I guess my problem is that I can't bring myself to do structured workouts in any sport more than 1-2x per week. The rest I just have to go by feel and what is keeping my motivated or entertained. If I chase watts, chase the pace clock at the pool, or chase the stop watch at the track every workout, then my head will blow up. Having said, that I grew up with the stop watch at the track at every workout in high school at least some part of it. My problem is that if a powermeter/pace clock/stop watch comes out, then it turns into a full on race. I can't help myself racing against numbers in training, so most of the time I don't. I do a few "more structured" swims per week though. Usually if I can get to 50m long course that's when I get into proper structure.

During today's swim, it was basically 10 min warm up, then then next 30 min was 25 hard either free or fly and 25m recovery and just kept repeating that with no rest for 30 min....I like that set as a good half IM pack swim simulation (minus the fly) where the pace can end up yoyo-ing constantly with surges and rest. I ended with 10 min kicking with fins.

Yeah you are right, there is structure, other than nothing is timed :-) As soon as I hit the wall it goes to hard or it goes to easy. And the hard part is random. When I felt like it, it was fly (probably 30% of the time....but I don't know)....otherwise free!

Good luck at Roth. I did it back in 1993! Double flatted and froze in 10C and rain at the side of the road as I only had one spare tubular. Really sucked because I was in the best shape of my life for that race (I ran 2:48 open marathon that spring). Eventually got a neutral support spare wheel and finished off the race, but bonked badly on the run (ran 4:08) from trying to "make up" all my lost time.....stupid stupid. Ended up in 10:59....target was to go at least an hour faster! On a plus note that's when i was swimming fast. My swim split was a few seconds slower than Jurgen Zack and Christian Bustos (winner and a 2nd place....not like they are awesome swimmers, but still).

Swim meet yesterday. And my results are proof that a lot of open water swimming hurts scy pool swimming. Oh well, I'm having fun (more important).

500 free - 5:46.28 & 2nd (ag)
100 IM -1:15.43 2nd (bad start & goggles below my nose the whole way)
200 free - 2:10.81 2nd
100 breast -1:17.41 2nd
200 breast - 2:46.70 1st

Swim meet in Las Vegas was small, indoors & very warm air & water. Fatiguing, to say the least, as the events came up fast and furious. I had like 10 minutes between 500 and 100 IM and then another 15 before 200.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Pretty good times! I was hoping to get to a meet this weekend but it's not looking like it will work out for me.

4000 SCM this morning - kind of a "meh" swim.

Have your OWS time/ Tri swim times improved?

Fast 200s this morning.
MS- 2x (8x25k@:30, 200 fast, 100 easy, 8x25k@:25, 200 fast, 100, 8x25k@:20, 200, 100)
5100scy
200s in 2:08 average

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https://twitter.com/mungub

Tried this last night:

Warmup: 250 swim, 200 kick, 250 pull

Main:
8x25 Free, 4 breaths rest
150 IM, fly/back/breast (no free)
4x50 Free, 6 breaths rest
250 IM (fly/back/breast/free/fly)
4x75 Free, 8 breaths rest
300 IM
6x100 Free, 8 breaths rest
100 IM fast for time

200 Cool down

3000 SCY

Breaths-as-interval was very interesting for me. Lots more rest on shorter sets than usual (of 25s), lots less for the 100s.

Withholding my 100 IM time from public viewing.

Cool workout. Thanks to you and your coach.

Andrew Moss

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__________
"At the end he was staggering into parked cars and accusing his support-van driver of trying to poison him." A description of John Dunbar in the 1st Hawaii Iron Man

Took Sunday off, watched football and ate while the alleged ice storms were supposed to be rolling through.

Saturdays masters swim, my lane mate was a pretty fast 17 year old so my name for this set was the death spiral pyramid.....

Warmup: 200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull

4x50 one arm (left arm down, right arm back), 0:10 rest
8x25 @ 0:30 (build, burst, fast, easy)
Pyramid: 600/500/400/300/200/100, RI 0:10 to 0:15
7x75 (25 kick fast, 50 easy swim) 0:10 rest

I knew I wouldn't be able to stay with the kid and didn't want to get lapped so I used the pull bouy on the 600 then switched to fins on the 500. I was able to avoid getting lapped without the tools from 400 on down altough he was on my feet as I was coming to the wall at 350.

No cool down as I jumped out to catch a spin class right after.

3625 SCY

I also took Sunday off. 12 mi run 1:45:18, 1850 yd swim

5 x 100 on 1:30, extra :30 after the last one
3 x [200 fast on 3:00 + 2 x 100 easy on 1:30 + 50 kick] 2:31, 2:27, 2:26

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I did a tri set yesterday with friends...

