View RSS Feed

Recent Blogs Posts

Goals, Periodization, Lessons Learned

  1. Wed Apr 3rd, 2013 Zones are 2 DAYS AWAY

    by , April 3rd, 2013 at 11:00 AM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    Wed Apr 3rd, 2013 Zones are 2 DAYS AWAY

    The 2013 Masters South Central Zone SCY Swimming Championships are this weekend Fri Apr 5 - Sun 7, 2013
    Psych Sheet
    Tentative Timeline
    Meet Information

    Entered:


    FRI


    Event 2 Men 400 Yard IM
    1 Davis, Ross C 46 WMST-25 4:30.30
    2 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 4:34.56
    3 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 4:36.37
    4 Wiggans, Keith 34 TXLA-43 4:38.94
    5 Sauer, Jim 55 TXLA-43 4:39.00


    Event 4 Men 1650 Yard Freestyle
    1 Patten, Bobby 50 DAMM-26 17:45.22
    2 Alley, David W 38 TXLA-43 18:00.00
    3 Armstrong, Lance E 41 WHAC-43 18:00.00
    4 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 18:01.37 (should I swim it or scratch?)
    5 Wood, Steve 52 RIDG-26 18:45.67
    6 Wood, Larry W 59 TXLA-43 19:00.00
    7 Worrel, Dick 59 TXLA-43 19:00.00
    8 Cleveland, James A 40 UNAT-0 19:15.00


    SAT


    Event 11 Men 100 Yard IM
    1 Zolno, David J 24 TXLA-43 54.00
    2 Vogel, Jake N 25 WHAC-43 54.50
    3 Davis, Ross C 46 WMST-25 56.00
    4 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 56.53
    5 Heber, Scott 46 DAMM-26 56.75
    6 Dill, Scott 40 TXLA-43 57.00
    7 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 57.37
    8 Wood, Steve 52 RIDG-26 57.89
    9 Guthrie, David M 52 TXLA-43 58.00
    10 McKee, Chris 33 TXLA-43 58.20
    11 Quintero, Chris L 19 TXLA-43 58.88
    12 Baxter, Kyle E 26 PCAT-26 58.89
    13 Varozza, Mike J 45 TXLA-43 58.93
    14 Talma, Mark R 26 STFF-25 59.00
    15 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 59.10
    16 Schroeder, Brian 25 UNAT-0 59.20


    Event 15 Men 50 Yard Breaststroke
    1 Zolno, David J 24 TXLA-43 27.00
    2 Guthrie, David M 52 TXLA-43 28.00
    3 Wiggans, Keith 34 TXLA-43 28.10
    4 Heber, Scott 46 DAMM-26 28.75
    5 Huggins, Dale R 40 TXLA-43 28.84
    6 Marx, Jeff 48 NITR-43 29.00
    7 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 29.20
    8 Putterman, Dean E 50 COOG-25 29.30
    9 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 29.37
    10 Baxter, Kyle E 26 PCAT-26 29.61
    11 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 29.62
    12 Killeen, Robert J 50 TXLA-43 29.80
    13 Neville, Richard 56 FAST-26 29.90
    14 Dill, Scott 40 TXLA-43 30.00


    Event 19 Men 50 Yard Backstroke
    1 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 25.62

    2 Wood, Steve 52 RIDG-26 25.67
    3 Bailey, Bradley H 43 TXLA-43 26.00
    4 Davis, Ross C 46 WMST-25 26.99
    5 Ziegler, Trevor 24 UNAT-0 27.15
    6 Schroeder, Brian 25 UNAT-0 27.40
    7 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 28.40
    8 Kone, Bruce C 55 RICE-25 28.50
    9 Perry, Guy 42 TXLA-43 28.50


    Event 21 Men 200 Yard Breaststroke
    1 Guthrie, David M 52 TXLA-43 2:13.00
    2 Bass, Bill 44 WMST-25 2:19.38
    3 Marx, Jeff 48 NITR-43 2:20.00
    4 Dill, Scott 40 TXLA-43 2:20.00
    5 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 2:22.00
    6 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 2:22.37
    7 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 2:25.50
    8 Baxter, Kyle E 26 PCAT-26 2:26.25


    SUN


    Event 31 Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
    1 Zolno, David J 24 TXLA-43 57.00
    2 Guthrie, David M 52 TXLA-43 59.50
    3 Vogel, Jake N 25 WHAC-43 59.99
    4 Wiggans, Keith 34 TXLA-43 1:01.40
    5 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 1:02.60
    6 Marx, Jeff 48 NITR-43 1:03.00
    7 Talma, Mark R 26 STFF-25 1:03.00
    8 Bass, Bill 44 WMST-25 1:03.31
    9 Ziegler, Trevor 24 UNAT-0 1:03.32
    10 Heber, Scott 46 DAMM-26 1:03.50
    11 Baxter, Kyle E 26 PCAT-26 1:03.52
    12 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 1:04.37
    13 Huggins, Dale R 40 TXLA-43 1:04.44
    14 Putterman, Dean E 50 COOG-25 1:04.50
    15 Davis, Ross C 46 WMST-25 1:04.93
    16 Dill, Scott 40 TXLA-43 1:05.00
    17 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 1:05.99


    Event 35 Men 50 Yard Butterfly
    1 Vogel, Jake N 25 WHAC-43 23.50
    2 Bailey, Bradley H 43 TXLA-43 24.00
    3 Kainz, Ceazar J 21 CBA-43 24.10
    4 Nelms, Brandon L 28 PCAT-26 24.10
    5 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 24.34
    6 McKee, Chris 33 TXLA-43 24.70
    7 Heber, Scott 46 DAMM-26 24.75
    8 Killeen, Robert J 50 TXLA-43 24.80
    9 Varozza, Mike J 45 TXLA-43 25.00
    10 Glass, Mark W 38 WMST-25 25.33
    11 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 25.37
    12 Wood, Steve 52 RIDG-26 25.67
    13 Schroeder, Brian 25 UNAT-0 25.80
    14 Kone, Bruce C 55 RICE-25 25.86
    15 Patten, Bobby 50 DAMM-26 25.88
    16 Putterman, Dean E 50 COOG-25 25.90


    Event 37 Men 100 Yard Backstroke
    1 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 54.99

    2 Quintero, Chris L 19 TXLA-43 55.74
    3 Wood, Steve 52 RIDG-26 56.78
    4 Mayer, George 24 UNAT-0 57.00
    5 Ziegler, Trevor 24 UNAT-0 57.49
    6 Schroeder, Brian 25 UNAT-0 57.70
    7 Alley, David W 38 TXLA-43 59.00
    8 Toren, Jared M 32 TXLA-43 1:00.00


