Date: December 10-12th
Location: Boston University, MA, USA
So let's back up to December 10th, 2010, day one of the New England Masters Short Course Championship Meet in Boston, USA. United States Masters Swimming is open to athletes 18 years and over and this meet is one of the largest masters meets in the country, good competiton. This year is no exception there are just under 600 swimmers racing.
I am curious to see how my times are after one year of training that is geared towards preparation for my 2012 English Channel attempt, my training has shifted to higher mileage in the pool and more time in the Open Water taking me out of the warmth of the pool and it's firm walls to blast off, along with this little to no time swimming non Freestyle strokes.
At this very same meet in December 2009, I raced in a speed suit, it was cat woman suit tight, zipping up the back, full leg length but bare shoulders, it was so tight it took about 20 minutes to squeeze into and to make it easier I would slide a plastic bag over my foot and lower leg to help get the process of getting into the suit started, it was quite the mission getting suited up let alone racing.
Since being introduced in 2008 speed suits have led to nearly 200 world records, studies have showen them to improve performance, a study of a group of competitve swimmers showed 25 Free, 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free and 800 Free distances raced were 2-4% faster in a full body suit, the suits tested were focused on reducing drag loses not adding buoyancy, the researchers measured performance, stroke rate and distance per stroke.
FINA the governing body of swimming issued regulations early in 2010 banning the suits, so I am not swimming in a speed suit this weekend, what will happen to my times? All indicators point to me swimming 2-4 % slower, hmmm let's see if that is what happens to this little science experiement, first we have one more thing to consider, " the Taper",or lack of it in my case....usually before a championship meet I will decrease my mileage as the meet gets closer, I slash my training distance, only swimming fast short bursts at race pace speed with a slow ez swim before and after the race pace blast, I will do this a number of times during a training session along with practicing starts off the blocks and turns, end result is your body is fine tuned for fast swimming and has had lots of rest and ez swimming in the days leading up to the meet, the body is stockpiling excess energy and feels strong and rested by meet day..... the body and mind are just itching to perform, edgy and sharp, the peak performance window is wide open.
BUT this year is different, I am not focusing on the meet, it is not my training goal, I am sticking to my distance training plan and still honkering down to meet this new 1000 miles in 2010 goal, instead of a taper I swim 47,500 meters the week before the meet.
What distance do I usually swim for a taper week? 7,500 meters....., that is about 40,000 meters over the regular taper distance:" she'll be right mate, it's only a wee bit off", as we'd say in New Zealand, and that was my good old Kiwi philosophy going into the competiton " no worries mate!"
Yes this is clearly going to be a different approach, my own little science experiment so to speak!
The 800 meters is the first event, it is held on Friday evening, Paula, Deb and I set off from Stowe, Vermont at 11:30am, the drive to Boston can take anything from 3.5- 7 hours depending on the weather, fortunately for us the roads are dry, no snow storm today!
We arrive in Boston in good time and check into the meet, the pool opens for warmups at 4:30pm the meet starts at 5pm. I am fairly confident that I am not in the fastest heat, there are 10 lanes and I am seeded 11th fastest out of 76 swimmers, the 10 swimmers seeded ahead of me are all faster, the age of each swimmer is listed alongside their seed time, 22, 25, 28, 26, the list goes on until I reach number 11, Charlotte Brynn 44.
As swimmer 11, I will fall into heat number 3, there will be the fastest heat of women first, followed by a heat with the fastest men, then my heat, cool, I can relax and take my time warming up, hey maybe I'll throw in a few extra meters to go towards my 1000 mile goal that I have challenged myself to reach before the end of the year. I swim a few 1000 meters and slide on out of the pool at 4:55pm, "better check out the heat sheets before I take a hot shower and change out of my warm up suit and into my race suit", I think to myself, " "then I will suck down a snack and kick back and watch the first heat, I like to gulp down a whey protein and gatorade mix before I race.
