Swimmer's Group (Olympic Distance Animals) - OPEN (Page 13)

It is a very large pool without lane ropes....approximately 8 lanes wide but they have youth swim lessons in each corner, rendering only the middle 4 "lanes" available to adult lap swimmers.  Only a few other times have I had to share a lane, and since there were only 2 of us, we just split the lane.  This time there were already 2 people in each "lane" so we had to circle swim which I've never done before.  Clearly I was doing it wrong, etiquette wise.

I know it seems like no big deal when you're used to swimming and pool culture, but it was very stressful to me, to the point I couldn't think about anything else except where the other swimmers were.  My form began to suffer as I was taking my eyes out too frequently to "sight" other swimmers.

I also swim at my gym's pool, which is very small and short and full of kids doing cannonballs and using floaties...maybe I'll stick there for a while until I'm more competent.  I guess I feel like I'm cheating at that gym because I get to push off the wall so frequently...

-Jacki

Hey Jackie,

The big-pool experience sounds yucky.  I only have swum laps at pools that have roped-off lanes and do occasionally share.  My gym does not post rules but I've been told while waiting for a lane that folks have to share.  I know how you feel about wanting to get all your strokes in.

At least you will gain open-water swimming experience in your pool.

David

MUCH better workout today.

Great run, decent swim.  My times were nothing to brag about, since I am just in the volume building stage....but tonight was the longest continuous run I've ever done in my life  at 44 minutes!!

then I decided to hit the pool, just take it real easy since my legs would be tired and just work on drills and building my confidence.  that went pretty well and swam for 31 minutes.  I went to the "kids pool "today and definitely feel much more comfortable and confident there.

QUESTION ABOUT STRENGTH AND CORE TRAINING:

I generally don't do enough strength training, but I did do a chest/back workout today.  I've noticed that EVERY time I'm doing a back exercise it is NEVER my back that fatigues, but always my arms.  I never end up with that sore worked over feeling either (you know the good sore...)  Does this mean I am doing it wrong?  Or is this typical? Or does it mean I have a strong back? (doubtful...)

also, for core training anyone have any good favorite core workouts? Short video or links on youtube? My core workout is really stagnant...

Hey everybody!

Out of town the past few days on business so thought I had better check in!  Welcome to the group Jackie! Lots of stuff shaking down since I was last on here. Congrats to Felicity, Jason and David on your races! Awesome!! Training is still going well. Swimming continues to improve and I am feeling stronger and more confident all the time. I learn something every session and am really, I think, fine tuning my technique. Speaking of which...I read an article here about a guy who is doing 13 strokes per length??? What do you guys do? Shoot I am somewhere between 29-31 which I know is too much and that is one of the items I have been working on my last couple of swim sessions. Jason any drills a guy could do to maximize efficiency? 

Jacki when I first started swimming I to was constantly running out of breath. I took a swim clinic this past January and we were videoed underwater and I learned then that I was using my legs way to much. Kicking way to deep, from the knees and way to many repetitions. I found the pull buoy an excellent tool to help me with that as I am developing my upper body and stroke. There are some really good swim lessons on the site here and I encourage you to read these and watch the videos. I found them really helpful. For me I try to focus on one thing at a time as trying to piece it all together all at once is to much for me. But then I am a guy and we typically don't multi task very well!!  A good website for strength training is... 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

They detail all kinds of exercises and have videos to show you how they are to be done. Maybe Jason can give you some good starting exercises and then you can look them up on this site and see how to perform them. Technique over weight is everything. If technique is poor and your using to much weight, that is just an accident waiting to happen.

Next item on the agenda...read Jason's blog!! Sounds exciting!  Happy training all!!             Howard

I'm consistantly 11 or 12 strokes every lap. If I really use the walls and my underwater kick I could easily do 10, but I don't focus on that to much. The goal is to maximize distance per stroke while also maintaining speed. Strokes per length will vary for every individual, but distance swimmers and typically triathletes will want to be in the 11-15 range I'd say. If you can cover the same distance in the same amount of time with less strokes you are swimming more efficient and will have more left in the tank for the bike. If you dont already I recommend getting yourself some paddles. Use these with the pull buoy and swim a lot of 25s! Each 25 try and take less strokes than the one before and really concentrate on your underwater pull. When I see a high stroke count like that I can almost guarantee your underwater pull is he problem. Either your not pulling under your body, your way to shallow, you are turning the palm of your hands at some point (you will know this by the paddles), or a big one people dont realize is the pull is not just grabbing water with your hand. To many people bend their wrists and assume the pull is initiated by the hand and that's all they pull with. This is incorrect, from your elbow to the tip of your fingers should be straight and you want to grab the water with your hand and forearm at the same time. This will maximize the amount of water you grab. Also make sure you are finishing your stroke past your hip. Dont cheat yourself and stop the pull early or even slow your pull before you get to your hip. A drill to work on this would be over exaggerating the finishing pull by literally flicking the water when you finish your pull past your hip. Other good drills to lengthen would be catch up drill and 6 kick switch (6 kicks on each side of your body with arm extended out in front. Got to get ready for work, but have some more things to say in regards to lifting and other things will do later haha. 

hmmm....if jason is doing 11-12 SPL and other swimmers in the group are doing 25+ I'd guess I'm doing about 100....actually I have no idea...I'm just kidding.  I should count, but I am thinking about so many other things underwater that whenever I try to think about something new I either stop kicking, stop breathing, stop looking at the bottom etc.

STRENGTH AND CORE: My typical workout would be something like

CORE:

regular crunches: 25x3

bicycle kicks: 20x3

scissor kicks: 60x3

incline cruches: 20x3

incline reverse crunches: 10x3

STRENGTH:

Pushups as many as I can 3x with a 90 second rest. usually something like: 22-19-15

assisted pull up 10x3 but usually the last set I can only get 8 or 9.  

Assisted dip 10x3

Lat Pull down 12 x 3

Row/Rear Delt 12x3

Pec Fly 15x3

Incline Press 12x3

I don't usually mess with the free weights too much, only because that's where all the steroid using guys stare at themselves in the mirror and pat eachother on the back...They scream obscenities at the end of their sets and frequently drop the weights with a loud crash...you know typical male gorilla beating their chest kinda behavior...So I hang around the machines where other people who are more like myself seem to congregate.

I'll check out those videos!

OK- going out for my long ride now.  Great weather today...

Jackie the strength workout doesn't look like a bad start, but you will really see gains from adding free weights to your routine. Free weight will engage your core and other body parts because of the required balance which will in turn cause your muscles to work harder and become more fully developed. The machines can sometimes limit range of motion resulting in targeted muscles not being worked properly. Below is my strength training routine;

Day 1 (Chest & Back):

Core Exercises - 5-7 sets of 25 with a variety of exercises (always change)

Flat Bench Barbell Press - 4x8

Incline Bench Dumbbell Press - 3x10

Cable Pec Flys - 3x10

Pull Ups - 3x AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible)

Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 3x10 each arm

Deadlifts - 3x10

Day 2 (Shoulders & Legs):

Core Exercises - 5-7 sets of 25 with a variety of exercises (always change)

Military Dumbbell Presses - 4x8

Standing Barbell Rows - 3x10

Super Set 3x {8 Reps Side Lateral DumbbellRaises & 8 Reps Front Lateral Dumbbell Raises}

Arnold Presses - 3x10

Squats - 2x20

Single Leg Presses - 2x20

Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x20

Calf Raises - 2x20

Hamstring Curls - 2x20

Leg Extensions - 1xTill Exhaustion

Day 3 (Biceps & Triceps):

Core Exercises - 5-7 sets of 25 with a variety of exercises (always change)

Barbell Curls - 4x8

Seated Single Arm Dumbbell Curls - 3x10 each side

21's w/ Barbell - 3 x 21

Cable Tricep Presses - 3x10

Close Grip Flat Bench Barbell Presses - 3x10

Weighted Dips - 3x10

I think that about covers it. I try to do 3x a week. During the season it is tough to fit in so I tend to do 2x a week and shift exercises around (Shoulders to Day 1 and Legs to Day 3). I may do this workout for a 4-6 weeks then for 2 weeks I will do the 300 Workout and then back to the above. The 300 Workout is as follows:

25 Pullups

50 Deadlifts @ 135lbs

50 Pushups

50 Box Jumps w/ 24" Box

50 Floorwipers @ 135lbs

50 Clean and Press @ 36lb kettleball (25 each arm)

25 Pullups

Complete all these exercises back to back as fast as possible with little to no rest. It is supposed to be timed. Each time try to get it done faster! Probably one of the toughest full body workouts I have ever done and you will not want to run through it again after you are done. I will do that 2-3x a week for 2 weeks.

That is exactly why I concentrate on only one or two things at a time or I start to sink! Really though I find it to much to incorporate everything at once...just to much to remember and concentrate on. Even if you broke your workout into halves and concentrate on one thing each half that might help. When working out keep your reps to 10, for sure less than 12 for the large muscle groups. The fast twitch muscles get all kinds of work when doing cardio now you are working the slow twitch fibre of your muscle and it will develop faster with less reps, more weight and performing the exercise slower.   Howard 

BIKE RACE THIS MORNING!!!!! 2nd Race in the PA BAR series which I am currently 3rd overall. Hopefully my teammates can bring me to the line and give me a chance to win or at least keep it in the top 3. Course is 2.5 miles and Cat4 is doing 20 miles. First half is pretty much all downhill with a sharp 90 degree turn at the bottom (need to be one of the first through this turn each lap cause it can be dangerous at the back of pack). 2nd half of lap is, yup you guessed it, a long very gradual uphill. Fairly easy uphill until the finish where there is a small kicker, but will be crucial point in race each lap and especially finish. Right now we don't have any plans except stay at front. We will see how the race plays out and what teams are there and who wants to play. I feel confident that I have a good shot with a bunch sprint up the hill, but this is a good course for a breakaway and I have a teammate who is like a diesel engine, the man can go for hours and hold a wicked pace. Race report will follow! 

After the race it will be back on the bike this afternoon to spin out and get ready for tomorrow which is first triathlon of year. Small local sprint and just using to test the fitness. I obviously haven't tapered at all for this race, but for a sprint i shouldnt have to. Really interested to see what kind of 5k I can put out. I should have the top swim and top 3 bike, but there are some really fast locals who do this race for fun and they can run with the best of them! Goal is go hard and bury myself!

Weekend Update:

Probably won't get to write the race reports till tomorrow, so I will give the quick and dirty to you all and looks for the fun and details tomorrow sometime. 

SoYoCo Road Race on Saturday. My teammate and I established a 8 man breakaway. The finish had a small kicker and I was over geared and miss shifted at the finish. Ended up 8th.. happens, otherwise good race.

Today was Hempfield Sprint Tri. Small local race but some real fast guys that show up. I was untapered and legs were a little heavy from the race the day before plus came back and did another hour on the Tri bike afterwards. Pool swim, I started 6th and had 5th fastest swim. On the bike I put the hammer down and quickly found myself at the front. By then end of the 16 miles I had given myself a very nice lead coming into T2. Had the 2nd fastest split with an average of 23.4 mph. Set out on the run and set the pace early. At the turn around I saw a guy I know who is a beast closing fast. About a mile from the finish he caught me and I tried to hang with him, but to no avail. He had the fastest 5k with an average pace of 5:22/mile. We really distanced ourselves and I finished with 3rd fastest run split 6:06/mile. I ended up 2nd OVERALL by more than 3 minutes. And to top it off I won $60 for that placing, so I took my wife out for breakfast afterwards!