    Event 43 Men 200 Yard IM
    1 Vogel, Jake N 25 WHAC-43 1:59.31
    2 Davis, Ross C 46 WMST-25 1:59.99
    3 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 2:03.59
    4 Heber, Scott 46 DAMM-26 2:05.00
    5 Wiggans, Keith 34 TXLA-43 2:05.48
    6 McKee, Chris 33 TXLA-43 2:07.80
    7 Armstrong, Jonathan W 37 WMST-25 2:08.37
    8 Guthrie, David M 52 TXLA-43 2:09.00
    9 Schroeder, Brian 25 UNAT-0 2:09.00
    10 Baxter, Kyle E 26 PCAT-26 2:09.15
    11 Dill, Scott 40 TXLA-43 2:10.00
    12 Sauer, Jim 55 TXLA-43 2:10.00
    13 Toren, Jared M 32 TXLA-43 2:12.00
    14 Jones, Shawn 38 DADS-25 2:12.95
    15 Talma, Mark R 26 STFF-25 2:13.00
    16 Hoffman, Keith T 54 UNAT-0 2:15.11


    Event 51 Men 1000 Yard Freestyle
    1 Alley, David W 38 TXLA-43 10:35.00
    2 Armstrong, Lance E 41 WHAC-43 10:40.00
    3 Rasmussen, Anders M 49 TXLA-43 10:49.99
    4 Gogulski, David H 44 NITR-43 11:10.47
    5 Sauer, Jim 55 TXLA-43 11:20.00
    6 Worrel, Dick 59 TXLA-43 11:20.00
    7 Siegel, Craig 55 TXLA-43 11:30.77
    8 Wood, Larry W 59 TXLA-43 11:40.00
    9 Gibson, Kip E 57 UNAT-0 11:42.80
    10 Killeen, Robert J 50 TXLA-43 11:55.00
    11 Montgomery, Jim 58 DAMM-26 12:00.00
    12 Coates, Ed M 47 TXLA-43 12:00.00
    13 Cothren, Jack 63 BUMS-4 12:17.00
    14 Kadas, Chris W 50 TXLA-43 12:38.86
    15 Wright, Stephen S 54 TXLA-43 12:40.00
    16 Walker, Donald M 54 MOST-43 12:45.00


    ~ ~ ~ ~

    Whitney Coached
    6:30 dove in around 6:45
    SCY UT Swim Center main pool
    Swam with: Todd Marcio and David
    next to Keith, Mike, Ned



    Warm up
    went around 300

    Main Set

    5 x 100 on 2:00 desc

    200 easy

    5 x 50 on 1:15 desc

    200 easy


    Next Meet:
    Days Till SC Zones

    Meet Info

    2013 South Central SCY Zone Championships
    Fri Apr 5 - Sun Apr 7
    UT Austin, TX
    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  2. Sunday, Dec. 30

    by , December 31st, 2012 at 10:14 AM (The FAF AFAP Digest)
    Swim/SCY/Solo:

    Warm up:

    600 various
    10 x 25 shooters w/fins @ :40
    50 EZ
    5 x 50 torque drill w/agility paddles @ 1:30
    50 EZ

    Main sets:

    8 x 25 burst dolphin kick + cruise @ 1:00
    50 EZ

    8 x 25 burst fast hands drills + cruise @ 1:00
    100 EZ

    4 x (5 x 50 w/fins) @ 1:30
    1 = EZ kick
    2 = @ 100 pace
    3 = EZ kick
    4 = AFAP
    5 = EZ kick
    R1 = fly (25/23), R2 = breast (29/27high), R3 = free (24/23 missed turn), R4 = flutter kick w/board (27 flat/25)
    100 EZ

    12 x 25 swim w/parachute @ 1:00
    -- 4 free, 4 back, 4 breast
    150 EZ

    Total: 3350


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I slept in and opted not to go the team New Year practice. I'm a little leary of the distance; I recall my shoulder was sore for 6 weeks after one of those practices two years ago. In any event, this practice seemed quite hard. I was bushed the rest of the day -- probably because it's the first time I've used a parachute since November before taper. Parachutes are very fatiguing.

    My meet plan for 2013:

    Jan. 20: MD series meet in Annapolis
    Feb: ?? Possibly I'll go to a SCM meet at Spire with Jimby or have an off month
    Early March: Warrenton meet. It's not on the PV schedule yet, but I'm hoping they have it again.
    March 16: Albatross SCM meet
    April 20-21: Colonies Zones at GMU
    May 10-12: Nationals in Indy
    Summer: ?? I may try to attend Colonies Zones LCM in Richmond in late June. The meet is on the calendar, but it doesn't specify a pool. I don't plan on much meet wise this summer as we'll be moving. I still plan to swim all the PV meets after the move.
    Oct. 26: Sprint Classic
    Nov.: Reston Relay/Sprint Carnival
    Dec.: NE SCM Champs

    We are going away for Spring Break for 9 days at the end of March (23-31). It looks like I could be out of the pool the entire time. Not ideal for Nationals prep, but a great happiness jaunt. I may taper for my March meets and then try to reboot in April and swim through CZ.

    Happy happy new year!

    Updated December 31st, 2012 at 10:19 AM by The Fortress

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  3. Oct 17th 2012 - What has it done for me?

    by , October 18th, 2012 at 12:29 AM (Swim like an Orca, but faster !)
    When I was very young, about 4, I remember a sleeper wave knocking me down and pulling me out into the surf. The sea was forgiving or deliberate and deposited me back on shore, somehow I knew to hold my breath and deal with it. Since then I have had a relationship with water that has lasted me a lifetime. I continue to learn and grow and the water always seems to be a central part of who I am, besides the 70%.

    Swimming. What has it done? Besides accelerating the natural wrinkling process of aging, swimming has got me toned and in shape, I left Aquasol in July 2012 and started with a weight lifting program that is concentrating on muscle mass and strength. Since my last negative post, I thought I would post something positive. I am getting stronger, people are noticing my muscle mass increasing a bit and I've turned the persistent body fat into lean muscle. I still have the motivation to swim fast so I swim one to two times a week at local drop-in lap swims.

    I represent the obscure faces in the crowd who never got into the top ten, twenty or anything, who look forward to a workout because it something healthy to do and at the very least is keeping my cardio vascular systems in top shape. I gave up on being a competitive swimmer for now, because I just wanted to be in the race, not just a ‘having fun’ participant. I have decided on strength goals and when I hit them, like 30 pull-ups and 10x200lb. wide grip pull downs, (I’m at 8 pull ups and 2x10x140lb now) I will start timing my 50’s and 100’s to see where I’m at, then I’ll see about a meet. My swims are more about technique and are done at a moderate pace.

