Category: Swim

10K each week!

Went to the Y last night to swim. Still feeling kind of stuffy, and I really, really didn’t want to go. Really wanted just to sit at the house and do taxes.

(OK, so that was a bald-faced lie)

But I didn’t want to swim.

Went anyway, jumped in a free lane (amazing how it’s packed when open swim opens up at 7:30PM, and is almost completely empty by 8:30, even though there’s another hour to go. I made it through about four laps, and almost ran into the wall, ’cause as I got to the end, I took a breath, twisted my head to sight the wall to gauge a turn, and there was a pair of legs there.

Flopped up, saw the rest of the woman they were attached to, blushed ’cause I might have been staring while trying to catch my breath and acknowledge we were going to be sharing the lane. She nodded, apologized, and let me get a quarter length on her before she started.

Pshew – talk about distracting. She was fast – big, smooth strokes, good kicks – everything I wasn’t. Great to swim with, ’cause she got me really pushing, trying to keep up.

Anyway, another lane opened after I’d done about 1000 yards, and she left. Made a deal with myself that I’d do another 500 and call it quits. Did the 10 laps, got ready to get out of the pool, and noticed the guy in the lane next to me was chatting up the lifeguard and the woman kind of killing time in the first lane. So, we talked for a while. The guy does at least 4 sets of 2500 yards each week, and has been for years. Looks great. This swimming stuff works.

The woman killing time reminded me a lot of myself – younger kids, trying to really get into shape for the first time in her life, but not really knowing how. I told her that jumping in was the best way to go, and pushed the bike (got the standard “But I’ve got a car, why would I want to ride a bike?” answer). But, she was enthusiastic, so she’ll probably be back.

All that yakkin’ got me inspired to do another 10 laps to round out the 2K for the day.

Shape Up for Summer, Day 1

OK, one day of the Shape Up for Summer is done. Successfully, I might add.

For the first week, the focus is on: Eating Right and Exercise. (Registration required. If you’re squeamish about this, drop a comment or send me an e-mail, and I’ll send you a Gmail invite so you can set up a disposable e-mail account. I typically register as “Mickey Mouse” of Anaheim, California, or “Millie Bush” of Kennebunkport, Maine. I will vouch that the Day hasn’t spammed me yet.)

Part One, Eating Right – the gist is to start a food diary. Which is a solid engineering approach – how can you correct a problem until you’ve documented current behavior? I blew this for Monday, since I didn’t read the articles until bathtime. Interesting bit about the diary is that they want us to track not only what goes in, but where and when it does. OK, we’ll see.
They’re also using the “Hips to Waist” ratio as a metric, instead of straight pounds. Haven’t broken out the tape to see where I am yet.

Part two – Exercise, was decent advice, though directed towards completely sedentary people. Goal for the first week is 60 minutes of cardio over 7 days. Recommendation is to break it into three 20 minute chunks.

I’ll throw out a gripe here – even before they get into recommended exercises, they spend two paragraphs on heart rate. The info isn’t bad, but, since they’re targeted at non-exercisers, I would have recommeded something that didn’t involve Heart Rate Monitors, watches, counting, or anything technical at all. Rather than HR, I would have focused on the Relative Perceived Effort scale – exercise hard enough to breathe deeply, but not to get out of breath.

The other program is a daily set of four stretches – calves (Lean against the wall), quads (pull heel to butt), hamstrings (lay on back, stick leg in the air, flop towel over foot, and pull), and chest/arms. The chest/arms stretch was great –

Stand near a doorway with your arms out and your palms and forearms resting on the frame of the doorway. Elbows should be at a 90-degree angle. Slowly walk through the doorway, making your shoulder blades come together. This will stretch muscles in the front of your shoulders and in your chest. Hold the position 15-20 seconds

Good stuff.

Execution: I made my exercise – 45 minutes of swimming, 2000 yards. Felt much better than last week.

Light Blogging Weekend Update

First, the beautiful: After a day of yard work, I had a stellar run Sunday on the way home from the Y. The weather was insanely beautiful, almost to the point of bringing me to tears; family swim had been a blast – even the youngest was playing in the water instead of just clinging fiercely to me. And the run home was one of those that makes running worth it.