900 warmup

800 -- 8x100 @1:30
700 -- straight @ 10:00
600 -- 1x100 @1:30 2x100 @ 1:25 (twice)
500 -- straight @ 7:10
400 -- 4x100 @ 1:25
300 -- straight @ 4:15
200 -- 2x100 @1:25
100 -- 1x100 IM

500 warmdown

5,000 scm

You know, it's kinda hard to tell with changing conditions from one year to the next, but generally, I've been holding my own - either winning or placing in my AG and holding place within a few overall each year. But OW swimming isn't helping my other strokes much or my sprint speed. Mind you, I don't go lazy while in the ocean, I'm always giving it the effort. I gotta lessen that and get more intensity in the pool. And, I need to learn a new breaststroke as I'm still old school style.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Jan 16
1 Hour trainer ride AM (2 x 20)

3000 SCY PM swim
W/U
500 free
Build (x2)
6 x 50 free on :50
4 x 25 breast on :40
Core
4 x 100 IM kick
1 x 200 breast neg. split
1 x 400 free pull
1 x 200 back neg. split
2 x 200 IM w/ fins, :30 ri
C/D
1 x 100 choice (50 back, 25 breast, 25 free)

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____________________________________________________
"As for "xxxxxx"...what can I say? You sound like a dick. If you don't want to answer the question, just shut up." AllezPappa

Glad you liked it Andrew!

5.3 mi run w/ 5k@ 7:08 pace
2800 yd swim

20 x 100 on 1:30 avg 1:13
4 x 200 on 3:00 #1 and 4 mix kick and backstroke

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

:45 tempo run followed by 12 x 25 yard strides AM
2500 SCY lunch swim
W/U
1 x 100 free
1 x 200 back
Build
2 x 300 free
2 x 100 IM
Core (x2)
10 x 50 free pull on :50
1 x 100 IM
C/D
1 x 100 choice (75 back, 25 breast)
1 x 100 choice (75 free, 25 breast)

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____________________________________________________
"As for "xxxxxx"...what can I say? You sound like a dick. If you don't want to answer the question, just shut up." AllezPappa

I swiped this (see SLOgoing's workout above) 600's workout today.

600 as a set base was odd (I'm usually doing 500 of something or 1000 of something) and a great change-up. It reminds me of a lucky seven workout I saw once. (I can't remember where, but you get the idea. 7x100's, 2x350 IM, etc...

Thanks, Hillary, for the post.

Andrew Moss

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__________
"At the end he was staggering into parked cars and accusing his support-van driver of trying to poison him." A description of John Dunbar in the 1st Hawaii Iron Man

Thanks.

9 mi run splits by 3 mi 26:51, 27:04, 26:26
2300 yd swim

500 on 7:15
50 kick
4 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
300 on 4:15
50 kick
2 x 100 on 1:20
50 kick
100 easy
2 x [100 fast on 1:30 + 150 easy mix kick/swim] 1:10s
100 c/d

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Jan 17 - 3286 OW yardages in 57 degree water 37:43 - started in the near dark (6:15 AM)
Jan 18 - 3339 OW yardages in 55 degree water 41:08 - it certainly felt colder, but my wetsuit works well, even at that temperature. Saw a 2 foot wide bat ray.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Been sick for 3 days, finally feeling a bit better today. 3000 SCM this morning - bunch of 50s

Cold, wet and windy today, plus high surf, so no ocean swims for a while.
Hit my local 25 yard pool for this:

500s 7:10
20x100@1:20 1:11~1:14 mostly 1:13
1000 IM kwf (250 ea)
5x100@1:45 alt pull/swim
10x50@1:00 alt br/bk


4500 sc yardages

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

I have been swimming 4000-5000m every morning this week at the Vancouver Aquatic Center used for the Canada games. It is set up with 4-5 lanes of 50m long course every morning in addition to 3-4 lanes for local swim clubs/masters. I got some helpful coaching from a coach that was just on the deck and wanted to help me and it was awesome to not be the fastest swimmer in the pool (I'm not fast, it's just where I generally swim, at the times I am there, there are no "REAL" swimmers/fish). It's helpful when there are faster swimmers in the next lane. I was watching the high elbow catch of a skinny girl with zero muscle mass in the lane beside me and the streamline of her feet whipping by me and then I copied her are I was tracking stroke for stroke with small refinements. It's a nice coincidence that his pool was 900m walk from my new company HQ and the hotel right across....WIN.

8 mi run, 1500 yds. Felt slow but really good. I was away at a job interview and haven't swum since Wednesday.

500 w/u
50 kick
6 x 100 odds fast on 1:30 (1:13s) evens easy on 1:45
50 kick
200 easy
50 kick
50 easy

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I did a wet, slippery, puddly, highly technical 15k trail run yesterday. Despite a wrong turn and retracing back, making for a 10 minute and 1.4k diversion, I still win my age group.
Today started with a 3700 yard pool swim - workout devised by my girlfriend:
4x100 w/u skps
4x125@1:45 as 75s/25stroke/25s
3x100@1:30 1:09~1:08
4x125@1:30 as 75s/25stroke/25s w/fins
5x100IM@1:30
10x50k@1:00
4x100@1:30 1:11~1:07
10x50s@1:00

And then followed that with a 3.2 mile run on the beach, in the rain and wind. Huge surf and high tide made part of the run a rock scramble. Lots of soggy fun!

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

6.5 mi run w/ 3 x 1 mi @ 7:13 pace... tried to do a fourth one and could only do .5 mi.
2400 yd swim


500 w/u
5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
6 x 200 odds fast on 3:00, evens easy on 4:00 (2:35, 2:27, 2:24)
100 kick
50 back

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD