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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
85,000 meters...

Mark M

Dec 31, 04 12:22

Post #1 of 12 (492 views)

85,000 meters...	Can't Post

...which may not be a lot for some folks, but turned out to be my swim total for December...a lot for this guy.

I strained my Achilles tendon in November and had to stop running, so in the best over-do-something-else style I started swimming big day workouts this past month. Well, "big days" for a 48 year old who never swam as a kid. Took a few days off, but not too many. I'm lucky in that our very nice local Y pool opens at 5AM almost every day so I got a lot of it in before work. Christmas break from teaching also helped let me push the total abit

Outcome? On the plus side, I think my aerobic engine is in pretty good shape, and my weight hasn't gone through the roof like it often does with all the holiday eating. Downside? Shoulders are a little sore and (of course) the achilles hasn't really healed because of all the flip turns.

I am gonna back off for a week or so and let my body absorb it abit and then come back and see how many new folks we have showing up with their resolutions!

Off to New Years Eve dinner with Erika...Happy (and healthy!) New Year to everyone!

Aztec

Dec 31, 04 12:49

Post #2 of 12 (455 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Mark M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Were you working on any specific technique elements?

**************
Too grumpy from various injuries to have a signature line.

Mark M

Dec 31, 04 13:50

Post #3 of 12 (393 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Aztec] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Just some easy lsd keeping the form together. On one weekend day I'd pick a distance and go hard. Just trying to build the engine.

douglashilbert

Dec 31, 04 14:26

Post #4 of 12 (366 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Mark M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

So you avg'd over 2700m a day. I'd say that's a pretty good total. I think most of us would be happy to even come close to that.

Cousin Elwood

Jan 1, 05 6:27

Post #5 of 12 (217 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Mark M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Good onya. Now perhaps you'll join the ranks of those who want to see a tri where the time spent on the swim is more than just a token!

85K a little more than I used to average as a masters swimmer a few years back. My biggest month ever was 264,000 yards as part of the USMS February Fitness Challenge. That turned out ot be the most in the country by anyone with a job, and seventh overall...

It takes 100,000 yards (roughly) to really make you a solid swimmer. By doing that in a short time, you should start to feel very much at home in the pool, and should find your stroke improving.

Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

T-Pines

Jan 1, 05 7:01

Post #6 of 12 (188 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Cousin Elwood] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

" My biggest month ever was 264,000 yards as part of the USMS February Fitness Challenge. "

Holy Cow! My biggest YEAR ever was 274,000 yards (22 years of triathlon). Any month other than February and you would have passed my best year. My shoulders hurt just thinking about it.

Happy New Year! (everything is reset to zero)

asd99

Jan 1, 05 7:09

Post #7 of 12 (183 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Mark M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Impressive!

I just posted my yearly totals over on Trinewbies.com. My total for all of 2004 was only 86,000 yards. Ouch.

Mike

=====================================
It's ALL about the bike!

Cousin Elwood

Jan 1, 05 8:19

Post #8 of 12 (141 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Wags] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"My shoulders hurt just thinking about it."

That actually was a problem for me the year before. That year (2002) I figured out how to minimize rotator cuff involvment and the shoulder hasn't bothered me since.

That month made me competetive (1st at Pacific Masters Long Course in 100M Free and also swam butterfly on the fastest 400 Medley Relay in the country for our AG)

I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to do it again, but it did wonders for me. Of course the meet I swam on March 8 of that year, every swim I did was about 5% slower than the previous year. Long and slow only helps you go long and slow. Speed work in the Spring got me the fastest swim in my AG in several tris that summer. Needless to say, 1500M seems awfully short to someone who averaged just under 10,000 a day!

Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Mark M

Jan 1, 05 8:24

Post #9 of 12 (137 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Cousin Elwood] [In reply to]	Can't Post

264,000 in a month...whew! BIG Shoulders!!!

I went back and checked and actually took 8 days off in December so I averaged about 3700 a session. I didn't go into the month with this in mind...it just sort of came on and I got going with it. Had I known I was going to get that close to 100k I might have done a few more days, just to say I did it. I think if I take a bit of a rest I can come back and hit some pool PR's in January.

I have done more swimming in these last years as big running miles tend to start leaving me with more injuries the closer I get to 50. The swimming builds the engine, though I have to admit it leaves me "bigger" as well. Dropping weight has gotten tougher the older I have gotten, but the pool at least keeps me in the game!!

Aztec

Jan 1, 05 8:51

Post #10 of 12 (118 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Cousin Elwood] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

It takes 100,000 yards (roughly) to really make you a solid swimmer. By doing that in a short time, you should start to feel very much at home in the pool, and should find your stroke improving.

Jeez, I hope that's true. I'm about to kick in 4 or 5x per week soon.

Or did you mean 100,000 yards non-stop? ;-)

**************
Too grumpy from various injuries to have a signature line.

Cousin Elwood

Jan 1, 05 8:53

Post #11 of 12 (117 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Mark M] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"BIG Shoulders"
- - ya think?
I work on it...

"Had I known I was going to get that close to 100k"
- - Check out the link and give it a shot in February. It's cool to set training goals that won't hurt you. Swimming is something you can do and go hard almost indefinitely. I have several friends who exclusively swim and they're faster in their 50s than when they were in high school. Guys like swimmer of the year (AG 50-54) Jim Clemmons, who does a 200 IM in 2:35 (meters) and does 1500 free under 19:00:00.

http://www.barracudas.org/

"big running miles tend to start leaving me with more injuries the closer I get to 50"
- - Been 50 for four years and totally agree. I'm trying to get my running mileage up to 40/week, but keep having recurrences of old injuries. Luckily, I can feel them coming and back off before I have to take too much recovery time. I'm working with a Physical Therapist and a Kinesiologist/Chiro to get it solved. Meanwhile, my solution has been to work out hard then run. Yesterday was the biggest of the year:
100X100 in the pool
100 mile bike
10 mile run
The run hurt, but in a good way!

Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Cousin Elwood

Jan 1, 05 9:08

Post #12 of 12 (109 views)

Re: 85,000 meters... [Aztec] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"Jeez, I hope that's true. I'm about to kick in 4 or 5x per week soon."
- - You'll see big improvements, but remember to drill and don't get lazy crankin' out the miles

"Or did you mean 100,000 yards non-stop? ;-) "
- - Hmm... Couldn't say. You'd have to ask Pedro Ordenes. I think 47 miles is his longest single swim...

http://www.sfweekly.com/...s/feature_print.html

Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...