09/30/08

SCM
100 wu
200 fr
200 bk/fr alt breathe
200 br/fr alt breathe
4 x 100 non free on 1:50. I did rotating IM, no free
2 x 300 IM @4:50
2 x 200 IM + 50 free @4:30. Good effort.
2 x 300 IM @4:50
50 ez
8 x 25 fast @40
100 wd

3250 m

I've been a little congested lately. I was feeling it in the pool. Breathing was harder.

09/28/09

SCM
300 wu
2 x 200 fr
2 x 150 bk/fr by 25
2 x 100 br
8 x 25 IM order @30
8 x 25 IM @35
6 x 50 - 12.5 K/12.5 fast @1:10
6 x 50 fast @1:15 - did a lot of breast...
5 x 125 fr @2:00
8 x 25 fly @45 fast
3 x 100 fr/bk by 25 FAST @1 min rest. Went 1:13-1:15
5 x 75 @1:15
200 wd

4500m

09/27/08

SCM
400 wu
4 x 75 @1:10
4 x 75 @1:05
4 x 400 @6:00,5:50,5:40,5:30 (I did #1 IM - 5:50, #2 ez, #3 fr 5:15, #4 fr 5:20)
5 x (200 @2:30, 100 @1:45) I was going ~2:32 on the 200s
4 x 150 @2:10
6 x 50 stroke @1:00

5000m
A butt-kicker. The 2:30 200s were based on people wearing paddles, but I didn't wear them. I couldn't quite push under but I felt pretty strong throughout the set.

09/26/08 - dryland

Gravitron!!!
Toe raises on sled - 2 x 15 x 90, 12 x 90
Back Extension - 15 x 200, 15 x 210, 10 x 220
Incline situps w/35# - 50
Pec Deck - 12 x 60, 10 x 70, 7 x 80
Twists - 2 x 15 x 10, 15 x 12.5
25 pushups on pushup handles
40 minute run

09/26/08

SCY
350 wu
150 fr/100 bk/150 fr/75 bk/150 fr/50 bk/150 fr/25 bk
3 x (4 x 25 @35 odds br/evens fly, 100 bk alt mod/fast by 25 @1:50)
50 ez
6 x 50 K @1:10 - odds fast fr, evens choice
6 x 75 FAST @1:50 - I did breast, held 56-57s
200 @3:00 recovery
3 x 200 @2:40
100 bk recovery
100 ez
50 br fast - 36
50 ez

3600 yards

breaststroke felt pretty good today. My body position was better - I kept my hips up more.

09/25/08 - dryland

Curls - straight bar - 15 x 43, 11 x 48, 10 x 53
Standing lat press - 11 x #5 on Sybex, 8 x #6, 7 x #6
Leg curl - 15 x #6, 10 x #8
Box jumps, alternating leg - 30, 40
Woodcutter w/15 lb med ball - 15, 12
Incline bench - 12 x 135, 10 x 145, 3 x 165, 4 x 155, 8 x 135
Leg Extension - 15 x 105, 2 x 8 x 125
Abs - Changed it up today and did a lot of slow ab stuff + lie on back w/legs ~6" off ground and alt. leg lifts

09/25/08

SCY
1000 swim - did a bunch of snorkel swimming
500 pull - did 200 of it breast
500 kick
2 x (broken 200 IM, 10 secs @each 50, 100 ez recovery)
I went #1 - 30, 32, 41, 32 - 2:15
#2 - 31, 34, 40, 32 - 2:17
5 x 100 @2:00 work the turns - I did 1 free, 2-5 breast and worked on form
150 wd

3250 yards

I was pleasantly surprised that my broken 200 times were sort of close to my 200 IM from last Saturday. Last year, I was usually about 10+ seconds off of my 200 times in the broken 200s. Hopefully, this means good things for taper :).

I'm still fighting to keep good body position in breaststroke. On the first 200, I was dropping my hips quite a bit. On the second one I felt like I was getting them up more. It'd be nice to drop those breast splits on the broken 200 under 40.

