600s

Came up with this workout on the fly when I got in the pool at NWRC:

400 warmup
3600 - 6 x 600's

1. Free
2. kick with fins
3. Large Paddles
4.  Agility Paddles
5. finger paddles no strap
6. Freestyler paddles
7.  IM

400 IM
2400 - 2 x 1200s

1. 16 x 75's free/stroke/free on 1:15  (banked :30 at finish)
2. 4 x (200 pull strong on 2:30, 100 pull on 1:15)

200 kick easy

7,000 yards total in 2:02

Seven Minutes

This morning I woke up in time, but just as I was leaving I poked my head in the kitchen and it was a disaster.  When I went up to bed the night before, it was in good shape, but having hungry teenagers who like to stay up a little and watch a movie often results in them making a "snack" and leaving the kitchen in total disarray.

So I woke up the culprit and had him come up and help me clean it.  I was in a hurry, and I also wanted a thorough job so we both rushed and cleaned in complete efficiency and teamwork.  We were able to get it in a almost spotless state in less than 7 minutes.  I realized that had I not done this that my wonderful wife would have come home to it from her run, and been overwhelmed with it.  She probably would have asked the teenagers kindly to clean it in which they would complain and whine, and not actually do it leaving her to do it, frustrated and angry.

Seven minutes of teamwork, and it turned out quite well. Well worth the sacrifice getting into the pool 15 minutes late.

Instead of trying to catch up to James and Pete in their workout that Andy came up with, I picked up right where they were at in the workout:

100 free
1800 - 3 x (200 pull super strong on 2:15, 200 buoy only (no paddles) on 2:30, 200 free no equipment on 3:00)
400 - 4 x 100's (25 dolphin kick, 25 free fast, 25 back flutter kick, 25 free)

Then resumed from where I started working backwards:

300 - 3 x 100's free on 1:30
500 pull
200 kick
300 swim

3,600 yards total in 1:00

I'm planing a decent size swim in the GSL this afternoon.  I've got kids in soccer, and tennis and Cathi wants me to be more supportive and less selfish.  10-4 Sweet woman!  I'll be honest, I won't cry when this week is over as it is the end of the season for soccer and tennis.  Then I'll be able to get at least two evenings to do open water.

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Met Stacey at GSL Marina at 5:15 and we left Silversands beach towards to outermost red buoy and the swam out to Blackrock and then back to the marina.  The water temp was 65°F.  I was fine, a little chilled though.  Good swim and the water was flat and smooth.

Total: 3.07 miles in 1:30

Daily total: 5.12 miles

CPR/First-aid training

This morning I joined Matt Chamberlain in the fast lane for a fast paced workout at South Davis:

600 - 6 x 100's odd free, 50 Stroke
900 - 6 x 150's odd free, 50 fly/back/breast
500 - 10 x 50's scull/drill/kick/drill/swim

1000 - 2 x (200 free at 80% on 2:30, 150 free at 85% on 2:00, 100 free at 90% on 1:20, 50 free at 95 % )
100 easy
500 - 10 x 50's stroke count (8 cycles per 25)
800 - 16 x 50's with fins (swim as far as you can underwater, swim remaining amount)
400 - 4 x 100's pull fast on 1:10
200 easy

5,000 yards total in 1:30

Bodyfat percent is holding at 4.32%  Total muscle gain of 6.73 pounds
and fat loss of 49.73 pounds.

I wanted much more, but at 8am I was scheduled to join the coaches in a re-certification class for CPR and first-aid.  Glad to get that done.  My CPR was barely expired and wanted to be legit for the next couple years.

Yesterday I got my skin folds taken again.  Lost a small amount of fat, and gained one pound of muscle.  I was a little frustrated about that, cause I've been killing it in the gym.  He said that in order to get a faster result of more muscle, with the same amount of dedication in the gym, I need to either do less cardio, or eat more calories.  So more calories it is!  I've been getting over 3,800 per day and now I'm going to boost it to about 4,200 calories per day.  This isn't junk calories either.  This is low-fat, high protein, complex carbs.  It's gonna be tough but I think I can eat more.

