at Triaspirational, which only says that I am too prolific!
1. Lauren has processed data in a spreadsheet and informs me that out of the women racing the half, I was 55/82 on the swim, 35/82 on the bike and 46/82 on the run, for a position of 45/82 overall. I think it is hard to explain to those who are either naturally hugely athletically gifted or with a lifetime of athletic experience behind them, but this is a HUGE THING for me, I was always the worst at everything in gym class, overweight and unfit for many a year of adult life (and smoked about a gazillion cigarettes over the years), I cannot believe that it has been possible for me to become a SOLIDLY MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACK TRIATHLETE!
2. It was mile 2 of the run course, and I was uncomfortably realizing that I really needed to empty my bowels! JMD to aid station volunteer: "Are there porta-potties on the course?" Volunteer, giving JMD kindly and pitying look: "There are no porta-potties - it is the woods!" It was indeed the woods...
3. The notion of iron-distance racing thoroughly has me in thrall!!!!
4. And in fact if I really try and explain the lure of triathlon, it is sort of like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! When I was a child, I was often reading Arthurian-type stories and fantasizing about being a knight.
5. Or a hero in an ancient Greek tale or a Norse myth.
6. Triathlon is kind of like that!
7. I am going to have a great time training this coming year.
8. It is all about the bike! Exact current or very similar swim and run fitness to what I have now, plus consistent cycling and suitable volume (mix of indoor and outdoor) and self-controlled race pacing, will put me in a strong position to shoot for a sub-14:00 Ironman. Dream goal sub-14:00, realistic goal 14:00-15:00, basic goal to finish within the cut-off.
9. A sub-7:00 half is required to qualify for the Survival of the Shawagunks (a notion for 2011).
10. I sent my novel to the editor on Friday around 6pm, and Brent is coming on Wednesday - LIFE IS GOOD!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Bassman half-iron, October 4, 2009
Thanks for the pictures to Lauren - (I have suppressed the less flattering ones) - but more seriously, thanks to Lauren for being an incredibly generous and supportive cycling mentor!
Her willingness to turn a blind eye to my cycling neuroses and give me a safe and enjoyable environment to ride in (including a number of car trips to New Jersey to spare me the GWB) was incredibly generous, especially since she is herself a blazingly fast cyclist (21.1mph pace in the half yesterday!).
Lauren - THANK YOU!
(And thanks to Brent for getting that spin bike for the condo - really all my current bike fitness is due to Lauren, Brent and Coach Troy!)
Yawn or smile?
The finish:
The best PB&J sandwich I ever ate in my life!
Her willingness to turn a blind eye to my cycling neuroses and give me a safe and enjoyable environment to ride in (including a number of car trips to New Jersey to spare me the GWB) was incredibly generous, especially since she is herself a blazingly fast cyclist (21.1mph pace in the half yesterday!).
Lauren - THANK YOU!
(And thanks to Brent for getting that spin bike for the condo - really all my current bike fitness is due to Lauren, Brent and Coach Troy!)
Yawn or smile?
The finish:
The best PB&J sandwich I ever ate in my life!
Bassman half analysis
Race results are up. I was finisher 167 out of 228 finishers (240 started) - that is not QUITE middle of the pack (Brent has a generous definition of "middle of the pack" whereby one does not need to be at the 50th percentile, just within the middle third!), but definitely getting up there...
Finisher 167
JENNY DAVIDSON
NEW YORK NY
38 F
Bib 371
Swim place: 177
Swim time: 46:20
Swim pace: 2:17
T1: 4:57
Bike place: 164
Bike time (course is 58 not 56 miles): 3:20:45
Bike pace: 17.3mph
T2: 3:28
Run place: 155
Run time: 2:24:39
Run pace: 10:58
Total time: 6:40:06
I am very pleased, actually even more so now that I really contemplate the numbers. Enough so that I sort of don't quite believe it is true! But in fact, yes, I clearly paced my race reasonably well (or at least better than some others), because I moved up more than 10 places on the bike and almost 10 more on the run. This is very good!
