Gainesville
I had planned to do the long swim Wednesday night. But as I was teaching my last class I started to feel really overheated and dizzy. And by the time I walked home all I could do was get in bed and stay there. I spent the night tossing and turning and cooling myself off, and praying that I did not have the flu. Because I can't afford to get sick. Not now. It wasn't unlikely that I had it, but I also knew that my immune system managed to keep my from getting sick almost all the time.
So I took some Tylenol PM and fell asleep about 1 a.m. I woke up probably 5 times over the next nine hours, each time feeling my bed completely soaked in cold sweat. Like the whole fucking thing. I have no idea how I sweat that much, but I did. I got up each time and drank water to replace the fluids, and by the time I woke up, I felt 100%. I felt better than 100% actually. I felt better than I had in a few weeks. Apparently the virus had gotten into my system, but my immune system managed to kick its ass out all night long, leaving it a beaten mass of sweat on the sheets, as impotnent and useless as the activity stains it was blending into. And so I decided to go swimming before flying to Seattle.
S: long day
wu: 200swim, 200kick, 200pull, 200swim
main: 1900 ladder. Do a set of 300, then 275,...
2 Lipodrene
I'm not gonna lie. As pumped as I was about my immune system's convincing victory over What Might Have Been H1N1 But Probably Wasn't, during the warmup I felt like my lats were going to die. I guess dehydration and body aching from flu symptoms will do that. And the kicks didn't feel a lot better. But by the time I got to the main set, I was just coasting along. Every set felt short, although I did note I was going slightly slower than normal on the first 2 sets. I picked up the normal pace by the 250 set, and was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing: Focusing on getting my strokes turned over faster, and keeping my form good. I'm using that swim move that Justin recommended for my right arm, as I think I'm just now really figuring out how to get the most out of it.
I took a gel after the set of 225, and continued on with a fantastic swim. Really, felt better than I had in a while. The only thing I notcied was that my quad cramped up when I got out of the pool, not something that usually happens after a swim. But if that's the only lingering effect from a night of sweating through my bed, I'll take it. I'm sure the rest helped, but maybe in addition to the virus I sweated out some toxins that had been holding my muscles back. Who knows? All I know is that my immune system kicks fucking ass, and that I am definitely ready to tackle this last month of training head on.
Flew accross the country immediately afterward, and was still wired when I got to Seattle. Its amazing the energy and motivaiton a great workout, and demolishing a flu in one night, can give you.
Showing posts with label ladder swim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ladder swim. Show all posts
Friday, October 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
T79 - Swimming, Manhattan Style - Swim
New York
The highlight of this workout may have come before it even started. Maureen was nice enough to bring me as a guest to 24 Hour Fitness - Derek Jeter somewhere in midtown. Sadly, no Derek Jeter inspirational comments ala 24 Hour-Shaq in Miami.But the gym was nice enough, and when we went in she scanned her card and told the guy at the desk I was coming in as a guest. And he just told us to go ahead. As in no guest fee, which is unheard of at a 24 Hour Fitness unless you have guest prvilages. Which Maureen does not. Anyway, I saved myself the $20 guest fee. And really, it was that kind of weekend.
It was funny though, people asked me what I wanted to do while I was in New York, and "swim" was my first answer (after the Maruy Show, the Mets Game and the Race for the Cure). Like I had a free Saturday in Manhattan, and despite not getting out of bed until noon, the pool at the Derek Jeter Sport was my #1 destination. Training is awesome!
S: long day
wu: 200swim, 200kick, 200pull, 200swim
main: 1900 ladder. Do a set of 300, then 275, 250, etc…until 25
10 x 100 (descend 1-5, 6-10)
2 Lipodrene
I was excited about this free swim, until I saw the pool. Like so many things in New York, it was about a tenth the size of what a normal person would expect. There was exactly one full lane, with some floaty lane next to it that wasn't more than ten yards long, and a jacuzzi. The whole room would have fit in about half the pool at GHFC. Fucking Manhattan, there's just no fucking space.
So I did the warmup, thinking by eyeing the one lap lane was a half-lane. Like 12.5 yards. So I did 8 laps instead of the usual 4 for each set, and the fucking thing took half an hour. I felt like I was swimming pretty strong, so I asked the lifeguard how long the pool was. 20 yards. I thought for a minute about just saying "Fuck it" and waiting for Maureen to finish her wokrout while I watch college football while walking on a treadmill, but I then realized I had to get this swim in. It was a long day and not something I could skip. So this would require some math.
