kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 180)

Love it!  It's wonderful that your kids are involved.  Can't wait to do the same with mine.  They're too young right now.  Kevin takes Conrad running with him sometimes, but Conrad hates it.  

3500 in the pool this morning.  Improved times from last week, so that's good.  Lower body strength after.  I have a recovery run scheduled for this afternoon.  We need to decorate our tree tonight.  

The younger boys messed with the magnets on my trainer (Cyclops Mag), and I spent an eternity trying to fix it yesterday.  Grr.  I had it set perfectly.  Anyone else have a mag trainer?  If so, how to do like your settings?  

Swim test this morning.  Felt like death the last of the 800s.  Still put up a decent time.  25 minute jog afterwards. 

So I've been to the gym, Toys R Us and now working.  Productive morning so far. 

Oh my gosh .... I don't even know what my swim test is when I get it ... how many 800's did you have?

Why can't there be more 100's lap pools so the counting and the boredom is easier???

200 w/u, 3 x 800, 200 c/d.  Blech.  LOL.

I am soooooo looking forward to boarding a plane on the 22nd to Miami.  New places to run, relaxing while my parents watch the kids, and hours of listening to my Dad tell me how ugly my new race kit is.

As with all tests, it doesn't matter where you do it as long as you can consitently repeat it.  So if you use a loop or an out and back, just make sure its a loop or an out and back you can use again. 

Nice job!

I ended up running 2 5Ks last night.  HTC sponsored a track meet and there weren't a lot of people in the slower 5K heats so I paced the two slowest heats.  I really like pacing, I just worry that the people I'm pacing will want to hurt me because I keep chirping the entire time. 

I love short course pools.  Flip turns make the swim so much faster. 

The 800 swim test is 3 x 800.  Each 800 should be at best sustainable effort.  What youre looking for is the drop off in pace among the 800s.  If there is a really small drop off in time you know the limiter is strength or technique, if there is a big drop off in time (more than 30 seconds or so) you know the limiter is swim endurance.  Based on that information you can focus the swim program. 

I hate shorter pools, but I suck at flip turns and constantly either lose my breath cuz it takes too long to do them or I get water up my nose.  blah ...  I am a much better OW swimmer!!!

What is the rest inbetween swim set tests?  As always I need to wrap my brain around testing cuz they take so much out of me.

Gotta ask, why 800's vs 500's or 1000's???  I prefer round numbers .... maybe its the finance/accounting person in me

The purpose of the test is to approximate fatigue rate over the duration of a long course swim (and determine whether swim endurance is a limiter).  500s are too short.  1500 isn't enough to measure fatigue.  1000s could work but it makes for a really long test when you include the warm up and cool down. 

Its the numbers person in me ... a set that includes a double digit lap count is already too much (and hard to keep track of, I tend to lose count at 5 or 6, then 22-23) and 16 ... well, is just so close to 20 ....

Exactly!  800 is about as short as the test can be and still be effective.

Carrie -- you just need a lap counter.

Haha!  This is exactly what I was thinking.  500 too short.  1000 too long.  

I count by 25s when I am in the pool.  Just makes it easier for me.  If I lose count, then I take a quick peek at my Garmin.  

Sometimes I make myself go fast every 4th lap even if it's an aerobic swim, and that breaks up the monotony for me.  Makes my head stay focused on what I'm doing.    

Hmmm, any interest in pacing me at Tahoe?

Agreed, but that hill hurt!  I'd much rather suffer on a flatter loop or out and back.

Ha, ha, thats all I need is another gadget ... however, I just ordered my waterproof ipod yesterday and can't wait to use it!  Since I am not on masters this year, I will need to reduce the boredom of swimming alone.

On another note ... go Texans ... would like to see another team win!

Also, I really need to change my avatar on my CT ... am really sick of looking at her butt, red outfit and pink helmet!  I know, maybe I will be more motivate if I change it to a guy avatar with a nice butt????  Why didn't I think of this before???

For those of you that have a CT have you ever been going so fast, with a turn coming up on screen, that the banking of the avatar on the turn actually seemed kinda real?  

Recovery quickly!