Funked Up Triathletes - Season 2 - Olympic/Sprint Focus - Closed (Page 2)

Thanks for all the advice.
Andrew- I've actually been doing chocolate milk lately- had previously read the DCRainmaker article. Funnily, now my 18 month only wants to drink MY chocolate milk and won't drink his.

Took yesterday off though the weather was beautiful. Quite the opposite today; however, I planned ahead and set up the trainer in the garage last night. Did about 30 minutes on the trainer and then looked out and didn't think it was raining so hard. I had on tri shorts but no shirt, but decided to go for a quick run anyway to serve as my first brick of the year. Did 15 minutes of running and the rain felt great. I had almost forgotten how the legs feel after biking and then going right into running but after a few minutes they warmed up.

After a month off the trainer, I also forgot how the stats aren't as fun as when riding outside (speed/distance). I know they don't matter on the trainer, the time does, but they are fun to log.

Swimming tomorrow, and then probably a long run on Saturday or Sunday.

My kids still try to steal my chocolate milk, and it's hard to say no to giving them milk. I end up making 3 glasses.

Workout 4/28- swam today, 750 yards. A 4 x 25 yard warmup, then 500 yards in 11:45, which comes out at 2:21/100yrds. That seems to be the metric for swimming speed, I have no idea if that falls into the "average" or "slow" bucket, but I'm pretty sure I'm not fast. But my first try is 400 yards, so I might not drown at least. Ended with 3 x 50 yards practicing bilateral breathing. I need more practice.

Nice job, everyone!
5/28 I got a ride in this morning at o' dark thirty - same 20+ mile ride but with friends on hybrids so slower (1:25) - I have found this almost more difficult than when I cruise.
Hoping to get a swim in today but we'll see.

Cheers,
Jenn

Edited by aviatrix802 2014-06-06 9:18 AM

Jesse,

Thanks so much for your response and support!

Commute: Unfortunately I have to drive it on my own since I have morning duty with my girls and I miss all the time frames that the local shuttle provides to my area, I tried the shuttle and it drops off a mile from my office and the Summer time in Houston is brutal and when I walk to work in mid morning I am sweaty and smelly by the time I get here. So I have to drive.

I rode 2 miles with just my running shoes and brought the bike inside and been practicing clipping in and out while holding on the the foot-board of our bed. It's easy when I do it holding on but when I let go and start to move it's a other story...With time! I also, joined a club in town and hope to meet up with them soon to go on a beginner rides and get tips. Also, should I get extra padded shorts to avoid soreness? Do you know how I should be training to get to the 12 mile goal, training plan or where I can get a good one for beginners?

How should I start the swimming training? I have watched video's on YouTube on tips on breathing and position but do you have a training plan for me to go by or where I can find a good one?

I hope everyone is doing GREAT at their training!

Have a Wonderful weekend!!
Blessings~ Jessica

Workouts 5 and 6 of 28 today- 20 mile ride and 2 mile run. Moving to the run wasn't as miserable as usual, but I ended up with some nasty cramps around 1.5 miles in. Probably needed to have more water on the bike part.

Jessica- I'd definitely get some padded shorts, they help a lot. I bought some triathlon specific ones a couple of months ago, which have a little bit thinner pad so you can run in them, and the padding has been nice. But it will also take a little time just to get used to being on the bike, so expect some soreness anyways. To get to 12 miles I'd just start at 2 miles if that seems easy, and start adding a mile or 2 every week to your longest ride. As far as training plans go, you can find some good ones on this site, or just google "beginner sprint triathlon training plans" and you'll find some others. I have been following this one somewhat loosely but it's been a good reference.

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms/10wtp.pdf

Andrew,

Welcome to the group. Glad to have you on board to round us out.

Personally I'd say getting into triathlon is probably a better mid-life crisis than a lot of other things you could be doing. Of course I'm biased and we're on a triathlon forum, but hey you can't win 'em all.

I like the smile attitude for your upcoming race. It's actually something I've tried in the past and do from time to time training. You're feeling tired or whatever, just find someone and smile. You affect your brain a bit to think you're feeling better than you were previously just because of the smile so it can make a moment easier to enjoy.


Oh nutrition. I'll be the first to confess I had to break up with my second girlfriend this year, Little Debbie. We were getting along much too well. Honey buns and Oatmeal Cream Pies. Delicious, but not great for the training routine. Not to mention once I stopped eating them my brain felt better; disregarding the physical performance boost.