I get out of the pool and stroll over to the heat and lane assignments posted on the wall behind the starting blocks, to my horror I discover I am in the first and fastest heat of women swimmers, I am in lane 10 the "slow" lane," aww mate", I say as I look, not only am I going to be the slow poke in the fastest heat, but I race in 5 minutes and don't even have my race suit on!. I hastily rinse off in the showers, pull on my suit, cap and googles in hand swiftly make my may to stand behind block number 10, I have had to accept the fact there will be no feed, I will race on an empty stomach, YUCK.
My heart is pounding, I force myself to not look at all the other swimmers, there seed times are much faster than mine, I feel jumpy and unsettled, " OK just swim your race I tell myself". I look at Deb at the other end of the pool, she is my lap counter, I know I'll be OK when Deb is there, she is calming.
The whistle blows signalling me to step up on the block, take your mark, my hands grab the front of the block, beeeep, every muscle in my body responds and I explode off the block and into the water, tight streamline and then I am off for my strong first 75 meters, my heart is pounding and I am excited, I can't wait to get this show on the road.
First 75 down and I lower my stroke rate swimming fewer longer and stronger strokes, my Channel training has really helped me get a better feel for my stroke rate or tempo, it is like cadence if you are training on a bike. After 200 meters I notice that there are other swimmers who are behind me, what's up with that, I am in the booby prize slow lane, I can't fathom why there seem a good part of the field behind me WEIRD, I decide not to think about it and swim on feel and I do. I focus on staying long, relaxed and being as quick as I can in and out of the walls. At 650 meters I feel my intensity level start to creep up, it begins knocking on the door of my anaerobic energy system, this is when my working muscles recruit fuel from stores in the body, there is not a very big store, it does not last for long and the byproducts of this energy conversion make the body feel tired and uncomfortable, end result perfomance drops, you got it...YOU SLOW DOWN. Agghh time to adjust I pull it back slightly to stick in my aerobic zone, at 100 meters I make my move to increase my stroke rate, I do and barely hold on spinning my arms fast as I swim into the touch pad to finish.
My previous personal best time for 800 Free in the speed suit = 10:24.14
This year = 10:20.77
Where did I finish in the heat ? 5th
Where did I finish in my age group? 1st
The " she'll be right mate" attitude worked, I am happy.
Saturday and Sunday I swam another 10 events, my times were all slower than 2009 by about 1 %, I felt great during the whole meet and spent as much time as I could warming up and swimming down to clock some extra milleage. All told I swam 4,800 meters each day nudging me closer to me 1000 miles goal.
Next up preparation for the Holiday Swim in Stowe Vermont: 100 repeats of 100 meters, each 100 meters has to be swum in 100 seconds or less, that is 1:40 to swim and rest and I can't wait.
Do I have some goal times for this swim YOU BET!
What are they? I'll keep you posted
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Motivation can be right in front of you!
Sunday December 19th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Workout: 4,500 meters
Wahoo, it's Sunday, my usual rest day of the week, but not this Sunday, I have scheduled a 4,500 meter swim to keep me on track to hit 1000 miles before the end of the year and the clock is ticking.
I am excited about today's swim, I am feeling better than I did yesterday and I know today's dip is going to be short, if all goes well I will be finished up in 1.5 hours or less.
I am not planning on swimming fast today, in fact I decided to not focus on the clock and kick back after grinding it out through yesterday's tough swim, " why not take it easy on yourself today", I say to myself when I wake up, the conversation goes on " sterling idea, don't mind if I do". As soon as I made this decision I felt relaxed, essentially a goof off swim, what fun.
I head down to the pool, the memory of my " Solo" swim fresh in my mind from yesterday. I am relived to see Paula, my swim buddy and crew member already in the pool, excellent, someone to swim with, all the lanes around Paula are occupied with swimmers working away on their own fitness goals and Paula is close to finishing up her swim and getting out, RATS!
