Here was the workout on Thursday. It was tough and I did not finish it all due to foot cramps! I finished 3,000 of the 3,500 planned. It is my furthest swim to date.
3 x 200 @ 4:00 decreasing (each set got faster)
8 x 25 @ :30
4 X 150 @ 2:40 decreasing with each set
8 X 25 @ :30
5 X 100 @ 2:00, 1:55, 1:50, 1:45, 1:40
8 X 25 @ :30
4 X 50 @ 1:00, :55, :50, :45
1 X 400 Kick with fins and kick board FAILED! Only did 100 yds. (foot cramps)
1 X 400 Pull buoy
1X 200 Timed Didn't even try
Total 3500 yds
Tough workout. This weekend I am hoping to get my first OWS of the season done!
My journey to Ironman #2.
Showing posts with label swim workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swim workouts. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
I Have Not Mastered The Masters Swim Class
Today I went to my first ever Masters Swim Class. I had been wanting to join one for awhile but never wanted to just show up. A buddy of mine that I train with said he was going this week and said I should show up, so I decided to give it a try.
I admit, I was nervous.
I was not sure what to expect. I was told I should bring my fins and goggles only. The more I thought about it, I kept thinking, "I can swim, all we are doing is swimming, I should be able to handle this". So when I got to the gym and changed clothes, I walked out to the pool and talked to the lifeguard for awhile before the class started. I got in and swam some to claim my lane until my buddy got there and we ended up sharing a lane, which was not a problem because he is super fast compared to me. So without further delay, here is how it went:
3 x 100 at 2:00
1 minute rest
3 x 100 at 1:50
1 minute rest
3 x 100 at 1:40
1 minute rest
10 x 25 kick with fins at 30 seconds
1 minute rest
300 yd Pull breathing every 4th stroke
3 x 100 at 1:50 x3
10 second rest
Roughly 2400 yards. It was a killer. Needless to say I did not make all the times. The 1:40 100's were the toughest for me, and I got behind. I also struggled on the 25 yd kicks in 30 seconds. I knew my kick was weak, but this surprised me. I also got left behind on the final sets of 100's.
All in all though, while this workout was tough for me, it was also fun. The coach gave me some useful tips which made sense. He said my stroke looked more like a windmill, which was wrong. So he showed me the right way and even helped me with my push off the wall. (Biceps behind ears hands sandwiched) This was tough for me to get my biceps behind my ears also!
Overall this workout was also humbling for me. I thought I was in a lot better swim shape than I am. I wasn't the last or the slowest swimmer by any means, but it also showed me I need a lot of work on my stroke. I think I will continue this class once a week at least and I expect it to make me a much stronger swimmer.
I admit, I was nervous.
I was not sure what to expect. I was told I should bring my fins and goggles only. The more I thought about it, I kept thinking, "I can swim, all we are doing is swimming, I should be able to handle this". So when I got to the gym and changed clothes, I walked out to the pool and talked to the lifeguard for awhile before the class started. I got in and swam some to claim my lane until my buddy got there and we ended up sharing a lane, which was not a problem because he is super fast compared to me. So without further delay, here is how it went:
3 x 100 at 2:00
1 minute rest
3 x 100 at 1:50
1 minute rest
3 x 100 at 1:40
1 minute rest
10 x 25 kick with fins at 30 seconds
1 minute rest
300 yd Pull breathing every 4th stroke
3 x 100 at 1:50 x3
10 second rest
Roughly 2400 yards. It was a killer. Needless to say I did not make all the times. The 1:40 100's were the toughest for me, and I got behind. I also struggled on the 25 yd kicks in 30 seconds. I knew my kick was weak, but this surprised me. I also got left behind on the final sets of 100's.
All in all though, while this workout was tough for me, it was also fun. The coach gave me some useful tips which made sense. He said my stroke looked more like a windmill, which was wrong. So he showed me the right way and even helped me with my push off the wall. (Biceps behind ears hands sandwiched) This was tough for me to get my biceps behind my ears also!
Overall this workout was also humbling for me. I thought I was in a lot better swim shape than I am. I wasn't the last or the slowest swimmer by any means, but it also showed me I need a lot of work on my stroke. I think I will continue this class once a week at least and I expect it to make me a much stronger swimmer.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Laughing at the Water????