    Although I really miss Coach Janine and Coach Steve and my lane buddies at Aquasol Masters, I know that if I return, I will be able to look at the clock and feel good about the swim. Otherwise I would be just a lap swimmer, which I am now, but nobody’s keeping up with me. It’s amazing how many people look like shark bait in the water, but I used to be there too.

    The moral is don’t give up, adapt, change it up, cross-train and keep the dream alive, even if it’s just to swim a 100 free in :52, or a 100 Fly in :58…then you’ll be in the race, that is, I hope to be in that race. I can say that the journey so far has been awesome, my health has changed and its been worth every workout and every struggle. I thank God for that…
    Categories
    Planning
  4. Sunday July 22nd - AM Swim

    During the summer, the Ocean City Swim Club has Sunday morning workouts at the beach in Longport, NJ so I drove over this morning to see if I could get some pointers on open water swimming. They had three buoys set up in a triangular 350 yard course, with lifeguards on hand for safety, to help novices, and one in case anyone "wanted a workout".

    Most people just got in the water and started swimming, but I wandered over to the people waiting for the lifeguards. It sounded like the novice group was for people that were nervous about the waves or about swimming in the ocean, so I went over to see about the workout and found that it was just me and the lifeguard, Erin. This turned out to be absolutely perfect for me because after she had me do a lap of warmup and another lap swimming at different stroke rates to see what effect that had in different currents, she asked what I wanted to learn and the "workout" turned into a 45 minute private lesson .

    We first swam a couple of laps working on sighting, which was much more difficult than I expected because of the swell. At first I frequently had to resort to breaststroke, but eventually I began to get a feel of looking when I was on the crest of a swell instead of the in the trough and did much better by the end.

    She also talked about drafting, which I thought I knew about about from lap swimming, but I was surprised when she said that the most effective position was right on the person's hip. This made sense once she explained it, but it isn't something I would have thought of myself. I was also surprised at first when she said that drafting someone can give you a psychological advantage as well as a physical advantage over them. I had to laugh when she said "people might not like you for doing it, but so what - it is an effective strategy".

    She had to leave early to get to work, so I swam a few more laps on my own after she left. All told I think I did 8 laps, so I went about 2800 yards.

    I am so happy I got up to do this today, it was exactly what I needed!

    Updated July 22nd, 2012 at 10:16 PM by eric.carlson

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  5. Planning

    by , July 11th, 2012 at 12:49 PM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    my Next meet is the

    2012 South Central LCM Zones on
    Fri Sat Aug 10, Sat 11 & Sun 12, 2012 at the
    Palo Alto Pool in
    San Antonio, TX

    2012 South Central Zones
    Meet Info / Entry Form
    Days Till

    I was disappointed with my sprint times at Nats. They were:
    50 FR 26.14
    50 BK 29.50
    50 BR 34.66

    From now till zones I'm training for speed & strength. I'm curious about how much & determined to improve my 50 & 100 times times between now and Zones. I also plan to continue strength & speed training for SCM

    I had 30 days to train.

    00 Sun Aug 12 Zones Day 3
    00 Sat Aug 11 Zones Day 2
    00 Fri Aug 10 Zones Day 1

    01 Thu Aug 09
    02 Wed Aug 08 L
    03 Tue Aug 07
    04 Mon Aug 06 L
    05 Sun Aug 05
    06 Sat Aug 04 L
    07 Fri Aug 03

    08 Thu Aug 02 L
    09 Wed Aug 01
    10 Tue Jul 31 L
    11 Mon Jul 30 swam
    12 Sun Jul 29 L
    13 Sat Jul 28
    14 Fri Jul 27 L FAST FRIDAY

    15 Thu Jul 26 took off, didn't swim or lift
    16 Wed Jul 25 L
    17 Tue Jul 24
    18 Mon Jul 23 SW L
    19 Sun Jul 22 OFF
    20 Sat Jul 21 SW L
    21 Fri Jul 20

    22 Thu Jul 19
    23 Wed Jul 18 L1
    24 Tue Jul 17
    25 Mon Jul 16
    26 Sun Jul 15 L
    27 Sat Jul 14 S
    28 Fri Jul 13 S L

    29 Thu Jul 12 S
    30 Wed Jul 11 S L

    Updated July 31st, 2012 at 10:25 AM by ande

    Categories
    Planning
  6. Training and Competition Goals - 4/16/12 to 7/14/12

    by , May 22nd, 2012 at 06:22 PM (I swim, therefore I am)
    Training:
    1. To complete first 90 day training cycle (TC1) 4/16/2012 - 7/14/2012.
    2. To continue, maintain, diversify dryland strength & flexibility program towards personal fitness, enhancement of swimming, and overall physical performance. Provide encouragement and supervision for my wife and kids in their use of our exercise room.
    3. To prepare highly nutritional and well balanced daily meals, snacks for our kids, wife, and myself.
    4. To ensure as best possible daily good night sleep for everyone in our family.


    Competition

    OW 5K under 1:20:00.00
    • Mira Mar Lakes Open Water Festival Masters 5K on April 29
    • Time: 1:18


    • Further competition to be considered during TC2 based on my results from TC1 and availability to participate. OWS events will be a preference, perhaps a USMS Postal event, along with LCM, SCM, and SCY meets as possible. I have professional and family constraints which restrict possibilities to local & regional events for most of 2012.


    LCM FR Goal training sets:
    • 20x100 on 1:30 @1:15
    • 5x200 on 3:00 @2:30
    • 5x400 on 7:00 @5:00
    • 3X200 on 5:00 @2:20
    • 3x100 on 4:00 @1:07


    LCM IM Goal training sets:

    To build endurance base in Fly, Back, Breast for interval training in TC2. Basic endurance protocal;

    • Fly & BR; 6x100 or 3x200 LCM any pace on 1:00/2:00 rest, build by 50 without stroke failure
    • IM: 4x200 or 2x400 any pace on 2:00/3:00 rest, build by 50/100 without stroke failure
    • Back; 8x50 on 1:00 @39 or 4x100 on 2:00 @1:20


    Stroke Technique

    Ongoing refinement of stroke techniques for best possible sustainable efficiency.
    • Streamlining
    • Breathing
    • EVF pull at fast pace and when tired
    • Follow through pull & recovery with body aligment on both rotation and undulation strokes


    Comments

    I have tried to outline basic goals for my first 90 day training cycle, although already halfway completed. This 90 day training cycle (TC) is a collection of basic micro 4-7 day work/rest training periodizations for both swimming and dryland, and subject to the whims and flow of family life and other obligations.

    The swimming I did before starting this first TC was general lap swimming with an occasional strong effort. The difference for me now is training focus, goals and having a Coach on deck Mon, Wed, and Fri who inspires me and other swimmers. After my 5K OW swim, I typed out a competition goal times "wish list", that I will review when starting TC2.