09/24/08

SCY
100 wu
6 x 75 odds bk K/Dr/Swim, evens free build @3rd person
5 x 150 pull @2:10
300 swim @4:00 (went 3:30)
2 x 150 @2:00 (went 1:42, 1:44)
3 x 100 @1:20 (did bk, went 1:13, 1:14, 1:15)
4 x 75 @1:00 (did evens free, odds fly/bk/br)
6 x 50 @40 (did fr, fr, fl/bk, fr 2 x bk/br)
12 x 25 @30 (did all breast drill)
3 x (4 x 25 @25, 1 x 50 @1:20) did odds fly, evens breast on 25s
200 IM K ez
50 breast drill, worked breakouts
50 breast fast, went 36
50 ez
worked on turns/breakouts for 5 minutes.

3900 yards

I was happy with my breaststroke 50 at the end. I felt like my breakouts on that swim were better than they've been. It really helps if I can pop them with some speed, and I think I might have been waiting too long on them before. There is definitely a sweet spot to hit.

Also, I managed to keep my hips up and move my torso + head as 1 (instead of lifting my head up).

09/22/08

SCY
250 wu
350 swim alt free, stroke - did breast
250 K alt flutter, stroke
150 drill
2 x (50 fl/bk, 50 bk/br, 50 br/fr, 2 x 50 fr) Set 1 @50, Set 2 @45
2 x (
225 free
200 IM (went 2:34, 2:38)
125 K
250 free (2:51, 2:50)
125 bk/br
) All on 2:50.
200 ez
150 faster - breast, went 2:07
100 ez
50 fast - breast, 37
50 ez

3900 yards

The main set was pretty tough.

On my breaststroke, I feel a lot smoother if I try to keep my legs and hips high so I feel like I'm positioned "downhill". I'm still slipping in and out of my old habits, and it will take a while before I adapt to the newer downhill, fly-like breast that feels better.

Also, my breaststroke turns blow. I grab the top of the wall, pull up slightly, then turn. I'm going to have to work on that. My breakouts are still weak. Some of them felt good today, but on a lot of them I was just rushing to pop my head up for a breath.

09/21/08 dryland

Exercise ball set
Standard Abs

~1 hr hike/jog with Roscoe and Erin

09/21/08

SCM
250 wu
4 x 125 (75 fr, 25 bk, 25 br) @3rd pers.
4 x 250 @4:00, descend 1-4. I went 3:10 on #4
14 x 25 butterfly, 5 @35, 7@40
3 x (50 fr, 50 fr/bk, 50 bk) Fast, set 1 @1:00, 2 @1:05, 3 @1:10
2 x (6 x 25 - odds fast, evens ez @40) set 1 odds bk @25, set 2 odds free @20
300 ez
50 ez

3100m

*I think I forgot a set in there, so the actual distance was more. Oh well.

09/20/08 - Meet

SCY Meet
~1000 wu
50 breast (relay split): 32.20
200 IM - 30.18 34.16(1:04.34) 38.90(1:43.24) 30.84 (2:14.08)
50 free (relay): 25.56
100 breast - 34.52 37.94(1:12.46)
100 free (relay): 26.67 29.90 (56.57)

I was happy with my IM swim and my relay breast. I was really hoping to go a little faster on the 100 breast. I blew my turn at the 50, and that cost me some time... not sure how much, though. I likely would've been around my state time (1:12.08) with a good turn. I still split it a little better than states, though. Heck, it was a good swim for the start of the season. I think I was expecting too much on it after my 50 breast and then the decent split in the 200 IM :). I found myself slipping back into my old breaststroke, though, and not getting a good smooth rhythm like I do with the fly-like stroke.

I also need to work on my breakouts. My breakouts were simply horrendous. Each turn felt like I was coming up pushing a ton of water and not settling into my stroke until 1-2 strokes after my breakout.

I thought my 200 IM time was 2:14.5ish... the splits I copied down from the result sheet add up to 2:14.08, though. I might have copied the back split wrong... I'm not sure. Not a big deal there, though, as I accomplished what I wanted in that race: I took it out relaxed and worked the second 100.

09/19/08

SCY.
450 - (50 fr/25 stroke)
4 x (25 SDK, 25 bk, 75 build free)
2 x (200 mod @2:45, 4 x 50 @45, 4 x 75 rotating IM @1:15)
100 ez
50 breast fast w/1 drag suit, from a push: 36.

