I think summer water temps are done in the Pacific Ocean/Southern California. Yesterday, I swam skin only for 2100 yards at 63 degrees. I was bitter cold until about noon. This morning, I wore my DeSoto T1 top, and smartly so, because the temp dropped another 2 degrees. But, I remained warm enough to do a little extra credit and get in 2500 yards.
A friend swam the Catalina Channel yesterday. For the most part the water was 65-67, but as he approached Palos Verdes, it dropped to as low as 58, but mostly 61. He said it was brutal, not only because of the temp, but a current, pushing him back towards Catalina, slowed his 12 hour pace in the last few miles to force a finish in 14 hours. He made it, though! I may have to give this a shot next summer. To simplify: To hit 12 hours, all you have to do is about 720 50s on the minute. Sounds easy enough! HAH!

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

Hadn't realized that the water has dropped to low 60's, time to wrap my head around winter surfing I guess;;

I DID IT!! So today did a good 1400 warm up set and told myself if I felt right, I would go for Mikes 150 uber set.

2x(300/200/100/100IM kick) first one swim@1;30 base(4;16/2;45/1;21) buoy only@1;25 base(4;04/2;40/1;17) kicks 1;56's

Main set
4x150p@2;00
3x150p@1;55
2x150p@150. straight through no breaks. (1;54/55/54/53)(1;49/50/49)(1;46/1;46)
100 kick/150 buoy(/1;57/2;04)
3000SCY

It was a very hard set, lost a full stroke a lap on the last 2 from 13 to 14. So pretty long until then, after that more of a sprint/middle distance stroke, plus I was just dying..

Ok you real studs out there, show me this in meters and crush my dreams!!!

Hey, where is everyone? Season is over, time to hit that swim hard!!

Distance set today, was thinking about 3k pace:

4x500s@7;30(7;03/7;01/6;59/6;52)500IM kick@10;00(9;24)1000p@13;30(12;49--6;28/6;21)500IM kick(9;31)
4000SCY in 1;03

I’m here. Still in the ocean, but wore the full wetsuit (I’m sporting T1 top (thin sleeves) and Speedtube bottom these days). Water is still very low 60s, yet I overheated! I’m so acclimated, but not quite to these temperatures. The T1/Speedtube is just crazy warm. I have a Huub 4:4 that would be better, a bit cooler to swim in. But I swear, you look at that suit wrong and it tears! Anyway, I swam kinda hard, although I felt clumsy in the suit, my watch had me at a 1:13 pace over 2800 yards. I’m not sure I can believe that pace... maybe!

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

my watch had me at a 1:13 pace over 2800 yards. I’m not sure I can believe that pace... maybe! //

No doubt Steve, I would suppose you are still sub 40 for the 3k swim, so with a wetsuit and salt water, easily 7 or 8 seconds a 100. And if you were drafting, piece of cake!!!

After 6 days of 12m hotel pool swimming I arrived in London last nite from Nairobi. My hotel is next door to the Olympic aquatic center...last nite after 16 hours of door to door travel, I hit the pool for 1:45 of IM focused sets. I closed down the pool at 10:30 pm and had the ENTIRE POOL to myself for the last 10 minutes. It was insane...empty stands, empty 10 lane 50m pool. Then got up this morning before work and cranked out another 2:05 swim. All of this in a span of 13 hours after 16 hours of travel....no wonder doing a 200 fly attempt around 1:45 into today's swim felt like I had a piano on my back for 150m!!!! That was hard cramming in that swim before a customer meeting and then to a VC Meeting where the venture capital guy was actually quite well behaved and did not treat me like dirt, and actually said he will be getting back to me in a few days after pulling his partners in. Let's see what happens. I have two more swims at the London Pool before heading home....targetting 25K in 4 days, but i think the toughest part is over with work and travel. My next 2 days, I can just train like a pro athlete or recover like a pro before flying home on Sunday mid day!!!!

Oct 27th is my birthday, so I am THINKING of doing 5300m of IM as 1x100 IM plus 13x400IM. Let's see....maybe I am being stupid. I can do the fly and the free, the problem is that much breast stroke. I can survive the back. Maybe during tomorrow's swim in the London Aquatic center, I should minimally do 13x200IM if I want to do 13x400IM a week from now!

Morning swim:

500 wu,
200 kick
5x100 on 1:20
100 kick
8x200 pull on 2:30
100 kick
3x100 wd on 1:40


3300 SCY

I'm no fish but I am happy to report my first ever use of paddles! (finis agility) and even happier to report it wasn't a complete disaster! Left hand entry and movement was flowing nice an easy however my right hand, especially when breathing right, had quite a few mishaps, maybe 10-20% bad entries and almost lost paddles.