What I essentially did was calculate the distances before each set and figure out how many 40-yard laps it would be. Obviously, they did not all divide envenly. So I rounded up 2 laps, and rounded down one. Like the 250 set would have been 6 and a quarter laps, so I just did 6.5, Then the 225 set would have been Five and a three quarters laps, and I just did 5 and a half. It all worked out in the end, and actually the shorter laps made this easier, believe it or not. I wasn't able to get up as much speed, but because the turnaround was shorter, I swam harder each length.
Now, I'm not going to go out and to and find a mini-pool anywhere. The Olympic-sized pools are good by me. But this swim went surprisingly well, despite the Manhattan-sized swim area. Yet another reason I really don't understand how anyone in a city like this ever trains for Ironmans. Like where the fuck are you supposed to bike? You can only do that Central Park loop so many times before you go nuts, and the idea of taking my bike downstairs to a subway is just not appealing. This was a thought that came to my mind when I was vaguely considering spending the summer in Chicago last March, actually. And I won't lie when I say that the logistical difficulty of training (and vicious wind) was one of the many factors that made me realize Chicago was a dumb idea.
So I now have a newfound respect for triathletes from super-urban cities like New York. It's a whole different level of dedication when you can't just bike out your door to a nice bike trail, or find an empty, olympic sized pool.
The highlight of this workout may have come before it even started. Maureen was nice enough to bring me as a guest to 24 Hour Fitness - Derek Jeter somewhere in midtown. Sadly, no Derek Jeter inspirational comments ala 24 Hour-Shaq in Miami.But the gym was nice enough, and when we went in she scanned her card and told the guy at the desk I was coming in as a guest. And he just told us to go ahead. As in no guest fee, which is unheard of at a 24 Hour Fitness unless you have guest prvilages. Which Maureen does not. Anyway, I saved myself the $20 guest fee. And really, it was that kind of weekend.
It was funny though, people asked me what I wanted to do while I was in New York, and "swim" was my first answer (after the Maruy Show, the Mets Game and the Race for the Cure). Like I had a free Saturday in Manhattan, and despite not getting out of bed until noon, the pool at the Derek Jeter Sport was my #1 destination. Training is awesome!
S: long day
wu: 200swim, 200kick, 200pull, 200swim
main: 1900 ladder. Do a set of 300, then 275, 250, etc…until 25
10 x 100 (descend 1-5, 6-10)
2 Lipodrene
I was excited about this free swim, until I saw the pool. Like so many things in New York, it was about a tenth the size of what a normal person would expect. There was exactly one full lane, with some floaty lane next to it that wasn't more than ten yards long, and a jacuzzi. The whole room would have fit in about half the pool at GHFC. Fucking Manhattan, there's just no fucking space.
So I did the warmup, thinking by eyeing the one lap lane was a half-lane. Like 12.5 yards. So I did 8 laps instead of the usual 4 for each set, and the fucking thing took half an hour. I felt like I was swimming pretty strong, so I asked the lifeguard how long the pool was. 20 yards. I thought for a minute about just saying "Fuck it" and waiting for Maureen to finish her wokrout while I watch college football while walking on a treadmill, but I then realized I had to get this swim in. It was a long day and not something I could skip. So this would require some math.
What I essentially did was calculate the distances before each set and figure out how many 40-yard laps it would be. Obviously, they did not all divide envenly. So I rounded up 2 laps, and rounded down one. Like the 250 set would have been 6 and a quarter laps, so I just did 6.5, Then the 225 set would have been Five and a three quarters laps, and I just did 5 and a half. It all worked out in the end, and actually the shorter laps made this easier, believe it or not. I wasn't able to get up as much speed, but because the turnaround was shorter, I swam harder each length.
Now, I'm not going to go out and to and find a mini-pool anywhere. The Olympic-sized pools are good by me. But this swim went surprisingly well, despite the Manhattan-sized swim area. Yet another reason I really don't understand how anyone in a city like this ever trains for Ironmans. Like where the fuck are you supposed to bike? You can only do that Central Park loop so many times before you go nuts, and the idea of taking my bike downstairs to a subway is just not appealing. This was a thought that came to my mind when I was vaguely considering spending the summer in Chicago last March, actually. And I won't lie when I say that the logistical difficulty of training (and vicious wind) was one of the many factors that made me realize Chicago was a dumb idea.