I know today I need company in the pool in the worst way, I spy Peg in the lane next to Paula. Peg has great energy, she is as bright as a button and when you are around Peg you can't help but smile,
Unbeknown to her she is the one who can get me to perform my best today, how?.... just by sharing a lane with me, Peg has been doing a great job of working on her lap swimming over the last few months, I have noticed her getting stronger in the water, however I don't think swimming with me is top on her " things I want to do in 2010 list...swim with Charlotte". I stroll up to her lane " mind if we split the lane?", Peg's eyes become as wide as saucers, she answers by saying" I may not be the best one to share the lane with you" , "you'll be great and I promise not to hit you" I blurted out, then jump in and pushed off before she has a chance to voice any further doubts.
Peg swims great, sure we swam at a different pace but we were both working in the same pond, I did my workout and she did hers, I kept my promise and didn't hit her and spent as much time under the water as possible, especially when we passed each other near the walls.I had fun.
I started with my 10 x 200 meters set, I felt relaxed and pleased to have a familiar face in the lane, even if we had never swum together before I spent plenty of time with Peg on land.
I know I had made a deal to not look at the clock today but after the 2nd 200 I decided to look at the clock after all, I was amazed to see my times were the best I had hit in weeks, it turned out to be a great swim, all thanks to me relaxing and having Peg, my magic lane mate for the day. Before I knew it 4,500 meters was done and I was out of the water.
The lessons from today's swim....
Today's Swim
10 x 200s on the 3:00 Interval
#1-4 2:50 seconds
# 5 2:45 seconds
# 6-9 2:40 seconds
# 10 2:35 seconds
6 x 250s ( kick/ Pull / Swim)
4 x 250's Paddles
50 Goof Off!
Total Distance 4,500 meters
Next up off home to eat lunch and then up to Trapp Family Lodge for an afternoon Nordic ski, it was the first cross country ski of the winter, it is funny that I could be swimming in water this morning and then essentially skiing on another state of water this afternoon, this time in the form of snow cover....weird!
I felt clumsy on skis compared to swimming but it was great to get out in the woods and feel some sun light on my face.
So the clock is ticking, how far left to go to make 1000 miles before the end of the year?
43.27 Miles
That is 69,636 meters or 2,785.44 lengths of the indoor lap pool
Next time you drive 43.27 miles think of swimming it instead of driving your car, we will conquer 1000 miles together!
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Workout: 4,500 meters
Wahoo, it's Sunday, my usual rest day of the week, but not this Sunday, I have scheduled a 4,500 meter swim to keep me on track to hit 1000 miles before the end of the year and the clock is ticking.
I am excited about today's swim, I am feeling better than I did yesterday and I know today's dip is going to be short, if all goes well I will be finished up in 1.5 hours or less.
I am not planning on swimming fast today, in fact I decided to not focus on the clock and kick back after grinding it out through yesterday's tough swim, " why not take it easy on yourself today", I say to myself when I wake up, the conversation goes on " sterling idea, don't mind if I do". As soon as I made this decision I felt relaxed, essentially a goof off swim, what fun.
I head down to the pool, the memory of my " Solo" swim fresh in my mind from yesterday. I am relived to see Paula, my swim buddy and crew member already in the pool, excellent, someone to swim with, all the lanes around Paula are occupied with swimmers working away on their own fitness goals and Paula is close to finishing up her swim and getting out, RATS!
I know today I need company in the pool in the worst way, I spy Peg in the lane next to Paula. Peg has great energy, she is as bright as a button and when you are around Peg you can't help but smile,
Unbeknown to her she is the one who can get me to perform my best today, how?.... just by sharing a lane with me, Peg has been doing a great job of working on her lap swimming over the last few months, I have noticed her getting stronger in the water, however I don't think swimming with me is top on her " things I want to do in 2010 list...swim with Charlotte". I stroll up to her lane " mind if we split the lane?", Peg's eyes become as wide as saucers, she answers by saying" I may not be the best one to share the lane with you" , "you'll be great and I promise not to hit you" I blurted out, then jump in and pushed off before she has a chance to voice any further doubts.
Peg swims great, sure we swam at a different pace but we were both working in the same pond, I did my workout and she did hers, I kept my promise and didn't hit her and spent as much time under the water as possible, especially when we passed each other near the walls.I had fun.
