Swim Thread for Week of May 6, 2013
I don`t know about you, but I can not wait to get out of the pool and into open water.
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Another monday swim that looked impossible on paper, another monday win in the pool!
HIM int plan week 14 swim, 25 SCM pool, 2700m, 1:06:04 total time, 49:06 moving time. 1:42 /100m avg pace, 36 avg efficiency
I noticed halfway through the workout that I was 'breaking' my left wrist at the catch, and this was making my elbow sore (lateral epicondyle). Once I concentrated on keeping my wrist straight and 'swimming over the barrel', pace times and RPE improved and elbow discomfort went away! What an epiphany.
I managed to hit 1:28-1:29/100m pace with 31-33 efficiency for the final 3x50 sprints (30s)- the last being the fastest and most efficient, which is the first time I've ever gone under 1:30/100 pace for more than one 50 in a row without completely gassing myself.
These days I am only focusing on 4 things in the pool: (1) breathing to both sides (for hard intervals done as odds left, evens right) and keeping one goggle lens in the water to keep me from lifting my head, (2) high elbow at the catch (climbing the ladder), (3) swimming downhill (pressing the buoy), and (4) rotating the belly button. This keeps things simple and seems to be working. Have gone from avg efficiencies of 38-39 to 36-37 while splits have become faster and with decreased RPE and less shoulder tiredness.
So pretty pleased with how the swimming is coming along. Maybe RnP were right after all...
Tomorrow is 3400m which is more than I have swum in a pool workout ever. Over the last few weeks typically the monday swim tiredness catches up with me on tuesdays making those workouts less 'satisfying'. We'll see. At least it isn't one whole week of the same (hard) workout over and over like last week!
Managed it all bar the last 150m of the final 300m set. Took me forever (1 hour) and I was as ragged and I strained my right arm in the process so no more swimming for me for a few days.
Tuesday swim
3500 SCM, avg pace 1:51/100. Avg efficiency 37, 10 strokes/length.
WU 200, CD 100
Paces:
MS1: - 4x300(20s) at Tpace+3s- 1:51, 1:51, 1:51, 1:51 (my T-pace is 1:48/100m)
- 2x400 (30s) Tpace+3s - 1:50, 1:48
- 1x500 Tpace + 3s - 1:49
took 40s rest after MS1.
MS2: 400 faster than 400 above(30s), 300 faster than 300 above- 1:47, 1:47
Pretty pleased with this wko given arms were tired from yesterday. Happy that my Tpace+3 effort was actually a bit fast and I managed to swim faster by the end of the workout. Concentrated on rhythmic breathing and rolling hips on pretty much every length.
Had a really rewarding and good-feeling swim today, even though the numbers aren't that impressive. Bottom line is that it was a workout like we saw a couple years ago, but I have seen less of recently, with a fair amount of moderate paced stuff and some sprints at the end.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/310298317
WU:
6 x 100 easy, around 1:40
6 x 100 IM, around 1:45. (I did free instead of back...crowded pool today is no place for my "chaise lounge backstroke")
8 x 200 around 1:38 pace
then the fun part:
6 x kill-yourself 50s. with ~45 s rest. I was coming in just under 40 on the clock, but my tap times are all 41ish. Amazing how hard the last 10-15 of 50 can be. :-)
100 easy 1:39
10 x kill-yourself 25s as alternating fly and free.
100 easy before the clock kicked me out. 1:33
Frees were around 18.x on the clock. close to 20 by time I hit the lap button.
It was hard to really sprint the fly, but I did my best. Mostly about 23.