WU: 3x100 drills and stuff

MS: 30x50 usrpt @49. Failed at 15, and 24

CD: 100 ez
-----------------------
1800 scy

2,500 straight scy this morning. That was a bad idea. If I had gone any slower, I'm sure I would have just sunk to the bottom of the pool.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

My arms were tired today, I wanted to get a swim in today though as I have a race on Sunday, so want tomorrow as an easy day:
400m in
3x300m swim
3x300 fins alt 25 kick 25 swim
2x300m swim with pull
200m out
3000m

I felt slow today, hopefully I’ll feel better on Sunday, it’s a sprint tri with a 500m pool swim. 8mins would be good for me.

No swim for me yesterday, but mini me had a short session for this weekend's meet and got his first Provincial qualifying time in the 200IM... more races later today and tomorrow morning 😁🏊.



The standard was 3:19.1 and he went a 3:16... so for you AOS folk that's 1:38/100 pace averaging on all 4 strokes for a small skinny 11 year old... he was 9th in 11u boys... some of them are much bigger... the faster small ones were 3:02 ... age group swimming is part of a technique/fitness contest and part growing contest...

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

congrats to the mini-you!

I spent Tues., Wed., and Thurs. doing the Red Cross Water Safety Instructor training, and as I was in the pool a bit for that I slacked on the actual swim training. Then yesterday I didn't get out of bed early enough.

Today 5k easy run, 1375 yd swim, hip/glute exercises, 30 min ish rock climbing wall

500 w/u
50 kick
5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
100 fast 1:13
50 kick
100 fast 1:13
25 kick c/d

---

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

WU: 3x100 drills and stuff

MS: 30x50 usrpt @49. Failed at 26

CD: 100 ez
-----------------------
1950 scy

Followed by 1:45 bike. It's a bit hot in Texas today. Ugh.

Tell mini RealAB that I have 16 seconds in the 200 IM to catch up with him! Way to go!!!!

On today's swim, I did a ton of breast stroke...a lot of legs only with just a tiny hand skull (no pull). I started to feel like I was getting a better timing on the body motion and kick-glide and undulation. I noticed when I started actually pulling, I took off 1 to 2 strokes per length! That would be awesome.

My bike goal for next year is take my 400IM under 7 minutes and my 200 fly under 3:15. I think both are possible, especially if I can get better control over my left leg (with or without disc surgery)!!!

the most important thing about this workout is you ended on an odd multiple of 25 vs an even multiple of 25. Did you file at the US Patent Office on this?

Long slow swim today after a 10k run.

3500scy in 59 minutes. Boring, but I already did a 100s day and a 150s day this week.

No workouts today. Taking a meritorious day off. Instead I worked my first swim meet as a stroke and turn judge. Holy Shnikes that was fun! Tough, especially the little kids during breast and fly. Might have DQ'd my daughter, not sure.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

DQ x2 today for me... both in 50 Fly... between today's run and walking the deck 20k steps today. 2x PB mini ... another QT, this time in 100 Free, 1:19.92 LCM. Tomorrow he swims 50 Free, 100 Br & 200 Br (Time Trial)

Swam this morning
2800m

200 alt 25 swim / kick
4 x 50 @ 1:10 odd Breast Kick/ even Breast swim
4x25 Backstroke @ 30
2x fly drill @ 1:00
3x100 free with fins @ 1:30 1:05 pace

8x50 @ 60 3 Fly (400im pace), 50 easy kick, 30 " extra rest
2x150 Free @ 2:00 @ mile pace
Rest 60
8x50 @ 60 3 Back (400im pace), 50 easy kick, 30 " extra rest
200 Free just below mile pace (2:14)
Rest 60
4x50 @ 60 3 Breast (400im pace), 50 easy swim
100 fast (1:01)
200 easy
4x25 no breathing @ 45 working on symmetry

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Breast pull with fly kick or free kick with fins is a good drill to learn high body position...

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Endurance swim on Friday......
All in 50m LC pool
Started with 10 X 50s on a 51 sec cycle time
500m time trial: 7:43
10 X 100's on a 1:40 cycle time
500m time trial 7:53
10 X 200's on a 3:16 cycle time
500m time trial: 7:51

Yesterday, 50m pool:

500 swim
1000 snorkel
4 x {300-200-100 @1:30/100 + 50 kick
Round 3 with paddles
4:15's, 2:48's, and 1:22's
700 as 50 stroke, 50 free

4800m

Well, I was gonna post about my triumphant return to triathlon, but unfortunately it was 7c this morning, so the organizers cancelled the swim and made the race a duathlon.(2.5, 20, 5) Winds were absolutely nasty, major gusts nearly knocked me off the bike on a couple of sections. I was just happy to get round the course in one piece.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I just had a 500m pool swim in a sprint triathlon this morning. I have been swimming much more than normal for the last 3 weeks and was hoping to swim a good time.

I swam 8:20, almost exactly the time I would have expected if I hadn't focussed on swimming for the last 3 weeks. I am disappointed. I know I am early in my journey, but I was thinking and hoping that 8:00 would be possible.

Still impressed with how I'm swimming given the total lack of swimming as I'm running/mt biking more now.
800 mix
9*200 on 3.30/3.00/2.30 - goal desc 1- 3 pink to red, no rest between rounds (2.30/2.28/2.24, 2.32/2.30/2.27, 2.34/2.30/2.24)
100 ez
4*(25 fr/25 stroke, 25 stroke/25 fr, 50 stroke fast, 50 fr ez) all on 1, rounds fly/bk/br/fly
100 ez
3600 scm

Masters Team IM workout Friday Night:

500 choice warmup

4 Rounds (1 fly, 1 back, 1 breast, one non-free choice)
1 x 25 Stroke @ :40
75 Free @ 1:20
2 x 25s Stroke @ :40
50 Free @ : 1:00
3 x 25s Stroke @ :40
25 Free @ :40
4 x 25s Stroke @ :40
50 Free Easy @ 2:00
( I did fly for choice round)

200 EZ Cool Down

2500 SCY

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

5 x 300 @ 4:05 (3:55, 3:50, 3:45, 3:40, 3:38)
4 x 75 @ 1:05, 25 kick, 50 swim
8 x 50 @ :50 (:32's all), last one was 50 kick
6 x 50 @ :50 backstroke (:38's all), last one was 50 kick
4 x 100 @ 1:30, 25 kick, 75 swim
125 easy

3025y

Sorry, I did not understand this context.....did you say you were an official and DQ'd two kids in the 50 fly? Good luck to you son in the rest of the events!

My friend is the organizer for the Perth Sprint tri (pool). Swim leg was 500m in the pool and I said I was available if any team needed a swimmer. So she put me on a team with one of her 50 something buddies as a biker and the 11 year old nephew of her co worker as the runner. Well, we took the race win! The kid ran an awesome 3.8K run leg (don't ask me why this particular run distance!!!). He was super proud at awards for anchoring the winning team!!!

I decided to do the 500m swim leg as a 400IM + 100IM. Now that was interesting. I did not pace it that much differently than a 400IM until I got into my second length of the free and realized I better hold back or I'd die in the final 100IM. So I get into the fly leg after the 400IM and it did not feel that bad for 25m until I went into the 25 back at which point I felt I was going to drown during the under water dolphin....the 25 breast the death march continued and then I had nothing left for the 25 free....I was hoping to do a 7:20 + 1:40 for a sub 9, but it ended up being 9:05, but it does include getting out of the pool lane to the timing station.

well, at 7C, a triumphant return to duathlon sounds more sane than a freezing return to triathlon!!!! Congrats!

Congrats, Jason! Bummer about the swim being cancelled.

6.6 mi easy run (1 hr), 1975 yd swim (sorry ;-)

5 x 100 on 1:30, extra :30 after the last one
200 fast 2:35
5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
200 fast on 4:00 (2:31), 200 fast on 3:00 (2:32)
50 kick
100 easy
50 kick
100 fast 1:14
75 kick/swim/kick cd

---

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

Had to give out 2 DQ... one of which was the kid of the new official I was mentoring... he was good, "he has to learn" was what he told me.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

6.7 mi run (hour easy)
1775 yd swim

500 swim
50 kick
4 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
5 x [100 fast + 50 kick] 1:14, 1:13, 1:14, 1:14, LG turned the clock off but 1:13/1:14
75 swim/kick c/d

---

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

Breast has always been my weak stroke... that said I have been working in it to improve my IM times...



