey...kiddo...are you following me?

Fun.

[eclectic]

Salsa,
Those videos are great, thanks for posting them. I ran this morning and then changed and went right to the pool. I normally do that in reverse order so it was a bit odd.

I shared a lane with one of my students that is on the swim team. It was fun. At one point we were on the same sets, on the same interval without knowing it. It was weird. I looked over at her and said...hey...kiddo...are you following me?

Fun.

That is awesome that you ended up the same place at the same time. You must be a fast swimmer. I don't even do the same sets as the swim team kids. they will do 10 x 100 on 1:20 (or if you are Dagny on 1:05 ) Me I am more like a 2:05

[rocknrollgirl]

That is awesome that you ended up the same place at the same time. You must be a fast swimmer. I don't even do the same sets as the swim team kids. they will do 10 x 100 on 1:20 (or if you are Dagny on 1:05 ) Me I am more like a 2:05

She is one of the younger kids on the team, only a freshmen, so not ridiculously fast yet. They try to get me to work out with them every day. Respectfully I decline. I do love to be there when they train. All girls, most of them my students of advisees..they are fun. Yesterday one of them asked my if she could do a tri with me. How cool is that!



I bring my 100's in around 1:30 , so my interval is usually go on the 1:45.

[eclectic]

She is one of the younger kids on the team, only a freshmen, so not ridiculously fast yet. They try to get me to work out with them every day. Respectfully I decline. I do love to be there when they train. All girls, most of them my students of advisees..they are fun. Yesterday one of them asked my if she could do a tri with me. How cool is that!



I bring my 100's in around 1:30 , so my interval is usually go on the 1:45.

That is what is fun about working w/ kids - they really do like their teachers for the most part and want to hang w/ them. Well anyway they like to tease me about how slow I run and are always pumped to see me at the Y.

1:30 is a very respectable time - I am trying to maybe someday get close to that again. If I could maintain my 50 time I would be pulling them in at 1:34 but alas - I can't maintain that pace for 100 and no way could pull off repeats. Oh well something to shoot for. I should be doing more dryland training.
I was content to bring in the 100's at 1:50 but now I need to really start pushing it because I can maintain that pace non-stop for 1100 yds. But then I guess that is what I need for tris - steady distance pace w/o wearing myself out.

[rocknrollgirl]

That is what is fun about working w/ kids - they really do like their teachers for the most part and want to hang w/ them. Well anyway they like to tease me about how slow I run and are always pumped to see me at the Y.

1:30 is a very respectable time - I am trying to maybe someday get close to that again. If I could maintain my 50 time I would be pulling them in at 1:34 but alas - I can't maintain that pace for 100 and no way could pull off repeats. Oh well something to shoot for. I should be doing more dryland training.
I was content to bring in the 100's at 1:50 but now I need to really start pushing it because I can maintain that pace non-stop for 1100 yds. But then I guess that is what I need for tris - steady distance pace w/o wearing myself out.

I try not to get too wound up about my times in the pool and I focus more on how I do OWS. Because I am pushing off the wall and timing myself, it is probably off...but it does not really matter. I really enjoy the pool workouts, and since I do not swim with a Master group, if I am a little off...who cares!!!!

[jesvetmed]

Did a fun workout this morning. We called it a "Cross Fit" swim.

WU 300yd (swim, pull, kick)
25 sprint, and did dips on the pool edge, then 25 basic recovery swim back.
25 sprint, push-ups on pool edge. 25 recovery.
25 sprint, squats on deck. 25 recovery
25 sprint, situps on deck (with a kick board under the tush), 25 recovery.
REPEAT.
Then 200 cool down.

I had to get to yoga, but would have gone a bit longer, as I'm trying to push up to 1000m or more each time I'm in the pool.

But this was a hard workout! My arms were burning part way through!
And it was fun, not just swimming back and forth. I think I'll throw this in once a week or so (only if I'm already getting two other swims in, though).

[eclectic]

Jesvetmed - that does sound like a fun and varying workout!

What are "dips" ? I can figure everything else out

[jesvetmed]

For dips we faced the pool wall at the deep end, and without pushing off the bottom pressed up to straight arms on the pool deck, and dipped back down into the water (as if you are getting out of the pool. OK.. I admit it, had to use my feet a bit! They are tough.

[HillSlugger]

Question to all the swimmers...

Do you ever have swim sessions that are way off your regular times???

I missed a couple swim sessions a couple weeks ago because school has been busy... and my run mileage increased a little (although still only around 25 mi/week). Ive been taking one rest day a week, and Im still off my regular swim times.. having a very hard time making regular intervals.

Anyone experience something similar?

Of course! The increase in running could be a factor. Sometimes some workouts will just be off.

[tribogota]

my swim times are outrageously different, always, could be the day's nutrition, other activities, sleep, all. Today I did 10 x 100 with pull bouy on the 1:40, yesterday on the 1:50...no explanation, and my pool times have NOTHING to do with my tri times...I stopped keeping a record