    In high school and college I was a seasonal swimmer, and my previous masters swimming was about participating in events more than training and preparation. Now I want to build a good endurance swimming fitness towards reaching my training goals and to have fun competing. At the moment I am motivated take on the challenge.

    Updated May 23rd, 2012 at 07:03 AM by fdtotten

    Categories
    Planning
  7. Can I still get there from here?

    by , May 6th, 2012 at 02:12 AM (Bad Ass Blog)
    taken from http://john-badassrides.blogspot.com...from-here.html

    Today was not exactly what I would call a banner day on the road less traveled. That would be the road to being a superhero (or at least the one toward being forever out of load-pile-land). In fact from where I sat at two I would have said "you can't get there from here."

    if you would like to see more please check out my blog at http://john-badassrides.blogspot.com...from-here.html Don't forget to show your support by clicking on an ad at the end of the entry. thanks!
  8. Come fly with me to Omaha

    by , May 6th, 2012 at 02:08 AM (Bad Ass Blog)
    taken from http://john-badassrides.blogspot.com...-to-omaha.html


    There is nothing that scares me more on this earth than an expanse of water that is 8 feet wide and 50 meters long. I have had some hard-bitten dudes point firearms at me in Guatemala. I have rappelled 100s of feet down into black holes in the ground. I've ridden a mountain bike off of stuff that would give a billy goat vertigo. I am no stranger to dumb-ass nail biter stuff. Having said all that, there is nothing that weakens my knees like standing on the starting blocks at one end of a long course meters pool. I (mostly) don't do the other dumb things anymore... but I still get on those starting blocks. I still feel my stomach turn to water. Nothing is as intimidating (for me) as looking down the length of that 50m. Conversely, there ain't nothing that thrills me more....

    if you want more check out the rest at http://john-badassrides.blogspot.com...-to-omaha.html
    click on an ad to show your support too!
  9. Just thought I'd drop in

    by , March 7th, 2012 at 02:48 AM (Swim like an Orca, but faster !)
    Insanity is defined, as the cliche goes, doing something the same way every-time, and expecting different results. If I put my workout routine up against this argument, then I'm insane.
    I was born to be tall and skinny, I lack the muscling required to be a great swimmer, yet I dive in, hoping the clock will reflect progress and some magic will happen in my power.
    Although I didn't compete in 2011 I did manage to get certified in scuba and restored a 1965 Venture 21 sailboat.
    So, my coach and I talked about my stroke, which is about as good as I can get it, but like I've blogged before, I lack the muscle mass and strength. So we plotted out a plan that includes morning planks, bur-pees and pull-ups, among other things. Right now I struggle with even 2 or 3 pull-ups.

    I attended the Strawberry Canyon Aquatic Masters meet at Cal Berkeley and my times were nothing to brag about.
    200IM DQ (the lady judge said I touched one hand on the BR/FR transition...really?) But that was good, cause my time was 10 seconds over.
    100 FR - 1:02
    100 Bk -1:20 (I swam 1:17 a year ago)
    100 IM - 1:15 (no change in 2 years)

    I've been training 200IM, 100 FR, 100BK and 100 IM. This year has been the first for completing a 400IM without stopping and doing more than 2 100 Fly's in training, so I'm making progress somewhere. albeit slow.
    And slow it is, as I settle with 50, I continue to swim, eat organic, (for the most part) exercise and try to engage with more aquatic activities to have more fun with growing older.
  10. Feb 14, 2012

    by , February 14th, 2012 at 02:53 PM (Canuck Countdown)
    117 days until Day 1 of the FINA World Masters Championships

    Been awhile since I blogged. Did you miss me?

    To fill in the gap between December 23 and now, I'll just highlight the significant events.

    December 31: swam 60 x 100 LCM @ 1:30. Alternated 10 swim with 10 pull. Didn't find this to be too uncomfortable. Total meters for December was 61,700 over 15 workouts, averaging 4100 meters / workout.

    January 13-15: swam in the Edmonton Keyano Blue Bear Meet (SCM). This was a SNC (Swimming Canada) meet rather than a MSC (Masters Swimming Canada) meet. I suppose it's the same difference as USA-S vs. USMS. Swam in the '15 & over' age group.

    Friday Evening

    1500 Free - 18:39.83. Not blazingly fast, but better than my last two tries. At least I didn't quit, even though I wanted to! I want to take this down to 18:00 by mid-April (next time I race it).

    Saturday

    100 Free - 57.94. Happy with this result. Made the finals, but scratched.

    400 Free - 4:43.42. Not impressed. But not surprised. In years past, I have had 15-20 seconds drop between in-season and championship performances in this event. I want to take this down to 4:28 by mid-May.

    After this session of racing was over, I joined my club for a 1.5 hour workout. Total distance today was 6000 meters (warmup + racing + workout)

    Sunday

    200 Free - 2:11.01. Not impressed. But, again, not surprised. I want to take this down to 2:04 by mid-May.

    100 Fly - 1:08.45. Just cruised it easy, since I had 50 Free coming up in about 10 minutes. I want to take this down to 1:02 by mid-May.

    50 Free - 27.35. Oops! Cruising the fly didn't help! I want to take this down to 25.9 by mid-May.

    After this session of racing was over, I joined my club for another 1.5 hour workout. Total distance today was 4800 meters (warmup + racing + workout).

    January 26: last workout of the month for me. Total meters for January was 58,500 over 15 workouts, averaging 3900 meters / workout.

    January 27 - 31: Las Vegas! Went down to celebrate my 50th birthday (on January 30). Went with my wife, her sister, and my brother-in-law (who had his 46th birthday on the 27th). This was my first time there and I had a great time!

    February 7: Entered the 14th FINA World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy (June 10 - 16 for pool events). Here's my event list:

    Sunday - 800 Free
    Monday - 100 Free
    Tuesday - 200 Free
    Wednesday - 100 Fly
    Thursday - Relays
    Friday - nothing!
    Saturday - 400 Free

    I'm hopeful that my travel arrangements won't leave me too tired for the first event on Sunday. On Thursday, June 7, I fly overnight to London, England. On Friday, I fly to Bologna, Italy, via Frankfurt. On Saturday morning, I'll take a train, bus, or car to Riccione (only 75 miles). On Saturday afternoon, I'll jump in the pool for a shakeout swim!

    February 8: Planned my meet schedule between now and mid-June (see the schedule at the end of this blog). One of my goals is to complete the MSC Check-Off Challenge (i.e., complete all 18 SCM swimming events in a single season). Another is to get significant race experience in each of my FINA events.

    February 11-12: swam in the Silver Tide Winter Invitational Meet (SCM). This was a SNC (Swimming Canada) meet.