I was 1.73 seconds faster at nationals than this swim with a much easier fly split... my Br split at nationals was 39.19 so pretty happy. One of my goals is to go sub 1:20 Br split in a 400IM SCM.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Argh! Pool closed due to lightening.

That's always a disappointment.

4 mi run, 2625 yd swim

500 w/u
50 kick
4 x [300 fast + 150 k/s/k by 50] 3:55, 3:53, 3:50, 3:53
150 swim
50 kick
150 swim
25 kick

---

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

Very full pool today.

400m in
3x300m fins 25m kick/25 swim
5x100m Snorkel
12x100m Arms
2x100m 1 armed
100m don't know what it's called - on your back with feet in front of you, toes out of the water.
200m out

I was fast for me today. I was hitting some 1:30s and was pretty much always on the 1:35 even later in the session. Shame it didn't translate to my race last weekend!

8.2 mi easy run, 700 yd swim (500 swim + 50 kick + 100 swim + 50 kick)

---

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

First open water swim ever and first swim in a wetsuit.

I didn't drown.

1450y in ~33:00

I need to figure out why I tend to get sinus headaches when swimming. Goggles too tight? Water up my nose (does anyone use nose clips or is that for wimps)? Don't relax my face since OMG my face is in the water!?

Was looking for a very easy, low HR swim today, so did this:

4x(500p@7;05/100IM kick@2;25) (6;56/6;52/6;48/6;42) kicks 1;59 to 1;55
6x50 odds swim/evens kicks(41/40/39--59/58/57)
2700SCY

Feeling pretty good that this used to be a very hard workout 6+ months ago, and now it was super low HR< 13 strokes per lap...

I got my butt kicked last night, was still a bit tired from Wednesday.

400m warm up
3x200 - pull, swim, pull, first 50m faster
3x150 Crawl, Back, Breast x3
150m easy
9x50m 3x easy, 3x medium, 3x fast
600m swim with fins
9x100m 3x easy, 3x medium, 3x fast
100m out

The last 100m sets weren't anything but easy pace for me, my chest and arms were done!

Yes - it's call 'the bath' in German. I can't find the name in English. I didn't ever swim before I moved here so don't know the terminology in English!

I had some navigational difficulties this morning and only had time for 425 yds. Did a 6.3 mi easy run before that.
rest day yesterday, just didn't feel like working out.

---

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

25y pool:
2x150S, 2x75B-3, 3x50B-4.
4x150K w/fins.
4x25 underwater dolphin kick w/fins.
100P.
3x400 descending.
2x300 descending.
1x200.
1x100.
1x25 backstroke, 1x25 free.
3x25s fly w/25 free recoveries.

3900y.

After a rest day I was at the outdoor pool by 10am to beat the crowds.

400m warm up
3x300m fina 25m kick/25m swim
5x100m snorkel
5x200m pull
500m drills
100m warm down

Felt quite good today. Will hopefully be back tomorrow to round out my biggest swimming week ever.

My main set was

5x( 400 + 100 )

• first 400 was 200 IM+50 free-50 fly-100 free
• second 400 was a 400IM
• third 400 was 200 IM+50 free-50 fly-100 free
• fourth 400 was a 400IM
• fifth 400 was 200 fly + 200 free

100's were 50m kick dolphin with board, 50m kick on back streamlined hard

20 seconds rest before 400's, 10 seconds rest before kick.

Warmup - 200S, 4x75B-3, 4x50 catchup drill, 4x50 B-4 (pull w/buoy).


Main set - 4x200 descending,
100 easy,
3x200 descending,
100 easy,
2x200 fast,
3x100 moderate,
2x100K drill.

3400 SCY.

Missed my race today, just was not feeling it. Did a short swim later in the day:

5x100s@1;40 (1;25 to 1;22) 100IM kick@2;30(1;57)
2x(500p@7;00/100IM kick@2;30) (6;26/6;16) 1;56/1;55
8x50 odds IM order@1;00/evens kick@1;30(37/41/42/34) kicks 59's
2200SCY

I was helping at a kids triathlon but managed to find some time afterwards to get to the pool.
It was boiling hot and sunny and Sunday, so I expected that the outdoor pool would be full of non-swimmers. The indoor pool was happily pretty empty, so I got my own 25m lane.


400m warm up
3x300m fina 25m kick/25m swim
5x25m full sprint/75 easy
5x100m snorkel
5x100m paddles
200m warm down

A round 3000m to get me to over 17k for the week. I had never swum more than 10k in a week until 4 weeks ago, since then I've done 15-16-16-17km. Hoping to start getting noticeably faster some time soon!

OK OK....time to join the 20K per week club.....it's just 3K per day!!!! 3.3K per day gets you into the 100K per month rate (not that I calculated this out or anything, but i have two 1200 km years in a row on the daily routine....just don't miss days in the water...you want to feel like you are a beached dolphin on days that the pool is closed waiting for high tide to wash you back in).

Dev

Wow, I've been absent form the fish club for 10 days. It's been a busy week and half. I worked another swim meet as a Stroke and Turn judge, still just as fun, but too easy to get wrapped up when there's a drag race going on, hard to keep focus on my own jurisdiction! Here's my last 10 days in a nutshell

The Good - have kept up with 10k - plus yards per week. Getting ready to up that a wee bit with some OWS thrown in for good measure

The Bad - my shins are still killing me, I can run 2 miles every other day. Started to experiment with ibuprofen 60 minutes before running with good results so far.

The Ugly - I joined the power meter club, got myself the Vector 3. Oh boy, I have a lot of work to do.

2,600 scy this morning
w/u
600 build x 200
8 x 75 kick/drill/free x 25
m/s
50 dps + 50 hard
50 dps + 2 x 50 hard
50 dps + 3 x 50 hard
50 dps + 4 x 50 hard
50 dps + 4 x 50 hard
50 dps + 3 x 50 hard
50 dps + 2 x 50 hard
50 dps + 50 hard

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Nice little mix of stuff at masters

900 warmup (300s, 12x25 kick, 300p)

Main set
2x (5x200 @45s rest as follows:

1. Ez kick
2 pull
3 neg split
4 drill
5 fast

Neg split repeats were 2:40 and 38, fast were 2:28 and :25

100 ez warm down for 3000m total

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Sunday ran 6.7 mi easy, 35 min stairmaster
Monday 10.2 mi run
today 7.2 mi run w/ 4.8 mi @ 8:34 pace, 2025 yd swim

after managing to snap my cap on my head much like a rubber band (which hurt)
2 x [500 swim + 50 kick] 7:21, 6:59
6 x [100 fast + 50 kick] 1:14, 1:13, 1:15, 1:14, 1:14, LG shut clock off...
25 kick c/d

---

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 joined an early-morning open water swim at Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins, CO. It was my first outdoor swim of the year. We were told that surely the water temp was around 70, since it was about 68 last week, and we had a stretch of hot days. Well....

I jumped in with a few other masters swimmers. There were some wetsuits, but I went in just a suit and cap. We all gasped when putting our feet in and pushing off. I was the last one in, but I didn't want to chicken out with a new group of friends, so turning around wasn't an option. After the predictable first couple of minutes of struggling to breathe and getting warm, things went pretty well after that. I did have the "cold claw:" my left hand looked like it had arthritis.

We swam out for 20-25 minutes, then back. I don't know what the distance was (can I say 3500m?). When we were all back on shore, we all called BS on 70 degrees. One of the swimmers then said his watch read 62 degrees.

Anyway, it really was fun, and the temp was easy to adjust to. I thought about the Boulder IM this past weekend. I might just have decided to go without a wetsuit for that swim, considering the prediction for hot temps all day. Consider it "pre-chilling" or "avoiding heat stroke."

I'd like to urge anyone who is comfortable enough in the water not to need a wetsuit for buoyancy and safety to really consider swimming in skin in temps in the low 60s (or even mid-high 50's if it is mid-afternoon and it's hot outside). Really. Just go out and do it. Feel for the water is much better than in a wetsuit, and there's a better connection to nature, if you understand what I'm saying.

Oh, and I swam with Swedish goggles. Those were great for the conditions.