Used the HRM again – kept the rate under/at 150 for the first four miles, then did three hill repeats at pretty much 4 miles, 5 miles, and 5.5 miles. Good stuff. Added a half mile after the last hill to bring the heart rate down. Total was 6 miles in 55 minutes. (Yeah, slow, but I’m running). Got back to the house with the sweet metallic/ammonia smell in my nose and the back of my throat after the hill repeats, but got my HR back down pretty quickly – within a quarter mile after the last repeat, which made me really happy. I’m already looking forward to next weekend, though I think I’ll switch up the route and go via the big hill in Old Mystic.
The ugly – after the great run last Wednesday down in Norfolk, the only thing I did before Sunday was a quick swim Thursday night. Bleh. Never really got into a groove, and struggled to crank out 1500 yards.
Next, it’s official – I’m fatter than I was last year. I suppose I should be upset, but not really. I think I’m finally starting to recapture the energy I had back last year.

Finally, I’m 4 weeks out from my two year bloggeversary. Which corresponds with the first time I’ve been consistiently fit for more than 6 or 8 months at a time. I like it.

Swim

Managed to drag myself to the pool this evening after scrubbing the bathrooms ’cause my mom’s showing up tomorrow. I even picked up my room. Funny how, even with kids of your own, your mom can make you feel twelve when you don’t see her so often.

The pool was wet. The pool was cold. C, my erstwhile swimming partner, decided to stay at home and eat chocolate. Something about wanting to get off early this weekend. Tall guy stood me up, too – this is like a week without seeing him at the pool.

The first 500 yards were good. Second were pretty good, too, but there was the feeling at the back of my mind that something wasn’t quite right. Probably wanted to get home to clean something. Started the third 500, and at the end felt really winded. Fourth 500 – pushed off the wall to get going, and just decided to bag it right there.

So, I didn’t make my workout goals, but I also didn’t push myself into extremis. I’d be upset, but I’ve gotten off of the couch three days in a row. There’s something to be said for that. Though I wish I’d snuck in a run on Tuesday.

Sorry – nothing earth-shattering tonight. Maybe Friday.

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Monday mini-brick

AM – Pushups and Situps. I really, really need to do this more.

Lunch – run 30 minutes with HR about 140. 15 min out, 14 min back, probably 3.3 miles. Two telephone poles further than either of the 30 minute runs I did last week, which was encouraging.

After bathtime – 2000 yards at the pool with C, the not-so-new anymore engineer that did the Tris with me last summer. It’s kind of nice to have a training partner. Not that we’re pushing each other or anything, but just knowing that there’s going to be someone else at the pool is incentive not to slack.

Weight – still at 174 this morning. However, I hit 169.5 on Friday morning. I wasn’t the most responsible eater over the weekend, so I’m guessing reality is somewhere in between. I really need to get diligent about counting calories. When I do it, the pounds come off.

Tomorrow AM – run. Tomorrow after work – bike. (both gentle, 140 BPM for about 30 minutes). Tomorrow Evening – I read a week’s worth of other fitness blogs.

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S l o w D o w n

So, I’ve been reading “Lance Armstrong’s War” by Daniel Coyle. Great book, pretty even-handed on the whole Lance subject.

But the phenomenal part are his details of the training regimens and strategies of the ProTour riders. The #1 concern? Weight.

Which kind of meshes with one of the bugbears I’ve been wrestling with lately, and kind of cemented in my strategy for the year: Get thin. Not cyclist thin, or even triathelete thin. But to hit target weight before really cranking up the training. Or at least get down to below my thinnest from last year.

Last year, I think I made a pretty big mistake in leaping into racing. Dunno what it is, but it seems to me that there’s mechanisms in the body that go into protective mode as soon as you start really stressing the aerobic system. Which is why regular folks in marathon training can fail loose weight when mileage gets too high. Every extra pound puts extra stress on the body for every extra step, so if you’re up in the higher BMI, the effect is multiplied. Just my opinion, but what is life if not a big sandbox in which to play?

Where I’m going with this is to a strong appreciation of the idea of heart rate training, and keeping the rate way, way down to encourage fat burning (say 65-70% of max) instead of going fully aerobic to build capacity. After a week, it seems to be working – the scales have shown the beginnings of a steady decline again. Plus, in talking to my skinny wife, it’s what she did over the last year after she stopped nursing – moderate pace, at least 30 minutes a day.

So – Tuesday was another 30 minutes at lunch. Measured it in the car, and it’s not much more than 3 miles.

Wednesday was back to the pool – 5 laps breast, 30 laps free, 5 laps free – standard 2000 yard workout.

It’s kind of tough to focus on slowness after so long of going out and letting it rip, but I can feel something distinctly different going on with my body. But it’s kind of nice, and relaxing in its own way.

So.

Am I nuts?

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Weekend Wrap-up

So.