New Record - Josh Green Virtual Open Water Race

This morning I saw how blue the sky was and decided today was the day!  I got off work at a decent time and went over to Bountiful Lake.  Took video of my entry:


When I got back the ipod was off. I left it in record mode, and when I attempted to turn it on it said the ipod was overheated and needed to cool down.  So I blasted the air conditioner and got it cooled down and then recorded the time on my watch.

17:22.84 is the new record.  Swam strong the whole time.  I was aiming for under 18 minutes and was happy to get this time.  The water felt like it was 63°, but I'm not totally sure as I wasn't wearing the watch that takes temp.  Never felt "cold", but perfect temp for a fast paced open water swim.  It is nice to swim in fresh water for a change.  If I wasn't in a hurry to get home, I would have done another lap at a leisurely pace.

I'd like to sweeten the pot a little. Anyone who beats this record during the 2013 open water season, will not only get the trophy, but I'll throw in $50 cash prize money.  It's not that I'm being cocky in thinking the record will stand, but that I'm VERY interested in seeing more people participate in this thing.  It's really a shame that more people don't go for it.

Total Distance: .70 miles (1230 yards) in 17:22.84

Laying down some smack!

Imagine how unsatisfying a world record holder would feel if his record was never even attempted to be broken.  Would the glory of Ram Barkai's ice mile even capture anyone's attention outside of South Africa, or Capt. Webb's channel crossing fame even last a generation if nobody ever duplicated the feat?  There are lots of big deals out there that simply go unnoticed.

There is a virtual open water race that has gone unchallenged far too long!!!  Today I'm going to give glory to the record holder by attempting to beat his time.  The two main attributes of those who have a shot at this record are three fold:

1. Speed in the water.
2. Mental determination
3. Guts

I keep hearing from lots of "men" out there how gross certain water is.  And I've been guilty of this myself as well.  Suck it up people!  Don't give in to your girly ways of thinking.  This doesn't mean to throw reason out the window, instead I encourage you to think rationally.  Bountiful lake water has been proven to be quite safe.  Throw your irrational fears out the window.  Bountiful Lake is not the cleanest water in the world, but it certainly is swimmable.

The current record of this virtual open water race is held by Josh Green which was set nearly two year back!  Sure there are many guys in Utah who possess attribute number 1 above.  But that alone won't break the record.  I call upon you fast swimmers in Utah, to make your mark.  Don't be satisfied with only fast swims in chlorinated water, or crystal clear open water.  Man up!

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This morning I slept in, and it felt great!  I got to the pool at 6:45 and did the following which Andy put up on the white board the day before since he is out for the weekend:

300 swim

200 - 4 x 50's stroke/free

200 kick

300 pull

300 - 4 x 75's build

200 fast (got 2:23)

4 x 100's build on 1:30

200 fast (got 2:20)

300 pull

300 - 4 x 75's kick (dolphin, flutter, dolphin by 25)

300 - 4 x 75's stroke/free/stroke by 25

100 easy

500 pull 

300 swim

200 - 4 x 50's stroke/free

200 kick

300 pull

400 - 100 easy, 100 sprint (1:07), 100 easy, 100 fast (1:10)

5,000 yards total in 90 minutes

Another butt kicking workout from Wes

This morning I got to SLCSC at 6:15 and did 1400 yards before the official start of the masters meet.  I saw Wes swimming and had to snap some video.  His stroke is so crisp and clean.  I would love to have some video of him swimming in an endless pool with the video in a loop.  Then put that video as my desktop background on my computer.  That would be sick!

Then Wes had us do:

1000 free negative split

500 - 5 x 100's on 1:15

500 free negative split

1000 - 10 x 100's on 1:20

I ended up pulling on the last 8 of these and was able to get slightly faster on each one.  Felt great!

300 easy warm down.

4,700 yards total in 1:40

It's supposed to be warm today.  Looking forward to a GSL swim this evening.
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This evening I met Chad, Josh and Jim at the marina and setup the new Swimmer flag.  I need to make a few modifications to make it final, but for the most part the concept appears functional and I think it'll make our presence more known on the water.

