Awesome, thanks. That covers it! I will try!

Monty in the feats of strengths category (at least for me), I did

4x200 IM as 50 fly steady 25- back hard-25 breast hard-100 free with second half hard

then

2x400 IM.....standard IM.

First time in my life I did a set of 4x200IM (I have actually done a full 400 IM only twice in my life, so i just doubled my lifetime quota). As much as my back and breast stuck, I really enjoyed it. I did not time it, but was surprised to see that I got the two with a break for chatting with the other guy in my lane done in under 17 minutes, which I was a bit shocked by given that my 200 IM last month was only 3:53 if I recall correctly.

I will give both the 200 IM and a 400 IM a shot next week. I have a cortisone injection on the 22nd of Feb, so I don't think I should do anything hard until the 27th or 28th after that, so probably best to post my ST swim meet times before the injection on the 22nd.

In any case all this to say, the only way I will not suck and back and breast is to do more....I am doing more and starting to have less suck!

Dev

Today's swim

LCM:
800 choice
30x50 as:
- 6x50 @ 1
- 6x50 @ 55s
- 6x50 @ 50s
- 4x50 @ 1
- 4x50 @ 55s
- 4x50 @ 50s
100 easy
10x100 pull paddles @ 1.45
100 easy
--3500

Hey Monty, I am feeling inspired....so who is in for the 4x400m IM set this week. One mile worth of IM. Which one of you jokers will pull off that set in under 30 minutes including rest?

Hey Monty....so it's almost happening. I think sub 3:40 200m IM will go down this month.

So in the spirit of improving what you suck at by just doing more of what you suck at until you gradually suck less, today's main set was 2000m of IM broken down as:

12x100m IM
2x200m IM
1x400m IM

The first 12 was on 2 minutes, coming in around 1:52 to 1:55. Every 4th I took an extra 15 seconds of rest. Then I did the 2x200m IM, The first was steady. Then took a minute of rest and decided to time the second one hard.

Was surprised to see 3:42. I barely expected to see 3:50, so I was looking for the clock to see where the second hand was...it may have been sub 3:40, but the first number I saw was 3:42. I took off ~ 10 seconds since January, almost all on the breast and back. I THINK I can take out 3:30 by the end of the year as I am grabbing the time savings on the "low hanging fruit".

After this the 400m IM was done as 50m hard/50m easy in each event!

I have 5 more swims to take out 3:40 before I have to take a bunch of days off after I get my cortisone injection on Feb 22, so I will do one of these more rested rather than timed on my 1600th meter of IM on a given day (kind of cool, that was like the finishing sprint 200m with Bannister and Landy doing the miracle mile....as you can see I am still a runner at heart using run analogies in the fish thread....please don't ban me).

Dev

Thanks for the 10/2 O'Clock position cue for the hands. Definitely got some more solid pull on my free and fly today.

Nice job on the IM set there Dev. I went to the low pool yesterday with dan and I was actually going to try and do a 400IM(haven't even done a 200 unbroken yet) and I got saved by a kids swim meet. So did an extra run instead and spent 3 1/2 hours on the fwy instead of 1;50 because of the detour.

But last night had a poker game and an old friend(58 years 0ld) came down to play and stay over. He hasn't been swimming much at all for quite sometime, but I talked him into going to our club pool for a swim this morning. After a warm up set he says lets do 8x150 on the 2;20. I was surprised but he used to be fast and I said what the hell;

5x100s@1;40(1;24 to 1;21)
8x150p@2;20(minute break@#4) 1;58/56/55/53---2;04/1;55/1;48/1;43
4x50@1;00 fly/free/breast/free(32/40--41/40)
2000SCY

So by far my best 150 of the year to do a 1;43, he was right there with me on most, which is amazing for not having swam hardly at all the past year, and 58!!

My best 50 fly (32 push off) and best 50 breast(41) too. He inspired me to up my heart rate. So no 400 IM this week, cannot do it in this pool as back stroke is all over the place, and it is just a wave pool. I want conditions to be perfect before I try and slog out a 100 fly and then have to do 300 more!!

Friday 7 mi easy run, 10 mi bike
Saturday off
today 9 mi run w/ intervals at half marathon pace, 1525 yd swim (main set 10 x 100 on 1:30)

---

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

Wow the 32 seconds for fly and 41 for breast is awesome. Congrats. I am encouraged that there is a lot of low hanging fruit to get my 50m breast stroke down. I can barely break 60 seconds (scm). I THINK with practice, I can get this sub 55 and maybe close to 50. It just needs practice. I think I need to work on my breast kick with flutter board.

Today's workout as a 2 hrs 20K classic ski with almost 1000 ft of vertical. In the evening was a 1:25 4000m swim. after the warmup, it was just a bunch of easy 200 IM's as 50 fly-25 breast-25 back-100 free. I ended the workout with 1x400IM easy just trying to work the glide phase and catch. I will time both the 400IM and 200 IM this week.

Monday
7 mi mostly easy run, 2.65 mi @ 8:34 pace (just under half marathon pace)
925 yd swim (900 straight to stretch out, 25 kick)
lifted weights for hips/glutes, did some back extensions

---

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 an awesome morning Ocean Swim! Despite a small craft warning with 20-30 mph winds and overhead high surf, 7 of us braved going out there in the 58 degree washing machine. We elected to stay together and swim bouy laps in the cove just so it would be easy (relatively) to get back to shore — not possible along the route to Seal Rock. Pretty crazy when you swim 6 feet from another and at moments, you’re 6 feet above them and a second later they’re above you! Around 3000 yards. We’re going out again this afternoon (because the wind has picked up!)