I started with my 10 x 200 meters set, I felt relaxed and pleased to have a familiar face in the lane, even if we had never swum together before I spent plenty of time with Peg on land.
I know I had made a deal to not look at the clock today but after the 2nd 200 I decided to look at the clock after all, I was amazed to see my times were the best I had hit in weeks, it turned out to be a great swim, all thanks to me relaxing and having Peg, my magic lane mate for the day. Before I knew it 4,500 meters was done and I was out of the water.
The lessons from today's swim....
- One day at a time, never assume something is going to be rough( or a cake walk) just because it was yesterday
- Relax, it makes everything easier
- Motivation can be right there in front of you.....seek it out.
Today's Swim
10 x 200s on the 3:00 Interval
#1-4 2:50 seconds
# 5 2:45 seconds
# 6-9 2:40 seconds
# 10 2:35 seconds
6 x 250s ( kick/ Pull / Swim)
4 x 250's Paddles
50 Goof Off!
Total Distance 4,500 meters
Next up off home to eat lunch and then up to Trapp Family Lodge for an afternoon Nordic ski, it was the first cross country ski of the winter, it is funny that I could be swimming in water this morning and then essentially skiing on another state of water this afternoon, this time in the form of snow cover....weird!
I felt clumsy on skis compared to swimming but it was great to get out in the woods and feel some sun light on my face.
 |
| Trapp Family Lodge Ski Trails Stowe, Vermont |
So the clock is ticking, how far left to go to make 1000 miles before the end of the year?
43.27 Miles
That is 69,636 meters or 2,785.44 lengths of the indoor lap pool
Next time you drive 43.27 miles think of swimming it instead of driving your car, we will conquer 1000 miles together!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Draggin....in the pool
Saturday December 18th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Scheduled Distance: 10,000 meters ( 10km )
Today is one of those non glamorous days, no excitement just the reality of grinding it out. I woke up feeling sick, the day itself was beautiful, fresh snow, sparkling sunshine and excitement in the air, Stowe Mountain resort is reporting great conditions, Trapp Family Lodge has it's Nordic center up and running for the winter season and there is a buzz in the air, people around town excited to snowboard, downhill ski, cross country ski all the good stuff. I am excited for them including my husband Jeff and the kids who are all off to bomb around the mountain for the day.....not me, I have a 3.5 hour date with the pool, my body feels heavy and tired, I have a self diagnosed sinus infection, the one where you feel like there is an alien being in your nose and forehead with a pulse that goes BOOM BOOM BOOM, I know that as soon as I go under water this pressure will be intense.
English Channel goal in mind I set off to the pool, I am due to meet Gail at 8:00am, we start the swim with:
10 x 250's ( 50 kick/ 100 Pull / 100 swim)
these went by super fast, I hadn't swum with Gail for 2 weeks and it was good to catch up.
Followed by :
5 x 200's on the 3:15
then Gail had to leave and I finished up:
5 x 200's of Free on the 3:00 interval, each 200 took 2 minutes and 55 seconds, I was slow today.
Next up:
8 x 250's of Pull, this is when I swim with hand paddles and a pull buoy, followed by 500 Free easy.
OK that is 7000 meters down and I am feeling like a beached whale, every stroke hurts, my body aches and I still have 3000 meters to go, it seems impossible...I look around the pool and the lanes are empty, aggghhhh NO!
Than I catch a glimpse of a black blurr, it is my buddy Margaret, she has slid into the pool in a full length speedo speed suit, she looks sharp and fast. She is practicing for the 100 x 100's swum on the 100 seconds and looking to see if the speed suit is (a) comfortable, and (b) helps her swim her 100s faster.
The speed suit is a tight full body suit, Speedo released the fastskin lazer in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics, it was said to be the fastest suit on the planet, made of light weight fabric, it offered compression to provide core stability and the lowest passive drag, combine that with a water repellent fabric and a lower surface friction than other fabrics and you have one fast swim. The full body suits and the swimmers in them broke numerous records giving the swimmer that extra edge, the rules have recently changed banning full length suits in competitive swimming, now suits must not cover the shoulders or go below the knees for female swimmers.