Warm - up
300 Swim (100 Fr/100 Bk/100 Fr)
200 Pull
4 x 50 Kick w/fins @ 60
4 x 25 Fr Drills @ 35

Main Set
24 x 50 @ 1:05 - Modified V02 Max
Descend 1-3 (8 rounds)
1- 800-1500 pace (no slower than 1500 pace)
2- 400 pace
3- strong (100 back end pace)

100 easy
4x100 @ 1:25 (1:08 pace) Threshold
100 easy


average on the 50s was 33, 31, 29

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

2,500 scy this morning. Another Chuck Norris approved swim (lots of kicking), in the interest of time I cheated and used the zoomers.

w/u
50, 100, 150 easy
m/s
2 x 100 hard
6 x 50 kick w/fins
2 x 100 hard
4 x 74 kick w/fins
2 x 100
3 x 100 kick w/fins
8 x 50 hard
w/d
300 easy mixed


2 mile run at lunch. The vitamin I (buprofen) experiment seems to be be working, zero shin pain, which let me pick the cadence way up as well as pace.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

This is not a workout, but a general comment about one of the things I liked most about running which I am finding again in swimming and probably the one item I found the least interesting in triathlon.

The thing that running and swimming have in common is that there is pretty well no gear that can make you faster. Biking, aside from steep hillclimbs (which I really enjoy), is a cross between Formula one engineering style technical arms race and human physiology. I'm not a technical idiot, and can understand every torque number or rolling resistance number or drag number (I suppose having two engineering degrees and doing my first career in the aerospace world helps), but honestly, I like the purity of running of swimming. In running (at least in the sprint events) you get your lane, put on your spikes and you go. The only excuse when the race goes bad is you did not manage yourself.

In swim racing, OK, fine, you put in a fast suit (like putting on your spikes) but after that, you get your lane and the race is one. The only one you can blame is yourself.

The swim fish thread is a welcome diversion from all the bike gear talk on ST (ok, I say this on a forum run by the guy who invented the tri wetsuit and tri bike....but I think he will forgive me). The funny thing is almost no one other than myself and a few others (probably slowman) remembers what bikes the winners at Kona were on in what year....you just remember the human performance. Yet ST is dominately by 75% gear talk all the time. Except on the fish threads!!!! Over here, people talk about workouts, races, splits, efforts. Basically what we would talk about at track practice or at track meets. So it's all good stuff.

Dev

Thing is, the bike geeks on the forum could easily start a monthly "bike workout" thread, especially with how common powermeters are and ways to normalize that number (e.g. % of FTP).

The runners could do the same thing. That's far more interesting to me than "is a turbo silk cotton 22.5mm faster than a GP4000 S4 hot black chili Supersonic Corsa"

despite the trollish behaviour of certain individuals who I shall not name, I really get a lot out of the "FTP is a load of bunk" threads that regularly pop up, since AC usually pops onto those and provides clarity. So even though I don't own a powermeter (yet), it's good info for when I'm sitting on my turbo in the basement.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I am actually cool with the FTP types of threads but they are kind of like benchpress threads in that they favor big guys with big FTP topline no matter how heavy they are. The rowing thread I started has been very educational and I have already learned a lot about that device and the technique to use it. I am also enjoying the indoor rowing because the gear aspect is zero. It's you applying human power to the machine, but the machine performance is totally the same for everyone, just like the water in the pool or the surface of the track is identical for all.

I personally view equipment as a simple means of doing the sport, but not the attraction of the sport (and I am a guy who has 12 bikes at home of different types...TT, road bikex2 (should probably sell one), mountain bike, spin bike, bike on computrainer, commuter bike (plus multiple bikes owned by son and wife). But they are just a means to do the sport, not what is exciting about the sport. I do enjoy working on my bikes or skis mainly because when they work well, you do the sport in a more enjoyable manner vs malfunctioning equipment, but that's it. If there were to be zero bike innovation starting tomorrow, I'd be perfectly fine with that!!!

That's the nice part of swimming. Even in the swim "toys" are only there to try to do the sport better, not some kind of toy materialistic acquisition motivator. Even most of the pros are biking slower than Mark Allen did in Kona on his gear from 1993.

I am actually cool with the FTP types of threads but they are kind of like benchpress threads in that they favor big guys with big FTP topline no matter how heavy they are.


That's why I think it would be interesting to see what people are up to as a % of FTP, to remove some of the vanity factor. If swimming had a commonly used metric like that I'd post my workouts like that, since when I put down a pace it doesn't necessarily translate to a workout that someone else can just pick up and go with. I suppose there is CSS, but I don't regularly test that and I don't know how commonly used it is.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

6.6 mi easy run
1325 yd swim

5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
3 x 150 on 2:15
50 kick
100 fast 1:12
50 kick
100 fast (probably about the same, LG turned clock off)
25 kick c/d

---

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 think across sports, posting workouts as a percent of whatever threshold is good. Not like heart rate is the best indicator, but years ago you would have running and cycling coaches post workouts based on percent of max heart rate. That did take out the vanity factor. As it stands, if you are slow (which I am in the pool), the vanity factor ends up being achieved by doing things in volume no matter how slow. To some degree, I designed the 100/100 rules to take out the speed aspect of running and the distance (mileage), and everyone could "compete" on frequency so it removed any genetic advantage.

Not a workout, just want to brag a little.

Swam a 500yd test last night to get an idea of where my fitness was - dropped 19 seconds since April 24th on the same swim. Down to 7:30. Only been swimming a little over a year since returning (30 years later) as an adult, but I'm feeling really good in the water right now. Too bad about the other disciplines...

that's fantastic - brag is well deserved...

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

First time back in the pool since I started this thread. I was busy getting ready to go do some non-triathlon racing (in a car). Anyway...

My first day back always sucks. So, I just wanted to get wet and do enough to work a little without being too taxing:

WU: 3x100 drills and stuff

MS: 15x50 @ 0:49 (:20s)

CD: 100

Hoping tomorrow feels a little more natural.

Every improvement is a good reason to brag on the fishes thread! The guys and girls on here are really supportive of incremental constant improvements.

Just an easy and lazy 1800 today, had a sick day yesterday;

3x(500/100IM kick@2;15) 2 swim@7;45(7;29/7;22) 1 pull@6;45(6;29) kicks-(2;03/1;59;1;56)

1800SCY

Here was yesterday's set in between meetings in Toronto. I managed to get out to a city pool near the airport.

400m warmup
1x50 breast (warmup continuation)
1x100 IM (warmup continuation)
1x200IM easy
1x400IM (hard fly and back)
1x400IM hard
1x200 fly hard
1x200 IM easy
1x100 fly hard
1x50 fly hard
1x100 cool down

It cleared my head for the rest of the day! Long day as I was up at 4:30 to catch my flight over and only got done with the last meeting with a potential angel investor who I know from a past like at 10:45 pm.

2.3 mi walk
1650 yd swim

5 x 100 on 1:30, extra :30 after the last one
200 fast on 3:00 (2:34)
100 easy on 1:30
50 kick
200 fast on 3:00 (2:30)
100 easy on 1:30
50 kick
200 fast 2:29
250 c/d kicked some of it

---

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

Same as usual:

WU: 3x100 drills

MS: 30x50 @ :49 (:20) failed at 21 and 28

CD: 100 ez

Felt a little better in the water today vs. yesterday. tomorrow is my last day to swim this week, there's a meet at my pool on Saturday. I might do the tether thing in the pool at home instead.

Kept the USRPT pace at :49. That felt a little easy so about half-way through the set I dropped it down to :48, I also did several in the :47-46 range towards end of the set.

WU: 3x100 drills

MS: 24x50 @ :48 (:20) failed at 15, 21 and 24

CD: 100 ez

Its interesting, I guess you can kinda tell by WU / CD pace when things are starting to pay-off. My WU pace was 1:42 and my CD pace was 1:48. Until now they have both been in the mid to upper 1:5x range.

nice, always good to see the work pay off. But don't worry if your warmup pace is 'slow' on some days - there are absolutely days I swim some very slow warmups.

---

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

6.6 mi easy run (well, mostly easy, picked it up a bit at the end)
1825 yd swim (what I had time for)

18 x 100 on 1:30, dropped from 1:25s to 1:15s
25 kick c/d

---

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

Congrats on the progress! USRPT is some good stuff, especially if you're trying to build speed on a limited training time budget.


