Fred D Mentor Group Part III (Page 107)

Haha! I'm getting used to it quick enough. Wondering how the smaller people handle it. Probably good to help the kids teams get moving along though!

Glad you are back up and at 'em! I know sick, and sick sucks. Especially for active athletes, I think.

Good answers in Tri Talk. It makes me really happy that you keep fighting the good fight.

Yeah multipurpose pools are usually a little warmer.  I think for swim meets they're supposed to be 77-82.  50m pools are usually on the colder side.

The one I swam at they kept at 80..until summer then all bets were off given that it was outdoors in Tucson.  There were folks who would not get in at all if it was under 80.  I complained about 80.  I'd have liked 78 but yeah, hanging out relaxing is not what you want to do.  I want it to take a lap or two to feel ok but too cold when you first get in

The pools I use are generally 81-83.  I prefer about 78-79.

Ben - our competition pool at Auburn is kept rock solid at 80 degrees, our warm up pool is 81. I love 80 swimming in 80 degrees but you are right, there are never too many lounging around in the pool. They are either swimming or out. The YMCA where I swim is typically about a billion degrees.

Chris - awesome set! I don't think I could swim 100 IN 1:20, much less ON 1:20 right now. I think that would quickly turn into 200 straight through for me, and probably take 3:00...

Arend - I thought I was the only one that thinks treadmills are evil. Any time I run on one I feel beat to shyte. I never really understood how our fearless-but-silent leader runs all those miles on a treadmill. That hospital treadmill must have magical powers.

8 miles easy for me today - 4 miles I'm low base, the rest in high base. Low base running stinks.

Cool! I hadn't looked at my year totals until I read your post Now I have some goals!

Good luck!!!!   300K annual is a solid total (and one I think every triathlete should be swimming  )

Pool temperature is what sent me out of the Y and looking for another option. Turns out the best one for me all along was right under my nose, for less money, I just hadn't looked closely enough. I get to swim in a university pool where the water is supposed to be 81 constantly. I was told this is the NCAA standard. Whatever they do, actual lane lines and lack of boiling water were enough for me. 

Come to think of it, it's time for me to get back to the pool. I have been away for a while now, which is somewhat intentional. I need badly to correct my stroke. With no events on the near horizon, I can start over from ground zero and do all the drills and learning I never did the first time around. 

For those of you who were not born fish...have you actively had to work on ankle flexibility to help your swimming?  My ankle flexibility is horrible, and something I always plan on improving, but for some reason never do.  I've looked online and found some simple stretches...but it never seems to come up in any discussions.  Is it that people do them and just don't talk about it...or am I just an outlier in the population because I can't kick to save my life?

If you have done these type of stretches, how often are you doing them, and how long did it take you to see a noticeable difference? 

Doubtful many people really do them with any consistency, or much at all. I might here and there, but mostly just sit/kneel on my feet. Not sure that stretching is that effective anyway. Maybe for some? More vigorous kicking could help. Especially if done with flippers. I don't kick often enough for it to be tremendously effective though.

Rudy really needs to come back and read my HITS Palm Springs race report.  I think I did him proud

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=471406&posts=1&start=1

Jason, my kick is also weak/non-existant. I grew up riding horses which incorporates a leg/foot position of heels down/toes up. My ankle flexibility is good but 180° in the wrong direction. The masters coach had suggested trying to stretch the front of the foot/ankle but I've never really done anything about it. Her recommendation was to sit on the floor, knees bent and toes pointed behind you. 

Would love to hear more from the Fish on kick....and not just from a tri perspective. I'm also trying to learn dolphin kick, which so far has mostly been an exercise in not drowning. 

Living in Oregon I had a treadmill.  I bought it to train for a spring marathon cause it is a tiny bit rainy in Oregon.  16 miles on the treadmill might be why I hate it so much.  I was only running on it 1 or 2 times a year by the time I sold it.  My dog used it more.  But, I must admit, it would be nice to have for the early morning short runs right now since there are no street lights or anything here.

I do kick with fins.  For a while, I was starting every swim with 200-300 yards of kicking with fins.  Didn't really help that much becuase my fins would still point downwards.  The good kickers in my masters class can dust me while I'm using fins and they are not.  And it's not like my legs are weak either...LOL.

My goal in improving ankle flexibility is not really to become a "good" kicker...but to simply reduce drag.  Without my fins...without pushing off the wall, or taking a stroke now and then...I literally do not move when kicking.  I try to point my toes...but still to no avail.  I have to believe my ankle flexibility is so poor that I'm not actually pushing any water backward while kicking.  And I would be a much faster swimmer if I simply did not have feet.

Chris, great race report but more importantly belated congrats on a fantastic race. 

My short runs are still...really short. So I've been doing them on the treadmill right after I swim. Since it's usually only 10 -20 minutes I don't mind. One less thing to think about and it's done.

I cap myself at an hour on the treadmill.  Anything longer and I'm soaked in sweat and it's pretty gross when other people are watching and sweat droplets are flying off my elbows and shorts.

If I remember correctly, TJ always recommends the longer fins and not Zoomers for ankle flexibility.

Your kick problems almost sound like it's a problem with your kick technique rather than just the ankles.  This post on TJ's website completely changed how I think about the kick - the soccer kick analogy really struck me and I'm a better kicker now than I ever was when I swam.   He also says not zoomers on there.

Agreed, 300k is no joke!  I'm at 245k and this is by the far the most I've swum in a year since I started tris.  Good luck with it, you can do it!