So the Cactus Man swim was...it was full contact. It made me feel slow, I guess it was similar to what a 70.3 would feel like to that affect?

Well, I set a swim PR by a significant margin. Guess that's just been the increase in total volume? Seriously I'm an idiot. Cactus Man 2018 was my last major triathlon, 42:02 on the swim. This year, 36:07. I sighted a whole lot better in Tempe Town lake, my stroke rate was a good bit better.

So what's the next step here? I've got two months before Mountain Man Olympic in July, do I keep up with some of the longer intervals I've been doing or trend back down and increase my intensity a ton? I have probably had an RPE of 6 while swimming in the pool, not sure what a 80-90% effort is (yeah I listen to the Tower 26 podcast).

Unlike the last race I tempered this week as more of a transition week...and I haven't gotten sick.

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

It's warming up quite nicely in OR and I am looking to get in the great open water this weekend. I want to just get out there, swim and enjoy it but I also have my A race in 3 weeks and feel like I should think about the OWS as a workout. I've never done an OWS as a workout, how would I do that? Or should I just stick to the plan of just swim across the lake and back?

---

808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

you can do intervals by time in open water... or pick a landmark and do repeats that way

---

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

if I were you I'd do shorter intervals for 2 workouts a week and 1 day of longer intervals.

---

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 usual open water swim spot is roughly a 750m triangle. I often alternate sides of hard and cruise - so 250m hard, 250 cruise, 250 hard.

Had a quick 1600m at lunch today.
300 wu
2 x (
4 x 25 IM order 15s rest
100 IM 20s rest
2 x 100 fast on 2:00)

100 ez
100 all out
100 cd

Fast 100s were 1:06 or 1:07 and the 100 all out 1:03.

I have a session with a swim coach tomorrow to get some underwater video analysis. I've never seen my stroke under water, should be interesting!

My swim training is in the tank the last few days...I am running the risk of being accused of being a pencil neck runner or triathlete, running 5 of the last 6 days.

Is this grounds for banishment from the fish thread.

On top of this I am on biz travel and my head of sales and biz dev who has done 12 Ironmans claims that he can't join an evening lame swim because he did not pack swim gear...WTF? Clearly this type of behaviour is unacceptable in our company LOL....gotta be swim ready all the times!!! If there is a pool nearby, gotta be ready for at least 3800m at any moment!!!!

no banishment; I run lots too

yesterday 9.8 mi run
today 6.2 mi run (2.25 mi @ 8:07, 3.55 mi @ 8:00), 675 yd swim

---

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

3200 scm this morning.
300 wu
6 x 50 descend 1-3, 4-6
800 with last 200 fast (10:26 - a bit too ambitious I think)
600 with 150 fast (7:55)
400 with 100 fast (5:10)
200 with 50 fast (2:31)
200 ez/kick
100 all out (1:03)
200 cd

Also spent an hour with a swim coach getting some video yesterday, that was enlightening! Saw some stuff that I knew about and some new things as well. Still waiting for him to upload the video so I can take another look.

SCY
300S/300K/300P
400 on 6:00 (5:25)
4x100 on 1:30 (1:17-20)
300 on 4:30 (4:03)
3x100 on 1:30 (1:17-21)
200 on 3:00 (2:43)
2x100 on 1:30 (1:21s)
6x50k on 1:15
4x50 IM order on 60
8x25 IM order on 30
100 cool down

Swimming about 2 to 3 secs slower per 100 in May vs March as have doubled weekly bike Mileage (about 105 miles) as now i can get out on the roads. Also added some more upper body weight exercises. Still too cold for open water here in MA.

I noticed in your 1500 last month that you lift your head a good bit when you breathe. I wasn't gonna tell you, cuz you're getting too fast for me... ;-)

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

Yeah, that was one of the things that I sorta knew about but video showed me just how bad it was! That one is going to be a tough nut to crack as the motion is so ingrained but I'll definitely work on it.

Swim has taken a backseat for me as well as I ramp up run mileage for an upcoming half marathon at the end of the month.
My background in triathlon came from a love of long distance swimming, but these days with the good weather coming around-ish, it's been really fun to run.
Tomorrow have a big ride planned, 110kms with 2000m+ of climbing, and sunday is a double run day, so suffice to say my legs will be f*cked for a bit before I begin tapering.