Wow Jason--The Sprint Tri winner really cooked it on the run.

This week is a recovery week.  I didn't quite reach my goals last week or the week before but got pretty close.  I will follow the recovery routine anyway; that way I can hit the two weeks afterwards hard (hopefully) and then taper for my May 19 Olympic.

I ended up resting on Saturday after a pretty hard three-day stretch.  Medium-long swim and medium run on WED; hard 1.5 hr trainer ride and racquetball on THU; and long swim and medium-long run on FRI (or course my definitions are relative).  My legs as well as most of the rest of my body were tired Saturday.

I rode 1.5 hours today in some crazy wind; we were visiting my wife's father and I rode on a 55mph highway that has wide, clean emergency lanes and it turned out to be a pretty good course.  One stretch took me 40 minutes out (into the wind and maybe a slight overall uphill ride) and took 22 minutes on the return.

I plan to give the paddles a try in the pool next time.  I think I lose some water on my pull; especially with my left hand.

David

Yeah I am back.....I have been doing some cyberstalking in the past few days...but hadn't managed to get my race report up on the Hill to Harbour.

So if you are interested in my modest efforts it is now up.

Jason...you are setting a cracking start the the Northern season . Good on you.

After injry and illness, I am currently well, so have managed to train pretty much every day since last Tuesday. My arms are a bit sore from a group training session (pump), but I feel I am starting to get back to where I was. Cairns is coming along very quickly and my concern has been about my endurance, so this is my aim over the next few weeks.

I did get onto the bike and did an outdoor ride (25km) first time since spraining my back. This felt fairly easy and I enjoyed it.

Today, I went for a run, was thinking I need to practice my 10k runs. As I did not have GPS watch and can't bear to have the phone with me.. I just winged it...Have now mapped the run and found out I did 12.5km...WOW! Any wonder I was tired at the end....So now I know I can run non-stop for 1hr and 15mins.... 

Also decided to register for a Sprint Tri for next weekend in Penrith...its the first one I ever did (a women specific one), so I will be able to gauge whether I have improved since Nov. I also need to get some race practice as I have only done a couple of sprints.

Hope everyone has a great week.

well done jason and flossybach (By the way, flossybach, are you a dental person? I am a RDH)

had a decent swim workout last night.  only did drills.

was finally able to get a SPL count...took me several tries before I could get an accurate count where I felt like my form didn't suffer due to the mental effort of counting (normally while swimming I am intently focusing on my stroke, so counting is a "new" thing to think about).

anyways I got 15-14-16-14 SPL in 4 different 25 meter swims with a 8 breath (20 sec) rest  in between.  I was surprised, it wasn't too bad.  Just to double check that I did it right-I'm supposed to count each time a hand enters the water, right?

I am pretty sure I am still overkicking, but even though I KNOW that, it isn't as simple as just telling myself to slow down on the kicking.  I did a few stroke only (no kick) drills and I'm pretty sure my SPL was nearly double.

-jacki

RACE REPORTS ARE POSTED!!!! (includes picture of race rig)

http://swimbikerundrink.blogspot.com/

Jackie, that is a great start to a stroke count! Keep that up and try to develop and stronger pull. Kicking is crucial to help keep your balance when swimming, but yes over kicking can be a bad thing. The problem is there is no one correct answer to kicking. Take me for instance, I don't really kick and pretty much just drag my feet along for the ride. Maybe you will get one or two small kicks ever 4 strokes or so but that is pretty much it. 

Big weekend Jason! Congrats on the second place finish! To bad about the bike race. Hard to fathom one slipped gear and your toast, I would have found that very frustrating! Is the next race an OLY? By the way, that is a sic ride my friend! NICE (in my best Aussie accent )!

Jackie can't believe that stroke count! That is fantastic! I am off to buy some paddles today and give them a whirl in the pool tonight. If they help me as much as the pull bouy has I should be in good shape for my tri's this year.

