Steve-'s Distance Endurance Group - CLOSED (Page 4)

i hit a cliff shot before each swim.

this should get better very soon.  swimming endurance comes back FAST as long as consistency is there.

if your form falters, take a break and rest at the end of the lane then get back at it.




Edited by Steve- 2009-12-23 1:57 PM

This is neat.  I use a coffee grinder for flax seed.  For making smoothies/shakes etc. I use a hand Braun blender and a wide mouth mason jar.  Drink it right out of the jar.

If you want to spy on what I've been doing  workout wise, I've been posting them for the last few weeks.

This last post reminds me.  If any mentees have specific training questions about the training in their logs, let us know.  While we can't opine as accurate as if you were a coached athlete since we don't know you as well as our athletes, we can definitely help you with some general guidance and training methodologies to follow.

Merry Christmas everyone!! Have a safe and peaceful holidays!!!

Yes, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Ryan:

If you watch from the side closely, the person's forearm portion of their arm is 45 degrees before the elbow begins to move back.  This is the 45 degrees I was referring to in the video you watched and the most important movement to effectuate the EVF movement.  The forearm eventually reaches 90 degrees in relation to the bottom of the pool but this doesn't occur until the elbow moves back several inches.

For a better visual, see my description of the movement below:


Hand entry, arm fully extended.




Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) movement begins.  Take special note that the elbow has NOT moved back at all yet.



Continuation of EVF movement.  Forearm is not 45 degrees from bottom of the pool and the elbow has still NOT begun to move back.



Since forearm has now reached 45 degree angle in relation to bottom of pool in picture above, the elbow now begins to move back along with the forearm (which continues it's downward movement).




The most important thing to now notice is that while the palm and forearm continue their downward and backward movement, THE ELBOW DOES NOT DROP down into the water more....it simply continues its rearward movement.  This is one of the most powerful phases of the stroke...right here.




Continuing the power phase of the stroke.  Forearm, hand, and upper arm (bicep/tricep) all work in unison but elbow has still not dropped down into the water any deeper than it originally was in photo #1 above.  (ok, maybe it dropped a LITTLE but...but no one has 100% perfect form in every stroke they take.) 




This is towards the end of the powerphase of the stroke.  Notice the position of the arm and shoulder.  This really allows the huge back muscles (latissimus dorsi) as well as the smaller but still powerful muscles (teres major) to fully engage in the stroke movement.


A point to make is that if you pull with a more straight arm (dropping your elbow and not getting EVF) like this other swimmer (see photo below) you only engage primarily the teres major; a much small and weaker muscle in relation to the latissimus dorsi.

Steve, the last swimmer...would that be considered straight arm swimming? I think when I first started swimming that was the first correction that I made to the stroke with my former swim coach. Hmmm....more to think about.

yes.  it's not totally straight arm (obviously) but he's definitely not getting EVF.

great!

remember, you should definitely not be pushing down on your left hand when breathing on your right because that's just getting your head up out of the water to breath causing your legs to drop.  you should actually be pushing the top of your head down INTO the water right before you breath so you can create that bow wave in order to breath out of the bottom of it.

if you lift your head when breathing another problem that occurs (besides your legs dropping) is that the bow wave is not being created from the side of your face rather than the top of your head so now the bottom of the bow wave (the trough) that would normally be right at your mouth if created from the top of your head, now is back towards your shoulder muscle so you begin to suck down water...causing you to lift your head even more to get air and exacerbating the entire situation.

so when you breath, push the top of your head down into the water so you can breath in the trough.

I used to think that if you didn't run outside, you weren't a runner.  I don't agree with that philosophy anymore after a few too many ripped up shins from running in inches of snow or ice.  Now, I run outside when the footing is good and run inside when it isn't. 

To survive in Northern Wisconsin, I find stabilicers work the best.  They are a little on the heavy side, but stay on better than yaks and grip better on the roads, trails and lakes.  Tracy, you might try these since I am sure you are in a rural area similar to our house in Minocqua.

Edited by SSMinnow 2009-12-25 5:30 AM

I don't live in the city. I live on Lake Michigan, 300 feet from it. I challenge anyone to come here and run with the wind blowing off the lake at 30 mph and on icy roads that have not been plowed or sanded in weeks.