I eat a lot of chicken. A lot . Fortunately I like it. Personally my mental focus is always on taking in more protein since culturally our carbs will be taken care of, they're everywhere. We'll swap through chicken, pork chops, the occasional steak, ground beef, bacon here and there and the occasional bratwurst. Typically I've gotten to the point where I can feel when some kind of fattier meat is going to satisfy my nutritional needs, or at least makes me feel better mentally, after training. But for the majority of the time its chicken and other lean meats.

Snack wise I have a lot of bread related stuff that gets made for me with this high protein base I made last year. It is intended to be made into high protein waffles, but we'll use it mixed with regular flour to make just about anything: banana bread (baking currently), muffins, cookies, etc. I have a sweet tooth for sure so its partially just a modification from eating junk into making those items whole grain and high protein so there's a high nutritional value there.

Personal room for improvement: eating more vegetables. It's a mental game with me, I don't know about you guys. Some I'll just eat now (like asparagus) and I try to eat more normally, but typically my girlfriend has to slip them into things for me to eat them. Mixed into gumbo, or rice, or noodles. As a standalone item I tend to avoid them even though I know they're good for me.

Hope training is going well for everyone. T-storms have finally cleared out so it's time to go get a little bike/run brick in this afternoon.

Jessica,

Do you find it's difficult to clip in and clip out? As in it takes a lot of physical effort to do so? Most clipless pedals have a tension adjuster on them. If you got the pedals by themselves they come with this; it may actually just be a small allen wrench I can't remember off the top of my head. If you don't have the tool then your local bike shop will definitely be able to help you. Developing a relationship at your local bike shop (LBS) can be invaluable.

If that's your issue then you might try turning down the tension. I know when I got my new bike (a few years back) the tension was too high and I actually fell over while trying to stop and get my foot out of the clips.

BT here actually has some free training plans if you want to see if those address your needs first.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans...

If you're just getting into the sport and want one article of clothing to do double duty then I definitely agree with Andrew on the tri shorts. You can train and race in them. As you get into longer rides in coming seasons you might look into regular bike shorts and or bibs. I just use the basic entry level bibs for cyclists when I'm out riding since I'm not doing centuries (100+ miles) or riding 7 days a week.


As far as swimming goes, have you ever been in the pool and swam before? I.e. face down swimming? I was fortunate enough to have my run coach to help me with the basics and getting used to swimming face down when I started, but I know everyone doesn't have a coach handy. Personally I'd say the easiest way to start swim training is to do the easiest thing possible, swim.

Not to oversimplify things, but get in a lap lane (hopefully on a down time you don't have to share) and just make small personal challenges for yourself in steps forward. If you're like I was when you were beginning and have trouble with your face in the water then make it a goal to swim 1 length with your face in the water. Then down and back. Ignore flip turns for the time being, open turns are fine if you are just learning to swim.

Regarding workout length you have to get a base to figure out what you're comfortable with. Unfortunately I can't say "Go do 200 the first day then..." or "Go do 1000 the first day then...' because I'm not there to gauge your fitness level currently. So to find this out I would just swim until you're starting to fatigue a little and then stop for the day, that'll be your base point. Let me know a little more about when you're swimming (day and time wise) in conjunction with your run/bike workouts and we can talk a little more about how I would structure things personally.

Edited by funkj25 2014-06-07 2:53 PM

6/28 today with a 30 minute run. Hope to get in a swim too but the lanes are not available when I am so not sure where I'm going to get this in. I'll do some ab work and lifting this morning.

I gave myself a plank challenge for the month - 2-3 sets of 1 minutes planks a day increasing by 10 seconds every day - should get interesting by the end of the month. My core clearly needs work as I found my lower back a little fatigued/achy yesterday on a short 3.3 mile run.
My other goal is to focus on hydration - time to bring the pitcher out again to make sure I'm at least meeting my minimum.