100 wd

2500 yards

The fly-like breaststroking continues. I feel good about it. I know that once I get it down, I'll have a lot more tuning to do, but I feel like this stroke is a better base to improve my speed on. I can go faster with less effort, and the 36 at the end of practice was a solid 36. As in, I saw the clock flip from 35 to 36 when I was finishing. It might have been a 35 high, but I'm calling it a 36.

Whoop whoop! This is an exciting breakthrough. Hopefully, it's not an anomaly.

09/18/08

SCY
400 free
500 pull
500 swim
3 x 100 @1:30 fr, bk, fr
2 x 100 br @ 3:00 - 1:24, 1:21
50 br drill. I did a few strokes of fly then a few strokes of breast
100 breast FAST - 1:17!!!
150 wd

2300 yards

I had a breaststroke breakthrough today. I was mulling over the myriad tips Marc gave me as I was trying to figure out how to make my breaststroke more efficient. ON the 50 drill, I started out trying to keep my hands near the surface, tried to compact my lower back, etc. Then I recalled that Marc mentioned the catch and stroke is a lot like the beginning of the fly. I did a couple strokes of fly to get the catch in my head, then a couple strokes of breast while working on keeping the catch similar to that of the fly. It felt faster. I did another 100 for time and had that breakthrough! That's the first sub 1:20 I've ever done in practice. For reference, I went 1:16.73 last February in the 100 breast at a pentathlon meet. What a feeling.

Woo hoo! I still have a long way to go, but I felt like the fly catch made a big difference. I'll have to keep working that.

I really need to work on my turns and breakouts, also. I think I'm still losing a lot of momentum on my breakout.

09/17/08

SCY
200 wu
200 - 4 SDK off each wall
8 x 50 - odds fr/bk overkick, evens bk drill/swim
4 x 150 @2:15 desc
3 x (250 free @3:15, 150 bk/fr @2:15, 6 x 25 br @25, 50 ez)
2 x (4 x 25 K @35, 2 x 50 drill @1:00, 50 fast @1:00, 50 ez @1:00). I did br on the fast 50s, went 37, 38, 38
100 ez
50 br strong - went 38
150 ez

4000 y

I tried to work on keeping my breaststroke shallower today. I'm really trying to get the "compacting the back" thing down. It feels faster. I didn't really work the front part of my stroke at all today, just focused on the midsection/back/kick. I might have to get slower and re-work that before I get faster.

09/16/08 - dryland

bench (Smith) - 11 x 165, 6 x 175, 4 x 185
standing lat press - 15 x 45, 7 x 55, 5 x 75
overhead db tri - 9 x 50, 8 x 50, 9 x 50
lateral db raise - 11 x 10, 7 x 15, 7 x 15
pull-ups - 6, 5, 5

standard abs

09/16/08

SCM
200 wu
150 fr/25 bk
125 fr/25 bk
100 fr/25 bk
75 fr/25 br
50 fr/25 br
25 fr/25 br
25 ez
2 x (50 br @1:05, 50 fr @55)
3 x (4 x 150 desc interval by 5 secs per rep -- 2:25, 2:20, 2:15, 2:10; 3 x 50 K/drill @ 3rd pers. RI). I did set #3 IM. Did reverse IM on 4th rep -- fr/bk/fly
100 ez
50 breast fast - 41
50 wd

3100m

I tried to work the shallow breaststroke. The idea of trying to compress my lower back to start the kick seems to help with this. It keeps the hips higher.

09/15/08

SCY.
6 x (50 drill, 25 K, 50 swim) @3rd pers RI
2 x (4 x 50 drill @1:00, 2 x 75 fast @1:05, 1:10). Set 1 - free, 2 - non-free

For all of following, anything ending in 5 is moderate non-free @2nd pers RI, anything ending in 0 is fast free @4th person RI.

25, 50, 75 (e.g. 25 and 75 are mod non-free @2nd person, 50 is fast @4th person RI)
6 x 25 K
50, 75, 100 (went 1:03 on the 100)
6 x 25 K
75, 100, 125 (went 1:03 on the 100)
6 x 25 K
100, 125, 150 (went 1:03 on the 100, 1:37 on the 150)
6 x 25 K
125, 150, 175 (went 1:36 on the 150)
6 x 25 K
50 ez

3750 yards.