Warm up:
500 Swim
100 Kick
500 Pull
100 drill-25 Scull/25 Swim

Main set:
Pull set with Paddles
500-:30 sec recovery
400-:30 sec recovery
300-:30 sec recovery
200-:20 sec recovery
100-Finish Strong

Cool Down:
200 Choice

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

8x200 pull on 2:30 //

Welcome,
Now this is why this thread is needed, that is a nice main set there, and now I have something to try later on. I dont know how hard it was for you(what did you hold on the swims?), but it would be an all out test set for me at the moment. But 3 months ago I would have brushed it off as just some set some much younger guy did that I cannot do...


Dont recall you in the fishes thread, was that your first post? And as long as you are introducing yourself, age, triathlon experience, swimming background?

I have not posted in fishes thread before. Been a long time lurker here trying to pick up and learn as much as i can. Posted on other threads before but not too often.

I am 46. I swam in college and did ok. I have coached age group teams and high school after college as well. Swam at master nationals a couple time. Last time being 2011 in Mesa. Think i am a better swimmer technically now. Did triathlons off and on for most of my life aside from having kids and getting fat in my 30s. I started getting back into triathlons to get back in shape in 2009. Since then i have done 6 fulls, a bunch of halfs, Olys and sprints.

As for the set i was able to keep them all under 2:15. I am in good shape as i was going to do IMFL but transferred to IMTX. So back to 6 more solid months of training.

As part of a very long 2.5 hour 7500m swim at the London Olympic aquatic center 50 LCM main set was

10x300m as 50 fly-50back-50 breast-150 free
2x400IM
1x200 fly

I think I am set for the 5300m of IM on my 53rd birthday next weekend! I would prefer to do it in the LCM pool but it's not set up LCM next saturday.....I just find long workouts are much easier LCM without a zillion turns.

My one month of legs only penance after being run over by the bus in June and not being able to use my right arm is actually helping me now since my core and legs are stronger and contribute more to all strokes. Talk about "unplanned" training effect.

welcome, Hastiin!

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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

Had a really busy work week, and haven't swum much. Family visiting this weekend - yesterday I went to the pool with my dad and brother to play-swim and jump off the 3m and 1m diving boards. :-)

today 6.7 mi run, 875 yd swim (850 swim + 25 kick)

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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

 Swam at master nationals a couple time. Last time being 2011 in Mesa. Think i am a better swimmer technically now.//

I bet that is true for a lot of us here that used to swim, masters allows us the time and opportunity to make small changes from the old days. But of course it is always one of those if I had known then what I know now things!!!! At any rate, the strokes changed so much from my time in high school to now, I had to overhaul just about everything. It is funny when I look back at some times I have done in certain events for the past 25 years, they have not changed. My 50 fly and 100IM hover about the same all those years, all from changes in how one swims them. I may be at the point of diminishing returns though, unless they can come up with something other than doping that makes something faster!!!


Funny you mention that meet in Mesa in 2011, it was my last meet too. I was 56 and was swimming in san Clemente with a bunch of old lifeguards at a quasi organized lap swim, best dam workouts I did in over a decade. Swimming alone just does not cut it when you want to really swim fast in a meet. Think I scored in most my events, except for that 100IM, which no matter how old I get, that time of 1;04+ always seems to be in the teens. It was also the last time in my life that I got to break 5 minutes for the 400IM, afraid that is out of the question going forward. How was the meet for you, pretty fast AG you must have been in then?


We have a few guys here in or around your AG that are at the top and setting some records, think ST could put together a pretty good relay in that 45+!!


So speaking of Mesa, it is going to be there again next year, so I'm planning my comeback, you in for that meet again? 7 years is too long between meets for me, but life got in the way(3 kids, wife, you know the drill))

Was planning on running or riding today, but just too dam hot!! So drug myself to the pool for some strokes today, trying to keep it aerobic.

5x(100buoy@1;45/100 breast@2;00/100IM kick@2;15/50fly@1;00) straight through --buoys(1;26/22/23/22/22)breast(1;40/36/34/33/33)kicks(1;57 to 1;50) flys(38/37/37/36/36
500 easy pull(6;31)
2250SCY

Starting to work on breathing every stroke on fly, 2 up one down feels ok now, hope to get them all up and feeling natural this season. A million yards of fly on one up one down is a hard program to break in my head, but I need the air!!!

Sunday: 8 mile run


I was able to barely place in all but one of the events in Mesa. 100fly (6th), 200fr (10th), 50fly (10th), 100IM (15th) in the 35-39 age group. I would love to see where i am at in these events but likely better at 500 and above now. I been thinking about doing a few masters meets this winter to change up triathlon training/racing a bit.

I usually swim 2 times a week currently getting in around 8-9000 yards a week. Its the other 10+ a week i been biking and running that makes swimming a solid pace easy without getting tired. No top end speed of course without getting more swims in per week with some good focused sprinting.

7 mi easy run (4 mi steady @ 9:22 pace) on stiff legs, as I did not work out yesterday - family here :-)

1825 yd swim, straight, mix of free, breast, and kick. Felt really good.

