I feel good these days, getting into the pool. The trepidation seems to have ebbed and my confidence is bolstered with the new techniques that I am learning.
Today started off with a lot of drills, 400m of alternating 25m sets. I really liked the one arm drills with a few strokes devoted to watching the entry of my hand and the angle of my arm. I never look forward in the water... it was really pretty.
As soon as drills were over, I started right into the first of three sets of 400m. This one I wanted to take smoothly, not necessarily slowly, but I wanted to feel quiet in the water, easy. I feel like I accomplished this. The second set, after 30s rest, was intended to be a bit stronger and I felt good going into it. I tried to check back in with myself throughout the set to see how I felt and also how fast/strong I felt I was going. Finally, the last set. I tried to maintain instead of power out. I envisioned swimming this pace as the last leg of my race, wanting to come out of the water ready to get on the bike and ride.
The last part before cool down consisted of two 100m sets with 10s rest, hard. I really felt like this was a reasonable attempt. I let the fatigue catch up to me, I didn't rest more than 10s after each (jumped right into my cool down after the second set) and I tried to focus on my form when I started to get really tired. Overall, good swim.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Swim with Purpose
Today's swim was a good experience. I started out with 100m mixed & 200m drills. Chose to focus on arm entry & high elbows for 3/4 of the drills and did underwater switch for 50m as well. This was a totally different experience then it has been because I was thinking about the line of my arms being at shoulder width instead of along the centerline. I felt like my catch and pull were more reliable. I also felt that this week my swim workouts have been very beneficial on the "calm" front, especially when compared to my freak out last week.
Ten minute straight swim easy with sighting 3x every 50m. I kept my arms at shoulder width, focused on reaching over the barrel, kept my head down and thought about being a cylinder in the water. I allowed myself to easily glide through the water and thought about returning to neutral as quickly as possible after a sighting. Sighting was easier than I expected, though I'm sure I can economize more by lifting my head less.
Second set consisted of 5x50 at medium-hard. The suggested pacing was 55s. This is fast. I did the first two on 55 (with zero rest time) and the third came it at 55, but I waited 10 seconds to start the fourth set. Four came in at 58, five seconds rest and fifth came in at 55, but I was really beaten for it. I wanted to make sure that I felt the fatigue come into play, I also wanted to make sure that I relied on my training and form to keep me going strong, the more tired I got, the more focused on form and maintaining the "cylinder" I tried to be.
Final set was another 10 minute straight swim, with sighting 3x every 50m, but this one was supposed to be at race pace (medium). I feel like I accomplished this. Well, except for the sighting. I kept forgetting to sight. I probably practiced sighting 5x in the whole 10mins. Nevertheless, I felt like my speed was within range and my form was good. I felt like I allowed the fatigue to catch up to me and then I swam through it. I got to the wall at exactly 9mins and felt good about giving that last 50m the last of what I had. Knowing that I would be cooling down after it was over gave me an extra boost.
Overall, I felt like I accomplished a lot of what I set out to accomplish in this swim. I feel like I was able to swim calmly and think about my kick being efficient and my arms being part of my body, as opposed to operating on their own. I kept my elbows high and my head low. I let the fatigue catch up to me and I didn't freak out. One thing I do want to get better at is counting my laps. I have no idea how far I swam today.
Ten minute straight swim easy with sighting 3x every 50m. I kept my arms at shoulder width, focused on reaching over the barrel, kept my head down and thought about being a cylinder in the water. I allowed myself to easily glide through the water and thought about returning to neutral as quickly as possible after a sighting. Sighting was easier than I expected, though I'm sure I can economize more by lifting my head less.
Second set consisted of 5x50 at medium-hard. The suggested pacing was 55s. This is fast. I did the first two on 55 (with zero rest time) and the third came it at 55, but I waited 10 seconds to start the fourth set. Four came in at 58, five seconds rest and fifth came in at 55, but I was really beaten for it. I wanted to make sure that I felt the fatigue come into play, I also wanted to make sure that I relied on my training and form to keep me going strong, the more tired I got, the more focused on form and maintaining the "cylinder" I tried to be.
Final set was another 10 minute straight swim, with sighting 3x every 50m, but this one was supposed to be at race pace (medium). I feel like I accomplished this. Well, except for the sighting. I kept forgetting to sight. I probably practiced sighting 5x in the whole 10mins. Nevertheless, I felt like my speed was within range and my form was good. I felt like I allowed the fatigue to catch up to me and then I swam through it. I got to the wall at exactly 9mins and felt good about giving that last 50m the last of what I had. Knowing that I would be cooling down after it was over gave me an extra boost.
Overall, I felt like I accomplished a lot of what I set out to accomplish in this swim. I feel like I was able to swim calmly and think about my kick being efficient and my arms being part of my body, as opposed to operating on their own. I kept my elbows high and my head low. I let the fatigue catch up to me and I didn't freak out. One thing I do want to get better at is counting my laps. I have no idea how far I swam today.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Brick Workout
I am very proud of myself for this workout. I feel that I went out with a plan and I stuck to it. I hydrated well, I had good nutrition, I had a short transition. I felt that this workout really showed me a lot about how much I've grown, even just since the duathlon in March.
I felt so proud of myself for riding well, getting into the drops frequently, maintaining speed on hills and accelerating well. I spun my legs out a couple of times, stood up to stretch a couple of times, was thoughtful about my gearing and rode hard when it was appropriate. I feel like my bike handling skills have improved and I make smarter decisions while riding. I am much more at ease with the water bottle, with gear changes (and knowing which gear I'm in and how that affects my speed) and with my overall form. I feel that a great deal of this is thanks to my Cycleops trainer and Coach Troy.
The run was also very good. I was proud of myself for sticking with the intervals, they were difficult. I was also proud of myself for accurately keeping an eye on the clock - I was in multisport mode in order to track my transition time, and so I couldn't program intervals into the watch. I am much more in tune with my body when it comes to my ability to hit and maintain a certain pace. The first set of intervals were difficult, mostly because I was tired. The second set of intervals, however, were incredibly difficult. This was due not only to fatigue, which wasn't (oddly) as bad at this point, but due to cramping and physical discomfort. I also felt thirsty through this set and really should have stopped for water once when I wanted to, but decided against it. Finally, when I reached the tempo portion of the run, I was just going on training. I was depending on my body to know the cadence and stick to it, which it did for the most part. I was also very focused during this section. I focused on the finish line. I focused on maintaining good form. I focused on breathing and body position. I focused on cadence and pacing.
Overall, like I said, I am very proud of my work today. Thanks to a friend, I was able to transition very smoothly, in 1:09. We joked afterward that it would have been under a minute if my earring hadn't fallen off... which is true.
I felt so proud of myself for riding well, getting into the drops frequently, maintaining speed on hills and accelerating well. I spun my legs out a couple of times, stood up to stretch a couple of times, was thoughtful about my gearing and rode hard when it was appropriate. I feel like my bike handling skills have improved and I make smarter decisions while riding. I am much more at ease with the water bottle, with gear changes (and knowing which gear I'm in and how that affects my speed) and with my overall form. I feel that a great deal of this is thanks to my Cycleops trainer and Coach Troy.
The run was also very good. I was proud of myself for sticking with the intervals, they were difficult. I was also proud of myself for accurately keeping an eye on the clock - I was in multisport mode in order to track my transition time, and so I couldn't program intervals into the watch. I am much more in tune with my body when it comes to my ability to hit and maintain a certain pace. The first set of intervals were difficult, mostly because I was tired. The second set of intervals, however, were incredibly difficult. This was due not only to fatigue, which wasn't (oddly) as bad at this point, but due to cramping and physical discomfort. I also felt thirsty through this set and really should have stopped for water once when I wanted to, but decided against it. Finally, when I reached the tempo portion of the run, I was just going on training. I was depending on my body to know the cadence and stick to it, which it did for the most part. I was also very focused during this section. I focused on the finish line. I focused on maintaining good form. I focused on breathing and body position. I focused on cadence and pacing.
Overall, like I said, I am very proud of my work today. Thanks to a friend, I was able to transition very smoothly, in 1:09. We joked afterward that it would have been under a minute if my earring hadn't fallen off... which is true.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Muscle Breakdown!
Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch.
Ah, Coach Troy... you and your 4sec/4sec accelerations. Ha! Those are funny. Not.