I did breaststroke for all stroke sets today.

My freestyle felt good. I kept my entry long and way out front of me on the 1:36 150. I was pleased.

09/14/08

SCY

Did about 1000 yards of warmup + various drills
50 breast fast from a push, no drag suit - went 37.

Today I got a lot of feedback from my buddy Marc on my breaststroke. I'm still going pretty deep and going up and down more instead of forward. A couple of tips he gave me:
--don't breathe right after the pull starts.
--let the natural tendency of the body to float lead into the breath.
--contract the lower back before the start of the pull so that the hips stay higher and the kick is more linear
--I can probably pull back more on my pull. He observed that I'm still "tomahawking" my arms through the pull and throwing them downward instead of shooting them forward.
--try to swim it as close to the surface of the water as possible.
--keep my back flatter instead of hunching everything in on the pull.
--2 kicks + 1 pull is an excellent drill because it causes you to think about how the pull is set up.
--also, I should try to use the dolphin kick at the beginning of the pullout, right after my hands separate -- basically giving 2 propulsive phases. I'll have to work with this to make sure I'm not doing 2 dolphin kicks.
--I need to keep my head down on the breakout. I pop it up and it kills my momentum.

Some drills:
2 kicks, 1 pull
breast pull w/free kick
breast pull w/buoy

Weekly Total:
11800 m
9200 y
------------
20213 m
22105 y

09/13/08

SCM
300 wu
15 x 100 @ (1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25, 1:30, 1:25, 1:20, 6 x 1:25)
8 x 50 non-free @1:00
3 x 300 @4:20
3 x 300 @4:30
100 ez
2 x (2 x 50 br/25 fr @1:15, 3 x 75 @1:05)
100 wd

4950m

Jason Lezak Swimming Lifting Article

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jasonlezak1.htm

I may take 1 training cycle to try this. For now, it's just a source of ideas for different weights to add to my routine. I especially like the standing lat press and will be adding that one to my routine.

I'm also going to start doing the Gravitron workout once or twice a week. It seems like 3-5 minutes well spent.

09/12/08 - dryland

I did dryland at the East Boulder Rec Center today. They have some nice machines there.

Lat pull: 12 x 80, 10 x 100, 7 x 120
Twists: 15 x 12.5, 4 x 20, 6 x 15, 15 x 15
Pec Deck: 10 x 70, 7 x 80, 7 x 80
Pull-ups: 4, 4, 4
3 minutes on the Gravitron -- a hell of an upper body workout.
Crooked Bar Curls: 10 x 55, 7 x 65, 7 x 65
Incline Situps w/wt: 15 x 25, 15 x 35

09/12/08

SCY
50 ez
4 x 200 alt bk/free by 25. 3rd pers RI
12 x 50, odds breast, evens free @50. I went 42, 40, 40, 40, 39, 39 on the breast.
10 x 25, odds breast, evens fly @30
6 x 250 fr @3:15. I was under 3:00 until the last one, where I went 3:01
200 ez
200 IM K
2 x 50 br @2:00 all out. I took off my drag suit, went 37, 36
100 ez

3800 yards

09/11/08

SCM
200 wu
4 x 75 fr @1:10
4 x 75 br/fr/br @1:20
4 x 75 fl/bk/br @1:20
4 x 75 fr @1:20
8 x 125 @1:45 (I did 4 free, 4 alt 25 bk/25 fr)
6 x (100 @1:25, 50 @55). I did the 100s fl/bk, bk/br, br/fr x3, just made the br/fr and bk/br.
200 ez
25 br AFAP - 20s
25 ez

3550m

I swam pretty fast again today. This has been a week with more up-tempo swimming. I'm feeling pretty good about my free most of the time. I'll probably need to tone it down next week a bit and recover some. We'll see...