So I now have a newfound respect for triathletes from super-urban cities like New York. It's a whole different level of dedication when you can't just bike out your door to a nice bike trail, or find an empty, olympic sized pool.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
T47 - Worst/Best Recovery Meal Ever - Swim
Gainesville
Got up early today to get everything I needed to get done done before I headed to the pool for this long swim at about 11. Why so early? Because my Monday afternoon was to consist of drinking beer and smoking weed by the Gainesville Place pool, and I knew once I did that the day was shot. Good for training? Absolutely not. What you should do immediately post-workout? Not unless you are a professional basketball player. But fun? You bet your ass. I'm not sure how many of my friends could spend Monday getting high and drinking beers by the pool, but my guess is not many. And I don't know too many who wouldn't have switched whatever it was they were doing on a Monday with what I was. And with Tuesday being and easier workout, this was a good day to be a waste of life.
S: long swim
wu: 4 x 250 (4 x swim, kick, pull, swim)
main: 1950 ladder: start with 300, then 275,250, 225, ….until 25.
2 Lipodrene
The warmup for this swim was definitely one of the longer ones one can do, but I'm also definitely feeling like I'm getting a lot better with the kickboard. Still takes long as fuck, but I'm definitely getting more efficient. And any warmup like this always leads to a stronger swim, and this was no exception.
I still don't really see the point in these ladders, since they don't realyl even specify an RPE on here for the longer sets vs. the shorter ones. So I started out at a medium pace for the 300, and kept it pretty solid until this dude and what I assume was his girlfriend asked to circle swim. And we all know I like circle swimming about as much as I like children. But every lane had 2 people in it, and I couldn't really say no, as once it was pointed out to me several months ago that the rules of the club dictate that's what you ahve to do, I have ceased being a dick about it and refusing altogether. I still made a face and said "I guess," before commencing on the 225 meter set.
Well, once thing about being a dick about circle swimming, it makes you swim faster so you feel like you can at least justify your shitty attitude. And so for the two sets these kids were in the water with me I swam a lot harder, even though the guy was still passing me a lot. Again, I was in the water a lot longer, so I don't realyl feel bad about it. Still, it was motivation. I had a mint chocolate gel after the 200 meter set. Then I started losing count of where I was in terms of sets. Losing count of laps isn't bad, maybe you miss one or two, Missing a whole set? Not as good. I think I did the whole thing, though, I'm not too concerned. And I found myself still able to go hard on the short sets at the end.
All in all a good swim followed up by a solid afternoon of doing absolutely nothing productive. I'm entitled once in a while. And I will say that kind of relaxation after a long swim is never a bad thing.
Got up early today to get everything I needed to get done done before I headed to the pool for this long swim at about 11. Why so early? Because my Monday afternoon was to consist of drinking beer and smoking weed by the Gainesville Place pool, and I knew once I did that the day was shot. Good for training? Absolutely not. What you should do immediately post-workout? Not unless you are a professional basketball player. But fun? You bet your ass. I'm not sure how many of my friends could spend Monday getting high and drinking beers by the pool, but my guess is not many. And I don't know too many who wouldn't have switched whatever it was they were doing on a Monday with what I was. And with Tuesday being and easier workout, this was a good day to be a waste of life.
S: long swim
wu: 4 x 250 (4 x swim, kick, pull, swim)
main: 1950 ladder: start with 300, then 275,250, 225, ….until 25.
2 Lipodrene
The warmup for this swim was definitely one of the longer ones one can do, but I'm also definitely feeling like I'm getting a lot better with the kickboard. Still takes long as fuck, but I'm definitely getting more efficient. And any warmup like this always leads to a stronger swim, and this was no exception.
I still don't really see the point in these ladders, since they don't realyl even specify an RPE on here for the longer sets vs. the shorter ones. So I started out at a medium pace for the 300, and kept it pretty solid until this dude and what I assume was his girlfriend asked to circle swim. And we all know I like circle swimming about as much as I like children. But every lane had 2 people in it, and I couldn't really say no, as once it was pointed out to me several months ago that the rules of the club dictate that's what you ahve to do, I have ceased being a dick about it and refusing altogether. I still made a face and said "I guess," before commencing on the 225 meter set.
Well, once thing about being a dick about circle swimming, it makes you swim faster so you feel like you can at least justify your shitty attitude. And so for the two sets these kids were in the water with me I swam a lot harder, even though the guy was still passing me a lot. Again, I was in the water a lot longer, so I don't realyl feel bad about it. Still, it was motivation. I had a mint chocolate gel after the 200 meter set. Then I started losing count of where I was in terms of sets. Losing count of laps isn't bad, maybe you miss one or two, Missing a whole set? Not as good. I think I did the whole thing, though, I'm not too concerned. And I found myself still able to go hard on the short sets at the end.
All in all a good swim followed up by a solid afternoon of doing absolutely nothing productive. I'm entitled once in a while. And I will say that kind of relaxation after a long swim is never a bad thing.
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