Finisher 167
JENNY DAVIDSON
NEW YORK NY
38 F
Bib 371
Swim place: 177
Swim time: 46:20
Swim pace: 2:17
T1: 4:57
Bike place: 164
Bike time (course is 58 not 56 miles): 3:20:45
Bike pace: 17.3mph
T2: 3:28
Run place: 155
Run time: 2:24:39
Run pace: 10:58
Total time: 6:40:06
I am very pleased, actually even more so now that I really contemplate the numbers. Enough so that I sort of don't quite believe it is true! But in fact, yes, I clearly paced my race reasonably well (or at least better than some others), because I moved up more than 10 places on the bike and almost 10 more on the run. This is very good!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A quick post
(for once in my life I might leave it till tomorrow to write the COPIOUS AND EXTRAVAGANT POST that I was mulling over as I ran...)
I had a wonderful day. I finished in 6:40 (watch splits are all a bit messed up, so I think I will wait for official results to be posted to ponder details) - I walked through the water stations, but I really did 'run' (jog!) the whole of the run (my main goal, other than the time goal alluded to below and the desire to enjoy myself on the bike), and felt very strong on the swim and the bike also. It was a beautiful course, hardly any traffic on the roads, and also the most GLORIOUS day out there - mid-60s, sunny, no humidity...
(It will sound like a very slow time to the fast among you, but my goal was to finish in a time beginning with a 6 rather than an 8 or a 7! I have done the Florida 70.3 twice, can't remember exact details but they were both very slow, something like 8:15 and 7:50; the first time was my first ever triathlon and I was an absolute bundle of nerves re: cycling, the second time was better but I was still undertrained, and in any case that course just doesn't play to my strengths, as the run is UNBELIEVABLY HOT in a way that makes me have to WALK rather than RUN! It was important to me to do a half this year where I really was at least mostly running, and I have now successfully executed that part of the plan.)
(And I am now confident that if I choose to commit the training hours, there can definitely be a sub-6:00 half-ironman in my future...)
(p.s. This WAS the short version! More TK...)
I had a wonderful day. I finished in 6:40 (watch splits are all a bit messed up, so I think I will wait for official results to be posted to ponder details) - I walked through the water stations, but I really did 'run' (jog!) the whole of the run (my main goal, other than the time goal alluded to below and the desire to enjoy myself on the bike), and felt very strong on the swim and the bike also. It was a beautiful course, hardly any traffic on the roads, and also the most GLORIOUS day out there - mid-60s, sunny, no humidity...
(It will sound like a very slow time to the fast among you, but my goal was to finish in a time beginning with a 6 rather than an 8 or a 7! I have done the Florida 70.3 twice, can't remember exact details but they were both very slow, something like 8:15 and 7:50; the first time was my first ever triathlon and I was an absolute bundle of nerves re: cycling, the second time was better but I was still undertrained, and in any case that course just doesn't play to my strengths, as the run is UNBELIEVABLY HOT in a way that makes me have to WALK rather than RUN! It was important to me to do a half this year where I really was at least mostly running, and I have now successfully executed that part of the plan.)
(And I am now confident that if I choose to commit the training hours, there can definitely be a sub-6:00 half-ironman in my future...)
(p.s. This WAS the short version! More TK...)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday swim practice
Really I knew I just wanted a medium-length easy swim, but the irk issues at non-practice evening lane swim are so severe that I figured I'd better just go to practice! Very uncharacteristically, I skipped a bunch of stuff - I just didn't have it in me to do the workout today, due to some ineffable combination of fatigue, stress, flip-turn-related hypoxia and indigestion from lunch!
(Usually I get sushi lunch at that place, but it was 1:30 by the time I actually had time to eat, and by that point I was ravenous and figured I'd better eat something more substantial to remain fueled for later work and working out - I thought the beef satay would be "plain," but instead it was drenched in a slightly disgusting and moderately indigestible peanut sauce!)
That said, it was an enjoyable swim - I felt strong in the water, and I was glad to have a solid swim workout. If I have time, I'll probably just run for half an hour first thing in the morning tomorrow - massive amounts of work still to do before the end of the day tomorrow, needless to say...