    Saturday

    50 Back - 32.30. Not one of my typical events - I swam it for the Check-Off Challenge!

    50 Breast - 35.08. Not one of my typical events - I swam it for the Check-Off Challenge!

    400 Free - 4:44.13. Poor! Even slower than at the Blue Bear meet in January!

    Sunday

    100 Back - 1:12.58. Not one of my typical events - I swam it for the Check-Off Challenge! I was disappointed because this is significantly slower than my 1:09 last March.

    400 IM - 5:32.65. Not one of my typical events - I swam it for the Check-Off Challenge! Best thing about this swim - except for the 100 Fly, I negative-split the other 100s. I've been told this is a good strategy.
    2012 Meet Schedule

    March 3: Rocky Mountain Masters Invitational (SCM), Calgary, Alberta. Entered 200 Fly, 100 Free, 200 IM.

    March 17: Making Waves Masters 11th Annual Sprint Meet (SCM), Edmonton, Alberta. Plan to enter the 200 Back. Note that I am in another meet on the same day...

    March 17 - 18: Olympian Swim Club Double Double Meet (LCM) (SNC Meet), Edmonton, Alberta. Plan to enter 100 Free, 200 Free, and 100 Fly.

    March 24: Red Deer Silver Sharks Masters Invitational (SCM), Red Deer, Alberta. Plan to enter 100 IM, 100 Breast, 200 Breast.

    March 25: Calgary Masters Invitational 2012 (LCM), Calgary, Alberta. Plan to enter 1500 Free, 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Free.

    April 14-15: Alberta Provincial Championships (SCM), Edmonton, Alberta. Plan to enter 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 1500 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly.

    May 3-6: Edmonton Keyano International (LCM) (SNC Meet), Edmonton, Alberta. Plan to enter 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free.

    May 18-21: Canadian Masters Swimming Championships (SCM), Kelowna, British Columbia. Entered 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free, 100 Fly.

    June 10-16: FINA World Masters Championships (LCM), Riccione, Italy. Entered 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free, 100 Fly, Relays.

    Updated February 16th, 2012 at 01:19 PM by lewba

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Masters Swim Meets / Events , USA-S Swim Meets / Events , Planning
  11. Dec 23, 2011

    by , December 23rd, 2011 at 02:13 PM (Canuck Countdown)
    170 days until Day 1 of the FINA World Masters Championships

    Entered the 2012 Canadian Masters Swimming Championships today. I'm only swimming 3 out of 4 days (not Friday). Here's my event list:

    Saturday
    400 Free
    Relays

    Sunday
    200 Free
    100 Fly
    100 Free
    Relays

    Monday
    50 Free
    800 Free
    Relays

    I also entered the Edmonton Keyano Blue Bear Meet that runs Jan 13 - 15. Here's my entries:

    Friday
    1500 Free

    Saturday
    100 Free
    400 Free

    Sunday
    200 Free
    100 Fly
    50 Free

    This is an age group meet, with heats and finals (except 400 and 1500 are time finals). I should make finals in everything else, but will probably scratch to give someone else the spot. As the heats are in the morning before our Masters workouts, I'll probably swim the workouts after.

    Thursday, December 22
    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    WWU Pool (25m)

    4 x (50 swim, 50 kick, 50 drill, 50 swim), 50s @ 1:00

    16 x 25 kick, IM order @ :35
    right into
    8 x 25 swim/25 drill, IM order, @ 1:00

    18 x 50 swim with fins @ :50

    2 x 100 pull @ 1:50
    2 x 100 pull @ 1:45
    2 x 100 pull @ 1:40
    2 x 100 pull @ 1:35

    20 x 25 @ :45 (2 smooth, 1 build, 1 FAST!)

    200 EZ

    Total Distance = 4000 SCM

    Tuesday, December 20
    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    EWU Pool (25m)

    Don't remember the workout

    Total Distance = 4100 SCM

    Sunday, December 18
    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    Comp Pool (50m)

    Don't remember the workout

    Total Distance = 3500 LCM

    Saturday, December 17
    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    Comp Pool (50m)

    Don't remember the workout

    Total Distance = 4000 LCM

    Updated December 23rd, 2011 at 02:26 PM by lewba

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  12. Nov 21, 2011

    by , November 21st, 2011 at 04:19 PM (Canuck Countdown)
    202 days until Day 1 of the FINA World Masters Championships

    Sunday, Nov 20
    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    Competition Pool (50m)

    warmup:
    300 swim
    6 x 50 kick @ 1:00
    200 swim
    4 x 50 kick @ 1:00

    10 x 50 as 25 scull / 25 drill @ 1:20

    the following set is continuous:
    8 x 50 free pull @ 1:00 (breath every 3, 5, 7, 9) x 2
    4 x 50 back pull @ 1:00
    8 x 50 free pull @ 1:00 (breath every 3, 5, 7, 9) x 2
    4 x 50 breast pull @ 1:10

    the following swim-with-fins set is continuous:
    4 x
    (3 x 50 @ :45,
    200 @ 3:30 (held between 2:32 and 2:38))

    100 EZ

    Total Distance = 4200 m

    Comments: Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. I went to a walk-in clinic on Saturday morning and walked out with a prescription for antibiotics. I've had too many episodes of bronchitis / pneumonia / strep throat to let this go any longer!

    Monday, Nov 21
    Yoga!

    Updated November 28th, 2011 at 01:57 PM by lewba

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  13. August 21 - October 11, 2011

    by , October 12th, 2011 at 03:50 PM (Canuck Countdown)
    Wow! I was surprised when I took a look at my blog and realized I hadn't written in nearly 2 months!

    August 21 - August 30
    Swam 5 more outdoor workouts totalling 16,200 meters (averaging 3240 meters). August 30 was our last workout of the summer season, as the outdoor pools in Edmonton were scheduled to be closed that day.

    September 1 - 9
    No training, as our indoor home - the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre - was closed for maintenance.

    September 10 -September 18
    September 10 marked the beginning of our new season. As the Kinsmen was still closed for maintenance, we swam at Peter Hemingway and Terwillegar pools for this time period. I swam a total of six workouts during this time (19000 meters, averaging 3167 meters per workout).

    We added a new coach to our roster for this season. Here's the introductions that I wrote for each of our coaches:

    New to the club is Mathew Mossey. Matt has previous experience in the swimming community, having been a competitive swimmer for over ten years. After removing himself from the water, he made an easy transition to the deck and has been active in coaching for the past ten years. He has coached with the Saskatoon Goldfins Swim Club, Edmonton Huma Swim Club, University of Alberta Swim Camps, Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, and Fort Saskatchewan Piranhas Swim Club. He recalls winning two Provincial Championships with the Edmonton Huma Swim Club as one of his most enjoyable and challenging experiences. Matt will be responsible for the "Sharks" practices on Tu/Th/Sa/Su.