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

SCM lane swim.. after multiple days of feeling like crap in the water finally had a solid day.. (last wen was 4k meh, thur - off, fri - 40 min splash, sat - 4k nothing crazy, sat - 4.5k LC,
today.
8*150 on 20 sec (50 kk/dr/sw RIMO), 100 ez
8*50 kick on 65 snorkel no board, 100 ez
100 (10) 100 all out - 1.03/1.07, 200 ez
50 (10) 100 (10) 50 - 30/1.04/33, 200 ez
50(10)50(10)50(10)50 - 2.06 total, 200 ez
8*100 bk on 1.45 (1.33s) worst stroke, blah
16*25 as breakout/to flags/fast/fast on 45 (mix of gear/paddles/fly)
400 p easy
5k in 1.45h or so
first time doing broken 200s this year, so much hurt..

5.5 mi run 48:46
725 yd swim

100, 150, 100, 200, 150 on a 1:30 base
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'm with you dayvic, feeling blah today but got in anyway and went through the motions;

3x(300/200/100/200IM kick) swim@1;40/paddles@1;30/pull@1;30 bases
(4;28/2;51/1;21--4;03/2;38/1;16--3;54/2;33/1;13) (kicks-3;52/51/54)
2400SCY

When I used to do tris, and guys who started in their 40's used to brag about hitting all time PB's I'd say, "yeah, that's cause you did not start in your 20's....there is a reason why there are no competitive pros in their 40's" (Cam Brown aside).

So here we are, and I am "that guy" who starts late and now can get motivated by hitting all time PB's because he never even did the sport until his 50's.

Soooooo today during my swim I did 8x200IM. First two and the last one were untimed.

The middle 5 sets were alternating 200IM as regular IM on the odds and 50 fly-25-back-25 breast-100 free on the evens on 2 minutes.

I descended the odd ones at 3:52, 3:48 and 3:42. The evens were both around 3:30ish, but I was not paying a ton of attention.

Mainly last month my 200 IM "PB" was 3:52, and this month 3:42 was my "PB" a few days ago, and now I am doing all that during a tough set. I think I can take the 200IM sub 3:40 this month and I think 400IM should easily be possible sub 8 minutes and maybe more like 7:40. I may try both tomorrow a bit more rested after a warmup only and not during a really hard set.

thanks guys for all your inputs and encouragements. I think I am getting back stroke a bit better but my cadence is still bogged down and slow. Breast stroke feels like race walking fast. It's just weird trying to do that stroke fast!

LCM
Warm up 400 free/300 pull/200 kick/100 free

800 buoy and band
8x100@1:25

400 band only
8x50@45 shoot for ~35

800 buoy and paddles
4x200@ 2:50-3:00 depending on how fried I am

200 cool down

Really not looking forward to this

OK, we're down to the final week of the month. Time to enter the ST Fish Swim meet.

Monty, did you and Jason decide on the final events for this month?????

I have today and tomorrow before a cortisone shot to post some times.....then I won't be able to swim (at least swim hard) likely till the 28th, so I need to know the official events and get them done in the next few days!!!!

jeez,

this month went by quickly!
Im not sure I really worked on my IM, but Im in for another 2im. Wont be dressel-like that is for sure.

daved

Monty, did you and Jason decide on the final events for this month????? //

Let's not bite off too much to kick this thing off, dont want to scare anyone out of the pond.. In my mind it would be fine to begin with a 50 fly, 50 back, and either a 100 or 200IM depending on if you do short or long course. We can put those in the line up for this month, but you can attack your times from now on, and we can add a few more next month and thereafter.


What do you think Jason? Do we need a distance meet to go along side??


On another note I just saw a spring pentathlon coming up in less than 2 weeks, I'm actually considering it. Haven't swam a meet in 4 years!!!

8.8 mi easy (81 min)
1425 yd swim

10 x 100 on 1:30
2 x [50 kick + 100 fast] 1:13s
50 kick
50 easy
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

Sounds good to me. I don't really wanna do a virtual distance meet at this point, the sprints are fun and easier to slot in to public lane swims. Plus, like Dev said way back, we all are doing distance stuff in tri-season, for those of us who are doing / returning to tris. I still have painful memories over the 1500 I did in the fall. I think that over the next few months to basically expand that lineup to a sprint pentathlon (50's of all strokes plus a 100IM (or 2IM if LCM). Doesn't all have to be done in one session / virtual meet, just do it over the "season".

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

I keep forgetting to post - bad me.

2500 this am
300 wu
6 x 50 descend 1-3, 4-6 (first 3 free, last 3 br)
100 ez
2 x (
8 x 50 fast - 2 fr, 2 br
100 descend by 25)
12 x 50 kick br, descend 1-3
100 ez

I'm not posting my workouts because I suck right now....

Need to decide on events for the long course meet, tentatively putting myself down for 50 fly and 200IM. You comin' down?

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

Undecided - I kinda hate long course. Do you know when your provincials are going to be yet?

I haven't heard anything yet.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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