About two weeks ago I received in the mail a copy of “The Essential Triathlon Swimming” DVD by Kevin Koskella. Koskella is the founder of http://triswimcoach.comand was also an accomplished swimmer at the college level. Koskella also currently teaches Masters swims classes in California. So, with my upcoming 1st Half Ironman on the horizon, I figured I would check out the DVD and see if I also could “laugh at the Water” also.
Ask anyone who has done a triathlon and I guarantee they would say that the swim is the toughest portion on the race. The reason for this is simple. Humans were not made to swim (unless your last name is Phelps!) I know I struggled in the water and it took me a long time to figure it out without the help of a coach.
So I watched the video.
It was really a great video and I will tell you why. Koskella does an excellent job of explaining the whys of swimming and an even better job at showing you how to do drills. The first 20 minutes or so of the video are all about drills you can do in the pool. Drills for balance, drills for those of us that tend to slap the water and drills to work on how the hand enters the water. The best part is that you actually get to see how the drills are done from an above view and an underwater view. This to me made a huge difference. I have read about one armed swimming drills and swimming with your fists, but to actually see it really showed me what the technique was working on.
The rest of the video concentrates on workouts and OWS (open water swimming). Both of these things are hard to accomplish because when I started swimming a workout plan, I had no idea of what to do, how to design or how to read a swim plan! OWS is a different animal itself, and is very different than swimming in a pool and Koskella does a great job of describing the ins and outs of OWS.
So after watching the video, which really made me want to go out for an OWS, I went to my local pool and tried out a few of the drills he describes. I worked on the vertical kick (freaking hard), the fingertip drag (I am a water slapper), the corkscrew, the hip rotation drill and the sighting drills. All of these drills have already helped my swimming in the week I have been working on them. I am not sure that I am faster yet, but I know that I am becoming more balanced and efficient in the water. This has also helped me get better at bilateral breathing (I only breathe to my left for some reason), and the main reason for this is balance in the water. I have found out how very important it is to have balance.
I still have a lot of work to do in the pool, but now I have some specific drills to work on to help me become more efficient in the water and not come out of the water winded. I am attaching the links to Koskella’s website and how to get a copy of the DVD. Go check it out, it helped me and then we can all get together and laugh at the water!!
To purchase a copy of the Essential Triathlon Swimming DVD, click this link:
http://www.triswimcoach.com/
For more information and free stuff from Tri Swim Coach, click the following link: http://www.triswimcoachonline.com/
Ask anyone who has done a triathlon and I guarantee they would say that the swim is the toughest portion on the race. The reason for this is simple. Humans were not made to swim (unless your last name is Phelps!) I know I struggled in the water and it took me a long time to figure it out without the help of a coach.
So I watched the video.
It was really a great video and I will tell you why. Koskella does an excellent job of explaining the whys of swimming and an even better job at showing you how to do drills. The first 20 minutes or so of the video are all about drills you can do in the pool. Drills for balance, drills for those of us that tend to slap the water and drills to work on how the hand enters the water. The best part is that you actually get to see how the drills are done from an above view and an underwater view. This to me made a huge difference. I have read about one armed swimming drills and swimming with your fists, but to actually see it really showed me what the technique was working on.
The rest of the video concentrates on workouts and OWS (open water swimming). Both of these things are hard to accomplish because when I started swimming a workout plan, I had no idea of what to do, how to design or how to read a swim plan! OWS is a different animal itself, and is very different than swimming in a pool and Koskella does a great job of describing the ins and outs of OWS.
So after watching the video, which really made me want to go out for an OWS, I went to my local pool and tried out a few of the drills he describes. I worked on the vertical kick (freaking hard), the fingertip drag (I am a water slapper), the corkscrew, the hip rotation drill and the sighting drills. All of these drills have already helped my swimming in the week I have been working on them. I am not sure that I am faster yet, but I know that I am becoming more balanced and efficient in the water. This has also helped me get better at bilateral breathing (I only breathe to my left for some reason), and the main reason for this is balance in the water. I have found out how very important it is to have balance.
