SWBKRUN fast, furious, and closed (Page 35)

You Aussie's catch on quickly...photo finish please!  Have fun.

PSA:

 Did you know that you hip flexors need to be stretched? Ya really they do. If not, it is severly painful when you massage therapist goes after them.

Ok, so I got my regular 5 am swim accomplished this morning and tonight I went out and ran (jogged) 5.6 miles.  My previous longest distance EVER was 3.8 miles.  I stopped and stretched at the half-way point and walked for a short distance once going out and once coming back.  This is coming from someone who has never run more than a mile in her life until a few months ago.  Just wanted you to know!  

P.S. Beer IS a recovery drink, isn't it?

congrat on the epic day.

Now please enjoy responsibly.

Of course it is!  The hops have an anti-oxidant effect.  Congrats, Jayne, that is awesome!

So I finally know what it feels like to run like Kim and why she is soooooo fast. See, if I run at 80% of my body weight, then I weigh about the same as her. And 7:00 miles fly by... wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck and it will be here in no time. it will be hot.

This past winter I training myself to do the bilateral breathing I used to breathe from my left side and when starting this I couldn't believe how weak my left side was and how sore my shoulder was. As I improved on that stroke my muscle started evening out and start swimming straighter. The first time I did the closed fist was strange and unsuccessful, but the second time I understood it must have finally got into the right frame of mind.

I'm missing something here.  And I really want to get it.  Explain.

You have a massage therapist hitting your hip flexors?  Does Wifey know this!?

Wow being away for a day and I miss all the interesting conversation about beer and puking..... sounds like my teen years the day after.

David- my first Oly ever is in July, so good luck, looking forward to hear your results and how the advice worked out, puking at the finish line what a great reward for you and all the spectators...haha. You will do great....

Jayne - nice new PR on the distance, beer is the breakfast of champions ....well at least that is what in my much younger and crazier days...keep up the great work.

How to stay healthy, for me it is definitely sleep I need my 7-8 hours otherwise I go to hell. I was also reminded once again over the past two days that stretching is absolutely critical, my hamstrings tightened up yesterday and as a result my back started acting up and twinges of pain ....stretch....stretch...stretch. Years of bodily abuse when I was a teenager (also tied to beer, car accidents and lots of puking) has left my back a mess. So along with stretching I need to keep my core strong.

So I wont bore you all with the details  but operation get up early(Rip Van Winkle) was a great success for two days. Could not pull it off today needed my 7-8 hours ( not going to beat myself up over it) just get back on the beam tomorrow. Two days of early morning made me a bit more cranky, and I don't know about the rest of you but when I  am tired I am more sensitive to all things....you look at me the wrong way and it is like you just killed my favorite pet....I am sure my family is loving this early morning plan, they will be happy that I slept in today.

TGIF.....plan to ride at noon, and hit the gym tonight for a quick swim and some lifting....another exciting Friday night...haha 

Yes, Mother.

My PT has a machine called an Alter-G, an "anti-gravity" treadmill where you can run at a lower percentage of your body weight to lessen the impact. Great for injury recovery. You wear these funny neoprene shorts and zip yourself in and it uses air to let you run at various percentages. Tuesday I ran at mostly 80-85%. It felt OK, not great (sort-of painful). But Wedneday I was no worse for the wear, so yay. Yesterday I ran at 95% of my weight. When you are running along and adjust the percentage, you can just feel your body getting heavier. It's sort-of depressing, as at 90% you feel great and you add that 5% (which for me would be about 6-7 pounds) and it makes a HUGE diffference!! Ha!!

So the good news is I got to run twice this week. Not long, not full weight. But the better news is that I get to try some outside running, with limitations. No hills, no speed, no intensity. My plan is to run/walk on the cushy track a time or two and see how that goes. Slowly build from there. As I was telling others, I don't care a bit about intensity right now. Yes, I LOVED my track workouts and we always want to be faster, but for CDA I just want to be able to run long, not fast!!

Two days in a row is a great start... don't beat yourself up about day 3! I think the cumulative effect of early mornings does wear you down if you're not used to it. Heck, even if you are used to it, unless you can get to bed around 9pm, it wears you down. Congratulations on the progress you made this week. Woot!!