    Glen Playfair is returning for another season. In recent years, Glen has been University of Alberta's Head Coach for cross country and track and field (distance), as well as the Head Coach of the Edmonton Thunder Track and Field Club. He was Athletics Canada's Head Coach for the NACAC Cross Country Championships in Trinidad & Tobago (2010) and for the 38th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Poland (2010). He was also the Team Coach for the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Jordan (2009) and recieved the Alberta Coaches Recognition Award (2008). He has also been heavily involved in the International Triathlon Union and has coached triathlete stars such as Paul Tichelaar and Paula Findlay. Glen will be responsible for our noon hour practices (M/W/F), as well as the "Turtles" practices on Tu/Th/Su.

    Jim Phelan is also returning for another season. No stranger to the Edmonton swimming community, Jim's career in the sport has been based entirely out of this city. The first eleven years were spent growing up and swimming for the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club until 2005. After graduating high school, Jim was proud to be a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears Varsity Swim Team from 2005 until 2010. Highlights included three trips to the CIS National Championship from 2008-2010. More recently, Jim was head coach of the Edmonton Huma Swim Club in 2011. He was also the head facility coach at Scona pool for Olympian Swim Club in 2010-2011, and assistant coach for the Edmonton Masters Swim Club in 2010-2011. Jim was also the head coach of the Derrick Devil Rays from 2008-2010. He has been involved with the U of A Summer Swim Camps and served as the ASSA "All Star" Coach at Age Group Provincials this past July. Philosophically, Jim believes in a proper technical basis in all skills and strokes to be continually emphasized to promote balanced swimmer development over time. This technical emphasis must then be reinforced with power swimming to achieve success. Academically, Jim is pursuing graduate studies in American History at the University of Alberta. Jim will be our backup coach, filling in for Glen on Saturdays and other times as needed.

    September 19 - October 10

    Back at the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre. Swam a total of 10 workouts (35800 meters, averaging of 3580 meters per workout).

    Notable sets during this time:

    SCM
    4 x 50 free descend @ 1:00 (:37, :35, :34, :33 = 2:19)
    200 free fast @ 4:00 = 2:22
    4 x 50 free descend @ 1:00 (:35, :34, :33, :33 = 2:15)
    200 free fast @ 4:00 = 2:18

    LCM
    (with fins)
    4 x 50 free EZ @ 1:00
    1 x 100 pace @ 1:30 = 1:11
    4 x 50 free EZ @ 1:00
    2 x 100 pace @ 1:30 = 1:10, 1:10
    4 x 50 free EZ @ 1:00
    3 x 100 pace @ 1:30 = 1:09, 1:09, 1:09
    6 x 50 free EZ @ 1:30
    4 x 100 pace @ 1:30 = 1:09, 1:09, 1:09, 1:09

    October 11

    242 days until Day 1 of the FINA World Masters Championships

    Kinsmen Aquatic Centre
    WWU Pool (SCM)

    2 x
    (100 swim,
    100 kick,
    100 drill,
    100 swim)

    4 x (3 x 75 @ 1:45 as 75 kick, 75 drill, 75 swim); sets of 75s in reverse IM order

    3 x 100 Fly as (75 drill/25 swim) @ 1:45 with fins
    3 x 100 Back as (75 drill/25 swim) @ 1:45 with fins
    3 x 100 Breast as (75 drill/25 swim) @ 2:15 NO fins
    3 x 100 Free as (75 drill/25 swim) @ 2:00 NO fins

    4 x (8 x 25 as 6 drill, 2 fast) @ :40, IM order

    100 EZ

    Total Distance = 3800 Meters

    Comments
    Day after Canadian Thankgiving!

    Was tired and sore from the weekend because we drove out to our cabin in Saskatchewan on Saturday after workout (4300 meters) and spent the next two days doing chores to get the place ready for winter: chop wood, haul out the boat and winterize it, take out the docks and boat lift, winterize the water system (clean out the water softener, blow out the water lines), etc. But we also had time for a nice Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, ham, mashed potatoes, turnips, ... yum, yum!

    Updated October 14th, 2011 at 04:03 PM by lewba

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  14. September 19 2011 -

    by , September 20th, 2011 at 01:10 AM (Swim like an Orca, but faster !)
    Aquasol - 5:30pm 6:45pm
    Coach Janine -

    Warm 2x100FR, 200IM drill, 100K, 100P (600)
    4 Vertical Kick for 1:00 FR,Fly,FR,Fly
    200 Fly
    200 Back
    200 BR
    200 FR
    200 IM Repeat on 4:00 (1000/1600)
    6x100 P on 1:30 (600/2200)
    20x25 Sprint (500 did 250/2450)
    200 cool
    2650
    My hamstrings were threatening a reprisal, but I was able to beat it back with low calorie G2 Non-High Fructose Corn Syrup Gatorade, didn’t want to push it. I signed up for the 38th Annual Sprint Short Course Meters Pentathlon at UC Davis. After 2 years (2008 & 2009) of humiliating dead last finishes in just about all the events (50 Fly, BK,BR, FR & 100IM), I’m hoping on doing what I’m doing in practice at the race, I haven’t wrote out my best sprint times, because I don’t want to stress on self-expectations or jinx it, although I don’t believe in such things, I just know if I waltz in over confident, I won’t give it my best. I haven’t done a meet this year, so I figured I’d start out my new aged group with a bang.
    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  15. Postal 10k Planning

    by , August 19th, 2011 at 03:57 PM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    Postal 10k Planning

    I trained pretty hard Mon - Wed then backed off Thu & Fri to rest a bit for tomorrow.

    I asked Charles Logan, director of the swim center swim center to drop the pool temp a few degrees to 77 or 78 and they did. The skinny people were chilly.

    10k's a long way, it's:
    2 x 5000 or 4 x 2.5 or 5 x 2000 or
    6 x 1500 + 1k or 10 x 1000 or 20 x 500 or
    25 x 400 or 50 x 200 or 100 x 100

    I've lined up a counter.

    Swim starts at 7:00 so I'll
    5:45 wake
    6:00 leave home
    6:45 arrive and get ready
    7:00 dive in

    will put GU & water near my lane.
    plus right before I swim I'll probably
    down a few gu's,
    drink half a liter of smart water and
    take in a little caffiene

    Plan to wear B70 jammer have Speedo pro back up. I'll tie it tight and probably double knot.

    I've shaved some and will shave more tonight. I get a rub spot on my right delt when it hits my stubbly chin on long swims, so I'll reshave my face tomorrow morning.

    I'll treat my goggs to not fog.

    No Cap

    Correct Pace is the key
    I need to stay easy long smooth relaxed and consistent.
    Remain aware of
    how far I've gone, how much left,
    my running time and the pace I'm holding.
    I'll have my counter signal 1,000's
    plus 9500, 9800 & 9900

    I won't stop much or for too long.
    On my previous 10k I did a stretch of repeat 100's on 1:20, boy that was a mistake.