Jessica,
I had the same thing happen the first time I took my bike out and my clips are set at the easiest tension. Two times in one ride I did the slow motion fall over and my knees came out looking like I was 5 and just learning to ride. I now clip out way early to make sure I can (and I often clip out of both pedals). I have also found it's easier for me to clip out of one side more than the other (I chalk it up to operator error). Find a good parking lot somewhere and just practice/practice/practice. Oh, I was also told to clip out when the pedal is at the top of the stroke. The bike shop where you bought your bike probably has a trainer they can hook your bike up to - take it in and have them hook it up, get on it and start spinning - practice clipping in and out a bunch of times to get the feel for it. It stinks to fall, it hurts - I get it! You're not alone, it's a learning process/plateau.

Cheers,
Jenn

I would like to join this group. I like triathlons.

7/28 today, just a 2.4 mile run. I was going to skip today, but already skipped yesterday taking the kids to a Reds game, and tomorrow's weather looks sketchy. So I ended up going out after getting home from a beer tasting. Not the best thing to run on, better enjoyed afterwards!

8/28 so far today with a swim - hoped to get a bike in but it's looking like a no-go. (maybe a 5k while the kids are at swim team practice....)

Swim: 1750 yds
1100 yds continuous free - no stopping
100 kick
5x50 sprint free
100 pull
100 free
100 cool-down

planks done, PT will be tonight.

I'm finding it's getting tough to get some of these workouts in - need to start getting creative! Probably no work-out tomorrow as I chaperone a school trip all day and coach baseball in the evening.

Cheers,
Jenn



Edited by aviatrix802 2014-06-10 3:14 PM

Having a great week so far. Saturday went to the beach and took my son for his walk (nap) while I did a 65 minute zone 2 run on the boardwalk and surrounding area. Took Sunday off. Monday was planning on a ride but I woke up and it was POURING. So, I set up the trainer in the garage and got in about 35 minutes what I would call recovery. This morning had a great 50 minute zone 2 run.
I'm really committing myself to the zone 2 work to build the base. I don't know how much it'll do for me this year, but I know by next spring, my run times are gonna be awesome!

Tomorrow will likely be an off day, though I need to check the forecast for the rest of the week. Might squeeze in a ride (trainer or road) depending on weather and how I feel.
Jenn- So far for the month I'm at 8. Getting to 28 will be tough, going to squeeze in some doubles!

I'm at 8 too, Seth - i was supposed to have a double today with a bike but I volunteered at school and they ended up wanting me in a bit earlier than anticipated. I might squeeze in a run while the kids are swimming.

Thank you, by the way, for reminding me I have a trainer in my basement I can use!!! I keep thinking I have to go out on the road and when my husband travels and the kids are here I feel stuck for riding - HA! No more! I can't believe I haven't pulled it out! Now.....now there will be more I can do.....particularly when the kids get out of school.

Cheers,
Jenn

NAME: David

STORY: I was in Jesse's group last year. I live in a suburb of Kansas City (same as Jesse). I've kept in contact with him over the winter months and we have been at a few of the same races. I usually see him when I'm starting my run and he's finishing his.

This is my 3rd year of triathlon. I was a basketball and soccer player in high school and a swimmer as a little kid. When I reached my 20's, I got really fat and out of shape. Had lots of fun in college and unfortunately did not do much in the way of exercise.

I'd always thought about doing a triathlon one day, but hadn't run more than 1/2 mile since high school. In March of 2012, I decided (on a whim) to sign up for an indoor triathlon. It was a short pool swim, exercise/spin bike and then 2 mile run. I started training. I won my age group (as a matter of luck...no one else in my age group showed up). I was hooked.

Next, I set my sights on another tri in June of that year and it took off from there. I have now finished: 1 indoor sprint, 8 Olympic distance, and one 70.3.

FAMILY STATUS: Married 14years with 4 kids (10, 9, 3, 1)

CURRENT TRAINING: I use a training plan from BT and log my workouts here. I do most of my bike on the trainer and use TrainerRoad and The Sufferfest very heavily. I run about 50/50 on the treadmill/outside. My wife is starting her first year of triathlong, so we juggle our schedules.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

2014 RACES:
April - NOLA 70.3
May - KC Tri - Olympic
June - ITU Chicago - Oly
July - KS 5150 - Oly
August - Aloha Triathlon (Kansas City, not Hawaii!)-modified Oly
September - Silverback - Oly
October - Border Wars Triathlon 70.3

I'm a bit of junkie when it comes to the sport. I love reading up on everything from training strategy, race strategy, gadgets, etc. Plus, I sit at a desk most of the day so have plenty of opportunities to check out what's going on. Looking forward to sharing and learning more this season.

Hi David,
I'm very similar to you- love reading everything about the sport- I can't get enough (slowtwitch doesn't update often enough, lol). Also, how long does everybody spend examining their workout logs? I feel like I'm constantly going back, multiple times per day, to review the data. The sport's really really addictive.

Was going to take this morning off but the forecast looked favorable so i did a 15 mile ride. Actually found a few hills in the very flat farmy area that I live so that was good. Also maintained my average speed of about 15.8 mph. Even better, I'm finally getting more comfortable riding in the aero position. My only complaint is that I can't shift from that position and I'm still figuring out the magic gear for me.

Tomorrow will probably be a rest day now, and a 1600 yard (I hope) swim on Friday.

I really don't spend too much time looking at my logs anymore. I used to. A TON. Like you, I'm an info junkie. My greatest weakness is my run. I would analyze my paces/routes/hr, etc constantly.

What I've come to realize is that, for me, run speed is just not going to come quickly. I will take a very long time for me to build my aerobic engine. Unfortunately, I'm not a naturally speedy guy (some guys can come off the couch and run a 7min/mi pace). So, last fall I committed myself to just increasing my volume in a safe, sensible way. That's why I did a Half marathon last winter (I've basically always sworn off run-only events) and did the 70.3 in April. I knew in order to do these, I would have to have consistent mileage. My big idea, is that the increased volume is going to reap dividends when it comes to these shorter events.

I'm already seeing some success with it. I don't this formulate would work for everyone (especially athletes like Jesse). He's fine tuning and tweaking his engine. I'm building mine. So, for me it's not too complicated. Lose weight + increase volume + be consistent = get faster.

All that is to say I don't analyze the logs that much anymore. I'm doing longer runs, as well as more short/easy runs at lunch at work. I run with a buddy at lunch who is very slow, so we run easy and chat before I take off for 2-3 miles at a little quicker pace. The numbers on these are nearly meaningless, but I can feel the increased volume having some benefits as I am adding 7-10 run miles per week onto what I was doing.

9/28 - mtn bike ride for 51 minutes

Wow, I missed my light road bike with clipless pedals! It's all still fun though!

I too spend hours pouring over anything triathlon. I am a gear and information junkie (my climbing gear is a good example). I wish I could get a job researching gear.

Cheers,
Jenn

Okay, I have a couple of questions.

First, how often is everyone working weights into their training? Times/week - and I assume you're splitting upper and lower body into two workouts?

Second, I am training for my first sprint tri and as I look at the basic sprint tri training programs, I am doing waaay more than what is prescribed. Is this a bad thing? I recognize everyone comes in with varying levels of fitness (my fitness is a runner's base). I'm new to cycling but I have a nice hilly 20.3 mile route right outside my door (did it 3 times last week) that I'll sometimes follow up with a 3 mile run after. I'm now fearful that after looking at these programs I'm doing too much too soon and how do I know where that line is - I don't want to risk injury.

I have a 10k in a week and a half and I've been focusing on my biking and swimming lately so not much running....

Thanks,
Jenn

8/28- Managed to squeeze in a bike ride today. Between work and weather this week has been a tough one.

Today's ride was definitely a strange one. I got home from work a found that we needed a bottle of white wine as an ingredient for what we had planned to make for dinner. I checked the weather report and it looked like the nearby storms would miss my area, so I decided I'd ride a quick loop around some local neighborhoods to a liquor store. Not a long route in case the weather turned, so I decided to push the speed (of course the route has a nice Strava segment on it as a bonus...). That worked out well- averaged 19.3mi/hr over the course of the segment which is a net 100 ft climb on a rolling 2.5 miles, easily my fastest run on that route so far.

But the bad news, the heart rate monitor and bike computer both lost their minds. And since I'm a data junky like the rest of you, it makes me a little crazy not knowing what's going on. Strange because both those things have tended to be really reliable.

I then dig my bike-shoe-duck-walk into the liquor store, grab a bottle of wine and put it in my camelback, and as I head out the door find that my luck has run out- the storm shifted over my way. Just a light rain at that point- it decided to really open up when I got to the 10% climb I have to get through to get home. Lucky it's not a long climb, probably only a 10th of a mile. And at least I wasn't the poor lady running up it at the time.

So great ride for speed, bad ride for gear, and fun with the weather. All in the space of only 7 miles.

Details here if interested:
http://www.strava.com/activities/152434094/overview

Jenn: Currently, no weights for me. I'd like to a couple of times per week, but haven't found the time. I'm slightly better about it in the winter.

As far as the training plan goes I found the same thing, starting at the basic plan beginning was too little effort for my current fitness level, even though it still wasn't that great. I think they really go to the lowest common denominator. I'm just of the mind that the programs at the basic level are a guide and I'll just listen to my body when I push it a bit. Once I see where I'm starting to feel it a bit the next day I back off a little and then try to add extra distance slowly from there. Maybe more experienced folks than me have some better advice but I think at sprint distances you can go with your feel of it.

Andrew - That sounds like an interesting training ride. I can't say that I've ever combined a training ride with a trip to the liquor store...but I guess that's multi-tasking at it's best. I have found myself racing against storms a few times, recently.

Jenn: regarding weight training....if you read up on the main board and on Slowtwitch...and read all the magazines and pundits, you'll get all sorts of different opinions. So, I'll throw my two cents out there and be sure to take it with a grain of salt. As a bit of a background, if there was one area of training that would come more "easily" for me, it would be strength training. My road to getting back into shape involved many rounds of P90x and other varied strength training programs. Just before I got into triathlon, I shredded my knee (ACL, MCL) and had to have it rebuilt. My exercise during that recovery time involved lots of upper body stuff and rehab.

That said, at this time, I don't do any of it.

Lots of the experts will say it helps. Others will say that the way to get better at S/B/R is to.... S/B/R. I'm time pressed (as I'm sure most of you are) so when I put together a training program, the strength training is what I toss out first before I short myself any S/B/R workouts. I have (and try to make time for) done some strength training with tubing to help with the swim, but at this time I find that area to be pretty low priority in the entire scheme of things.

Finally, regarding the training plans...and especially those Sprint plans. I think Andrew is right in that often times those plans are designed for someone entirely brand new to the sport (and sometimes any exercise in general). I would say listen to your body. Especially when it comes to running. Some of you have running backgrounds so that helps you. If, like me, you had many years of non-running before you got into this, you need to be careful. My first 2 years, I battled with all sorts of foot/leg injuries and I'm now convinced that it was almost all the results of: a) lack of fitness b) trying to add mileage too fast beyond my fitness level. I'm injury free now but I had much frustration early on.

If you feel good going beyond the training plan mileage...in general more training = more better triathlon.

I think this starts to change a bit when you get into Olympic distances and/or longer courses. I'm currently asking some of these same questions as I've managed to carve out some additional time in the week to add run miles. I don't want to overdo it, but enjoy getting those miles in.

I don't know how many of you use the training plans here on BT. I do and one thing that I am very nerdy about is seeing the "my progress" screen and ensuring that each training area (S/B/R) has check mark at the end of each week, meaning I met or exceeded the training requirements. It drives my crazy when I don't hit the mark for some reason (last week I was at 99% of my swim yardage).

Even so, you have to learn to listen to your body more than anything as any stock training plan is not going to know the specifics of your situation.

I have the same answers as David- not nearly enough. I'd like to get in the gym and lift, but there's just no time. It's already hard getting in at least 5 hours a week of S/B/R. I'm thinking that once my season ends in August, I may join a gym and use the entire off season to base build and strength train. I see the need for strength training, especially in the legs, but I'm thinking lighter weight, higher reps, is probably the way to go. This is definitely something I'll be researching more come September.

Andrew- I feel your pain re: HRM issues. It drives me nuts when there's something amiss with the HRM or bike computer. I love seeing the data and if I don't have it, I don't have the empirical evidence that I worked hard. RPE is not something I'm experienced enough yet to use.

I also agree that some of the training plans are too basic for people with a background in at least one of the sports. For a runner, training for a 5K isn't much work, similarly for a biker and 10 miles. I know when i did my first sprint last year, the runs were easy, but doing the biking on my mountain bike was exhausting. Now, the hour I spend on my road bike easily blows away the sprint distances, even at a higher intensity.

Off day today, needed the rest. Tomorrow should be a 1600 yard swim.