09/10/08

SCY
100 wu
4 x (25 K @3rd pers RI, 50 drill @3rd pers, 75 swim @3rd pers)
--some set of 550 yards-- can't remember what...
2 x (3 x 100, 4 x 75, 5 x 50, 6 x 25, 50 EZ) On 1:20/100 base.
3 x (50 K @1:10, 50 fr Overkick @1:00, 25 sprint @20, 75 ez @1:20)
250 ez
2 x 50 breast fast @2:00 (went 38, 38)
100 wd

4400 yards

I worked the 100s in the main set and went (1:11, 1:09, 1:08; 1:07, 1:08, 1:08). On the other swims in the set, I switched between back and free. I went 30 and 29 on the overkick 50s and 15s doing backstroke on the sprint 25s.

On the whole, I'm working in some more fast swimming. The breast swims at the end of practice were kind of sluggish, but my lats were pretty tired from yesterday's practice and today's main set.

On the second overkick 50, I really tried to stay long and get good extension, instead of just turning over my stroke AFAP. It seemed to work pretty well. I felt strong.

09/09/08

SCM
250 wu
4 x 150 alt 25 bk/25 fr @12 sec rest
50 ez
6 x 100 bk (25 K/25 swim/25 6 K switch drill/25 swim) @1:45
5 x 50 (25 fl/25 br) @1:10, descend (went 38 on #5)
2 x 225 mod @3:30
4 x 225 fast @3:40 (I went 2:55, 2:54, took off my drag suit, 2:50, 2:51)
200 wd

3300m

I found out today that my drag suit adds around 4 seconds to a 200. I swam the last 2 225s in my briefs and was quite a bit faster. I don't know why I didn't take it off for some fast swims before... it's important to swim fast sometimes :) and the drag suit does make a difference.

09/08/08

I slept through my alarm this morning, so I didn't swim.

I think, though, that my body needs a recovery day. I haven't taken a rest day for quite some time. Maybe my body just revolted and refused to rise when the alarm went off at 4:45 this AM.

That just means I get to swim fast tomorrow! :)

09/07/08

SCM
300 wu
125 fr/25 nf
100 fr/50 nf
75 fr/75 nf
50 fr/100 nf
2 x 250 mod @4:10
2 x 250 faster @4:00. I did 200 IM + 50 Fr @3:30, 200 free fast (2:30)/50 ez
6 x 50 K/free by 25 @1:10
3 x 100 IM @1:50 desc. (1:25, 1:22, 1:19)
4 x 75 @1:30 Fly/Bk/Br(held 1:04-1:05)
1 x 75 @1:10 Fly/Bk/Br(1:00)
1 x 75 @1:30 Fr ez
4 x 50 Br @1:10 (went 50, 45, 44 ,44)
1 x 50 Br @50 (went 42)
1 x 50 ez fr @1:10
4 x 25 Br @40
1 x 25 Br @20 (made it)
1 x 25 ez fr @40
6 x 125 @1:55. Went 1:35-1:37s. 1:34 on #6.

4150m

My freestyle felt great today. Breast was a little slowish to start, then I got it going a bit.

Weekly Total:
10700m
10500y
---------
22202 yards
20302 m

09/06/08 - dryland

Forgot my suit this morning, so I didn't get to swim :(.

Run 4 miles w/Roscoe :).
Incline(machine) - 10 x 95, 8 x 105, 5 x 115
Seated Row - 10 x 105, 8 x 115, 5 x 125
Leg extension
Shrugs, straight bar - 8 x 75, 10 x 75, 8 x 95
tri pull-down - 10 x 45, 5 x 55, 9 x 45

standard abs

09/05/08

SCY.
150 wu
400 swim - (50 fr/50 alt br/50 fr/50 w/faster K) x 2
8 x 75 @1:05 - 4 x (1 x alt breathe, 1 x off breathe, 2 fast)
12 x 50 @45, peppy - held 33 for the first 4, 32 for the last 8
2 x 50 fly @1:00 (25 K/25 swim)
3 x 50 fly @1:00 (went 35s)
1 x 100 bk @2:00
2 x 50 bk @1:00 (25 K/25 swim)
3 x 50 bk @1:00 (went 34-35)
1 x 100 br @2:00 (went 1:23)
50 wd

2500 yards

It's my wife's birthday today. I left early to go home and make her some birthday breakfast.

I was surprised by the 33/32 on those 50s. I was really working on getting my head back to center quickly after breathing. It really helps me to get a good strong forward drive after a breath. It doesn't take a lot of effort to do, either. It takes focus to make myself do it, but it's not fatiguing. It'll be interesting to see how it affects longer swims. It sure has helped 50s these last two days.