Did the USMS Open Water Sprint (1 mile) race last weekend in Carbondale, IL. It was a disappointingly small turn out; less than 60 folks total, and just 5 in my age group. I tried to hang on the feet of the favorite from my age group, but he dropped me early on the 1/2 mile back straight. I had followed him a little wide of the most direct line, so I was kind of hung out there alone with no draft partners for almost half the race distance. At the 3/4 mile turn buoy, I merged into the back of a group of about 10 that I'd been ahead of at the 1/4 mile buoy. I got around ~1/2 of them down the stretch, finishing in 25:04; about 1/2 minute slower than I'd expected, but still good for second in my age group. I undoubtedly left a little time on the table by pursuing a failed "tactical dual" strategy, but it didn't cost me any places in age group, so it was worth trying. I have definitely been concentrating on running and biking more than swimming since USMS Spring Nationals, and didn't rest much for this race other than to rearrange my training calendar for the week to front-load the harder workouts, so I can't be too disappointed to go ~5 seconds/100 better than my previous best open water race pace. Still, I feel like I could be faster with more OW experience.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

2.3 mi w/u
5k race 24:11, 5th FOV
5k c/d
1325 yd swim

400 wu
50 kick
5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
3 x 100 as 25 stroke, 25 free, 50 kick
25 kick c/d

---

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

Gary congrats on second place. I assume these things are no wetsuit?

4x12oz.

It's Father's day weekend. I raised 3 girls.
The youngest is now 27.

Today I Floated in the pool, drank some cheap beer, and smoke the best ribs I've ever had (not my recipe).

Yes, no wetsuit. "Category I" swimwear, only.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Warmup:
300S
2x75B-3

Main Set: Pyramid w/o
8x50 (odds w/paddles)
4x100
2x200
1x400
1x400
2x200
4x100
8x50 (odds w/paddles) Tried to go faster down the ladder than up, but alas that was not to be...

3x100K
4x25 UDK w/monofin
4x50 (25 scull, 25 free)

150 warmdown.

4400SCY

Today's main set

8x50 legs only IM sequence
1x200 IM
1x400 IM
1x200 fly
1x200 free
1x200 IM
1x100 breast
1x200 fly
1x100 fly
2x100 legs only IM
4x25m underwater dolphin kick, two without fins, 2 with fins...lots of rest in between

Well last week wasn't going to happen, I was at a seminar for 2 days then at a wedding in the middle of nowhere for another 2 days, so I only swam twice.

I used my rest as a chance to do a time trial today. I did 800m in 12:58. I did 800m in 13:31 five weeks ago so I am pretty happy with that!

400m in
3x300m flippers 25 kick/25 swim
800m TT
100m easy
5x100 snorkel and pull
5x100m paddles and pull
300m swim easy
100m out
3500m

I have a sprint on Sunday so won't manage 20k this week. Next week I'll go for it :)

Sets of 25 cruise/25m sprint are awesome for triathlon swimming in a pack and staying in the draft. We used to do another version that was around 12m of cruising and 13m of sprinting starting the sprint in the middle of the pool from a slow pace vs from a wall push off. This was always good for the confidence of closing up a gap or opening one up on those annoying drafters constantly hitting your feet in a race.

Late for practice last night, so I missed warmup.

10x50 kick (no board no fins) on 1:15 alternating side flutter kick and back dolphin.

main set

3 x 50
150 moderate recovery (100 swim, 50 drill)

repeat 3x. first set of 50's on :60, second set on :55, third set on :50, and each time through hold a pace 2s faster than the previous time.

held 37, 36, 36
35, 35, 34
33, 34, 33

legs were a bit tired and ankles achy from a 10km tempo run on the t-mill at lunch

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

day trip to Boston yesterday; really fun but got up at 4 am, went to bed at 10:45pm, and slept in this AM.

1.2 mi run
1250 yd swim
15 mi bike

5 x 100 on 1:30
50 kick
2 x [200 fast + 50 elementary backstroke] both 2:28s
100 c/d

---

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

The usual...

WU: 3x100 drills and stuff

MS: 30x50 usrpt @ 45s (:20), failed at #22.

CD: 100ez

My suit ballooned on Sunday while filming video in my home pool. Lycra was see-through and floppy. As it turns out, I didn't have a backup suit. However, I do have a set of Roka SimPro shorts. So, I swam in those today. I know they are faster but not by how much, so I wasn't sure what to target for a time. anyway, settled on 45s...maybe should have tried 44s since I made it to #22. I'd planned on 47s per 50...so, maybe the shorts are worth 2-3 seconds per 50 for me?

New suite arrives tonight. Will swim again tomorrow, so maybe I'll have a better idea what they are worth (in time) for me.

I really need to get in the lake or river and do some openwater swims if I want to do the 11K King Wolf Swim from Kingston Ontario to Wolfe Island on 7 July in Lake Ontario. I have not put on a wetsuit literally since July of last year, and I almost never swim more than 200m of freestyle continuously without switching strokes or stopping in training as all my training is IM focused. I think the only two times this year that I swam longer than 200m straight was at the 400m and 1500m free at provincials and nationals masters. My lack of continuous free did not really stop me in those events and I am swimming 20K-25K per week right now, so I THINK I have enough fitness to survive an 11K swim, but I better get used to the wetsuit. Maybe I am being too cocky about wetsuit and open water swimming as I did that for 30+ years before my new "pool" career, and maybe I am under estimating the challenges of open water. On the flip side, I have gone from zero open water to 3.8K in an IM in South Africa in March off barely 5-6K per week of swim training as I THINK I won't forget how to swim open water....but I guess I better get into the Lake...plus I want to do a Canada Day Beach to Beach to Beach (4K + 4K round trip) in Meech Lake near Ottawa on July 1 (which is supposed to be the big training day for the 11K)....but I guess I have to train wetsuit just to get ready for that 8K training swim.

However, I may still go to Toronto this Sunday for the Etobicoke Olympium Masters swim meet. It's cool morning only meet, 50m long course and the way it works is they have 2 rounds of 50m-200m-100m-400m events. So total of 8 events and you pick what format you want and when.

So I am targeting this

Session 1

50m free or breast
200m Fly
100m free or breast
400 IM

short 15 min break

Session 2

50m Fly
200m IM
100 Fly
400 free

All of this is done in the course of a morning, so there may not be much time at all between events depending on how many show up. Worst case you get only 1 heat between events....but I have practiced my full line up several times in practice with only 20 seconds rest in between so I know I can get through

Dev

No workouts for 4 days while on vacation, so felt good to be back in the pool for a moderate return.

5x100s@1;40(1;27 to 1;24) 3x100IM kick@2;10(1;57 to 1;54)
2X500P@7;00 (6;39/6;34) 3x100IM kick@2;10(1;56 to 1;49)
2x100 buoy@1;40(1;19's) 50fly(36)
2350SCY

  
WU: 3x100 drills and stuff

MS: 30x50 usrpt @ 46s (:20), failed at #21, #26

CD: 100ez

Based on the above, I'm guessing the Roka SimPro shorts are worth about 1s/25y for me, maybe a hair less. I'm starting to get ansy about increasing the rep length, but I'd also like to get as close to 1:20/100y pace before I start to lengthen the repetition. My B-race (Oly) is in late September, and my A-race (also Oly) is a month later. So, I'm still 12 weeks out from my B-race and 16 weeks from my A.

I did notice how much the Roka shorts floated my hips yesterday, so I tried to replicate that feeling today. I also tried increasing my turnover on a couple 50s towards the end....that dropped my pace by a second (45s) over my current cadence. It didn't affect my spl, but it did leave me a little more "winded".

ETA: this one kicked my ass today, apparently. Arms are worn out, and I keep going into a daze.

no pool swim yesterday, but goofed around in the lake with my cousin :-) one of the great things about being so comfortable in the water is the ability to enjoy boating and the lake.

8.2 mi run, 1000 yds easy today - straight mix of swim and kick.