I was completely slack at the end of last week – didn’t do anything between Wednesday and Sunday. Not sure quite why, but such is life.

Sunday, the mother-in-law is in town (good thing). We all trundle down to the Y for the traditional Sunday swim/workout where the boys and I splash and the wife thrashes the elliptical trainer into submission. Per tradition, I waved goodbye in the parking lot, and started jogging home.

Wow. Terrible run. Legs weren’t in it, even though there were several days of rest, and I started having “discomfort” in my left foot. Which was comforting – it was my right leg that had issues with PF during the marathon, so at least the pilates stretching program is working.

I walked about a mile of the 5.5. Which is all right. The important part is that I was out there – calories don’t get burned sitting on my duff.

Monday was a much better day. At lunch, I set out to do an easy 30 minutes on the road. Ran out for 15 minutes, keeping the heart rate about 140 – low aerobic, burnin’ fat! At the turn, Wilco’s “At Least That’s What You Said” comes on, and I was complelled by the guitars and distortion to do about 3 minutes of max effort, ’cause the song’s that good. When I slowed down, I checked my pocket, and my badge had fallen out at some point.

So, on a sunny day in the 40’s (First run of 2006 in shorts!), I was forced to turn around and retrace my steps to see if I could find my badge. The guy about 2 minutes behind me had picked it up, so, life was good. Jogged gently, got my heart rate back down pretty quickly, and finished up in 35 minutes.

So I had that going for me.

In keeping with my plan to do an Olympic tri, I headed to the pool after bath time. 5 laps breast to stretch out. 10 laps free that felt incredible. 20 laps free that were pretty good, but started to get long at the end. Did some alternate side breathing here – wow, does that feel akward.

After that, I look, and two lanes over, the tall guy with the beard (featured here) looks over, and we exchange pleasantries while clothed this time.

I did another 10, the last 5 of which were absolutely great. Nice way to finish the actual work. 5 breast to stretch, and I’m out. 50 laps, 2500 yards.

80

Ever get a wild hair idea that won’t work its way out of your head?

In my case, I spent a short while today perusing the Connecticut racing calendar at HiTek Racing. I’ll post the way-long list of stuff I’m interested in later, when I’ve got time to look up races. But the idea that kept springing out at me as something I’d love to do was an Olympic Distance triathlon. What with the Turin games wrapping up last night with the best of all possible endings – a full out sprint to the line taken by an Italian underdog! Almost as satisfying on XC Skis as it is on bikes. Even if they were skating, which looks as unnatural to me (being raised on classical XC) as me riding a bike looks to the dog.

Olympic Distance is, in my mind, a lot like a half-marathon. Long enough to be interesting, but short enough not to leave a duffer like me broken and begging for mercy. 24 miles on the bike – hour, hour and a half depending on terrain. A 10K? After a marathon, even after a slack winter, 6 miles is a fun distance, and do-able even after an hour on the bike.

But the mile in the water – pshew. Swimming and me just don’t get along. Likely because I haven’t had any coaching, and am not likely to get any soon. I’d love to, but don’t want to sacrifice anything to get it. Yep, I’m darned to a future of mediocrity in sport, but that’s how I like it. If I can excel as a dad, and do better than most at the office(s), sport is an outlet, not a focus. (I’d rather spend the energy re-learning the piano. Not that there’s much progress there, either. But tonight is about triumph, not bleh, so disregard most of this paragraph)

Anyhoo … Continue reading 80

Swim

Ever have one of those weeks where you just can’t get anything going? That’s what I’m up against right now. Somehow, I feel like I’m occasionally my own worst enemy – too wrapped up feeling sorry for myself to get anything done. Give me rope, and I’m tying metaphysical nooses.

It’s a terrible feeling when you realize that the biggest stumbling block remaining in your life, and the source of most of your stress, is yourself.

Scratch that. Not terrible. Liberating. All I need to do is figure out how to focus, and I’m Visa, baby – everywhere you want to be.

Let’s change that noose into a lasso. I’ve got goals to wrangle.

So.

Finally got back in the pool tonight for the first time in two weeks. The swimming felt good. Felt smooth. Felt strong.

‘Til I noticed the guy in the next lane, hardly moving, but going way, way, faster than me.

No, it shouldn’t bother me. Not in the slightest. ‘Cause I don’t swim enough to have reason for it to bother me. Plus, the whole “bothered” thing interferes with the whole “Wow, what a great swim” feeling.

And y’know what? it doesn’t bother me. ‘Cause one day, perhaps years from now, I’ll be smooth like that.

1500 yards. 35 minutes.