Back to Margaret, I have 3000 meters to go and I am hoping Margaret will stick around and keep me company. I pull up to the wall and ask " Margaret, what have you got left to swim?" , " just a few hundred pull to swim down" , she replies, " Excellent I blurt out, " how about 5 x 200's for you and 5 x 250's for me?" OK, replies Margaret , " I will sacrifice myself and keep you company", I am thrilled, we set off and I instantly feel stronger, like I could take on anything, Margaret, took the thinking out of today's swim and I am super grateful. Before we know it the 5 x 250 meters is done and I only have 1750 meters to go...I am over the moon, I know I can pull my sorry a$#$ 1750 meters up and down this pool to complete today's swim.
Margaret gets out and suddenly I feel very alone, there is no one left in the Olympic sized 8 lane pool but me, I am down, this is the life of a " SOLO " swimmer I think.
I shake it off and decide that I am good and tired, I have 8,500 meters under my belt, my arms feel like lead and this is a perfect time to practice swimming fast against the tide of France! I instruct myself to begin swimming faster....I do, I have 6 x 250's left to swim plus a final 200 meters any way I choose...NOT, I am going to swim the final 200 meters all out like I am swimming through the current to reach France.
During each 250 meters I get a little faster, I feel like I am dragging myself through the water, nothing comes easy, my head is pounding, I am beat.
The final test, 200 meters all out, all week my times have been off, sluggish and slow from coming off the New England Championship meet at Boston University, I skipped the post meet rest to get back onto the 1000 miles in 2010 goal and I am paying for it...achy body, slow in the water and lethargic, even my mood is down, normally I am excited to swim, today I have been dreading it, willing it to be over.
So now it comes down to the final 200 meters, the English Channel could come down to this, tired, down and so close to the shore, if you push hard you make it if you slack up you fail.........the bitter truth.
I push off the wall for the final 200 meters, all week I have swum nothing faster than 2 minutes 40 seconds for a 200 meter all out swim, what will happen today?
I push my achy body off the wall and will it to perform...it snaps into gear and explodes into it's performance zone, what I have trained it to do time after time over the last 11.5 months, it all comes together.
First 75 meters is hard with a high stroke rate, then at 75 meters I settle into long strong strokes, I feel fantastic, " how is this possible, and where did this come from?" I think, before I know it I am powering into the wall and yanking my head up to see the clock....2 minutes, 35 seconds YES, I am psyched!
50 EZ stretch and my 10, 000 meters is complete.
Out of the pool, home to eat and off for a 2 hour nap, then I drag myself out of bed to make a 4pm Yoga class. Do I feel better after today's training...NO, did I do it?....YES.
Distance swum to date in 2010: 950.17 miles ( or 1,529,158 meters )
How much to go to reach my 1000 mile goal before the end of the year? 49.83 miles!
What am I doing tomorrow, Sunday December 19th? Swimming of course
How far? I'll keep you posted and fill you in on how things went at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University last weekend.
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Scheduled Distance: 10,000 meters ( 10km )
Today is one of those non glamorous days, no excitement just the reality of grinding it out. I woke up feeling sick, the day itself was beautiful, fresh snow, sparkling sunshine and excitement in the air, Stowe Mountain resort is reporting great conditions, Trapp Family Lodge has it's Nordic center up and running for the winter season and there is a buzz in the air, people around town excited to snowboard, downhill ski, cross country ski all the good stuff. I am excited for them including my husband Jeff and the kids who are all off to bomb around the mountain for the day.....not me, I have a 3.5 hour date with the pool, my body feels heavy and tired, I have a self diagnosed sinus infection, the one where you feel like there is an alien being in your nose and forehead with a pulse that goes BOOM BOOM BOOM, I know that as soon as I go under water this pressure will be intense.
English Channel goal in mind I set off to the pool, I am due to meet Gail at 8:00am, we start the swim with:
10 x 250's ( 50 kick/ 100 Pull / 100 swim)
these went by super fast, I hadn't swum with Gail for 2 weeks and it was good to catch up.
