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Week of August 20
Today is a more or less rest day for me. Just a swim.
- 300 swim
- 300 kick
- 20 x 100 as 50 hard/50 easy-moerate with 10 sec rest
- 8 x 50 hard with small paddles.
The speed was ok, today...nothing spectacular. Fast 50s were around 50 s (LCM, approx 1:30 pace in scy). I did try to play "Mr. Efficient" to entertain myself starting with about the 5th or 6th one. Normally it takes me 28 right arm strokes to get across the 50 LCM. (Yes, I know that's not great...I am not a great swimmer...lousy body position) Focusing on floating the butt, I was able to get down to 26 pretty consistently and 25 a couple of times.
Interestingly, though, no change in speed...took the just about same amount of time no matter how many strokes.
Wm
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Core work 100pushups, 100 pullups and 100 situps. Then some time in the pool doing drills. I ran across the swim wiki and the video from coach r where he said that if you swim slow like me it is because of technique. So I am going to try and get a couple extra short drill only swim sessions in to see if it moves the needle. Right now my schedule allows for 2 full sessions per week but I think that I can get in the water 2 more times for 15min each to focus on drills and totally ignore everything else. We shall see. Swim is such a detractor for me right now. Esp if the race is not wetsuit legal.
1) I think drills are great if you know what you're doing, but if no one shows you what you're trying to do, do we really accomplish anything? I feel like a coaching session that includes setting you up with some drills (these or others) might be worthwhile.
2) No doubt that below some number (as RnP describe) speed is more or less technique related vs. fitness. BUT, there is also something to be said for having the fitness to come out of a swim (however fast you go) without it draining you for the first XXX minutes of the bike. I don't think you can entirely escape the work required by only working on technique (assuming you are at some reasonable baseline to begin with)
Most of my HIM swims have been in the 37-38 min region (with wetsuit) and my IM swims about double that. So I am really NOT a fish.
But that said, I had a pretty horrible swim at KS this year in terms of time (because I got lost/disoriented more than once...also no wetsuits...and it was pretty choppy... but I digress). But because I had spent some legit time in the pool, other than being mad at myself for having screwed up like that, there was no harm done, and I felt fresher starting the bike than I pretty much ever had...and it let me choose when to kick up my effort a little bit more.
Anyway, food for thought. Probably best to have a balance for people that are struggling with swim.
I just have one question for you thiough.... SINCE WHEN IS 100 PULL UPS RECOVERY!!! :-)
BUT - without a wetsuit in my lasts couple of olys I was 37 and 34 min. Really big drop offs when I dont have a wetsuit to keep my hips up.
The coaching session is the right idea for sure. I need to look in to that. In the mean time the drill sessions will not replace the EN swim sessions. They will be in addition to them.
On my list of goals is to get my oly down to 2:30. I am 2:42 right now with a 34min swim. I can see getting a few more minuets on the bike, a couple more on the run and hopefully a hand full of low hanging fruit on the swim.
Swim ... 2000 yards straight with fins ... Just easy concentrating on stroke.
Massage ... 1 hr on the table ... My favorite training regimen
Bike ... 49 mins spinning and one leg drills on the drainer
Oh, andthe pool is closed all week for annual maintenance...so I had no choice but to ride my bike down to the beach and do an open water swim. I did ~1.5 miles without a wetsuit, and I'm pretty sure I was one of the only people swimming sans-wetsuit out there today. The CPD beach report website listed the water temp as 74 but that was bogus…it was probably around 70 or maybe even a bit cooler. Honestly the cold wasn't an issue until the very end, and even then it was not too bad. But when I got out I realized I was quite chilled indeed (and had to ride home on my bike at the point wearing a swim suit and had not brought a towel……).
Overall the Garmin "open water swim mode" says 1.47 miles in 52:34, not exactly an impressive pace but a good swim in any case. Frankly I know I swam PAST the distance marker both times so it must have been a little longer. But whatever…
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213120205
@Jimmy- I agree with Wm. Drills and focusing on efficient stroke is best with feedback... whether it is a coach or just someone taking a video of you. Really hard to gauge if you're doing it right (or at least improving w/o that)
Paul- x2 on massage being a favorite "workout"!
@Matt- Nice OWS. BBBRRRR
Good swim for me last night. Only 2 people showed up for our last session so lots of individual attention working on my stroke finish. No shoulder issues last night either. Did some drills and various efforts focusing on different aspects of my stroke, then 3 x 500 at about T-pace + 2-3". Much improved per coach, but faster speed hasn't come yet. I think when I get the stroke improvements down and they become part of muscle memory, perhaps it will come... It has to right??