The water felt good getting in, but upon arriving at the marina entrance the water temp dropped like 3-4 degrees.  I was determined to do a round trip of Gridley Strait.  Felt fine going out.  There were some waves pushing me at my 5 oclock.  Coming back I felt a little chilled.  Not terribly so, but enough to make me wish it was over.


When I got back I saw Goody and Jim waiting for me at the dock.  Man Goody looked good.  He has lost some weight and even was sporting a goatee.  He looks like a million bucks.  It was nice to see him in that state.  He's got a couple more weeks of Dr ordered dryness, and he's antsy to get back in.

Total distance: 2:05 according to GPS in 1:02

Less dumb about sharks

I finally finished this book a couple nights ago.  It has some good information on the behavior of sharks and what to possibly expect with different encounters.  While there are no certainties, I think for the most part, I should be very likely to go unscathed during my Catalina swim. I'm less dumb about sharks, and less fearful, because any fear about it is quite irrational.  It's based on too many viewings of Jaws which is probably the most harmful thing that ever happened to the shark family.

This morning's workout was awesome.  I was the only one who showed up, so it was one on one coaching from Andy.  I was able to crank out some serious speed just as much as if Paul or James were there to push me.  Here's the workout:

200 swim
200 kick no fins
100 - 4 x 25's sprint free on :30
2000 - 2 x (4 x 100 build by 25 on 1:20 (got all < 1:10), 200 pull recover on 2:45, 8 x 50's odd 25 stroke/drill, even 50 sprint under :30)
400 pull
400 - 2 x 200's first one pull with ankle band, second one no paddles, but with buoy and band
200 IM
100 WD

3,600 yards total in 1:10

Instead of doubling up here, I went and did my lifting upstairs, and that was awesome.  If I weren't a swimmer, I'd be a bodybuilder.  I LOVE lifting.

Head start

Typically I swim at NWRC which opens at 6am.  Today I needed to get to work earlier.  So without sacrificing my swim plans I went to SDRC which opens at 5am instead.  Got in a full workout and still go to work before 8am.

1000 free easy
1000 - 10 x 100's odd IM on 1:45, even free on 1:30
1000 kick with fins
1000 pull large paddles
1000 pull agility paddles
1000 finger paddles only with no straps
1000 - 500 kick with fins, 500 IM/Free by 100
1000 free
150 easy

8,150 yards total in 2:10

Less than 4 months

Catalina swim is less than four months out and I think I'm going to have to pick it up a bit.  Last year I was doing 10K on a normal basis.  This year, I'm lucky to get 6K on a normal basis.

This morning it was just Paul and me.  I went through Andy's workout twice:

400 warmup
200 - 4 x 50's stroke on :50
2,250 - 3 x (300 free desc every 100 on 4:00, 3 x (150 pull descend by 50) on 2:00)
50 easy
400 - 4 x 100's - 50 kick/50 swim
100 easy

6,800 yards plus a little addition:

100 anti paddles
150 - 2 x 75's weighted drills - 25 weighted, 50 fast

7,050 yards total in 2:03

Blinked and Bam! There went a 10K swim.

This morning I swam with Krusty Krabs at SDRC.  Specifically Kris, Pat and John Eyring.  Here's the workout that Coach Craig put together.  It was fun, and seemed to go by really fast..

400 free warmup
500 - 10 x 50's drill swim by 25 on :55
600 - 4 x (75 kick, 50 kick, 25 kick with fins) rotate flutter/fly front/back
400 - 8 x 50s IM Order on :55
600 - 6 x 100's free on 1:30/:25
600 - 3 x 200 IM on 3:20
600 - 2 x 300's pull fast on 4:00
400 IM
500 - 10 x 50's get out each 25 and do 10 pushups
400 pull

Did the above workout all over again after Masters was done.  Only modifications was instead of doing pushpus on the second to last set, I did 6 x 75's weighted 25/50 fast, then a 50 easy

10,000 yards total in 3:00

Today's workout was great.  Never bonked, cause I packed a Powerbar performance energy Vanilla Crisp bar.  Man that thing hit the spot at the halfway point.  Then went of to the gym for a killer chest/back workout.