    Larry suggested 3k straight then short breaks after each 1k
    1st 1000 hold 1:18's & go 13:00
    2nd - 5th 1000 go 13:05
    targeting 65:20 5k split
    6th - 10th 1000 hold 13:20
    I've considered doing it as a set of
    6 x 1500 on 20:00 followed by a 1000 on 13:20

    I'm nervous and excited. I know somewhere during it I'll be cursing,
    why did I ever get myself into this?

    Wish me luck.

    My sordid history with Postal swims:

    Sat May 30th, 2009 LCM Swam a 10k today

    Sat June 6th 2009 swam a 5k this morning

    Sun Jan 23rd, 2010 Went Postal

    Sun Jan 30th 2011 HR Postal Swim take 2

    1 hour postal swim January 24th, 2009
    Categories
    Planning
  16. Wed Aug 17th 2011 scy

    by , August 17th, 2011 at 11:59 AM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    Wed Aug 17th 2011 scy

    7:00 a.m. this Saturday I'm going to do a
    Postal 10k. Wish me luck.
    Anyone have any suggestions?
    here's how my last one went:
    Sat May 30th, 2009 LCM Swam a 10k
    I hope to do better and not make the mistakes I made.


    Subscribe to Ande's Swimming Blog

    Whitney Coached
    UT, main pool scy
    6:30 to 8:00 dove in 6:35ish
    wore blue camo jammer
    swam with Nate
    Beside Emory, Chris, Korey,Tyler, Marcio, &
    Mike

    WARM UP
    1400 easy 50's & 100's

    Main SET: scy

    4 rounds of:

    3 x 200 fr on 2:40 85% effort right into
    8 x 25 on 0:30 odds easy evens fast
    100 easy on 3:00

    held 200's on 1st 2 rounds under 2:11
    held rounds 3 & 4 at 10k pace
    except for R4 #3
    was 2:01 did 150 2 beat kick, 50 6 beat kick

    ~ ~ ~

    Then did 500 warm down
    easy smooth 50's on 40

    Updated August 17th, 2011 at 07:13 PM by ande

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  17. Tue Aug 16th 2011 scy

    by , August 16th, 2011 at 03:16 PM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    Tue Aug 16th 2011 scy

    When I arrived at practice today in the parking garage, my rear passenger side tire was hissing, but I left to swim and sure enough when I was done and back at my car the tire was flat. At least I was in the shade.

    Did a tiny double yesterday
    showed up noon practice around 12:30 &
    did 2 rounds of 5 x 200 on 3:00
    held faster paces than I did in the a.m. work out

    Got a couple team notices from Whitney which are at the end of this post

    Subscribe to Ande's Swimming Blog

    Whitney Coached
    UT, main pool scy
    6:30 to 8:00 dove in 6:33ish
    wore FS II legs
    swam with Max
    Beside tyler, Todd, Larry, Chris, Korey, & Mike

    WARM UP
    did 900
    had weird accident in warm up, i was swimming freestyle and the guy in the lane beside mine swimming breastroke kicked my right forearm as I was doing a pull. I still hurts and think it might bruise.

    Main SET: scy

    4 rounds of:

    4 x 200 fr on 2:50 82% effort right into
    4 x 50 on 1:00 done 25 fast IM order, 25 easy
    1:40 break

    held em all under 2:11 most 2:09 or better
    tried to stay true to 82%
    went 2:02 on last one in 4th round

    2 x 200 on 2:30 cruise


    Emails from Whitney:

    From: Whitney Hedgepeth
    Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 11:26 AM
    Subject: [txla-masters] Masters information


    Team,

    I wanted to take a few minutes to personally thank everyone for being a part of the Longhorn Masters program. I am very proud to be your coach and I’m grateful to all of you for being active members of the program. I believe we have one of the best and most diverse programs in the country. In order to keep our program operating at this high level, it is necessary for us to make a few changes this year. It is critically important that we have up to date information on all swimmers and that everyone is registered with USMS to limit liability. Because we have seen cost increases across the board, it was unfortunately necessary for us to restructure the workout schedule and raise the fees by 3% for the first time in over 5 years. I hope you can understand that sometimes change is necessary to maintain the elite program we have all grown to love and expect. I have looked at other programs in the area and with 11 swim practices per week for $72/month and the option for a 10 swim/$100 punch card our program is still the best value around. In addition, we have access to one of the best facilities in the country and I hope we have some of the best coaching around. Thank you for your continued support and please let me know if there are ways we can continue to maintain the quality of our program.

    Each year, we have swimmers on the team that accomplish amazing feats in competition. We have many of the top triathletes and swimmers in the country as part of our program. I wanted to highlight some recent examples of this excellence. Please congratulate your training partners the next time you see them.

    I would like to congratulate Larry Wood, Don Murff, and Jim Sauer on their great performances at the Masters Nationals at Auburn.

    Don 70-74 age group
    1st 50 free
    1st 100 free
    1st 200 free
    1st 50 back
    2nd 200 IM
    4th 50 breast

    Larry 55-59 age group
    2nd 800 free
    2nd 400 IM
    3rd 200 free
    5th 400 free
    7th 200 IM

    Jim Sauer 50-54 age group
    1st 200 IM
    1st 400 IM
    1st 100 fly

    Also, I would like to congratulate(sorry so late) the two World Record setting relays from Longhorn Aquatics Masters

    400 free relay
    Tyler Blessing
    Ande Rasmussen
    Mike Varozza
    Chris Eckerman

    400 medley relay
    Chris Eckerman
    Todd Bartee
    Tyler Blessing
    Mike Varozza

    Katy Dooley has the Catalina Channel Swim coming up on Sept 2nd. The swim starts at midnight and is 21 miles long. Good luck Katy we know you will be awesome.

    Lastly, I want to say how much I appreciate everyone's participation and how much I enjoy getting to know everyone. I do tend to ask many questions about your life (just because I care) and I give you crazy glances into my life. These interactions make it fun for me and I hope give you a sense of community as well. I think it is one of the things that helps set our program a part from others and keeps people coming back as often as they can.

    I hope to see all of you continue to work out at Longhorn Aquatics.

    Sincerely,

    Whitney Hedgepeth

    ~ ~ ~

    From: Whitney Hedgepeth Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 7:53 PM
    Subject: [txla-masters] more masters stuff

    On Saturday, August 20th those swimmers who want to do a 5k or 10k postal swim will have the opportunity. It will be long course and you can start at 7:00 am and we have the pool until 10:00 am. You will need to provide your own timer and counter. Otherwise, we will have a normal 7:30-9am workout on Saturday.

    Starting next week, Mon August 22nd
    all M W F mornings will be 6:00-7:30 am and
    T TH will remain 6:30-8:00am.