09/04/08 - dryland

Bench(Smith) - 13 x 155, 9 x 165, 5 x 185, 8 x 145
Lat pull-down - 10 x 115, 7 x 125, 4 x 140, 6 x 105
Db Bicep Curl, standing: 9 x 30, 8 x 30, 5 x 35, 5 x 25
Db Row - 9 x 40, 10 x 40, 8 x 45
Db overhead tri - 10 x 45, 10 x 45, 10 x 45
Pull-ups - 4, 4, 4

standard abs

09/04/08

SCM
200 wu
200 free/50 stroke/150 fr/50 stroke/100 fr/50 stroke
4 x 75 kick/stroke/fr by 25
3 x (
125 fr @1:50 (went 1:34-1:35)
25 fr @40
100 fr @1:30 (went 1:15, 1:14, 1:13)
50 fr @1:00
75 fr @1:00 (went 55, 54, 1:01 (50 fly/25 bk))
75 fr @1:20
)
2 x 50 stroke kick/swim by 25 @1:10
2 x 50 stroke @1:10. did breast, went 45,45
2 x 50 fr kick/swim by 25 @1:00
2 x 50 fr @1:00. Went 35, 33
300 wd

3150m

I got the extension going ok today. I noticed a couple of things when trying to swim fast, though. First, I try to pull with too much power from my tricep instead of using my side muscles better. Second, I'm slow at turning my head back into the water after a breath: I let my head follow my recovering arm. This is wrong. If I turn my head back to center faster and force my recovering arm to follow it, I can turn over faster. When I'm really snapping my head back to center, too, I feel like I'm driving forward more. Hey-Yoh!

09/03/08

SCY
350 wu
6 x 125 (75 free/50 non-free) @3rd person RI
4 x (3 x 50 @40, 1 x 100 @1:15)
50 ez
6 x 125 IM (rotate 50 stroke, no 50 fr) @2:00
10 x 50 K @55 odds fast, evens ez
6 x 75 free mod @1:05
150 wd
200 work on EXTENSION!

4200 yards

Yes, I realized at the end of practice that I haven't been working on my extension lately. I've been trying to center my head quicker on breathing, get a high elbow, keep my hips high, and all of that. But, I've been forgetting about EXTENSION! When I did the last 200 yards working on my extension and really feeling the stretch in my lats, I cut 1-2 strokes per length off (13-14 -> 11-12 strokes/25).

Again, I must repeat my mantra: Everything else follows from EXTENSION. Gotta get back to that.

09/02/08 - dryland

Decline(Smith) - 12 x 165, 8 x 185, 5 x 195, 8 x 145
Seated Row - 10 x 105, 8 x 115, 5 x 125
Military(Smith) - 10 x 105, 8 x 115, 4 x 125, 5 x 95
Db Overhead Tri - 8 x 40, 8 x 40, 10 x 40
Db Curl - 10 x 25, 8 x 30, 5 x 35, 5 x 25
Front Db Raise - 3 x 10 x 10

Standard Abs

09/02/08

SCM
50 ez
4 x 125 - odd free, even stroke @2:10
4 x 125 - " @1:55
4 x 250 @4:00. I did 1 & 2.) IM (~3:40-), 3.) Bk (3:35), 4.) free(3:20)
50 ez
4 x (125 @2:30, 25 @45) I did 1.)Fly (2:20), 2.)Bk(2:15), 3.)Br(2:25), 4.)IM(2:13)
3 x 50 K @1:10
3 x 50 K @1:00
3 x 50 K @50
150 wd

3400 m.

09/01/08

SCY
1000 SKIPS
1000 Pull
5 x 100 K 3@1:55, 2@1:45
3 x (
200 swim, good effort @3:00 (I did IM 2:38, br 2:52 and br/free (1:25)2:34)
4 x 25 descend @30
100 ez
)
100 wd

3800 yards.

I think I broke my toe yesterday. It's purple and it hurts, so my kick and walls were not as strong today. I was happy about going 1:09 on the free portion of the 200 br/free swim. I have to bring that down more for the 400 IM, but it's not bad for now.