Warmup: 200 free, 150 choice kick-swim by 25 (back, breast, fly)
6 x 100 IM on 2:10, first 3 regular, second 3 reverse (I note that really my IM must have gotten a lot stronger since this time last year, since I can now very easily swim that interval, which I am sure I could not then)
Then the set on which I flaked! In theory it was 3 x (200 moderate on 4:00, 4 x 50 descending on :55, :50, :50, :45) - in fact, after the first two fifties I pretty much gave up on doing any really fast intervals! I think I instead did something as follows (swimming easy/moderate on the 200s with flip turns added does not leave me in a good position to swim hard 50s following, even with the rest I get before they start!):
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on :55, :50
several mins. HARD GASPING
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on 1:00 (free, breast)
FURTHER GASPING
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on 1:00
REST/ADDITIONAL GASPING
The last bit was in theory 25 fast, 25 easy on :20, :50, but really it was clear to me I would not do that! I just swam some cooldown 50s (I was uncharacteristically FREEZING by this point, it is all that hanging around at the wall, it is not good!) and then got out. Call it 5 x 50 on 1:00 (breast, back, free, fly, free).
2100 yards total (?)
Then I went to my old apartment building - early in September I ordered a new lycra suit (I prefer polyester for pool swimming, both for durability and for support, but I think lycra is less likely to chafe on a long swim) to replace an identical previous one that has gone nascently transparent in the CHEST area (not good) plus 3 pairs of goggles (2 corrective/distance, 1 similar to what I have already - these ones are perfect only the seal is giving out and they are verging on leaky).
Was eagerly looking out for them pre-Little Red Lighthouse, disappointed not to get 'em in time to use new goggles in particular (old suit is still usable) - finally realized it had taken WEEKS, checked website yesterday, package had supposedly been delivered - sent irked rant/email to company - then double-checked order, and realized I had accidentally sent it to my old apartment! I am surprised the credit card went through with an obsolete billing address...
At any rate, I am now happily united with the package...
And now, regretfully, BACK TO WORK!
(But first, perhaps some dinner? I have gone straight from indigestion to needing to refuel, it is ridiculous!)
(Usually I get sushi lunch at that place, but it was 1:30 by the time I actually had time to eat, and by that point I was ravenous and figured I'd better eat something more substantial to remain fueled for later work and working out - I thought the beef satay would be "plain," but instead it was drenched in a slightly disgusting and moderately indigestible peanut sauce!)
That said, it was an enjoyable swim - I felt strong in the water, and I was glad to have a solid swim workout. If I have time, I'll probably just run for half an hour first thing in the morning tomorrow - massive amounts of work still to do before the end of the day tomorrow, needless to say...
Warmup: 200 free, 150 choice kick-swim by 25 (back, breast, fly)
6 x 100 IM on 2:10, first 3 regular, second 3 reverse (I note that really my IM must have gotten a lot stronger since this time last year, since I can now very easily swim that interval, which I am sure I could not then)
Then the set on which I flaked! In theory it was 3 x (200 moderate on 4:00, 4 x 50 descending on :55, :50, :50, :45) - in fact, after the first two fifties I pretty much gave up on doing any really fast intervals! I think I instead did something as follows (swimming easy/moderate on the 200s with flip turns added does not leave me in a good position to swim hard 50s following, even with the rest I get before they start!):
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on :55, :50
several mins. HARD GASPING
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on 1:00 (free, breast)
FURTHER GASPING
200 on 4:00
2 x 50 on 1:00
REST/ADDITIONAL GASPING
The last bit was in theory 25 fast, 25 easy on :20, :50, but really it was clear to me I would not do that! I just swam some cooldown 50s (I was uncharacteristically FREEZING by this point, it is all that hanging around at the wall, it is not good!) and then got out. Call it 5 x 50 on 1:00 (breast, back, free, fly, free).
2100 yards total (?)
Then I went to my old apartment building - early in September I ordered a new lycra suit (I prefer polyester for pool swimming, both for durability and for support, but I think lycra is less likely to chafe on a long swim) to replace an identical previous one that has gone nascently transparent in the CHEST area (not good) plus 3 pairs of goggles (2 corrective/distance, 1 similar to what I have already - these ones are perfect only the seal is giving out and they are verging on leaky).