I still have a lot of work to do in the pool, but now I have some specific drills to work on to help me become more efficient in the water and not come out of the water winded. I am attaching the links to Koskella’s website and how to get a copy of the DVD. Go check it out, it helped me and then we can all get together and laugh at the water!!
To purchase a copy of the Essential Triathlon Swimming DVD, click this link:
http://www.triswimcoach.com/
For more information and free stuff from Tri Swim Coach, click the following link: http://www.triswimcoachonline.com/
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Say it Ain't So Joe!
The other day I got back in the pool, with my mind set on doing a steady 2000 yard swim. I got to the pool, changed in the locker room and then walked put and picked a lane. I out my stuff down, fixed my goggles, stretched my arms and gave a few head nods to the regulars at the pool. In the lane next to me was a guy that is normally there swimming when I go, I am not sure I ever got his name, so let's call him Joe. Joe is a decent swimmer and I think Joe is swimming due to a leg injury from running (none of this really matters to the point of this).Usually I wait until Joe is about 25 yards (one length of the pool) before I start and I give myself 20 laps to catch Joe. I use Joe as my rabbit so to speak. Joe is fairly fast so it makes me work pretty hard to catch Joe. Makes for a good workout.
Monday, I was expecting the same result and waited for Joe to get to the end of the lane and I jumped in, swimming like I normally do, expecting to inch up on Joe and eventually pass him. I got 10 laps into my swim and noticed, I was not making any progress on Joe like I usually do. It appeared that maybe I was becoming the rabbit now, because Joe was about to catch me this day!
I had taken off about 2 weeks of swimming to focus on my running, so instead of the morning swims, I was out running. I can tell the gains I made running made my swim falter a bit and I could tell. I know Joe most likely has been at the pool every morning that I was not at the pool. I don't like that Joe got faster or that I lost that much in 10 days, so here is what I am going to do about it.
1. The entire month of Dec, I am swimming 3 times a week.
2. I am doing drills 90 % of my swim time.
3. I will once again catch that rabbit!
Here is tomorrow's swim workout:
4 x 50 1:10
5 x 100 2:10
2 x 200 4:10
Kick 1x 200
Pull 1 x 200
Swim 800
Grand Total of 2100 yards (1.2 miles)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Swim Workouts
My swim workouts have drastically changed since this season of triathlons are basically over. I have cut back to 2 days a week swimming and will probably continue with only two swimming until 2010. I try and make the two days good workouts and make them no less than 2000 yds (40 laps or 1.13 miles) and it changes from drills to just good ol long swims. Here is tomorrows swim workout:
4 x 50 yds in under 1 minute
3 x 100 yds in under 2 minutes
2 x 150 yds in under 3:15 minutes
Kickboard
2x 100yds easy
2x 100yds hard
Pull Buoy
300 yds
25 yd sprint
15 second rest
50 yd sprint
15 second rest
75 yd sprint
15 second rest
100 yd sprint
REPEAT SPRINT SET
So that is one of my 2000 yard workouts. Some workouts will use flippers, and some workouts use paddles as well. There can be one arm swim drills and drills where you use only your fists. Sometimes swim workouts will use different strokes (Breaststroke, backstroke, etc...) All workouts are timed in their entirety and recorded.
Slow is fast, do not point your toes, reach and pull, bilateral breathing (which I can't do) are all things that I think of while swimming, and there are many, many more thoughts.
4 x 50 yds in under 1 minute
3 x 100 yds in under 2 minutes
2 x 150 yds in under 3:15 minutes
Kickboard
2x 100yds easy
2x 100yds hard
Pull Buoy
300 yds
25 yd sprint
15 second rest
50 yd sprint
15 second rest
75 yd sprint
15 second rest
100 yd sprint
REPEAT SPRINT SET
So that is one of my 2000 yard workouts. Some workouts will use flippers, and some workouts use paddles as well. There can be one arm swim drills and drills where you use only your fists. Sometimes swim workouts will use different strokes (Breaststroke, backstroke, etc...) All workouts are timed in their entirety and recorded.
Slow is fast, do not point your toes, reach and pull, bilateral breathing (which I can't do) are all things that I think of while swimming, and there are many, many more thoughts.
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