Friday, January 18, 2008

Quiet Friday swim

Hmmm, I really am awfully fond of swimming...

Pretty quiet over there at the Columbia pool--some of the time I had a lane to myself, some of the time sharing with someone suitable who I think I have swum with before, then unfortunately some more awkward sharing while I was doing my time trial. Arghhh! Ah well, no big deal, it was more marred by my own lack of concentration and total haphazardness!

I just wanted to get some vague idea of how I would swim on a 1000-yard time trial with splits for the 100s, but I am not used to using my Polar for this, I was completely lame, irregular pacing and absent-minded split-pressing and general half-assedness! However it was rather enjoyable, and I can always try it again properly next week--in any case this gives me some idea.

I warmed up with 250-300 easy swim.

Then I did 5 x 100 IM (I am still just excited that I can swim 100 IM, this is ridiculously enjoyable!).

Then I did my time trial, details follow below.

Then I did 4 x 50 fly down breast back, and then a 50 of back, and then I called it a night...

OK, so here goes, I did not do a very good job with pacing or button-pressing! I have adjusted the ones where obviously I did 150 instead of 100 by adding in the time for the 50 as though the 100 was the same speed as the one before (which is not a foregone conclusion, I was all over the place--I think I could swim 1000 at the pace I started at, but I realized partway through it would be more sensible to concentrate on form and that my fumbling at lap-end with buttons and attempts to see what lap I was on was messing up times in any case, so by the end I was swimming at a pace I feel I could maintain comfortably for a very long time...)

1:52
1:58
2:01
(2:01 + 1:01)
2:06
(2:06 + 1:04)
(2:06 + 1:06)
2:12
2:12

So 1050 in other words; can you believe that three times I only pressed at 150 instead of 100?!?

I think 2:00/100 will be a quite reasonable goal pace to think of for now, maybe a bit slower if my technique does not really improve but it should be that I can get up to speed on that, I've got a lot of months of training still--and really of course all this is to say that I took the plunge and registered for Florida 70.3!

I've got some work stuff I've got to clear in the next couple weeks before I can indulge myself in putting together a fantastically detailed and somewhat stringent yet also intensely sensible and non-injury-tempting training plan; the thing to do in the meantime is just start putting in a bit of time on the bike. (The bike is the huge challenge, I've got my work cut out for me...) But this really is going to be fun...

3 comments:

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

I wish I could get to the point where I could say I am awfully fond of swimming!

Leah said...

Congrats on signing up for Florida! I enjoy your thoughtful perspective on training.

Jenny Davidson said...

Leah - thanks!

Danielle - I make up in enthusiasm what I lack in talent and experience!