n + 1 swim challenge (Page 14)

That's a great workout Mike.  I think I will do something similar this week.

I am curious about the stroke extension.  One of the last things I was working on last year with an instructor was to do the opposite and not pull beyond my waist.  She said that I was creating more drag than propulsion by trailing my arm.  It also promoted a higher, more relaxed recovery that would naturally introduce a little glide in my stroke.  I am no expert and rely pretty heavily on what I'm told so I'm now wondering if I am now doing something wrong or is this one of those things that has different schools of thought. 

Without seeing strokes it's difficult to say for sure but it could be that both instructors are "right".  You may have been overdoing it and so she got you to think about stopping sooner while Mike may have been stopping too soon and so the instructor has him exaggerating the motion.  The end result could be that you both finish at the same place. 

Swim #1 for the week done.  It was a bit of a low key effort as I didn't have much mojo this morning.

50 mins, 2500 meters

200 swim
2 x 200 IM
3 x 200 kick w/ fins including 50 dolphin kick for each, descend 1-3
100 ez
7 x 100 on 1:30 holding 1:20ish
5 x 100 IM

Swim team kids were in the lanes beside me doing a redonkulous kick set that was making me feel very inferior!  

I watched a swim meet all weekend...I'm right with ya.  And this was the 'B' Championships...not even the really good AG swimmers.

And a quick kid brag...11 YO daughter posted her first BB time, in the 50 backstroke, on Saturday.  She also did the same in the 50 free yesterday but the meet officials somehow deleted the entire heat and they had to swim it again at the end of the meet (right after she had just swam the 100 IM and a relay leg within the last 10 minutes) and she missed it by 0.2 seconds.  Her coach was livid with the officials and I would have been really upset, but she just shrugged it off.  Awesome weekend all around, and since it rained hard all weekend we didn't miss anything by being inside for 10 hours. 

Only two swims on the docket for me this week...recovery week but I'll still get my Masters session in Friday.  Happy Monday!

I didn't get to do my n + 1 swim last week due to my being out of town, but I have a race this week, so I'll definitely get 4 in.  

Today's set:

WU: 350 @ low aerobic intensity
5x50 drills, RI=0:10
MS: 9 x 100 @ moderate aerobic intensity, RI=0:05
10 x 75 @ VO2max intensity, RI=0:45
CD: 350 @ low aerobic intensity

2600m

What does a redonkulous kick set look like?  Do I want to know?

Look at you go with settling your pacing! 

Bonus point for getting a +2 swim.  Isn't it funny how when it starts to click you're trying to figure out ways to get in an extra pool session? I love that :)

I didn't look at the details of the kick set but they did a lot, for quite a while and you could tell they were working hard.

Try thinking of it as a descending set so the first one or two should be at an easy effort and then you start working harder as it goes along.  This may result in even paced times, it might result in getting faster as you go along.  Either one is a good result and you will get a better feel for pacing the more you do it.

If you're not used to doing it, the first ones will often feel ridiculously easy. Seriously.

Last night at masters we were grouped more according to various upcoming meet. The people I was with are normally several lanes over. At the start, sure enough, they kept fairly close to me for the first 50 (~:38) and then fell off from there (we were doing 150's to start). I don't think any of them can repeatedly do 1:20 100's on much of any send-off, so yeah, there was a little excitement at first and put themselves in a hole. Keep working on getting it. While one of a number of things, know that all of these people were faster than me when starting masters ~1 1/2 years ago.

Really glad to hear you are doing well and coming out of this ok.  Stay a little cautious though.

I hope everyone is having a nice Spring Monday.  It is absolutely beautiful outside today here.

I could show the rationale more using power on the bike, but I think you're getting the idea. Some of the others at masters are rather quick, and could do that to me. And I'll have to share a lane with them. I'll do my pacing, but still use them for motivation in trying to limit losses. So other people can still be used so long as there is awareness of the limitations with this. It's very motivating to swim well with these other guys around.

Morning, everyone.  1K swim this morning:

1000Y/20SCY
focus:  remembering the catch-up work I did last week, speed pacing
400 SKIPS WU
3 x 80 on 1:50 (1:35 pace)
:30 rest
6 x 40 on :50 (1:32 pace)
120 CD

I was a little sluggish at first this morning...we went to Orioles opening day yesterday and I might have had a few beers. 

Week 3, 2/7, yds 1800
Purpose, work on feel and not stress shoulder

3 x 200 S @ CSS 10sec RI

3 x (3 x 50 @ little over 90% + 100 K)

100 S @ little over 90%

350 S, EZ

Shoulder feels OK, but as I up the power I feel it more.  I think it might be a while before I can do big sets or any sprints.

Way to hang tough Mike.  Baseball and beers sound like a perfect Spring outing.

After spending 3 hours yesterday clearing snow, my upper body was feeling a bit flat and stiff in the pool this morning.  Over all not bad but just missing the high end gears.

200 swim
6 x 50 on :50
5 x 100 kick on back w/ fins. First 4 descend to a strong steady effort and then the last one as fast as possible - managed a 1:11.
5 x 100 swim w/ fins on 1:25. Held 1:11-1:13 for the first 4 and then the 5th was all out fast after an extra 30s rest. Did a :58 for the 100 and was pretty much wasted.
200 ez
6 x 200 pull 2:38-2:42 range. Felt out of sync for these
100 ez
6 x 50 descend 1-3 then ascend 4-6

1:11 on a kick set? Daaaaaamn.

The whole set looks tough.

Two questions: 

What's the trick to turning with fins--how do you push off the wall?

When you pull, do you mean pull with paddles and a PB or just a PB?  Someone wrote in a thread the other day that real swimmers only do paddles and PB, but I've seen ours (both high school and college) do both.  I was wondering if maybe that was a program specific thing?

1:11 with fins - can't even get in the same timezone without them. Under 2:00 without would be good for me.

Since I was kicking on my back with no board, I just did flip turns which makes it a lot easier.  If I'm using a board then as I approach the wall, I do one pull with the board using my left arm which rotates me onto my right side while I reach for the wall with my right arm.  As I grab the wall I bring my feet under me to the wall heels first (which means the fins don't catch on water) and then push off.

When I say pull, I mean just using a pullbuoy.  I will specifically write pull w/ paddles if that's what I use.  I was tempted to respond to that guy in the thread saying he was wrong but wasn't in the mood to pick a fight at the time.    When the swim team coach here says pull, it's the same.  If he wants paddles he specifies it.