    I hope this will allow more people to get in some practice before work.

    See you at the pool.

    Whitney

    p.s. Great job this morning.
    There were 46 of you who did the 20x200 or 175 or 150. Way to go.

    ~ ~ ~
    Blog readers:

    Should I go postal this Saturday or do the regular work out?

    If I go postal, should I do the 5 or 10k?

    How should I prepare for it between now and Saturday?
    Anyone got any tips?


    My last 2 LCM postal swims:

    Sat May 30th, 2009 LCM Swam a 10k today

    Sat June 6th 2009 swam a 5k this morning


    Did 2 Postal Hr Swims in Jan 2011, & 1 in 2009:

    Sun Jan 23rd, 2010 Went Postal

    Sun Jan 30th 2011 HR Postal Swim take 2

    1 hour postal swim January 24th, 2009

    Updated August 16th, 2011 at 04:21 PM by ande

    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  18. Thu Jul 21st, 2011 LCM

    by , July 21st, 2011 at 01:26 PM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    Thu Jul 21st, 2011 LCM

    swam easy this morning
    not sure how far I went
    maybe 2,000
    did mostly easy 50's

    Got the 400 IM tomorrow

    Race Strategy
    FL cruise it, breathe every stroke, barely kick
    BK cruise it, easy speed, barely kick
    BR fast bk to br turn, fast arms and legs with a decent pause after each kick
    FR bring it home strong & 6 beat kick the last 75 or 50

    went 5:10 last year,
    5:02 in 2009 in B70,
    4:54 SCM in Dec 2010,
    4:18 scy in Mar 2011

    Tyler and Ross are in my heat.
    Ross is likely to
    work the fl & bk, struggle through the BR and hammer the free.
    probably need to be close at the 200 &
    ahead at the 300

    We'll see


    2011 South Central Zone LCM Championships
    Fri Jul 22 - Sun 24, 2011

    Shenandoah, TX (Near the Woodlands just north of Houston) very Nice Pool

    PSYCH SHEET

    Meet Information

    South Central LCM Zones: DAYS AWAY

    Thu Jul 21st leave for Houston & catch American Idol Live

    Fri Jul 22st meet begins at 4:00 pm
    400 IM

    Sat Jul 23rd
    400 FR, 50 FL, 100 BR, 200 FL, 200 IM

    Sun Jul 24th
    100 FL, 50 BR, 200 BR, 50 FR, 800 FR

    had an easier lineup then
    decided to take a crack at the 400 fr, 800 fr, & 200 fl South Central Zone Mens LCM Records
    Categories
    Swim Workouts , Planning
  19. Since I'm sitting here

    My SCY season consisted of 8 meets including Nats. Of those were two state championships (Iowa and Illinois) and several smaller (yet equally exciting!) meets.

    I'd really like to explicitly look at my 500 free times from the start til the end of the season:
    My first 500 of 2011: 1/15/2011 Danville
    Time: 7:18.93
    Splits: N/A (Avg: 43.9)

    After a lot of coaching and learning, I managed to pull this off at the Illinois State Meet.
    Best 500 of 2011: 4/7/2011 (ILMSA Champs)
    Time: 6:46.42
    Splits: 34.70, 40.11, 41.99, 41.26, 40.79, 41.49, 42.07, 41.89, 42.14, 39.98

    So I'm pretty happy with how my swimming has turned out! I'm not really sure how it all happened - but like magic I managed to start swimming way faster over these past couple months.
    I also swam the same race during nats... I did not swim it nearly as well, mostly due to fatigue and frustration from the days before. (We'll talk about that in a minute)
    Nats Time: 6:52.88
    Splits: 35.01, 40.18, 42.26, 43.04, 42.03, 43.28, 41.78, 42.57, 41.95, 40.78
    Not a terrible job, but I could do SIGNIFICANTLY better in the future.

    So I've also had an attitude adjustment in my swimming and in my training. My first adjustment came after my 200 free at nationals. Due to the fact that I was not swimming smart (lets just put it that way) I missed my wall at the 75 and killed my momentum for the race. It was a bad race for me and one that I wanted to do especially well in. Well - long story short, I can't go back and swim it again. That's just how it is. So instead, I'll just make it up with a vengeance the next time I swim it in a meet.

    In terms of training, I had the time to look at this article. Mr. Crippen's philosophy on his training and his mindset on pushing oneself to the absolute brink is not something I've never thought about before. However I've never truly been inspired to put myself up to it until after reading this. I don't ever plan or even want to be compared to Fran, but perhaps - just perhaps I can teach myself to become even a millionth of the athlete that he was.

    Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to post more this summer! I have quite the line up planned:
    2 Open Water Swims (Swim Across America and Big Shoulders)
    2 Triathlons (Wauconda Sprint Triathlon and the Bangs Lake Triathlon)
    2 Long Course Meets (Badger State Games and Indy SwimFit Firecracker)
    Muddy Buddy Chicago
    and at least 1 half marathon (not sure when or where)
  20. Preparing for SCY Nats

    by , April 4th, 2011 at 03:45 PM (Ande's Swimming Blog)
    The 2011 USMS SCY Spring Nationals at the Kino Aquatic Complex, in Mesa, AZ are not very far away. Days till
    I'm racing:

    Fri Apr 29, 2011
    400 IM 6th Event,
    50 FL

    Sat Apr 30, 2011
    100 IM,
    50 Br
    Maybe 200 Freestyle Relay

    Sun May 1, 2011
    500 Fr,
    Maybe 200 Medley Relay
    200 IM


    Now is a great time to ask:

    "What do I need to do to swim faster?"

    Get:
    1) faster in the pool,
    2) stronger in the weight room,
    3) lighter on the scale, &
    4) thinner in the mirror.

    It's time to shift training to speed, racing, & strength. Then add a layer of rest near the meet. this close to meets dates can sneak up on you so to figure out your training plan, I recommend you pull out or create a calendar and ask:
    How should I train a day before the meet?
    2 days? 3 days? & plan each day till you get to tomorrow.


    M 04 27 L12
    T 05 26
    W 06 25 L11
    T. 07 23
    F 08 22 L10
    S 09 21
    S.10 20 L09

    M 11 19
    T 12 18 L08
    W 13 17
    T 14 16 L07
    F 15 15
    S 16 14 L06
    S 17 13

    M 18 12
    T 19 11 L05
    W 20 10
    T 21 09 L04
    F 22 08 Good Friday
    S 23 07 L03
    S 24 06 EASTER

    M 25 05 L02
    T 26 03
    W 27 02 L01
    T 28 01 TRAVEL to AZ

    F 29 Meet
    S 30 Meet
    S 01 Meet

    Updated April 4th, 2011 at 05:18 PM by ande

    Categories
    Planning
Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast