05/01/09 - FS Pro swims

Regular suit + drag suit for warmup
400 swim
300 K
300 IM - 50 drill/50 swim
4 x 100 @1:30 descend (1:09, 1:07, 1:07, 1:04)
4 x 50 IM build @1:00
4 x 25 fast choice @45, did IM

changed into FS-Pro full body.

50 - 25 free/25 SDK, get count to 15m (13 kicks)
3 x 50 rotating IM, work on transitions @1:00

broken 200 IM, 15s @50.
(28.50, 31.96, 34.39, 28.89) - 2:03.74

200 ez

2 x 50 breast @2:00 - 33.91, 33.38

warm down

I tried out my new suit today because I wanted to get a gauge on how it would feel. It feels slippery, as if I had shaved down. It's basically a full body paper suit. My stroke count was down about 1 stroke per length across the board. I'm glad I tried it and got some times in it because I would have had no idea where I was at, pace-wise at nationals. That, and my strokes are a bit different in it. Breaststroke in particular is more slidey.

My initial goal on the broken 200 was to go ~400 IM pace feel. That went out the window when I took off on the fly. I swam the fly and breast harder than I'll go in the 400 IM. Back and free were closer to the right effort. Back was ~1-2s faster than my 400 IM goal 50 splits. Free was close to ideal as far as feel goes -- cranking it out with whatever I have left. As far as time goes, I would love to split 29s on the free. That would beat the heck out of my goal splits of 31s. I am wishing I would have signed up for the 200 IM. My broken 200 IM times are usually real close to my race swims, and I'm pretty sure now I could go a 2:03/2:04 at nationals. Oh well, another year I guess.

I threw in the breast swims because it's the most finicky stroke for me and I have to keep on it. And it changes a bit with the full body suit. Actually, if I swim it correctly with the suit on -- flatter and working on going forward vs up and down -- it feels pretty awesome because I feel like I'm really sliding forward. If I let myself get too much amplitude, I lose a lot of the benefit.

I noticed something about my breaststroke catch today, too. Sometimes I try to sweep out and up a little, and I bob my chest down when I do that. When I'm doing it right, I'm pressing down more and almost starting to curl my fingers (and hands, and then forearms) down toward the bottom of the pool.