Followed by :
5 x 200's on the 3:15
then Gail had to leave and I finished up:
5 x 200's of Free on the 3:00 interval, each 200 took 2 minutes and 55 seconds, I was slow today.
Next up:
8 x 250's of Pull, this is when I swim with hand paddles and a pull buoy, followed by 500 Free easy.
OK that is 7000 meters down and I am feeling like a beached whale, every stroke hurts, my body aches and I still have 3000 meters to go, it seems impossible...I look around the pool and the lanes are empty, aggghhhh NO!
Than I catch a glimpse of a black blurr, it is my buddy Margaret, she has slid into the pool in a full length speedo speed suit, she looks sharp and fast. She is practicing for the 100 x 100's swum on the 100 seconds and looking to see if the speed suit is (a) comfortable, and (b) helps her swim her 100s faster.
The speed suit is a tight full body suit, Speedo released the fastskin lazer in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics, it was said to be the fastest suit on the planet, made of light weight fabric, it offered compression to provide core stability and the lowest passive drag, combine that with a water repellent fabric and a lower surface friction than other fabrics and you have one fast swim. The full body suits and the swimmers in them broke numerous records giving the swimmer that extra edge, the rules have recently changed banning full length suits in competitive swimming, now suits must not cover the shoulders or go below the knees for female swimmers.
Back to Margaret, I have 3000 meters to go and I am hoping Margaret will stick around and keep me company. I pull up to the wall and ask " Margaret, what have you got left to swim?" , " just a few hundred pull to swim down" , she replies, " Excellent I blurt out, " how about 5 x 200's for you and 5 x 250's for me?" OK, replies Margaret , " I will sacrifice myself and keep you company", I am thrilled, we set off and I instantly feel stronger, like I could take on anything, Margaret, took the thinking out of today's swim and I am super grateful. Before we know it the 5 x 250 meters is done and I only have 1750 meters to go...I am over the moon, I know I can pull my sorry a$#$ 1750 meters up and down this pool to complete today's swim.
Margaret gets out and suddenly I feel very alone, there is no one left in the Olympic sized 8 lane pool but me, I am down, this is the life of a " SOLO " swimmer I think.
I shake it off and decide that I am good and tired, I have 8,500 meters under my belt, my arms feel like lead and this is a perfect time to practice swimming fast against the tide of France! I instruct myself to begin swimming faster....I do, I have 6 x 250's left to swim plus a final 200 meters any way I choose...NOT, I am going to swim the final 200 meters all out like I am swimming through the current to reach France.
During each 250 meters I get a little faster, I feel like I am dragging myself through the water, nothing comes easy, my head is pounding, I am beat.
The final test, 200 meters all out, all week my times have been off, sluggish and slow from coming off the New England Championship meet at Boston University, I skipped the post meet rest to get back onto the 1000 miles in 2010 goal and I am paying for it...achy body, slow in the water and lethargic, even my mood is down, normally I am excited to swim, today I have been dreading it, willing it to be over.
So now it comes down to the final 200 meters, the English Channel could come down to this, tired, down and so close to the shore, if you push hard you make it if you slack up you fail.........the bitter truth.
I push off the wall for the final 200 meters, all week I have swum nothing faster than 2 minutes 40 seconds for a 200 meter all out swim, what will happen today?
I push my achy body off the wall and will it to perform...it snaps into gear and explodes into it's performance zone, what I have trained it to do time after time over the last 11.5 months, it all comes together.
First 75 meters is hard with a high stroke rate, then at 75 meters I settle into long strong strokes, I feel fantastic, " how is this possible, and where did this come from?" I think, before I know it I am powering into the wall and yanking my head up to see the clock....2 minutes, 35 seconds YES, I am psyched!
50 EZ stretch and my 10, 000 meters is complete.
Out of the pool, home to eat and off for a 2 hour nap, then I drag myself out of bed to make a 4pm Yoga class. Do I feel better after today's training...NO, did I do it?....YES.