---

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

My back decided to hate me again with sciatic pain. Only this time with foot drop and quad weakness. It's quite likely I'll be going in to get L4-L5 fused and maybe the whole lineup of lumbars. I already have L2-L3 fused. My last swim was Saturday, a double loop of Oak Street to Main Beach Buoy in Laguna Beach, Ca. Just over 5000 yards. It really felt great, but I needed help getting up the beach. I'm on Percocet, but the pain is still quite high and I'm lucky to get 3 or 4 hours sleep. My pain management doc said I should see a surgeon ASAP. He said having a weakness is a bad sign and a cortisone epidural won't really help. Getting my MRI today and I'll be ready to consult with my Surgeon.
I might do some more swimming as being in the water is like heaven... I just need help exiting it.

---

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

I'm sorry you're in pain again and needing surgery :-(

---

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

oh, that sucks. hope you get it resolved and you can be pain free again.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Yesterday it was hot and the outdoor pool was like a zoo, but I got in a mixed 3200m or so basically just avoiding people. The guy swimming in sunglasses was my personal favourite.

Today it was much cooler and the pool was almost empty. I swam in my wetsuit for the first 30 minutes which was fun. I did a 5x100m arriving in 1:26, usually I would struggle to arrive on 1:36 without a wetsuit!

400m in
3x300m 25m kick / 25m swim
5x100m arriving 1:26
50m swim, got out the pool and ran to the start whilst taking off the wetsuit.
5x100m swim
2x100m pull + paddles - arms/chest were tired
5x100m pull
10x50m drills
200m out
3750m

1000 (14:55)
1000 snorkel
5x200 @ 3:00, first with snorkel and paddles, last four with paddles (2:49's)
1000 (14:50)

4000m long course. Boring, but effective.

OK OK....I have a ton of experience on the L4-S1 zone with foot drop, entire left leg weakness and constant spasms. I have however "graduated" largely to pain free life....just lack of leg control and spasms. I have had 4 cortisone injections from 2016 Sep to this Feb and each time I got a small bump in function and quality of life. My doc is suggesting that I drop $20K and go to Tampa and do the laser spine surgery as they don't do that here in Canada. He thinks I am a candidate for 99%+ success rate.

My fish thread update......for the first time in around 2 months I missed a swim. My productivity at work sucked and I felt like a beached dolphin all afternoon. We had a major proposal due and I did not want to leave the office. On a plus note, I did my first bike commute in 2.5 years....my original plan was to bike commute to work, bike to the pool at lunch, bike back work and bike home....but the lunch time bike commute + swim would be 1:45 minimum, but I felt it was too long. In hindsight if I took the extended break (I can since I am the so called CEO of my tech startup), and stayed at work maybe 45 min later, I would have gotten the same productivity (or more). On a plus side, I left the office at 8 pm and there was plenty of daylight for a 1:20 "longest ride of the year" before going home. I largely had control over my left leg but have a lot of weakness in it while sitting. Standing, I have full power and almost full control. But every ride in the last 2 weeks, I got better with better range of motion.

But I really missed the pool and did 40 minutes of weights when I got home to exercise my upper body. It seems weird doing a 'legs only" workout and the risk of turning back into a legs only pencil neck aerobic weakling!

Dropped the pace again...to 46s per 50scy.

WU: 3x100 drills

MS: 23x50 usrpt @ 46s (20s) failed at #10, #17, and #23

CD: 100ez

I had a couple 45s and a 44s in the mix. Felt like it might take a week or two to get through the complete 46s set. As I started getting close to the failure points, I would try and push a little harder, only to see "nothing" happen.

6.5 mi easy run
1650 yd easy swim (straight, easy swim and kick)

just really tired today.

---

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

Next time, instead of "pushing harder" as you feel the fatigue coming on, try to recognize what parts of your stroke are deteriorating, and concentrate on holding form.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

:(

this sucks.




I am posting more of my stuff on my feed

https://www.instagram.com/...;igshid=82xjbblkpb0p

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Did I miss something? Did you move back east?

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Mini only hit 2/8 PB at Provincials but a 53 second drop in the 200 Breast was his highlight swim... 56 on his last 50 for 3:48.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Will do. Usually when I get fatigued, I can't maintain the turn-over...my SPL doesn't change (stays at 20-22)...I just can't keep the arms moving. Today was different, though. Today, my SPL increased by a full stroke cycle (up to 24) as I couldn't hold the pace. I only could see that after the fact...but, that's a different trend that has been typical. I'll try harder to pay attention in real-time.

I've been focusing on keeping my hips higher, and my feet/legs tighter this week. After swimming in the SimPro shorts on Tuesday that was what stood out to me, as obviously different (how high my hips felt in the SimPro shorts).

I have to say....I went and looked back at my previous posts in this thread:

15 June: 24x50 @ :48 (:20) failed at #15, #21 and #24
22 June: 23x50 @ 46s (20s) failed at #10, #17, and #23

I really can't complain, at all, about that kind of progress in 7 days.

oh, summer in Maine (current locale), skool year in Oklahoma

---

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

15 June: 24x50 @ :48 (:20) failed at #15, #21 and #24
22 June: 23x50 @ 46s (20s) failed at #10, #17, and #23 //


I'm not sure I understand this workout as you have it here. Are you doing 50"s on the 68 seconds? Then on the 66 seconds intervals?? You would have to be Rain Man to be able to figure that time send off while going fairly hard. Or have a coach on deck who plotted out every single send off ahead of time I guess, please explain...

I felt pretty good today, did this in the club pool:
4x(2x200/100IM kick@2;30) 2-swim@3;15(2;56/2;54)2-buoy only@3;15(2;50/2;45)2-paddles only(2;43/2;37)2-full pull(2;29/2;27) kicks(2;10 to 1;52)
8x50's- odds IM order@1;00/evens buoy only@1;30 descend(IM-35/40/42/33) swims(40/39/38/37)
100 dolphin(2;10)
2500 SCY

Its a USRPT set. Excuse me if I explain more than needed. Its an "offering" of 30x50 at a prescribed pace with 20s rest between each 50. When you can't hold the prescribed pace (you fail), you stop and sit one out. Then resume with the next interval scheduled. You repeat this until you fail 3 times, or twice in a row....or you reach the 30th interval. Once you can do 20 reps in a row at the prescribed pace, you drop the pace by a small amount at the next workout....and start the process over.

I may or may not have been accused of being Rain Man in the past. But, no I'm not calculating send-offs in my head in real-time.

I have a Garmin watch which is programmed for a 30x50 with a fixed 20s rest interval. I swim at the intensity needed to hold 46s per 50. When I tag the wall I hit the lap button on my watch and check my "time". If its too long, then I call that a failure and I sit the next one out. If its too fast...I try and slow down a hair on the next one.

So, yes last Friday I did 50s on the 68seconds coming in at 48. Today I did 50s on the 66 seconds coming in at 46.

Thanks for the explanation, so you need to wear a computer pre programmed to do the set, lets me out..(-;

I like the idea of the set though, think I would just pick and even number for the send off though. Probably start at a minute, and once the times come down a few seconds, then move to :55. That is math I could do looking at a pace clock...

Garry_p does these sets all the time. I think he's posted something similar to what you describe. When the time comes down, drop the rest to the next even number...and hold the pace the same. Then as the pace continues to drop the rest will increase again. So, you basically end up with 15-20 seconds of rest as depending on what your coming-in time is.

Since, I'm not a real swimmer I don't have anything against wearing a computer in the pool. So, goofy send-offs are a non-issue for me. :-)

My goal is to get to a sendoff of 60 seconds.

My goal is to get to a sendoff of 60 seconds. //

You will then be a real swimmer..(-;

Today's swim:
Warmup and drills -
300S,
4x75B-3,
3x150K,
2x25 UDK.


Main Set -
400N/S,
2x200 desc,
300N/S,
2x150 desc,
200N/S,
2x100 desc,
100N/S,
2x50 desc,
100 easy,
4x100 best average (1:15)
100 w/d.

Its a USRPT set..

I have seen this bandied around here, but never paid much attention. What exactly is this set supposed to tell you? 500 pace, 1000, 1650 pace?? Or is it just a workout for workouts sake? Maybe some swimmers here who are still racing can give some context of your time in this set, and an actual race you did comparing paces...

I think the book would say that usrpt 50s are good for training the 200/400 race distances.

My ultimate goal is 25min Oly swim. So, basically 1:30 / 100 pace.

