I did a couple of easy swims at the Y over the past few days, but the highlight of this week was definitely diving practice last night. Our beginner group is still taking baby steps—working on proper technique when jumping off the board and when entering the water. I did manage to learn two more ways of going headfirst off the 3m board, in addition to the “line-up” (bending over and falling in headfirst) that we did last week. We did an exercise where we sat tucked-up on the end of the board, then tipped over forward, straightening out into a dive position on the way down. And at the very end of practice we did forward “fall-offs.” That involved standing on the end of the board, with hands up overhead in an entry position, then falling forward. If you keep your body very straight on the way down, you magically end up in a perfect vertical position by the time you enter hit water. That went from super-scary to super-fun in a big hurry! I woke up this morning wishing I could go back to the pool and dive some more. I had to content myself with a short swim at the Y instead. Worse, it will be a long time before I get to go off the boards again—the Queens pool where we practice is closed for 3 weeks for its annual cleaning. That means dryland practices only until late October. Bummer! Still, I’m thrilled I’m doing this at all, and very happy to have found a new activity that brings so much excitement and joy.
After my visit to the physiatrist, I knew that surgery was in my future. The damage to my shoulder was un-modifiable, meaning that the structural instability of my shoulder would be ever-present no matter how strong I could get my surrounding muscles to protect it. I could strengthen my rotator and deltoid until the cows came home, but it is obviously not enough to make up for the damage in my cartilage and tendons. I suppose I could continue to live with the subluxations periodically interrupting my training plans. But what kind of pool life would that be? I imagine I would just continue a cycle of injury and would only ever be able to train up to 95% given my situation. And even then, how long would those periods of 95% last before I re-injure myself and have to take several months to work my way back up from 10%? I want to be able to give 100%, ALL THE TIME. And based on what I had experienced over the past 4 years, I could pretty much count on my shoulder popping out 2-3 times per year. Maybe this wasn't a big deal for me when I was only fluttering around and swimming once per week. But with the level of swimming I hope to be at for the next few DECADES, its now just unacceptable - I have to think about the long term. I know some people would much rather live with the above scenario rather than undergo surgery. In fact, one of my teammates said to me that he’d rather take 2 years away from the pool instead of having shoulder surgery (he has a different shoulder situation injury, however). Fair enough, but that isn’t me. So, since I knew that I would be having surgery at some point, the question soon became, “Now or later?” It took me about 2 weeks before I truly made it to the acceptance phase, and then I decided that “now” was the time. Mostly because there never is a good time for this kind of thing anyway. Right now I am healthy and younger(ish). I have health insurance and plenty of sick leave. And I am motivated as hell to do everything I need to do in order to ensure that I can reach and maintain as close to 100% as I can get after this. In addition, if I prolong the surgery I am risking more injury to my shoulder, which would further increase my risk of developing early arthritis and other problems down the road. And, more importantly, the surgery is much more effective if the damage is less severe in the first place. So, I called and set a date with the surgeon for November 12th. I must say, after I finally scheduled the surgery, it felt like a huge weight was taken off my shoulder (no pun intended, lol). It’s good to know that in time, and if everything goes as smooth as it should, I will no longer have to deal with the ridiculousness of my stupid, unstable shoulder. I am really looking forward to having a shoulder that stays in its socket, lol. Most of all I am looking forward to being able to feel 'normal' in the pool and to be able to push myself to the best of my abilities. Until the surgery, I plan on getting in the best shape possible. I will continue to keep up my PT routine and keep a schedule of 4 practices a week. Right now, I’m probably back up to about 80% since my last injury back in August. I am able to do full workouts right now even though my shoulder definitely feels it during the last 500 or so yards (ice is my BFF!). In mid-October I plan on swimming at our Zone meet up in Federal Way, which I’m super stoked about since that’s the pool of my glory days. I haven't swam there since 1999! I hope to be back near 90% by then, and I plan on just having some fun. It will be my ‘swan song’ so to speak before I head down the long road to recovery. Two days after the meet I have my pre-op appointment with the surgeon. I know it will be rough and feel hopeless at times, but I also know that it will be completely worth it in the end. I am in it for the long haul!!
Updated September 29th, 2012 at 04:37 PM by swimslick
Thursday: 30 minutes of rehab ex 30 minutes of stretching/yoga Didn't feel like hitting the pool. Wrapped up in home renovation projects. Who knew picking out lighting was so time consuming and expensive. Friday: Swim/SCY/Solo: Warm up: 600 various 8 x 25 shooters w/fins @ :40 50 EZ 4 x 50 free @ 1:00, descend to 100 pace 50 EZ 3 x 50 torque drill w/paddles @ 1:15 50 EZ Main Sets: 8 x 25 burst + cruise @ 1:00 50 EZ 2 x through: 25 AFAP + 75 EZ 50 @ 100 pace, broken for :5 @ :25 + 150 EZ 50 AFAP, broken for :10 @ 25 + 150 EZ 50 AFAP + 200 EZ 100 AFASP, broken @ each 25 for :5 + 300 EZ Round 1: backstroke SDK/kick from the block, no fins except for 100 Went: 11 high-12 flat (shooter) 29 flat (16 SDK off each wall) 26 high-27 flat (double shooter) 27 high-28 flat (double shooter) Did the 100 dolphin kick w/board & fins so I could breath, went :52 high (quads on fire) Round 2: fly w/fins, except 100 was breast Went: 10 high-11 flat 23 flat 21 high 23 mid 100 breast = :58 Total: 3850 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pretty tired after that effort, with quite a bit of speed work. I will likely just take tomorrow off as usual. Lil Fort has a 5K and soccer. Though there seems to be a stomach bug going around.