I don't live in your typical rural area. Lake Michigan is a pretty hostile force until June. When all you inland folks are running and biking in 65 degree temps it will be 45 here. I talk a lot about in my blog during the spring.

I don't like running enough to even consider going out there. I run to burn calories, not for enjoyment. I will hike all day long outside, but not run. 

The treadmill works just fine for me during the dark, icy months. I am simply trying to my running base. I will hit it hard in March/April when it is 65 degrees inland and 45 degrees here on the lake.





Edited by TracyV 2009-12-26 7:23 AM

Post Christmas "move your butt" run:

Well, I'm visiting in Ohio at the moment and I wanted to post that I ran this morning (after the holiday-gift giving-dust has settled).  My longest run in months.  I have yet to plug in my iPod and HR monitor for the details but I just wanted to Log my 6.2 mile run from this morning into the Mentor Blog.

I hope you all had a great holiday and are getting to enjoy your presents and working out this weekend.

-eddie

Edited by eddievolly 2009-12-26 3:54 PM

I've been out for a week with family and work stuff, and this next week will be minimal as well... however, I plan to be checking in here and getting caught up on everything.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Great job, Eddie! 
Like Suzy, I also had a super hard time getting motivated even to do an easy 45 minute spin on the bike...but finally got it done shortly before dinner.  Felt so much better after...the holidays kind of put a kink into training...this morning, the workout was...Target, Best Buy, Old Navy and Pet food express. 

Hope everyone had a great holiday! 

Motivation is always a problem for me during the winter. In the summer, I rarely have thoughts of....I just don't want to do it. I struggle more with getting on the trainer more than anything else. It is good to know that others are battling the same demons.

Good job everyone!!!

MOTIVATION

Here's a guy that a good friend of mine knows.  He's a good source of motivation for me and perhaps he can be for you guys too.  This guy, along with my good friend that knows him; are the two guys that get me out of bed in the morning well before o'dark hundred in the winter.

He's done countless ultramarathons including a couple hundred miles non-stop as well as a bunch of ultracycling events, including 500 miles non-stop.  Of course he's done Ironman and Ulltraman too.

His name is David Goggins and this is what he says:

"I am nobody special.  Let's be perfectly clear...I don't like to run.  I don't like to swim.  I don't like to bike.  I do this to raise money for the children of soldiers killed in combat."

Many people have compared him to Dean Karnazas, but they can't be any more different.  Read what he says about it:

http://davidgoggins.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-comparison.html

Now over the next 3 months of this mentor group, I want everyone to go out and be "nobody special." 

I know I am nobody special, are you?

"What is the personal reason that puts you out there everyday. I can guarantee that every single person out there will have a different reason than the other. Every single person has a different build, and different diet, a different family. So don’t compare. There isn’t anything to compare."

I think this is a great statement from David. We each do this for our own reasons. We each therefore get our own results.

I know what gets me up in the morning to swim, gets me on my bike even when I have no desire to ride, and on the treadmill. My love of racing. When training gets tough I think of myself standing on the hill at Elkhart Lake looking down at the mile swim....that is what gets me moving.

I have run for an hour on the treadmill only thinking of a triathlon I did last year that kicked my butt. I re-raced it over and over again in my minding telling myself this year will be different. Yes, I am sure this year will be different!!

Edited by TracyV 2009-12-27 9:51 AM

Awesome Tracy.  I love this.  I know the only thing that got me through 6hr indoor trainer rides (I had no CT at the time, just cycleops fluid 2 trainer) and 3 hour treadmill runs was knowing I was gonna race IMAZ.  Thinking of racing when I train is something that I find really continues to solidify the mind-body connection.



Edited by Steve- 2009-12-27 10:46 AM

6 hours on a cyclops. That is a feat in itself Steve!! Amazing how far you can push yourself with one goal in mind, the race. I don't think I could train as hard as I do if were not the race at the long, sometimes dark, tunnel of winter training. 

Now I am ready to ride my CT for the day!! Off I go!!

I only train because I know I'll feel better after than before even though my body keeps telling me not to start.  I run for the occasional high it gives me.  I cycle cause I like to feel like I am flying.  I'll train to swim cause I want to get to the other two faster.