Me, riding my bike this morning, then baking a cake and cleaning house for a few 8-9-year-old girls to join us for a sleepover for my daughter's birthday. Somehow I don't think they'll be playing Truth or Dare at 11:30pm like the 11-year-old boys were... Let's hope not. That's past my bedtime!!!

OK, I'm done monopolizing the board for the morning. Carry on!!!

Thanks for answering my question about this morning's motivation level ...... 

Good luck with the party ....  give it a couple of years and you never know what might be going on in the basement at 11:30, or later!  

What are everyone's Easter plans?

I am doing the traditional thing...I am in Vegas with my wife!

Fun!!  I haven't been to Vegas in forever!!

To even your pull on each arm work on technique. In particular, work on reaching  forward as far as you can with one arm as you pull with the other. Tracy used the image of reaching for a can on the top shelf to visual the reach. The fist drill will help with using your forearm to propel you through the water and are a good idea. Bi lateral breathing is good, but I think you might want to improve your technique before working on that.

JMTCW.

Doug

I am not expert, but I am the queen of having tried about everything to get my swim stroke to improve!  One suggestion with the first drill is to do it with the pull so you focus on it's intent--high elbow/foream....versus worrying about your balance.  I can do it both ways now, but started with the pull.

I would also say that you should spend some time working on bilateral even in the newbie phase.  I did NOT do that because it was so uncomfortable and I regret it.  Every coach that has looked at my stroke has suggested the same thing...bilateral breathing to even out my stroke.  You can start by only doing it during your warm up or something really easy to get both sides working properly.  I started doing that at the urging of my new coach and it has helped.  Still frustrating as hell sometimes.....

Somehow, we are now hosting an Easter brunch for 15 of our close family on Sunday!  Not sure how we got nominated to host the party, but we'll figure it out by then.  Cooking will be fun, especially since I am on a recovery week, but cleaning our house is going to be the challenge!  Guess I should start by unpacking? 

That is so cooool.... technology these days is amazing. Next step is the anti-gravity room....

How cool is that?!?  Love it, and now I don't feel as clueless (no comments, anyone!)

big girl home from college, with her boyfriend.  We'll go to the sunrise service, hunt for eggs (VERY competitive sport at our house!) and then hubby and I'll do a run (1 week before Big Sur - probably 8-10 miles) and we'll have a big dinner at my in-laws'.  Ham, which I hate, and deviled eggs, which I ADORE.

I LOVE Easter.  For all of the standard religious reasons, and it's just such a feel good holiday.  Spring!!

Oh, and PEEPS!!

OK, who hides and who finds? I was just telling Dave, "Oh s$*#! I haven't been to the store for Easter goodies." He said, "Why bother? The kids don't believe anymore."

I was flabbergasted!! I said, "You mean suddenly we stop hunting for eggs? Is that how your family did it? Cuz it's not how mine did it!" I am so not ready to give up on the Easter Egg Hunt!! And I don't think the kids are either!!

THE SUN IS SHINING IN WASHINGTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went out for a lovely, awesome ride with our own Mr. Ryan this morning. He treated me to the 7 Hills of Kirkland (an annual Memorial Day ride around here). Met some new hills and neighborhoods I've never seen (hello, legs!). Good times. For those of you who don't know, Ryan is a super-duper speedy fast cyclist. But he's also a really nice guy. (Not that the two have to be mutually exclusive, of course.) I've been very, very afraid to ride with Ryan. But he was relentless in trying to get me out with him. I was all prepared to ride up hills on my own and meet him at the top, cuz that's how I do it with my friends. But Ryan wouldn't drop me on the hills (no matter how much I suggested that he do just that). He let me set the pace and hung out with me. Good, cuz it helped me not lollygag as much. Bad, because I didn't get to lollygag as much. Ride was hard while we did it, but now that I'm home I don't feel like I did much, darn it!

Just finished baking two parts of the chocolate-caramel-marshmallow-Oreo birthday cake that my daughter requested. It's gonna be an awesome cake, if not a wee bit sweet (just the way she likes her desserts). Made the ice cream to go with it last night.

Have a great weekend, everybody!! I've got a big ole' smile on my face.... Feelin' Groovy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

recovery?  its an everything drink!   just last night we threw a few back until way past my bedtime.  hit the rack (not kylas rack) then out the door at 6 this morning for a short ride.