I SWIM your 10K for breakfast!

 I really loved this thought when it came to me.  Sometimes the fact of the distance swum can get away from me.  6.2 miles with only 2 quick water drinks.  Good Pace, felt strong and really had the technique for 80% of it, lost the 'feel' at about 6K into it, but got it back.

Legs may have been either tired or just cramped.  I lost the feel and started overworking the arms at about 2/3 into it.  Someone popped in the lane next to me and gave me a good pace.  Completed 8500 in 2:15 (1:35.2 / 100y)  - not too shabby.

AM Practice:  10K  (8500 at pace) 2:39

Father's Day and Stay-cation

Father's Day Weekend spent swimming on Saturday (3500m), golf at Dinosaur Mountain on Sunday (45 on the front 9 was decent for being rusty).

Great weekend getting the house cleaned up, great time with my father and Nickleman on the course.  Nick was great, the weather was great, the course was awesome - must be one of the best views in the area.

Absolutely one of the best values and a nice but challenging course.  Shot ok for being the first trip out since Christmas.  Paired up with two nice guys (father/son) and we were pretty evenly matched.  Hit a number of really great chips from near the green.  Putting was solid.  Duck hooked a few drives into oblivion, but each 2nd shot was right down the middle.

Friday:  ??

Saturday: 3500m (bonk day)

Sunday: Off - Golf

Monday Practice:

2000m  (33:00)
2000m  (31:00)
1600m  (25:00)

Total: 5,600 m

Weekend, is that you?

Camping on my mind

Really missing that camping experience.  Hate it when the budget comes before a strong opportunity to bond with the family.

This weekend took forever to get here.  Reading about the saddle shape of the universe and time/space anomalies makes me believe we were in some sort of physical paradox... anyway.

Golf with my father this Sunday - hitting some balls today to remove some of the rust.  Gonna be a great weekend.


Afternoon Practice:

2000 warm up
1 mile (timed)
1k (timed)
500 (timed)
2000 cool down

Total: 7100m

Paging Dr. Friday...

Ready for this weekend - Fo Sho

Watching the kiddos last night has completely wiped me out of energy.  Not even 2 chocolate chip cookies picked me up today.

The goal of a consistent 2 day practice is still nowhere near my sites.  Getting to work by 6am is a challenge to doing much before it.

Still loving the TI swim technique... it just feels so simple and smooth.  I need to develop a sense of time - it feels slow when I'm faster and vice versa.  This is great for longer easy swims, but a challenge to establishing a more consistent speed connection.

Pretty awesome to do 6400 last night and really not feel exhausted.  Tough right now to have the old sense of physical completion along with the neural imprinting required of TI.

ONE MORE RECOVERY DAY

Shoot, some ladders

PM Practice:

Time for some ladders, baby!

1 x 1500 m
2 x 1000 m
3 x 800 m
1 x 500 m


Total: 6400 m

Discovering Total Immersion

Discovering Total Immersion

I learned more about the sport of swimming in one afternoon than I had in 30+ years.  The Terry Laughlin lecture series on youtube and his Total Immersion method of swimming is incredible.

The first one is here (you can follow others as each one finishes).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97b6XIntfcc

In some form, I was seeking this style of swim and had an epiphany early in this season's practice.  I just started to dramatically emphasize the roll and pull/kick combo to propel and remain streamlined.  It felt great.  Wasn't sure of the speed (time), but after last night's 4k easily done in just over 1 hour, I'm sure that it is the method I will seek to master.

There is a real elegance and power to the swim - very little churning and 'effort'.  The stroke is exactly what I want to look like doing long distance swims.  Of course I'll always love that out-of-the-water feel of fast free or fly - save that for the last 50 meters.

Last night was tough because I wanted to finish 8k, but I know Taressa is stressing out over the completion of her business plan for school and I wanted to at least try to help out with the kiddos.

Nathaniel was having a blast leaping from the chair to couch and was planning on going with me (sometimes he is Daddy's boy - it's not often so it's even more special).  But sure enough, he hit his shin right before I left and he needed ice and a Mommy's hug.

Night Off! - Recovery and eating.

Monday - Monday

Mondays done right.

It's simply too easy to just slide into the automatic state of believing a Monday morning is going to be tough.  Yes, factually, my muscles are sore and I would have preferred a few more moments of sleep.

You have to outsmart and use mental muscles to get over this.  I found a creative site to put the week into perspective.  Make a goal for the week and follow it.  Probably even better (as it suggested) to do this Sunday before so you're in the right mind environment.

So with all that, I'll try to establish my weekly goals - following the Covey method of Roles, Goals & Scheduling.  It will be my Monday morning standard.

Training will be after taking Nicholas to karate and exchanging cars.  My father has volunteered to order a part for the van and we'll put that together.  He is a great man and I never forget that.

Week of June 13:

Father:  Read to Nathaniel 3 nights this week.  Play with Addi with her new toys.  Make dinner 4 nights for everyone.
Taressa's Man:  Connect with her goals even more and allow her time to complete her work.  Pick up more responsibilities (dishes, laundry, front area cleaned up).
Training - General: Distance - controlled stroke work.  Try out the new water tunes.  (order headphones for the older one)
Consultant:  Phone every client - feel positive they are taken care of before I take a few days off work the next week.
Son: Make a better attempt at connecting with my mother's natural gifts and truly appreciate that my father lives so close - get out to at least hit some balls at the range if not play a round this weekend.


PM Practice:


1 x 4000m

1 x 1000m  -  Stroke work and concentration on a strong left arm pull - allow the rotation to propel, not muscle with my arms.  "EASY SPEED"



Total: 5000m

Sunday speed day

The basics:

AM

400 wu
5x100 descend (1:30, 1:25, 1:20, 1:20, 1:18)
5x100 descend (1:30, 1:28, 1:22, 1:19, 1:17)
800 easy

Total: 2200 m

Not bad for an 'off' day.

Catching up...

Been about 3 months of getting back to it (March 14th at the new gym).  Was pretty good to get my distance to over 6k per practice within a couple weeks.  Mostly distance work - a bit of a break with SD trip and some travel (and getting over a cold).

Today Taressa had class and the kids were at grandparents for some quality bonding at the pool and Chompie's (thanks to their gluten free diet for Nathaniel).  Great day to start my 2 a days.  Going to try to compose the best feeling for combination of speed work and distance.  Tried AM speed work and PM distance.  Liking the 2,000m sets to be able to recharge just a bit for the longer distances.

Morning sets were ok, met a guy named David who always swim with a t-shirt, big IM'er.  Good to meet people who are dedicated.  He's swum nationals and just turned 50.

AM Practice:

4 x 400m - descend (6:15, 6:08, 5:55, 5:50)
2 x 400m - descend (6:15, 6:10)

AM Total: 2400m

PM Practice:

3 x 2000m (middle set was time trial in 29:47)  first and last about 33:00

PM Total: 6000m

Day Total: 8400m

BlogSwim 101: Intro to BlogSwim

Found this on one of my StumbleUpon adventures and felt it put the choice to exercise in very simple terms.  Of course dedication to swimming long distances is much more than one hour and you are always reminded of the sacrifices others make as you pursue your goals.  To my loving family, I hope you know you are with me through most of my workouts.  Seeing you at the end is the ultimate reward.







Swim Workout Today:

5 x 2000 swims - decline throughout the workout
finished 4 at paces of 36:00, 31:00, 32:00 & 37:00
Last one just wasn't in me.  Had to listen to my body (dead arms).

Total: 8,000m (4.97miles)