Was eagerly looking out for them pre-Little Red Lighthouse, disappointed not to get 'em in time to use new goggles in particular (old suit is still usable) - finally realized it had taken WEEKS, checked website yesterday, package had supposedly been delivered - sent irked rant/email to company - then double-checked order, and realized I had accidentally sent it to my old apartment! I am surprised the credit card went through with an obsolete billing address...
At any rate, I am now happily united with the package...
And now, regretfully, BACK TO WORK!
(But first, perhaps some dinner? I have gone straight from indigestion to needing to refuel, it is ridiculous!)
Race reporting
Further thoughts from Wendy on the Little Red Lighthouse Swim - with a picture of us all looking rather freezingly cold afterwards, but with the Actual Lighthouse in view!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Short spinervals session
I am ashamed of how little I've biked in the last few weeks, but I am also babying my immune system (the quantity and intensity of illness in college classrooms at this time of year is fairly alarming!) and trying to keep my legs fresh for Sunday's race...
33 mins, 7 x 90 seconds hard, 90 seconds easy + 3 mins. increasing intensity each minute (avg HR 131, max HR 157)
Huge deadline Friday, going to be pretty tight meeting it - I would like to run and swim tomorrow, but I will have to play it by ear. If I'm in good shape workwise at 5pm and not completely knackered, I could run c. 4 miles and then go to TNYA practice at 6, that would be ideal; but that then kinda knocks me out for the rest of the evening of work, so I will have to wait and see.
Lauren and I have been having some frantic emailing about our race arrangements - we had thought (partly just because I am so swamped with work, and didn't want to lose Saturday work time - also the accommodations mentioned on the race site seemed fairly useless, it was either a fancy-schmancy colonial inn of high price or a no-website roadside motel) of driving down on the morning of the race, since there was same-day packet pickup until 7:45am, but then they moved it back to 7am and started sending alarming notices about off-site parking lots and shuttles. So we are sensibly going down the night before, Lauren having used internet research genius to find us an incredibly affordable hotel (free wireless!) - and I had not at all realized that the whole thing was taking place so close to Atlantic City, so I am thinking some boardwalk-visiting, cheap casino dinner and an ice-cream or so will be in order for the evening before!
We will leave New York around 3pm Saturday afternoon, packet pick-up runs till 6 so that should be OK (they say it's a 90-minute drive, but somehow I suspect that is a best-case scenario)...
33 mins, 7 x 90 seconds hard, 90 seconds easy + 3 mins. increasing intensity each minute (avg HR 131, max HR 157)
Huge deadline Friday, going to be pretty tight meeting it - I would like to run and swim tomorrow, but I will have to play it by ear. If I'm in good shape workwise at 5pm and not completely knackered, I could run c. 4 miles and then go to TNYA practice at 6, that would be ideal; but that then kinda knocks me out for the rest of the evening of work, so I will have to wait and see.
Lauren and I have been having some frantic emailing about our race arrangements - we had thought (partly just because I am so swamped with work, and didn't want to lose Saturday work time - also the accommodations mentioned on the race site seemed fairly useless, it was either a fancy-schmancy colonial inn of high price or a no-website roadside motel) of driving down on the morning of the race, since there was same-day packet pickup until 7:45am, but then they moved it back to 7am and started sending alarming notices about off-site parking lots and shuttles. So we are sensibly going down the night before, Lauren having used internet research genius to find us an incredibly affordable hotel (free wireless!) - and I had not at all realized that the whole thing was taking place so close to Atlantic City, so I am thinking some boardwalk-visiting, cheap casino dinner and an ice-cream or so will be in order for the evening before!
We will leave New York around 3pm Saturday afternoon, packet pick-up runs till 6 so that should be OK (they say it's a 90-minute drive, but somehow I suspect that is a best-case scenario)...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday run
Very good run just now! Beautiful weather - crisp and clear and sunny, in the low 60s...