Distance swum to date in 2010: 950.17 miles ( or 1,529,158 meters )
How much to go to reach my 1000 mile goal before the end of the year? 49.83 miles!
What am I doing tomorrow, Sunday December 19th? Swimming of course
How far? I'll keep you posted and fill you in on how things went at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University last weekend.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
1000 Miles: Mode of transportation = Swimming
December 4th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Water Temperature: 81.6 degrees
Air Temperature: 86 Degrees
After wrapping up the final cold water training for 2010 my focus has shifted from time exposed in cold water to the amount of time in the water and the distance covered in that time. Specifically training long distances at a steady aerobic pace, I am practicing a pace I can continue for extended periods of time. The other thing I am practicing is being able to pick up my pace after a long set of my forever stroke, it is like changing gears in your car if you drive a stick shift, you are striving to not cough and splutter the engine or grind the gears, simply seamlessly slide into the next gear and accelerate.
After every long set, I sprint all out and visualize beating the tide, blasting through the current and seeing the rocks under the water as land nears, French rocks, it always hurts, this final push.
Today's swim is no exception, the distance on my training schedule is 10,000, I am fortunate to have company for the entire swim, Gail swims with me 8:00-9:30am, Luke from 9:30-10:00am and then at 10:15am we have a special masters practice session, some of our masters group is swimming a special holiday set December 24th, it consists of one hundred repeats of 100 meters all swum on the 100 second interval. That means each one hundred meter swim and rest must be completed in 1 minute and forty seconds. Distance 6.2 miles or 10km.
Today we are having a dress rehearsal of 40 x 100's on the 100 seconds, perfect for me to work on my endurance, a steady pace with a final blast to the shore for the last 100. The entire set I am practicing patience, waiting for my cue to slam my foot down on the gas pedal and beat the tide when one hundred # 40, arrives, until then I have to wait.
Repeats 1-20 each 100 takes 1:30
21-30 each 100 takes 1:28
31- 35 each 100 takes 1:27
36-38 each 100 takes 1:25
39 is a 1:23
40 time to beat the current, the time a 1:15
Why do I put myself through this discomfort multiple times during a training swim?
This account of fighting the current from a successful EC swimmer who made the crossing this summer reminds me why:
.....than the Captain said " You are going backwards mate, you need to SWIM HARD!"
and apparently so I did. I didn't feel like I did- I was still just swimming as hard as I could. At my next feed my crew said " you are doing well, you are breaking the current!" What I didn't know was I was all but standing dead still. Apparently the headway I was now making was 150 feet in 10 minutes!
Gulp....keep the beat the tide sets coming!
Distance Today 10,550 meters: 550 Meters Over.....what gives?
December 2nd I finally finished loading in the last of my fall training swims into my swim log, the grand total for the year to date is......drum roll 1, 435, 328 meters ( 891.87 miles).
My goal for the year was 850 miles and I have blown by that without noticing, I look at the numbers, hmmm......next milestone 1000 miles, could I do that? I ponder the thought, I would have to swim
174,016 meters ( 108.13 miles)before the New Year rings in, the equivalent of 4.5 English Channel crossings in the next 29 days and 3 of those days will be chewed up racing at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University December 10-12th, hmmm....., again I ponder.
Well, the water won't be cold I justify to myself, then I read a quote from my hand written list in my English Channel Training journal that I write training notes and advice tidbits in, the quotes are on my" Quit being a skirt and do it" page.
" The Difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the determination" - Tommy Lasorda
That was all it took and I plugged in a newly revised goal, 1000 miles by the end of the year, just couldn't help myself. Once entered the log told me " You'll need to pickup the pace to achieve your goal this year" and I have. I have a new short term goal and sense of purpose to keep me sparked up.
I immediately calculated my required distances for each day through until December 31st, I am cutting it fine and am scheduled to swim an 8000 meter swim New Years Eve, if all goes well that will bring me to my goal of 1000 miles before the New Year rings in. I am also stockpiling meters, adding 250-500 meters onto each daily swim, to help me be prepared for the unexpected set back.