Managed to get to the pool twice this week, to at least keep my arms moving. Wednesday was sprints, and this morning was technical drills, with an emphasis on the glide and breakout
My pull out is strong, so the emphasis for me was on keeping a solid streamline (maintaining a tight core) and also ensuring I didn't breathe on the first stroke after breaking the surface

WU:
200 swim, 200 IM, 200 kick

Set 1
6x50 push and glide, no kick, easy swim
6x50 push and flutter kick until you break the surface, then easy swim
6x50 push and flutter kick, starting to swim as you break the surface

Set 2 (with fins)
6x50 push and dolphin kick underwater, and a bit after you break the surface, easy swim the rest
6x50 push and dolphin kick, switching to flutter kick underwater and then a bit after you break the surface, easy swim the rest
6x50 push and dolphin kick underwater, switching to flutter kick and starting the arms just as you break the surface

Set 3
Using paddles that we held in our fingers?!? This was simulate tech paddles so as to really work your forearms.
9x50 2 with paddles, 1 without
I found this one quite helpful.

Warm down
200 easy

Total today: 3050SCM
Total for this week: 6200SCM, well short of my 10kms/week target.

Another dreary morning ocean swim. 4200 yards under an hour.

---

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

4 mi run
1575 yd swim

6 x 100 on 1:35
50 kick
3 x [100 fast + 50 kick] 1:14, 1:14, 1:15
200 fast 2:36
50 kick
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

Last three days no swimming due to work travel....so I was doing 40-50 min hard running on the treadmill + 30 min on the spin bike (hard intervals) + weights. Those were fairly intense days but I got to the pool finally today and with the three day upper body taper I was on fire.

So this was the workout:

1. 800 free warmup
2. 400 kick with fins (back and dolphin)
3. 400 as 200IM+50 free + 50 fly + 100 free (did butterfly legs hard, everything else steady)
4. 400 as 25 fly hard + 75 free steady
5. 400 as 200IM+50 free + 50 fly + 100 free (did butterfly legs hard, everything else steady)
6. 400 as 25 fly hard + 75 free steady
7. 400 kick with fins
8. 400 as 4x (50 fly hard, 25 dolphin recovery) + 100 free easy
9. 400 as 200IM+50 free + 50 fly + 100 free (did butterfly legs hard, everything else steady)
10. 400 IM + 100 free
11. 400 IM + 100 free
12. 3x (50 fly hard with finger paddles + 100 free)

total 5250m. It was really nice to be back into the pool. I had a stressful last 10 days at my startup and the only time I can really totally decouple my mind is in the pool because it is so technical. On land sports, I never leave work/life mentally. I have another big day planned tomorrow.

At masters nationals in 2 weeks I have 8 individual events and 7 relays (two hundred fly, one 50 fly, two 100 free, two 50 free) in 3 days so it should be fun. My "A" event is the 100 fly in the 4x100 medley relay in the 280+ age group. I think our team has an outside chance of national championships as I am with three guys above 75 years old who are pretty fast and I am doing the 100 fly leg where at 54 years old, I am "competitive" for a 70+.

Other events are 1500 and 800 free, 100 and 200 fly, 200 and 400IM, 200 breast, plus 25 free that I plan to do as 25 fly for some fun.

Dev

500 wu
200 kick
10 x 100 on 1:20
10 x 100 pull on 1:20
8x 75 IM order on 1:20
200 wd
Total: 3500 scy

Last Thursday:
3 mile run to pool
2200 swim
3 mile run home.

We got some of that storm up here in the high desert the past couple days Steve, major thunderstorm today for over an hour. I have not participated in this thread for over 5 weeks, it has been a trying time physically. Finally got in a couple get back in workouts this week, and drove down to Santa Clarita today for this one as my welcome back to the pool;

30x50@1;00 4x(2 swim/1 back/1 kick/1 breast/I kick) swims-39/40"s-back-42/41/41/40 Breast- 46/45/44/43 kicks-54 to 51's
500p@7;30(6;26)
2x100IM broken@25's on ;30. 1;19/1;13
100 dolphin(2;03)100 buoy(1;25)
2400SCY

Hopefully I will be on the comeback trail now, even did one easy 3 mile run this week, 1st one in months..Getting ready for that Coveathlon series and that 60+ you dominate there Steve..

I've been working on my "walls" lately, getting better at the push-off, streamline, and breakout. My UDK still kinda sucks, though. I'm good for one solid kick, but my counter-kick has been counterproductive, so I stop at one. Thursday I decided to work on UDK by do some Dev-inspired no breath 25 yard UDKs with fins (stubby TYR Burners) at the end of my last workout. Did one 25 in about 13 kicks and 15 seconds at a firm, but not particularly taxing, effort. Took plenty of rest (~75 seconds), letting my breathing and heart rate recover naturally, then set off on a second one. Life Guard met me at the far end and let me know "breath holding isn't allowed." No amount of rational counter discussion (I'm a very capable swimmer and know my capacity, medaled at USMS Nationals last Spring, regularly race an all-out 50 without breathing, am going much easier here with over a minute rest in between, etc) seemed to have any impact on her thinking. She let me know in no uncertain terms none of that mattered, holding your breath underwater for the entire length was against regulations. I get it, she doesn't set policy. So I had to break out at ~22 yards for the remaining 6 repeats, LOL!