(I completely failed to get up early and work on my novel first, though! But it must be said that the extra sleep, although it was irksomely punctuated by alarm-beeping and the fumble for the snooze button, was well worth while - I am sorry not to get a chunk of work done before my real work day begins - day of meetings! - but it was almost certainly for the best...)
Ran over and met up with C. and new running companion J. at 86th St. and Central Park West. We ran together round the park and back up to 110th St., then I took my own slow pace home! It will be great if J. keeps running with us - he's a nice fast runner with a beautiful easy natural gait, just starting to work up to longer distances.
Bits (will only provide distance/pace data for the middle segment, but it is around 8 miles total):
20:49 (avg HR 148, max HR 173)
41:30 (4.6 miles; avg HR 165, max HR 190; avg pace 8:58, max pace 7:38 [downhill!])
9:40 (avg HR 149, max HR 163)
8 miles
(I completely failed to get up early and work on my novel first, though! But it must be said that the extra sleep, although it was irksomely punctuated by alarm-beeping and the fumble for the snooze button, was well worth while - I am sorry not to get a chunk of work done before my real work day begins - day of meetings! - but it was almost certainly for the best...)
Ran over and met up with C. and new running companion J. at 86th St. and Central Park West. We ran together round the park and back up to 110th St., then I took my own slow pace home! It will be great if J. keeps running with us - he's a nice fast runner with a beautiful easy natural gait, just starting to work up to longer distances.
Bits (will only provide distance/pace data for the middle segment, but it is around 8 miles total):
20:49 (avg HR 148, max HR 173)
41:30 (4.6 miles; avg HR 165, max HR 190; avg pace 8:58, max pace 7:38 [downhill!])
9:40 (avg HR 149, max HR 163)
8 miles
Monday, September 28, 2009
A question
(My brain is fried after a long day of teaching!)
Is there such a thing as an East Coast full-iron aquabike that I could do in the couple months preceding IMWI next year? I see that there is a Vineman full-iron aquabike in late July, but I suspect the travel would be more tiring than it's worth - anything between early June and mid-August would work, but it looks like the ones on offer nearish by are all more like in September and October...
(That said, what I probably should do is devote my resources to trying to make it to WIBA and ride the full course...)
Is there such a thing as an East Coast full-iron aquabike that I could do in the couple months preceding IMWI next year? I see that there is a Vineman full-iron aquabike in late July, but I suspect the travel would be more tiring than it's worth - anything between early June and mid-August would work, but it looks like the ones on offer nearish by are all more like in September and October...
(That said, what I probably should do is devote my resources to trying to make it to WIBA and ride the full course...)
Lauren's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Race
I cannot resist linking to Lauren's race report from the Vermont 50!
Quick Monday swim
Wendy and I went down to Chelsea Piers for me to show off the swimming pool to her! I picked up my membership card and the swipe key for the bike cage, and we just had a quick and luxurious dip (plus a bit of breaststroke coaching for me - good Wendyean tips!)
500 yards (100 free, 100 breast, 100 free, 100 back, 100 free)
500 yards (100 free, 100 breast, 100 free, 100 back, 100 free)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Weekend 'long' run
Very sorry not to get in a 12-miler this weekend, but really once I didn't do it very early Friday morning, I knew it would be unrealistic and/or unwise. Preexisting levels of fatigue and stress very high, and many hours of work remaining to do this evening, so I set out for an easy 8+ instead of doing anything longer - got c. 90 minutes aerobic exercise/time on feet, not bad, quite enjoyable barring insane mugginess (it is not hot, just mid-60s, but 100% humidity - fairly disgusting!).
My main goal for the week, other than finishing my novel revisions by Friday and teaching my classes well, is not to get a cold!
The Bassman half-iron is next Sunday, and I would of course really love for it to go very well - well in terms of enjoyable as well as faster than what I've done so far.
My main goal is to try and run the whole of the run - I have done Florida 70.3 twice, and both times I was walking the run, the first time because it was my first triathlon ever and the bike ride had taken pretty much everything I had mentally (my only goal was to finish, and as soon as I realized I was within the time cut-offs, I was just beaming, there was no shame in walking!), the second time because I got a calf cramp at the end of the swim that never went away and that basically prevented me from putting my heel to the ground - I felt quite fresh still at the start of the run, but was not willing to court permanent injury!