---

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 checked your times, you were pretty dam fast, of course surrounded by a lot of fast 30 year olds too!! So over those 8 years how do you think your times will compare? I had a pretty good meet when I was 46(just a couple months before I got my pacemaker!!), but most of my times were a bit slower than my mid 30's. You would definitely score better in distance events in the 45+, just a matter if you need points, or just want to swim whatever. Dont forget, you get 6 events too, so drop in the 1000 on day one maybe?

Did a 5k run and then just jumped in after to do an easy swim, but went harder on my kicks than I planned;

3x(200/150/100/50) 1 swim@1;30(2;53/2;06/1;22/39)1 IM kick@2;00(3;44/2;40/1;46/46)1 pull@1;20(2;36/1;54/1;15/35)
4x100IM kick@2;00(1/51/50/48/46)
200 buoy
2100SCY

5x200 on 3:30, 2:47 then battling to stay in low 2:50s, last one wasn't 3:04, HR 162 and 120 still after a minute. 5x100IM on 2:15 1:45 then 47-8.
5x50 on 50 first one hard 32 which is slow, did 28 a week or so back, and didn't make last interval.
Not sure why so sluggish, maybe preceding 2 days of weight training weren't the best plan.


Not my workouts, but stream-watched the first MIAC conference meet on Sat, St. Thomas Relays.
This is just a bunch of weird relays to open their season.
Things like:
300m stroke relay, 2x50 and 2x100.
4x100IM relay
animal relay - 200 fly, 400IM, 500
I'm glad to report the Oles (St. Olaf) won both animal relays, clearly the animals of the conference ;-)
Son went 21.9 on one of his 50 relay splits, wasn't quite happy with that. We took him to dinner and fed him large quantities of lamb chops, after which he was happier. Ha.

'Ole grad? My older brother swam there for 3 years (2001-04 I think). Umm ya ya!!

For me, the first swim meet in about 20 years (since I was 12!) was last Saturday! It was a Master's sprint meet and I did 5 events: 50 free (relay), 50 free, 50 fly, 100 IM and 100 free. All scy.

Winter goals included going <60s in the 100 free, and I went 59.5 on Saturday. Time for new goals.

I'll upload vides of the 50 free (~26ish) and the 100 IM (1:12 with terrible form on the non-free strokes. Help!!). All you fishes feel free to critique away!!

There is a scm meet in early December. Tentatively the goal is to go same times in the same events. I'm not sure how the yards -> meters conversion will work out, but it just seems like a good progress goal.

There is a scm meet in early December. Tentatively the goal is to go same times in the same events.//

That would be a HUGE improvement, so unless you just began your journey and were a 46 100 free guy in the old days, that might be a big ask. You would have to go about a 52 high/53+ at least to break a minute for SCM. And I will be interested in seeing your 100 IM, we swim about the same for a 100 free, but I think I'm still 1;05/6ish for the IM.. Great to be back at it though, right?? Swim races are over before you can even breath too hard, well except for the 400iM and distance events, but nothing like doing triathlons. Have a bad swim, no problem, there will be another one in 20 minutes!!!

I didn't realize there was such a big difference between yards and meters. Maybe that's a long-term goal then.

Couldn't find a good way to attach the video, so I just uploaded to youtube. Here is the 100 IM (closest lane, teal/green suit):



And the 50 fly (closest lane, same suit):



And the 50 free (4th lane in, same suit):



I've noticed a couple of the more obvious technique flaws - disconnect between kick and upper body on the fly and really low hips/kick on the backstroke are the biggest. Wondering what more experienced eyes will think.

Well first off, you know that drill you do all the time for fly in workout, kick, kick, pull? You are not supposed to do it in the race!! Back looks ok, you are losing a lot of water on your pull and kick in breast, way too many strokes for a 25. You are strong and seem to be aware of dolphins off the wall. just need to loosen up and learn how to sprint. Your 100IM looked like you were going out in a 200 fly or 400IM.

SO good news is that it looks like you have a lot of room for improvement, especially on the strokes. Watch some videos of fast guys doing that 100 IM, that will help you a lot when you do some comparisons. I think that Bo has posted up some of his IM's here, most recently his 400m IM. You will see in that race 4x further, he will be turning over quicker than you did in a 100, work on that..

That's good advice, thanks!!

It sure feels like a quick turnover during the race, but until watching the video I never realized how slow it actually was. Will definitely work on that in practice. 6 weeks until the next meet.

You got the big things that I can see. You’ve gotta get rid of that stall at the front of your stroke in fly. The only guys I’ve seen it work for are a couple of Japanese 200flyers, and they have incredible kicks and ridiculously good streamlining so they can really get something out of that second kick.

I like doing lots of one arm fly, just to get timing right. You’ll feel it when you do, it should be very rhythmical. If you wanna see a guy doing it right, have a look at the video in my sig line. Not me, the guy that who crushed Zenmaster28 and myself. (He used to swim with RealAB back in the day.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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