Thank you all for your input! I don't feel as bad now not doing much in the way of weights. Between 2 active boys, coaching them, etc, etc and trying to get the S/B/R in there's precious little time. I think the one thing I do want to continue to focus on is my core just because everything comes from there. I'll let the S/B/R workouts do their job.
Off today - whipped, right calf is annoyed with me and it was pouring out today. (not that the rain is an excuse!)

~ Jenn

9/28, 1000 yards swimming, most of going off for 50 yards at 1:30 intervals.

Went ok, but swimming is definitely my weakest sport. Trying to work on endurance and form a bit.

Gah, been tired this week and totally spaced out jumping on here. Glad David could jump into help out with some issues as he's familiar with some of my philosophies.

Glad to see the training stuff everyone is doing.

Weight Lifting
Regarding weight lifting. The common thread among US pros (as far as I'm aware) is to do body weight type activities for your alternate exercises. Squats, walking planks, bunny hops, single leg squats, etc. What happens is that you decrease stability as you grow stronger (single leg squats on a balance board or while standing on a ball for example - the ball example is what some pro hockey players can do which is pretty phenomenal) to continue growth, but extra weight isn't added.

The reasoning here is that these exercises are intending to strengthen your whole operating system as a body, not simply focus on increasing say bicep strength for example. Doing that, with weight, can potentially throw off the balance of your muscles in regards to SBR movements. The activities I've talked about also have a secondary benefit of helping strengthen joint connections and core strength, reducing susceptibility to injury.

I'm supposed to be doing these kinds of workouts 4-5 times a week. Realistically I make maybe 1-2 a week because I get to be a lazy oaf and feel tired so I procrastinate, then its bedtime, rinse and repeat.

Building vs Tweaking the Engine
On David's assertion of building the engine versus tweaking the engine. I spend time re-building the engine every year in regards to running, this is what the base season is for (September through January) where you increase mileage and decrease intensity comparatively. Once you've built to a new peak then its time to start tweaking with the speedwork, etc. So personally for people new to the sport and running my personal emphasis is going to be on building miles and proper technique in running before adding the speedwork. Depending on you, this can last 1-2 years with very little speed work and still making good gains. This way the movements are solidified properly and you get an aerobic base before trying to slam into high gear.

Personally I feel like I'm still building my engine in regards to the bike and swim especially, but it can take years and years to build up compared to people who've been doing it for a decade (by definition you can see that).

Recovery Tools
Something we haven't yet talked about is recovery. Two of my favorite tools for recovery (aside from ice which is always nice) The Stick and Compression Socks. I found compression socks personally reduced the amount of inflammation and soreness for me after hard run or bike workouts. I also have some compression sleeves I got recently just for the cold bike out at the KC Tri. I don't know that I've really noticed a big difference in arm soreness with using them after a hard swim or not.

The Stick has been an invaluable tool to me over the last probably 6-7 years I've owned it. For me it reduces soreness in muscles by increasing circulation, but also helps decrease tightness of muscles. Loose muscles = powerful muscles. If you've only got one piece of extra gear/recovery gear in your bag personally I'd recommend this. $30 and it lasts for years (assuming your brother doesn't try to break it in half thinking its a strength training device, hrmph). I picked mine up at a local run shop, I know my bike shop has them as well. Just my two bits there. Google has them a plenty just search for "The Stick." Yellow handle is what you're looking for. Or possibly blue, but that's something you might want to try in person if you can.

Just going back through and reading some stuff...regarding counting laps.

I have two thoughts:
#1 - I have 4 kids so I've focused on thinking/praying for/concentrating on each one for a length of the pool. That may work for you.
#2 - swimming intervals helps a ton with this. When I first started swimming again, I'd jump into the pool and swim 1000 yards non stop. This has completely changed for me. I do more short sets (say, 4x200 on a set interval like 3:20, whatever works for you OR 10x100). The only time I do a set longer than 500 non stop is if I'm trying to do a time trial of sorts. Shorter intervals are easier to count!
#3 - use a pace clock! Almost every pool has one. If you're using the pace clock, you're much more likely to be able to keep track of your time. I don't even really wear my watch to the pool any more because I've started relying so much on the pace clock.

So, my workout may look something like this:

500 warm up
500 drills (paddles,bands,etc)
4x200
4x100
200 cool down

This is just an example, but my point is that when I'm using the pace clock and really monitoring my pace/effort...it's alot harder to lose track of laps.