They were doing 5x800M on 2 min rest. So to make an hour out of it and more en friendly I ran 15 min to warm up then kept running between the intervals then ran after to fill out the hour.
Over all, covered 6.75mi in 57 min. The 800's were 3:17, 3:18, 18, 24 and 3:42 (oops! found the quicksand.)
Regular EN swim at lunch today.
I might have to back off next week a little. I am not getting enough sleep. My "solution" for fitting training in with work and family is to sleep less. Which I can keep up for a while but at some point I am going to need to catch up.
If you anticipate a wetsuit swim for a race, there's nothing wrong with doing some sets with a pull buoy; that's very similar to the buoyancy that you'll have with the wetsuit on.
On coaching, don't be unwilling to drop a coach if s/he tells you some things that are obivously nonsense. I had a coach tell me one time that I was "kick dominated" because I tend to have shorter strokes with my arms than some. Utter nonsense. I can't kick a lick. That doesn't mean there wasn't work to do with my arms...it was just that this guy didn't have any idea what to do with me.
@Kim - I wish I knew what the real answer was about longer vs shorter strokes. I can tell you that I don't spend any less energy that I can detect with a longer stroke. (the recovery is not where I spend my energy!) There's an argument out there that a shorter stroke for open water swimming makes more sense than the super-long glide bit that you see some people advocate. The way for me to get more efficient (and almost certainly go longer per stroke) will be to get my ass out of the water. Always trying. And I'm better than I once was. Have a final tune-up lesson scheduled next week. :-) I had a real breakthrough session with that guy one time... literally almost unbelievably big progress in half an hour, but I couldn't recreate it entirely when I returned to swimming on my own. Hoping maybe I'll hit jackpot again. :-)
LCM
300 swim
300 kick
300 pull with buoy
32 x 50 hard swim with paddle on 1 min take off interval.
Again. mostly about lats and core
Overall 8.78 mi in 1:00:01 (6:50 pace). Very short stops for water during the recoveries. Current z4=6:45, z3=6:52, z2=7:09.
Warmup – 10' @6:56
4x 7'(4') @z4 – 6:31, 6:31, 6:25, 6:27
(4' recoveries – 7:44, 7:43, 7:44, 7:58)
- 7' remainder time @z4 – 6:30
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213327837
@ William - the 70.3 swim time isnt my limiter at that distance. It is the run off of the bike. My Oly swim (non wetsuit in these parts) is 34 minutes. That is the one that kills me. I have got to get my can up higher in the water.
@Matt - I like that. Good policy.
Im not sure about getting evening sessions in right now though. Right now, that is family time (3yr old and 6 yr old. Playing outside/swimming, dinner, baths, reading books at bedtime runs from 4:30 to 8:30. Then I have 30 minutes to prep for the next day and 60 minutes to hang with the mrs.
Right now, weekdays for me I can get an hour in most days at lunch and and hour / 90 minutes in the morning. They days that are tough are tuesdays (I really like my running group but they meet at 530 am for some unknown reason) and wednesdays where we have a 90min bike and a 30 min brick run.
I need to be up at 4:50 to make the track session and 530 to get the 2hr brick session in by 8am so that I can get to work.
If I split the wednesday run from the bike I could sleep till 6am (getting the magic 8 hrs) and run at lunch. That might be the thing to do. In fact, I just decided, that is what I am going to do tomorrow. I LIKE running right off of the bike but I will get better work out of me if I sleep in, split the bike from the run and run at lunch.
PS - I ran some 800's today. They ended up being at your z4 pace. I felt like I was flying. You are seriously fast.
Swim - 2500 SCY with fins straight through, but easy. The water was about 85 so too hot to work hard.
Run - 7.78 miles on the Garmin. Yesterday broke a 30 day run streak. I'll start another month long or longer streak after Vegas
8 hrs of sleep and I fee llike a rock star. I had to break the 30min run off of the 90 min ftp bike and moev the run to lunch in order to get the sleep.
But the bike went well. MS was 8,10,14,10 hard with 2' rest between. I was 100%, 99%, 98% and 99% of FTP.
Got the run at lunch which is good as it also keept me from going out to eat. I tend to eat better if I am in a hurry and grab someting from My Fit Foods to bring back to my desk.
@Kim - Way to go beating your run target paces. Run is your toughest leg, right?
And...given the pro-sleep propaganda here, I hope I'll be forgiven for turning up at the pool a little late this morning. On the books was 2 x 500, 3 x 300, 4 x 200. Did my usual 300 swim, 300 kick warmup, and there was only 40 min left, so it turned into 500, 500, 1000 at consistent, but not mind-numbing effort. Decent swim but nothing too exhausting. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213625412
Jimmy- glad the Extra zzzzzzs helped! And yes my run is worst of the 3. I've made a lot if improvements in the past few years but still a ways to go. But I try to remind myself that 3 years ago I could only run for 30 secs at a time...