Felicity nice run! You have come a long ways since the new year! Glad the back is feeling better!

Cheers,     Howard

Gave the paddles a go last night and the concensus is that they are going to help! I found that I wasn't pulling back all the way with my left hand and doing a slight turn to the inside. Took a bit to get used to for sure but over all enjoyed using them. I started off using them with the pull bouy so I could concentrate on my pull more and then swam with them for a few lengths. It felt almost comical after taking them off and swimming "normally" as your hand just ripped through the water. Looking forward to seeing some good results in the future.

My heart and prayers go out to all those affected by the bombing at the Boston marathon. What a horrible thing to have happened.         Howard

Great job with the paddles Howard, how did your arms feel the next day? I have looked attraining devices for swimming, but not sure if they would work....I do remember training as a kid with rubber bands wrapped around our ankles....that was a killer on the arms!

My training over the past couple of weeks, has been really good. I have managed to consistently do something each day, and have started to do some work on the indoor bike trainer and treadmill, as daylight saving has ended! I made a spur of the moment decision to do another womens only sprint tri which is next weekend, so hope that I have improved over the past few months despite the setbacks. My running has def improved by along shot....so fingers crossed.

You have really over come some hurdles lately and your run is looking really good! No problems with the arms or shoulders, but I weight train as well and have a pretty strong supper body. In fact just increased the weight in most of my exercises the past couple of weeks. Hitting the pool again tonight and will see how it goes. Really going to concentrate on my pull again and see if I can't get my stroke count down. Signed up again for another session of super spin classes that will take me to mid June. I figured it should get me over our Spring slump, lots of snow and cool temps. I will then use this session for my interval training and get in a long ride later on in the week to help build endurance. Been a solid week of training thus far for me too and it feels good!        Howard

Felicity - Awesome to hear you are making so good progress. Sounds like mentally you are much more focused and having fun! Keep it up!

Howard - Glad to hear the paddles are working. I typically only use my paddles with my pull bouy, helps you really focus in on the pull and body position.

As for me, legs have been feeling sluggish the last couple of days. Last night was our weekly Wednesday Worlds training crit. Goal was to sit in, up the pace here and there and then go for the sprint. I love these training races cause it allows me to play around with different tactics. I feel like I have a really strong sprint, but have not really got a good chance to test it. I always seem to try and go off the front, sometimes get caught and then sprint with whatever I have left which still sees me passing people. So i figured why not give it a go and see how I fare with a 'fresh' sprint! A couple guys tried to go off the front and I would let them dangle then move to the front to reel them in. I had one teammate riding with me and on the last lap about a 1/2 mile fromt he line he asked if I was going to jump on his wheel and he would lead me out. The road is a slight uphill, then short downhill followed by gradual uphill to the finish. We were 1 and 2 in the paceline and he set a fast pace going up the first roller. No one even had a chance to make an attack. I stuck to his wheel and when he looked as if he was starting to fade I yelled to him to hold on just a little longer. At that moment he put his head down and picked up the pace again at the base of the hill to the finish. I didn't want to go to early and right before I am about to go the rider sitting on my wheel starts his sprint. I had a feeling he had gone to early so I opened up my sprint and eventually caught him, blew by him and got the win! After i crossed the line and looked back, there was no one even close. I think that solidifies my thought of whether or not I am a good sprinter. Last night I only got 4 hours of sleep (thanks to my lovely wife) and got up to hit up the pool (which was average). I got in a quick lift then ran down to the track. My legs felt pretty good, but I knew I was tired so didn't expect much. Hammered out 2x [2 miles @ 10k, 1 mile @ 5k, 800m @ faster than 5k]. Pacing was good and feel like I am right where I'm supposed to be! We are heading to the cabin this weekend for my wife Bday with friends so I excited to relax by the fire, fish, shoot some clay pigeons and of course DRINK SOME BEEEEEEER!!!