My approach has been to establish the ability to swim that fast, then to begin extending the distance that I can hold that pace. Garry_p and I have discussed this some, based on his use of USRPT for the 1650 trials he was training for last year. He felt that 20x125 was a good pace indicator for an open 1650. He had some other thoughts that he posted on the usrpt forums for translating that to a triathlon swim vs. an open 1650.

Right now, I'm not really using the 50s to train for a race distance. I'm just trying to build as much pace as I can using the 30x50. Once I get there (or as close as I can get), I plan on beginning to lengthen the interval. First to 75s, then 100s, 125s and maybe 150s.

At one time, I used a watch with interval timer that was set to my target time plus a 20 second rest. It broke, and, rather than replace it, I just reverted to using the pace clock, and rounded the send off to the nearest 5 seconds. Not surprisingly, a couple seconds more or less rest didn't really change the effectiveness of the training methodology.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

In my experience, this particular set (50's on 20 seconds rest), getting into the low 20's before failing out, is a strong indicator that Tom should be able to split 46's on 50's # 2,3, and 4 of a 200, and should probably (with quality start and turns) be able to go ~3:03 in an all out, off-the-blocks, rested race effort.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

 should be able to split 46's on 50's # 2,3, and 4 of a 200, and should probably (with quality start and turns) be able to go ~3:03 in an all out, off-the-blocks, rested race effort. //

Just thinking about what I think I could do, it would be no where near my 200 pace, more like 500 I think? Of course I have not done the set yet, but it seems like 30x50's(failing around 20) would indicate a much longer race. I hadn't even considered it would mimic the last 3 50's of a 200. Is that how it pencils out for you too, a 200 pace?

I haven’t focused on this specific race in a while, and only dabbled in this set this season. I ended up going about a second/100 faster on the back three 50’s of my 200 at Nationals than I was able to hold this set the couple times I tried it down the stretch. When I worked it more regularly in the past, I had even tighter correlation to actual race performance.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

OK so I just started biking again after a multiple year hiatus and aside from loss of power in my left leg things were going really well and I was getting excited about swimming, weights, rowing machine and now biking with the odd treadmill shuffle.

Well, all of that ended after I hit something on the road yesterday that for some reason I did not see (I can say I had not lost any road handling ability), but then my bike started veering right as my hands came off bars from the sudden road shock....in any case i ended up hitting the curb and bouncing back into traffic right at the time a school bus was starting to move forward (there was a line up of cars that was just getting moving at the green light and I was going to turn right).

I ended up bouncing into traffic with my right arm and right foot pointing into traffic under the bus. The school bus, not knowing I was there and already in motion ran over my right bicep and forearm and my right foot. My right foot was basically unharmed due to the rigidity of the bike shoe (it is sore), but the two tires of the school bus covered everything from halfway up my bicep to my wrist.

Miraculously, nothing is broken, but the bus managed to sheer away muscle from bone. This spot is 2K from home and I have done probably 1000 passes of this tarmac as it is part of a hill interval loop (this part is downhill and recovery phase....not that I am doing intervals as I just started riding).

In any case in all my years of cycling, my worst fear is crashing and ending up in traffic. Yesterday I finally did but under a bus (kind of like Cristian Bustos style for those of you old timers).

Why did I post on the fish thread.....my first reaction as I was crying on the curb waiting for the ambulance "What If I can never swim again....second reaction....Oh my God, I have a startup company to run....all these guys are depending on me!"

So the orthopedic surgeon at the ER feels the arm will work again. I look forward to when they will let me back in the pool to do endless kick sets. I hope I can do that. Right now I cannot imagine activating my bicep to even get my arm overhead. No cast or anything, just a sling.

Oh, and it appears I can use my right arm to type (this is my first test). So ST is in trouble because I can still post and I will have an extra 1.5 to 2 hrs per day and given that I am already doing 10+ hrs per day on my startup, we'll you guys will be swimming for me.

Today's recommended set as I was supposed to race all these events tomorrow in Toronto in racing and I have worked up to doing this frequently in training:

1. 50 free
2. 200 fly
3. 100 free
4. 400 IM
5. 50 fly
6. 200 IM
7. 100 fly
8. 400 free

bonus 800 IM at the start for any of you guys who want the bonus Dev approved 2300m set (I am doing that 1x per week)

The Canadian health care system paramedics and emergency were totally awesome. I have no health insurance due to starting my own company and not being able to afford any health insurance yet for me and my employees.

Holy shit, Dev! Glad you are here to tell us about it, but hell....

I'm not sure about those other strokes, though. I haven't done fly since I was about 14...it was "my" favorite back then. How about if I relearn to do flip turns? Baby steps.

Quality start and TURNS! Ha! How about open turns, off the wall?

As I said about, in honor of Dev, I will work on my flip turns.

Same sort again today... Warmup and cool down were both substantially faster today. 1:38 / 1:43 respectively. My drills were faster by 10s too... But, that's not their point... Just interesting that they were faster.

Wu:
100 swim (1:38)
2x100 drills

MS:
27x50 @46s (20s) failed at 15, 22, 27

Cd 100ez (1:43)

I never know what to expect on the second day in a row. Sometime it's as good or better than the day before, sometimes it's just a no-go. Both days this week saw improvement on the second day in a row, though.

I felt quite a bit stronger today than yesterday. The first 3 50s were all 45s, and a total of 5 in the first 15 were 45s, and 1/3rd of the entire workout. After how I felt yesterday...struggling to hold on for 10...i didn't expect today to go like it did.

I really focused on floating my hips and keeping my feet tight. I'm my cooldown, specifically, I didn't kick but rather kept my feet touching each other and tried to imagine myself as a torpedo (:-) rolling and pulling.

So sorry to hear this news Dev. Glad to know you're mostly alright with no broken bones, but yeah, that is a very scary accident report. You're a machine and will heal quickly. The Terminator has nothing on you...

Working up to a LC meet in 4 weeks where I will swim the 1500, 800, 400, 200, 100 free and the 100 fly (on the same day). I'm not sure what my throwaway swim will be that day.

This morning - 100S and 2x50 B-4 warmup. Main set of 1000, 600, 400. 2200 SCY.

OK Dev. Geeeze! Well, my left leg sciatic issue is now merely a nuisance compared to your predicament. I'm so sorry for you.

In spite of the weakness and instability in my leg, I hobbled down the beach for the Seal Beach Roughwater Swim, a 3 mile (short, tho at 2.7 miles), no wetsuit swim. And, in spite of my limited swimming the past week, I managed a 13th overall place and first in my division. The race lived up to its name as it was pretty choppy/windy out there. At one point, my kayaker bumped into me as he was pushed by the wind. The water temp varied from 62 to 64, but a huge hotspot of over 70 (all degrees F) had me worried that the whole outer leg of the race was going to be that warm and I was going to fatigue. But, I finally got back into cooler racing water. I hobbled up the beach to the finish shoot, handed popsicle stick #13. Happy to have won this race every time I've entered.

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

Dev, I am so sorry you got hit. Incredible nothing broke.
Sending wishes for a speedy healing.

---

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

5.5 mi run w/ 2.1 mi at a pace that felt like it took effort
1500 yd swim

2 x [100 free + 50 kick]
3 x [100 as 25 stroke/75 free + 50 kick]
a bunch of 50s as 25 fly/25 back
some free 100s

---

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 saw some triathletes swimming, so I moved to a lane nearby. Then it was:

1000 with no warm up. The "top" of the clock just happened to come about 10-15 after one of those guys flipped at a 100 split. So, I jumped in and felt like chasing him down. I guess I'm an ass, but I wasn't really making it look like I was being so, and besides, if I plan to do any open water races, I need to go out fast. So, I. chased the guy down at 400 or so, then finished the total 1000 in 14:23. Then, the rest of the practice:

1000 as 200 pullbuoy, 300 no pb, 500, no pb, all with a snorkel
10 x 100 @ 1:35, held comfy 1:24
1000 paddles
200 as 50 kick, 50 swim

4200m.

OK today's suggested workout:

• 10x50 IM order 4 (25fly-25 back, 25 breast-25free)x4
• 10x50 legs only IM order
• 10x100 as 5x (50fly-50 back, 50 breast-50 free)

Is this a real swimmer approved workout? 2000m worth of IM-ing.

If the docs give me the OK in 10 days, I guess I will embark on a long legs only focus doing all strokes legs only. Monty and Ericmulk will be happy!