I have my heart rate data for this ride. I really poured it on, even when I didn't feel like I could (mostly). All I could hear was Coach Troy and YJ telling me to go harder. I really wanted to make sure that this was hard. No more gray-area training. Hard when it's hard and easy when it's easy. This was hard.
I'm excited about my brick on Saturday.
Ah, Coach Troy... you and your 4sec/4sec accelerations. Ha! Those are funny. Not.
I have my heart rate data for this ride. I really poured it on, even when I didn't feel like I could (mostly). All I could hear was Coach Troy and YJ telling me to go harder. I really wanted to make sure that this was hard. No more gray-area training. Hard when it's hard and easy when it's easy. This was hard.
I'm excited about my brick on Saturday.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Z2 in the Park... almost
I tried to just be consistent and do the work. I tried to keep my heart rate low and run modestly. I tried to do all of these things and yet, my heart rate still crept into z3 more that I would like. Possible culprits:
- Much warmer out then I have dealt with to date
- Didn't take my inhaler beforehand (though I didn't have any lung issues either)
- Trying out a new mechanical method - leg pulling forward from glutes (this was an easy new move to adopt)
- Running around the loop means lots of hills
- Double set of Plyo to start set heart rate at 155 before running
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Fantastic Swim
I just swam over 1.6 miles! You know what the best part about that is? I didn't feel, at any point, like it couldn't be done.
Another thing that feels good? I finished the swim, which included pauses and drills, plus warm up and cool down, in 73 minutes.
I implemented some new thoughts today that I think really helped lead to success. The first was the direction and depth of my arm into the water. The second was the idea of moving my body forward to meet my hand, as opposed to pushing my hand down through the water. Finally, more a physical change than purely mental, I changed my arm position to allow my hand to enter closer to shoulder width, and not above my head. This one change lead to easier stroke, smoother catch and more efficient pull. And I didn't feel half as exhausted as I normally do.
What's more, there was a woman in my lane who was swimming continuous laps. She wasn't slow. I felt strong and streamlined as I caught up to her multiple times, and though I felt I was going at a more leisurely pace than usual, my body was skimming through the water in a much better way.
I did get a few cramps in my feet, which I swam through. A couple of charlie-horse cramps in my calf, specifically the right one. I also swam through these, except for the last one, which I got in the first lap of my cool down. I switched from breast stroke to back stroke to alleviate this pain.
Another new thing that I did was feed myself mid-swim. I made it through 450, 400 and 350 before feeding myself a packet of GU. Then proceeded through the remaining ladder. I really felt tired, as in my muscles were spent, at the 100m ladder rung, but the final 50m I swam proudly and in 1:03.
I felt very strong and happy today. Truly a good experience.
Another thing that feels good? I finished the swim, which included pauses and drills, plus warm up and cool down, in 73 minutes.
I implemented some new thoughts today that I think really helped lead to success. The first was the direction and depth of my arm into the water. The second was the idea of moving my body forward to meet my hand, as opposed to pushing my hand down through the water. Finally, more a physical change than purely mental, I changed my arm position to allow my hand to enter closer to shoulder width, and not above my head. This one change lead to easier stroke, smoother catch and more efficient pull. And I didn't feel half as exhausted as I normally do.
What's more, there was a woman in my lane who was swimming continuous laps. She wasn't slow. I felt strong and streamlined as I caught up to her multiple times, and though I felt I was going at a more leisurely pace than usual, my body was skimming through the water in a much better way.
I did get a few cramps in my feet, which I swam through. A couple of charlie-horse cramps in my calf, specifically the right one. I also swam through these, except for the last one, which I got in the first lap of my cool down. I switched from breast stroke to back stroke to alleviate this pain.
Another new thing that I did was feed myself mid-swim. I made it through 450, 400 and 350 before feeding myself a packet of GU. Then proceeded through the remaining ladder. I really felt tired, as in my muscles were spent, at the 100m ladder rung, but the final 50m I swam proudly and in 1:03.
I felt very strong and happy today. Truly a good experience.
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Delightful Day Off
Today was wonderful. I spent a good amount of my day relaxing. Easy morning, gentle wake-up, enjoyed some down time, went to Jack Rabbit, ate good food, watched a movie, bought some groceries. I was very grateful for the mental break.
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