This was not the day for swimming, apparently. My husband turned off my alarm last night (by accident?) so I slept in and totally missed workout this morning. Went at lunch, and didn't even have time for a 3000. 8 x 75 warmup on 1:15 (50 free, 25 other) 10 x 50; 2 hard on :40, one easy on 1:00, last one Sprint 200 P @ 80%, on 2:40 50 easy on 1:00 2 x 75 IM no free on 1:15 100 easy 50 fast 200 IM hard, on 3:00 50 kick on 1:00 2 x 75 free on 1:00 100 (50 k, 50 s) 4 x 150; swim/kick/swim by 50's building to sprint on 2:30 100 easy cool down Total: 2800 Plus, on the down side, every time I do something really hard - like the Sprints - I'm thinking - why do I want to go to meets again? I kinda like just going at a nice, leisurly pace. Don't know what's gotten into me - guess I need to have someone to race to keep me positive & remembering the fun of the race - not something I got at lunch today.
Well, I have been super busy but the only things that are probably of any interest are my workouts and Quest for Key Lime Pie First things first: Highlight sets from workouts this week: Yesterday, SCM 12 x 50 on 1:20 odd IM fast even easy free 1:04, 2, 59, 2, 2, 59 HOORAY! I got under a minute! I must say, I am completely enamoured with 75's IM. You really punch them harder than the no-man's land of a full 100IM. Plus, I really work the breast! Tues, SCM 500 continuous 100 easy/100IM sprint/100 easy/100 IMsprint/100 easy This was super hard. I think my IM;s were about 1:20 to 1:22. And now, what you have all been waiting for - my key lime pie update. I finally bought it! I have been eating a piece per day and it's 1/2 gone. The best are the merangue and the graham cracker crust. The key lime is just sort of the creamy sour punch middle that keep the merangue and crust from bumping into each other. I will happily eat the rest, but I can already tell I will be over it when I am done. Then onto something else. Maybe coconut cream pie or something. When's my next meet? Oct 14 - local A meet and I have entered the 50 free and 100 fly. After that will be a meet in mid Nov but there are several choices for USA and USMS and travel/no travel. Right now I don't feel like committing my entire day to a meet, so I am leaning towards doing a local A meet and getting in/out in 3 hours roundtrip.
Swam w/ Ray, Dave, Dave, Leah, Keith and Wendy. It was Ray's 50th birthday so we had a special workout for him. 600 Warm up 50 x 50 - :50 Broken into 2 x 25 x 50 with a 100 Easy in between them I did: * 8 rounds of IM Order + 50 Kick * 2 x 50 Fly, 2 x 50 back, 2 x 50 breast, 2 x 50 free, 2 x 50 kick 100 Easy Dave did 42 (?) of these fly. 1000 Swim /w accessories - didn't even time this. I just swapped out paddles, fins, kick boards and whatever else was laying around on the pool deck every 100 yards. 6 x 100 - 1:30 Descend (1:20, 1:18, 1:14, 1:12, 1:10, 1:08) Really burned out on the last 50 of the last 100. 200 Easy (5100 Total)
Meet tomorrow. Not sure how I am going to feel but then again I am there for our anual meeting more than the meet. I have to say I LOVE THE MONOFIN! My kick is better with it, I engage my abs more and when I swim fly my stroke is closer to the surface of the water. It is tiring to do though. Christmas present?!?!?! 500 Free 500 Free kick w/zoomers 500 Free w/paddles & zoomers 10x50 shooters then fly to end w/monofin 200 EZ Total 2200 meters
I originally wasn't going to be able to make it to swimming tonight, as my mother-in-law was out helping my sister-in-law at the farmer's market in town. She came home a lot earlier than I originally thought, so I was able to make it over to the pool just in time. Problem is that I wasn't exactly 'prepared' for practice, as I'd spent the past 2+ hours working outside on yardwork, cleaning up stuff, killing bad stuff, etc...basically my forearms were a bit sore. Wah Wah...suck it up James, 'cause it's GO TIME! Warmup: 3 x 200 Free Desc. @ 4:00 Went 2:26, 2:20, 2:11 helluva warmup 20 x 25 Kick w/ fins @ :45 Odds - Core Kick, Evens - SDK underwater no breath Much easier for me now to do this 200 Breast/200 Free stretchout At this point, we're told by John that the final Thursday of each month is our TEST SET DAY. Yippie... (kill me now) Test Set #1 10 x 100 Free @ 1:30 Best Avg. & Heartrate Avg - 1:02.5 w/ 26 HR over 10 secondsBest - 1:01Not Best - 1:04?Got hard to keep going around #7200 Breast/200 Free EZ Test Set #2 10 x 100 Flutter Kick w/ board NO FINS (YES!!!) @ 2:00 Best Avg. & HR Avg - 1:41 w/ 22 HR over 10 secondsBest - 1:38Not Best - 1:42Not too bad, I was the #4 fastest kicker in the group (just proves that the lack of my fin kicking ability doesn't mean much)Found out that John's going to repeat this one weekly, with an award going out to the monthly, quarterly, and season-long winner.200 Back/200 Breast EZ 1000 Free Pull ----------------- 5300 Yards John said to stretch out and relax the last 1000...then said "James and Jared, I don't want you guys going 12:00 on this now..." I said OK. was 5:58 @ 500, finished 12:02 for the 1000. I told John, 12:02. He just smiled and shook his head. I know my pace and can hold it. I did the entire 1000 with 12 strokes per length with the occasional 13 that popped in now and then. The assistant coach (who is also a YMCA manager at the pool I swam at) told me after practice today that I'm looking a lot better in the water. That I'm "swimming with confidence". That made me feel good. Two more weeks and I'll get to test it out in our LMSC masters meet.
Updated September 28th, 2012 at 01:16 AM by jaadams1
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