Wm- nice job balancing soccer & training!
I picked up my bike from getting her tuned up but not enuf time to ride so I'll do brick thurs nite. Decided to get some SAUs and DAUs and go to the dog park.
AM - Swim 4,500 yards as 11x400 yards plus 100 warm down
PM - Bike 1hr 27 mins on the drainer w TSS = 82
Overall 1:33:24 @ 215 watts, IF 0.847, TSS 111.1. Distance 31.47 miles, avg 20.2mph. Based on the various slowdown point on the Path I swapped my scheduled 3x15' @z4 for 2x20' then another 9'.
Warmup
5' in city traffic
12' – NP: 208 (IF 0.819), VI 1.01, HR 129/141, cad 87, 18.5mph
3' around Navy Pier
6' – NP: 199 (IF 0.785), VI 1.00, HR 127/142, cad 86, 19.2mph
Z4 intervals
20' – NP: 236 (IF 0.927), VI 1.00, HR 146/153, cad 92, 21.6mph
20' – NP: 244 (IF 0.959), VI 1.01, HR 148/159, cad 91, 23.7mph
9' – NP: 229 (IF 0.900), VI 1.01, HR 142/149, cad 89, 24.3mph
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213893407
Thu AM - run 6.5 miles. Left leg tight/tired. Need to hit the foam roller tonight before I get on the bike.
30min W/U then 2x 1mi @ 8:20 then as much as possible at 8:30.
The big win today was that I actually put together another 2.7mi at 8:30 before coming back down to my LRP.
Bakc in the day, pre tri knocking out a 1:45 13.1 was quite doable. Now it is looking more like 2:05. Oh well. Bike and swim are improving.
So the hour was 2.5 mi at about 7:30 pace, followed by just under 3 mi at an average of about 6:50 pace...which I won't lie...was work!...HR definitely elevated during it!...followed by about 1 mi recovery and 1.5 mi 7:30 pace home....so total of 8 mi in 60 min almost exactly. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214051171
This morning was a bit of another matter. Maybe accumulated fatigue, maybe the only 12 hours rest between the two runs...I dunno... but this was NOT an inspiring run.
Overall, 11 miles in 1:29, for an 8:05 pace average. 3 mile warmup at EP (a little slower than 8:00) The work segment was 3 miles - somewhat more hilly, but nothing ridiculous - but I was slowed to 7:05 average for the three. I got in one more mile at 7:03, and a set of strides at the end...and my legs are sore.
I'm hoping that one goes in the books as something that builds the last bit of strength as a bit of an overreach rather than something that just adds to fatigue. I know it's not that impressive-looking, but darn, it was a lot of work. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214051198
Wm- Work is work and you'll see the results (once you get over the soreness!) They don't all have to be impressive
Matt & Paul- Take care of those tired legs!
FINAL WKO for me tonight B4 Maine!
Bike:
12' ea @ .989IF, .953, .957
Then a few laps around the track to calibrate my footpod with my racin' sneaks.
Have a great weekend!
Anyone heard from Shaughn - he's gone AWOL ??!!
Tonight: 15 mins core work + 61 mins on the drainer with intervals at high Z2 (TSS = only 45!). Feeling good right now.
Working very hard here today... Worked from home today (1/2 day) and will get a massage this afternoon and get packin'. Some pre-hydration later on, carb-loading and early to bed to get up at 6 to drop pups off at their "spa". (Sounds nicer than kennel!) They have daycare play groups there so I'm sure they'll have fun....
Squash 'em good Paul!
I managed a decent workout structured as W/U 15' then 2x20'(4', 3') @z3 then 18'(3') and 9' at an easier effort but not totally mailing it in. Most importantly I ran with my wife's Fuel Belt and set a goal of no stopping the entire time. The HR chart tells the tale…mission accomplished…I even jogged the tunnels. I had to stop twice for traffic lights where there was legit traffic but it was a very constant effort for sure.
Overall 12.81 miles in 1:32:01, 7:11 avg pace. The pace would be a bit faster but in the first 3 minutes the average recorded as ~9:30/mile due to an apparent satellite error. Current z4=6:45, z3=6:52, z2=7:09.
Warmup – 15' @7:27
2x 20'(4', 3') @z4 – 6:51, 6:49
(recoveries – 4' @ 8:00, 3' @ 8:23)
Remainder time: 19'(3') @ 7:21, 8' @ 7:05
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214341893