In any case, the run at that race is what I can only describe as INTOLERABLY HOT - well into the 90s, humid, almost all in direct sun. I am not a hot-weather person, so at this point I just throw up my hands and abandon all goals! Plus, of course, I was very undertrained for both races - I had realistic expectations, and I was glad in both cases to finish, and finish a little faster the second time, but it would have been inappropriate to have more ambitious goals than that.
I'm undertrained on the bike for this one, but I am actually in very reasonable training shape for this distance in terms of the swim and the run, and certainly my cycling has improved a great deal over this season (it's my second season in triathlon, and biking is by far my weakest leg, as you may have gathered if you read here regularly).
So I think that if conditions are favorable and I'm not sick, I should be able to have a pretty good time out there (time in this case referring primarily to enjoyment rather than speed, though I won't say no to whatever speed I can pick up along the way).
That said, if it's a very warm day, which it is well capable of being in early October in this part of the world, I will certainly be fairly slow, and I also (at the other end of the weather spectrum) have no practice doing cold swims and cold bikes - that said, I have a strong physiological preference for cold over hot, so I think I will be able to handle it if that's the case - I'll just ride very carefully for the first miles if my hands are numb! Must remember to dig out warm gloves - my bike gloves do not have full fingers...
Writing this has put me in a mood to look forward to that race! First, though, the teaching week and the novel-finishing...
8 miles easy
My main goal for the week, other than finishing my novel revisions by Friday and teaching my classes well, is not to get a cold!
The Bassman half-iron is next Sunday, and I would of course really love for it to go very well - well in terms of enjoyable as well as faster than what I've done so far.
My main goal is to try and run the whole of the run - I have done Florida 70.3 twice, and both times I was walking the run, the first time because it was my first triathlon ever and the bike ride had taken pretty much everything I had mentally (my only goal was to finish, and as soon as I realized I was within the time cut-offs, I was just beaming, there was no shame in walking!), the second time because I got a calf cramp at the end of the swim that never went away and that basically prevented me from putting my heel to the ground - I felt quite fresh still at the start of the run, but was not willing to court permanent injury!
In any case, the run at that race is what I can only describe as INTOLERABLY HOT - well into the 90s, humid, almost all in direct sun. I am not a hot-weather person, so at this point I just throw up my hands and abandon all goals! Plus, of course, I was very undertrained for both races - I had realistic expectations, and I was glad in both cases to finish, and finish a little faster the second time, but it would have been inappropriate to have more ambitious goals than that.
I'm undertrained on the bike for this one, but I am actually in very reasonable training shape for this distance in terms of the swim and the run, and certainly my cycling has improved a great deal over this season (it's my second season in triathlon, and biking is by far my weakest leg, as you may have gathered if you read here regularly).
So I think that if conditions are favorable and I'm not sick, I should be able to have a pretty good time out there (time in this case referring primarily to enjoyment rather than speed, though I won't say no to whatever speed I can pick up along the way).
That said, if it's a very warm day, which it is well capable of being in early October in this part of the world, I will certainly be fairly slow, and I also (at the other end of the weather spectrum) have no practice doing cold swims and cold bikes - that said, I have a strong physiological preference for cold over hot, so I think I will be able to handle it if that's the case - I'll just ride very carefully for the first miles if my hands are numb! Must remember to dig out warm gloves - my bike gloves do not have full fingers...
Writing this has put me in a mood to look forward to that race! First, though, the teaching week and the novel-finishing...
8 miles easy
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Long swim!
The Little Red Lighthouse swim was successfully completed, and it was truly a lovely day for a swim, though fairly brisk afterwards. No time to write more now - the tidal assist was variable, but not nearly as strong as expected, I was certainly in the water closer to three hours than two! - but it is hard to explain how much it is almost the best thing in the world to be swimming right out there in the middle of a huge river looking up at the bluffs of Upper Manhattan on your right-hand side...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Very good Thursday swim practice
Partly it was that we had the luxury of only three people in my usual lane, which meant we could leave ten seconds between rather than just five - this solves all sorts of timing problems. More importantly, though, I got to bring two very special guests to practice: Wendy and Lauren! It is an indelicate expression that I do not usually use, but I think we can only say that they KICKED THE ASS of the fellow they were swimming with...