I like it. Made a tweak or 2 for you....

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Would you be allowed to do one-arm?

---

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

yesterday just a 2.3 mi run, super tired. Took a 4+ hr nap.
today 8.6 mi run w/ last mile 8:07, 1725 yd swim

17 x 100 on 1:30
25 kick c/d

---

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

Hey Steve, get well buddy, thought you might have been doing too much running for that old body of yours, especially all those hard races. Maybe time to join me and dan in the over 60 5k max club?? I went in the ocean at San Clemente last night and it had to be 70 or over, very pleasant. Did a 25 minute straight swim in Redondo on sat, and it was about 67, so much warmer up here for sure.

So I got in today and did my usual 200 warm up and it felt great and much faster than usual, so I decided to just do this set I did last week and see what the improvement was, todays times in bold..

4x(2x200/100IM kick@2;30) 2-swim@3;15(2;56/2;54/2;52/2;46)2-buoy only@3;15(2;50/2;45/2;42/2;41)2-paddles only(2;43/2;37/2;35/2;32)2-full pull(2;29/2;27/2;25/2;22) kicks(2;10 to 1;52/1;54 to 1;47)
8x50's- odds IM order@1;00/evens buoy only@1;30 descend(IM-35/40/42/33/34/39/41/33) swims(40/39/38/37/37/37/37/36)
100 dolphin(2;01/1;55)
2500 SCY

So same exact workout as last week, but all much faster. Dont know why, perhaps my 15 lb weight loss in the past 4 months is kicking in, or my daily fasting and T levels rising are working. At any rate I will take this one as it is the best I have gone in awhile, all on 6k a week too!! I will be looking for an ocean race in the area, sometime in the next couple weeks, what you got Steve??

July 14 – Balboa - Newport Pier to Pier is 2 miles
There’s a lifeguard swim run coming up on July 12 starting at Huntington Beach Pier and ending at Seal Beach Pier. I think 5 runs and 4 swims & 8 miles total.

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

Haven't posted in a few days so:

Saturday - 30 minutes mostly easy with 2x50m sprints in 38 seconds -1600m
Sunday - No wetsuit sprint triathlon swim. 13minutes for 750m - disappointing.
Monday - Masters swim. We only get one hour in summer, so I only managed 3000m. It was pretty empty and cold too!

I'm finding this whole trying to be a fish thing a bit depressing! I watched the league above ours race on Sunday and the faster guys swam 10 minutes for 750m, the slower ones 12 minutes (no wetsuit).
I then swam 13 minutes. The gap is massive, not sure how or if I can close it!

Jason, this actually perfect because you practice all turn sequences which is what I need in my swimmer progression. If not, in my suggested workout we lost the back-breast turn (which actually I find to be the hardest....my legs are winded from back stroke, I can never judge the wall and scared to slam in wiht an extra pull and have no cardio for the dolphin kick-pull out-break out.....usually just got from dolphin to break out).

OK OK...so who is going to do the workout today? Monty we have you as the natural victim!!!!

So my pain has come down a touch. Yesterday I realized I can actually get my arms overhead in the streamline position with a lot of soreness. My right arm is the size of my quad (OK, no jokes about chicken leg quads). I lifted it overhead several times in the evening. So you can see where this is going. Ii tried to do a freestyle stroke in the air...yeah, I could do it. Tried breast...no problem (kind of). Did several of these. Then got up the nerve to do a fly stroke in the air...yeah, it worked in terms of being able to move my bashed up arm through it. So then I tried back stroke but the catch and the finish were too hard....but barely possible. I have no clue if these shenanigans are doctor approved and I had to do it in stealth without family members spotting this going on.

So that was my fish thread workout for the day...2 minutes of range of motion all strokes (kind of). Hoping docs give me clearance to get in the pool for legs only next Monday. Currently stitches where they sewed me together are letting out only a few small drops of blood per 24 hours usually after I do stupid things in my sleep and roll over and likely stress the wounds.

"Strokes" are beyond me, at this point. But, as promised I did work on my flip turns, comical though I'm sure it was. I did them in my first 100 free warmup. Those were such a disaster, I had no idea how to time or coordinate them for my single-arm drill sets, so I did those with open turns as per normal. I tried flip-turns again in the first 3 50s of my main-set. Oh god! Besides the random directions off the wall while swimming at pace...the hypoxia (especially when the random direction was DOWN)!!!! Ok, ok...I bailed on the flips after 3, and vowed to practice in the warm-down pool after.

WU: 3x100 drills

MS: 26x50 @47s (20s) failed at #13, #21, #26

CD: 100ez

Everything was slow today. I felt like it was a little bit of everything: hips low, slipping a little on the pull, and maybe fishtailing a bit. Looking at the data from Garmin:

1. stroke rate was up to 56 spm (vs 54 spm on Saturday)
2. Strokes was up to 23 spl (vs 21 spl on Saturday)
3. Pace was slower 47/48 per 50y (vs 45/46 on Saturday)

I tried to "fix" the things I was noticing this morning, with "some" success: my pace picked up y about 1.5s in the latter half of the set, and the spl dropped by a stroke. But, things just weren't "right" today.

I kinda screwed the pooch on Saturday, it was the first time this year that I swam AND did my long bike on the same day. For various reasons, I haven't been able to swim much on Saturday's this year. Anyway, I clearly didn't eat enough before swimming AND biking. I should have had a second breakfast or something before going out to bike. I hit the wall on the bike with an hour to go, and have been in recovery mode since. Legs still feel like crap. So, I'm clearly still carrying a lot of fatigue from my fuck-up. I suppose that played into how I swam this morning.

Oh well. First backslide this year.

Oh yeah...almost forgot. I spent 15 minutes in the warm-down pool practicing flip turns. Felt significantly better by the end. Flipping onto my back and rotating post push-off seemed to work better than flipping and rotating at once.

Hey I was like you 1.5 years ago...I am just learning all strokes! Keep up the flip turn work!

7.4 mi run w/ 4.25 mi @ 8:20 pace
1375 yd swim

500 w/u
50 kick
4 x [100 fast + 50 kick] 1:14, 1:13, 1:12, 1:12
225 c/d

---

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 feel for ya! Although it's kinda hard for us lifelong swimmers to fully relate. Just keep plugging away, get some technique coaching and you'll eventually get an epiphany moment, something will click and you'll be faster. This will happen again and again.

I'm finally going to get some relief from by sciatica pain. My Pain Management Doc called me after receiving my MRI. He felt a cortisone epidural could help. He said I don't have so much a disc bulge, but a narrowing of the nerve conduit at L4-L5 and it's pinching my nerve. So getting that scheduled.

I can still swim, though, and hit the pool yesterday, which with my ocean acclimation now, feels way too warm at 80 or so. Back in the wonderful 67 deg ocean this AM for some 2500 yards. That water temp, and redirecting gravity (being horizontal) helps, not to mention the twisting motion of swimming itself, suck a lot of pain out of me. I wish I could stay in there forever.

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

7 mi run, first four progressive, 62 min
1475 yd swim

500 swim
50 kick
50 swim
500 swim
50 kick
100 fast 1:11
50 kick
100 fast 1:11
25 kick, 25 swim, 25 kick

really pleased with those 100 times.

---

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

Well....I don't want to end up under a bus 18 months from now. So, Imma stop the mimicry at flip-turns. I did another 15 minutes of flips following todays set. Its getting a little more comfortable. I was a little more predictable in choosing where/when to initiate the turn, and what direction I came off the wall. I think I'm still kinda flailing with my right arm a bit.

As far as the set goes....Harumph....slightly better than yesterday, but still 46s/47s...mostly 47s.

WU: 3x100 drills

MS: 24x50 @47s (20s) failed at 13, 19, 24

CD: 100ez + 15 minutes of flip-turn practice

A bit frustrated. Slow-ish, and failed early. I did notice that I was dropping my left elbow a bit (I was a little more canoe-paddle instead of surf-board). I corrected that towards the end of the set and managed a couple 45s, but by then I'd already failed twice and was already pretty fatigued.

Tomorrow is a planned off-day (for swim). I'm trying to decide if I should stick with that plan, or perhaps go do some drills and flip-turns...maybe keep it short and follow up with my planned short run. then again...maybe I should give the swim muscles a break and see how they feel on Friday.