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Dev, that's going to be one hell of a 3 days for you! I'm doing 7 events and we'll be in a few of the same ones. For me, 200, 400 and 1500 Free, 100 and 200 Breast, 200 back and 400 IM.

My flight home is early Sunday afternoon so I'm hoping to get the 400 IM in before having to head to the airport. 9am meet start and it's the first even so I think I should be ok.

It looks like 100/200 breast and 200 back are perfect build events for the 400IM. I decided in my last meet that I am so bad at breast stroke that I better sign up and do breast stroke races if I have any hope of my body behaving itself and moving correctly like the rest of you fish. I figure I have 5 years of work before I look proficient

Hey that will be awesome. Did you book hotel room etc? I have not sorted out my travel.

My main two events I will focus on are the 1500 free (first event) and 400IM (first event on Sunday, hopefully I am not totally cooked by then). The rest of the events are "race experience" events since each time I race, I am learning more and more about this sport. I think I have a chance of breaking 24 min in the 1500m and 7 min in the 400IM.

Today I did another 5400m day....the idea was to do two back to back hard-ish 5000m+ days so that when I get to Nationals day 3 my body can deal with the load (since the 400IM is day 3, first event)..

1. 500 warmup
2. 500 kick with fins and without (back and dolphin)
3. 500m as (200IM moderate pace +50 free easy+50 fly hard+100 free easy + 25 fly hard + 75 free at 1500m pace)
4. 500m as (400IM alternating 25's full stroke hard, 25m legs only steady+ 100 free hard)
5. 500m as (200IM moderate pace +50 free easy+50 fly hard+100 free easy + 25 fly hard + 75 free at 1500m pace)
6. 500m as (400IM alternating 25's full stroke hard, 25m legs only steady+ 100 free hard)
7. 500m as (200IM moderate pace +50 free easy+50 fly hard+100 free easy + 25 fly hard + 75 free at 1500m pace)
8. 500m as (400IM alternating 25's full stroke hard, 25m legs only steady+ 100 free hard)
9. 500m as 400IM full stroke steady + 100 free at 1500m pace
10. 750m as 5x (50fly hard + 100 free easy)
11. 150m cool down

As someone new to this sport, this format of workout gets my turns practiced continuously in all kinds of scenarios. I figure there is a lot of time to make up....also at my ability, I am thinking that taking two breaths on the breast stroke turns might actually be way faster because I can do a big powerful pushoff and pull out that is way faster than actually swimming for me.

I ran 35min pretty hard (for me) just before this pool workout. I want to do a sprint tri week of Jun 4th if my running holds out. I'll be running the next two days and using the spin bike on biz in Toronto, so no swimming till Wed. Wed-Fri, I intend to pack in another 15,000m intensity oriented block, then do a couple of days of easy tri oriented training Saturday and Sunday (probably bike+ run focus with an easy 2-3K swim) next week and then starting next monday focus on intensity only and keep swims short until the following weekend.

500 swim
1200 snorkel (600 with buoy, 600 without)
300 as 25k, 50 swim
12 x 100 @ 1:35, 1:15 for the first 10, smooth 1:20 for last two
200 snorkel, paddles, buoy
200 paddles, free
400 paddles as 50 back, 50 free x 2, 50 breaststroke 50 free x 1
100 smooth swim
4 x 50 @ :50, avg :35
300 swim down

4600 short course meters.

It took about 700 until I got settled into the pool dimension and I got used to the walls for turns.

Overall, not a bad day and the temp in the pool was actually pretty good. I had the whole lane to myself.

Life happened this week and today (Sunday) was my first swim since last Monday. Felt like garbage in the water, but I needed to plow through so that tomorrow would be good.

8x400 on about 45s to 1:00 rest
1 swim
2 kick
3 pull w paddles
4 swim
5 IM (3-3-3 fly)
6 kick
7 swim moderate pace neg split (5:15)
8 ez kick/pull warmdown

3200m

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

Main events for me will be 200, 400 and 1500 free. They all have PEI provincial records in M40-44 that are pretty quick (2:07, 4:35 and 18:38) and most likely out of reach for me but I'll take a stab at them and see. The others either have no current record or aren't too quick so I should be able to grab them.

Flying in early Friday morning (praying that Air Canada doesn't screw me over since the 1500 is early that afternoon), staying at an AirBnb that's about a 5 min walk from the pool and flying back out early Sunday afternoon.

The big plan was for a roughly 8k swim in the 60° ocean. We only swam 5148 yards. Two things hindered the plan: Seas were a little rough and GF, Heidi, raced the day prior at Bonelli Park – the Tri Express distance; 300 yard swim, 8 mile bike and 5k run. She was first female overall and like 5th or 6th OA. She’s a bit fatigued.

---

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