Now we have had a very lovely dinner in the interim, and the details of the workout are less clear to my mind than they sometimes are! Let us say it was as follows, though it has taken more attentive reconstruction than usual (I have consulted Wendy, but our lanes were not doing exactly the same things!):
Warmup (curtailed): 100 free, 100 back kick-swim by 25, 100 fly kick-swim by 25
6 x 50 free on :55
4 x 100 free kick-swim by 25 (on 2:25, but we did it as last person touches first person goes, which worked out about the same but easier to keep track of!)
4 x 100 free on 2:00 (my flip turns are making a HUGE difference to my swim speed - I was getting quite a bit of rest!)
8 x 50 on 1:15, first four as fly-back, second four as back-free
8 x 50 free with pull buoy, alternating hard on :50/easy on 1:10
6 x 50 choice as hard/easy by 25 (:20/:40) - not really feasible for me, but I made a good stab at four of 'em, alternating fly and free, and then swam the last two easy (back, free)
2500 yards total
Highly satisfactory!
Now we have had a very lovely dinner in the interim, and the details of the workout are less clear to my mind than they sometimes are! Let us say it was as follows, though it has taken more attentive reconstruction than usual (I have consulted Wendy, but our lanes were not doing exactly the same things!):
Warmup (curtailed): 100 free, 100 back kick-swim by 25, 100 fly kick-swim by 25
6 x 50 free on :55
4 x 100 free kick-swim by 25 (on 2:25, but we did it as last person touches first person goes, which worked out about the same but easier to keep track of!)
4 x 100 free on 2:00 (my flip turns are making a HUGE difference to my swim speed - I was getting quite a bit of rest!)
8 x 50 on 1:15, first four as fly-back, second four as back-free
8 x 50 free with pull buoy, alternating hard on :50/easy on 1:10
6 x 50 choice as hard/easy by 25 (:20/:40) - not really feasible for me, but I made a good stab at four of 'em, alternating fly and free, and then swam the last two easy (back, free)
2500 yards total
Highly satisfactory!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Highly enjoyable swim practice
only I must get a hair faster and a hair more in control of my flip turns, because really I should be LEADING that lane - I am happy NOT to lead, but only if those in front of me are fully in comprehension and observation of the assigned intervals!!!
(I did flip turns on all the freestyle except for occasionally when I was too much on the toes of the fellow in front and had to wait for him to come off the wall first...)
(Some of my turns were pretty wayward, though!)
Warmup: 200 free, 3 x 50 kick-swim (fly, back, breast)
5 x 50 free on :55
2 x (4 x 150 free, 50 stroke in IM order), first set on 2:55, 1:30; second set on 2:45, 1:30
6 x 50 kick-swim choice (I did 2 fly, 1 back, 2 fly, 1 breast)
50 easy
2550 yards total
It is possibly an illusion, but I felt very strong and fit in the water - the combination of marathon/triathlon training and its aerobic benefits, the addition of flip turns and the all-round stroke improvements due to my recent swimming lessons with JB makes me feel that I have had significant improvement over the last couple months.
(I did flip turns on all the freestyle except for occasionally when I was too much on the toes of the fellow in front and had to wait for him to come off the wall first...)
(Some of my turns were pretty wayward, though!)
Warmup: 200 free, 3 x 50 kick-swim (fly, back, breast)
5 x 50 free on :55
2 x (4 x 150 free, 50 stroke in IM order), first set on 2:55, 1:30; second set on 2:45, 1:30
6 x 50 kick-swim choice (I did 2 fly, 1 back, 2 fly, 1 breast)
50 easy
2550 yards total
It is possibly an illusion, but I felt very strong and fit in the water - the combination of marathon/triathlon training and its aerobic benefits, the addition of flip turns and the all-round stroke improvements due to my recent swimming lessons with JB makes me feel that I have had significant improvement over the last couple months.
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