So if I make it here is how far I will have covered in 2010:
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Water Temperature: 81.6 degrees
Air Temperature: 86 Degrees
After wrapping up the final cold water training for 2010 my focus has shifted from time exposed in cold water to the amount of time in the water and the distance covered in that time. Specifically training long distances at a steady aerobic pace, I am practicing a pace I can continue for extended periods of time. The other thing I am practicing is being able to pick up my pace after a long set of my forever stroke, it is like changing gears in your car if you drive a stick shift, you are striving to not cough and splutter the engine or grind the gears, simply seamlessly slide into the next gear and accelerate.
After every long set, I sprint all out and visualize beating the tide, blasting through the current and seeing the rocks under the water as land nears, French rocks, it always hurts, this final push.
Today's swim is no exception, the distance on my training schedule is 10,000, I am fortunate to have company for the entire swim, Gail swims with me 8:00-9:30am, Luke from 9:30-10:00am and then at 10:15am we have a special masters practice session, some of our masters group is swimming a special holiday set December 24th, it consists of one hundred repeats of 100 meters all swum on the 100 second interval. That means each one hundred meter swim and rest must be completed in 1 minute and forty seconds. Distance 6.2 miles or 10km.
Today we are having a dress rehearsal of 40 x 100's on the 100 seconds, perfect for me to work on my endurance, a steady pace with a final blast to the shore for the last 100. The entire set I am practicing patience, waiting for my cue to slam my foot down on the gas pedal and beat the tide when one hundred # 40, arrives, until then I have to wait.
Repeats 1-20 each 100 takes 1:30
21-30 each 100 takes 1:28
31- 35 each 100 takes 1:27
36-38 each 100 takes 1:25
39 is a 1:23
40 time to beat the current, the time a 1:15
Why do I put myself through this discomfort multiple times during a training swim?
This account of fighting the current from a successful EC swimmer who made the crossing this summer reminds me why:
.....than the Captain said " You are going backwards mate, you need to SWIM HARD!"
and apparently so I did. I didn't feel like I did- I was still just swimming as hard as I could. At my next feed my crew said " you are doing well, you are breaking the current!" What I didn't know was I was all but standing dead still. Apparently the headway I was now making was 150 feet in 10 minutes!
Gulp....keep the beat the tide sets coming!
Distance Today 10,550 meters: 550 Meters Over.....what gives?
December 2nd I finally finished loading in the last of my fall training swims into my swim log, the grand total for the year to date is......drum roll 1, 435, 328 meters ( 891.87 miles).
My goal for the year was 850 miles and I have blown by that without noticing, I look at the numbers, hmmm......next milestone 1000 miles, could I do that? I ponder the thought, I would have to swim
174,016 meters ( 108.13 miles)before the New Year rings in, the equivalent of 4.5 English Channel crossings in the next 29 days and 3 of those days will be chewed up racing at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University December 10-12th, hmmm....., again I ponder.
Well, the water won't be cold I justify to myself, then I read a quote from my hand written list in my English Channel Training journal that I write training notes and advice tidbits in, the quotes are on my" Quit being a skirt and do it" page.
" The Difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the determination" - Tommy Lasorda
That was all it took and I plugged in a newly revised goal, 1000 miles by the end of the year, just couldn't help myself. Once entered the log told me " You'll need to pickup the pace to achieve your goal this year" and I have. I have a new short term goal and sense of purpose to keep me sparked up.
I immediately calculated my required distances for each day through until December 31st, I am cutting it fine and am scheduled to swim an 8000 meter swim New Years Eve, if all goes well that will bring me to my goal of 1000 miles before the New Year rings in. I am also stockpiling meters, adding 250-500 meters onto each daily swim, to help me be prepared for the unexpected set back.
So if I make it here is how far I will have covered in 2010:
- New York to Kansas City, Missouri ( well almost that is 1098 miles)
- Sydney, Australia to Christchurch New Zealand ( not all the way but I would have broken the back of it that is 1,337 miles)
- The length of New Zealand ( and more that is 730 miles)
- Finally 42 English Channel Crossings ( this is my favourite comparison)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)