The last two days have been OWS at dawn. 2.3 miles yesterday, 2.1 today. That 65-67 degree water felt great without a wetsuit.

I dragged one of my old swimming buddies through it this morning. He's in town for a few days for work. I sorta forgot that he might not be used to the elevation here (5400 feet), so I started out relatively quick, chasing the group in front of us, who got a bit of a head start. Sorry, bud! I hope it wasn't too bad!

We both made the comment that the water was perfect for no wetsuit. It's almost getting to it being too warm. A few 100 degree days this week might get that temp up, but, we still have those 53 degree nights.

2.5 mi walk
2000 yd swim

5 x 100 on 1:30 w/u
4 x [200 fast + 50 kick + 50 easy] 2:31, 2:28, 2:27, 2:27
300 c/d

---

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

That's what I did this morning - around 2 miles in 67 degree water & no wetsuit. I had been acclimating myself for a few weeks so that I'd be tolerant during my 3 mile race last weekend. Barely had the shivers afterwards. In fact, during the race, there was a huge spot of 70+ water heading toward the outer leg of the race (furthest from shore and paralleling it). I thought the majority of the race would be in that and I was going to overheat and fade. Luckily, it only lasted a few minutes and the temp was back down around 64, which was a great racing temp.

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

Hey Steve, I checked out that swim/run series you are doing, and how did I miss that? Right down the road from me and it looks like a really fun series. Unfortunately I'm out of town for tonights race, and probably be on vacation for the next couple, but maybe I can make the final one in Aug. You gonna be able to run a 5k by then??

Did some 500's today, best set of those in awhile;

4x(500/100IM kick@2;30) swim@7;30(7;09)buoy@7;30(6;54)paddles only@7;00(6;30)buoy and paddles@7;00(6;11) kicks( 1;51/1;49/1;49/1;45)
5x50buoy@1;00(39's)
100 dolphin(1;55)
2750SCY

I wanted to do a 2.4 mile swim in Longmont, CO, last weekend, but I ended up being super busy and didn't make it.

Without trying to come off as dick, I want to point out to anyone reading that a wetsuit is NOT needed in temps above 63 or so. I found that out the last several swims, especially the first one, two weeks ago. The water temp was 62: I had to remind myself to breathe during the first minute or so, but even after that, I was okay. I had the "cold-water claw" for my left hand, but a wetsuit couldn't have prevented that anyway. Just give it a shot, people! It's thrilling, it'll wake you up! I'll say I had my doubts and worries, but I made it, and it's NBD anymore.

A friend did IM Boulder 140 a few weeks ago. She swam in a full arms-legs wetsuit. She didn't need it for buoyancy, she was a college swimmer. On a hot day such as that, would she have benefitted by just going in her tri kit or swim suit? I mean, consider the cost/benefit analysis:

full wetsuit makes a swimmer X minutes faster - (minus) stop for :30-:60 to get the wetsuit stripped by volunteers - loss of sodium on perspiration - raised core temp because of full wetsuit experienced the rest of the day - loss of aero advantage/watts bc of extra bottles/sodium on the bike + body isn't shivering and there's better coordination....?

Going in for my 7 day check with the docs tomorrow at the hospital. I will find out when they will let me back in the water for "legs only". I can do all 4 stroke motions in the air with some discomfort. Let's see, but minimally now that i am kind of a "real swimmer" I can easily kill an hour in the pool doing all 4 strokes legs only, with and without flutter board and back/free/fly legs only with fins....so I should be pretty well conditioned by the time I can add upper body.

I had piriformis/sciatica in spring whilst training for a marathon. I found that a balance cushion for my work chair really helped. Obviously YMMV.

It was 31°C yesterday and 6 of the 8 indoor lanes were booked by clubs, so I went to the outdoor pool fully expecting it to be a nightmare.
Weirdly it was pretty empty! 24°C water temp was nice too. I shared the lane with a fish, he swam faster than I can with fins.

Anyway: 400m in
3x300m fins 25 kick/25 swim
10x100m pull and paddles arriving on 1:38ish, 15 seconds rest
10x100m pull arriving on 1:39ist, 15 seconds rest
6x100m drills, 25 drill/25swim
100m out

I will have an entry later today on the June fish thread. I got clearance to get back in the water from the ortho clinic

happy for you!

---

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

4.8 mi easy run
1075 yd swim

500 swim
50 kick
5 x 100 on 1:30
25 kick

---

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 should have mentioned Coveathlon. Yeah, a 1k flatwater Swim and a 5k mostly flat run. I took pictures at the first one. I did just the swim last night. It wasn’t impressive, though because I swam 4000 in the ocean that morning then 2000 more before the race. The water is pretty warm but most wear wetsuits, for the speed, of course. Mike Collins was there and I think 3rd or 4th OA. My gf, Heidi won the women’s OA. She kicked my butt (and most of the guys) in the swim and proceeded to pass most of the guys on the run despite women starting 5 minutes later.
It’s low key and a lot of fun! We’ll miss the final race (&BBQ) due to another race commitment – Waikiki Roughwater and Maui Channel Swim.
I hope to be running long before that as we’re also racing at Casco Bay SwimRun.
Oh, and 3800 in the quite rough ocean this morning.

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

OK, I can report back.....2300m of kick today after I got doc clearance.

main set all without board hands in overhead streamline position.

4x100IM kick
3x200IM kick
1x400 IM kick
3x200 IM kick
4x100 IM kick

2x100IM....start with 25m underwater dolphin hard....rest of it easy

Half of the 200's were with fins....the rest no fins. On the breast kick I am able to do a short skull with minimal injury/arm/elbow shooting pain. I can soft stroke freestyle, but its so bad and floppy and a bit painful that it is pointless. I suspect that i can swim free in 10 days, breast in 5 day...back and butterfly maybe in a month but who knows.

The workout went pretty fast. It was great to be back in the pool. I think spending the next month doing IM kick will help my 200IM and 400IM and 200 fly when I can swim wiith upper body again.

Today's session started wit me watching the end of a workout done by an Olympic gold medalist in swimming from 2016. Really cool.

My workout:
1000 swim
3 x 500 @ :10 rest, snorkel, with pull buoy on the first.
2 x 500@ 8:00 (7:33, 7:33)
9 x 500 @ 8:00, 2 with paddles, 7 swim (7:24, 7:24, 7:29, 7:29, 7:30, :30, :31, :30, :28)
300 as 50 kick, 100 swim with snorkel
200 as 50 breaststroke, 50 free

8500m long course

I had a few water breaks in there, plus once to get out and refill by bottle.

Been a couple days since I posted. I took Thursday completely off, seems like fatigue was still catching up with me, everything was off swim, run, and bike.

Friday went to the pool after work, did my usual usrpt set of 50s: Did them on 46s, failed at 11, 17, #24.

Since I swam `14 hours previous, I didn't want to do the same 50s workout back to back. So, I decided to try the CSS test.

WU: 4x100 as (swim, 2x(LA/RA/swim/swim), swim)

MS:
400TT (7:00 flat)
5x50ez @50 (30s)
200TT (3:13)

9x50 @47 (30s)

1700scy

So, that says my CSS pace is 1:53/100y. I did note that I had two lengths in the second half of the 400 that were well off of the laps surrounding them. My splits were:

23.3/24.3/24.5/25.6/26.6/26.4/26.3/26.6/26.9/26.4/26.6/26.4/28.2/25.9/32.2/25.9/24.7

I was sharing the lane with a kid who was trying to underwater dolphin the full 25y. Sometimes he would pop up in front of me. I'm guessing that's what happened for the 28.2/32.2 lengths. I don't recall specifically.

Also, I haven't swum 400 straight since last year. So, I don't feel like I paced the 400 very well, and I was pretty conservative. Ah well....its a start.

I'm wondering if the disparity between my 200 (1:37 pace) and 400 (1:45 pace) times indicates that I should begin focusing on longer usrpt lengths. I may see what happens with the 50s this coming week...and increase to 75s the following week.

PS: For dev...I transitioned to doing flip-turns in the main pool in warmup. I even managed to do a bunch in the middle of some moderate 50s (in the 9x50 above). They are still a bit of a mess, but I didn't bounce off the bottom of the pool! I also felt like they were no longer SLOWER than my open turns.