Friday swim

300 swim

200 kick

1000 - 8 x 125's - odd IM, even free on 2:00/1:55

1500 - 3 x (300 pull strong on 4:00 (get under 3:20 on each), 150 buoy only on 2:40, 50 sprint)

400 - 8 x 50's kick/stroke,  first 4 w/fins second 4 w/o

300 swim

200 finger paddles

3,900 yards total in 1:10

Hoping to do a long one tomorrow.

Give and Take

I've done my fair share of "Taking" over the years.  I decided it was time to "give".  So I signed up to volunteer as a kayak support for the St. George 70.3 Ironman in a couple weeks.  My friend Brady is doing it, my Uncle Rob is doing it and my cousin is also doing it.  I was able to get Miles to commit to joining me on another kayak that I'll be bringing for him to use.  After what happened last year, it may be good to have more people out there on the water, just in case.

Yesterday I was just so tired when the alarm went off.  Either I'm a well balanced person who is able to listen to his body well and make correct decisions, or I am flat out just a slacker.  I prefer the first option.  But this morning I was very motivated to get up early and get in a good workout.  Drove to Steiner and did the following:

2000 - 10 x 200's - 150 free, 50 back
1000 - 800 kick with fins, 200 easy
1000 - 4 x 250's free

Then joined Wes in his tough Masters workout:
500 - 4 x 125's - 75 free, 50 stroke on 1:50
800 negative split
800 - 8 x 100's free odd on 1:35, even on 1:05

Ended up pulling these cause there was NO WAY I was able to hold 1:05 without dogging it too much even with a 1:35 pace on the easy.

two minutes rest
600 negative split
600 - 6 x 100's - 2 x (100 free on 1:15, 1:10, 1;05)

Large paddles first 200, Agility paddles second 200, no paddles on last 200

Then did my own warmdown:
400 various strokes easy

7,700 yards total in 2:35

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Stacey, Sue, Chad and myself not
really enjoying getting in the cold.
But once you start, it's not bad.

This afternoon I met Chad, Sue and Stacey at the GSL Marina and we noticed that the water was cooler cause of the less than warm weather the past week.  We swam out the marina to the first buoy.  Sue said she was going to swim back.  Stacey went with her.

Chad was still swimming to the buoy.  I wasn't sure if he was going with the girls or going to go with the planned route of following the buoy line.  I didn't want to stop and get chilled so I kept on going.  I went to the buoy just north of the overlook.  I turned around and didn't see anyone so I figured I was on my own.  I went to the next two red buoys.  My watch said 20 minutes.

Passing the buoy just north of the overlook at the marina.

I took at temp and it said 57.6.  I wasn't sure I could go another 20 minutes without going into "tunnel vision" mode.  So I decided to just swim to Silversands beach and get out there.  That was a good choice.  When I got to standing up point I stopped my watch and checked the GPS.  1.03 miles in 31 minutes (including a stop at the 20 minute mark for a drink of Gatorade.

Not too shabby considering I'm a cold water wimp now.

1.03 miles in 31 minutes

Total for the day 5 1/2 miles.

Somewhere between anger and confusion

This morning it was hard to not ponder on the events of yesterday at the Boston Marathon.  Cathi ran the Boston Marathon four years ago and is currently working on her speed training in order to hit her goal of qualifying again this year, so that she can run it next year.  We had great memories of that marathon.  I took the train to mile point 17 and ran heartbreak hill with Cathi up through mile 23 where I found a place to jump off the course and meet up with her at the finish.  The support at that marathon is amazing.

With yesterday's bombings, I have been struggling with anger at the cowardice and senselessness of it all.  What is the purpose of crap like this?  I mean the target is innocent people!  How would killing innocent people really provide any kind of satisfaction or purpose to anyone?  I try not to dwell on it cause I just get myself all boiled up and there's nothing I can do about it.  Just have to realize that one day everything will get resolved and justice will be done.

Today I was on my own and was rushed for time cause I had to pick up my friend at 9am at the body shop. I did:

2000 pull agility paddles with ankle strap
1000 free no equipment
500 IM
500 kick with fins
2000 pull large paddles
300 IM warmdown

6,300 yards total in 1:40

Swing and a miss

This morning I drove right on past SDRC thanks to a waterpolo match that was interfering with lap swim time, and drove straight to NWRC.  I got in and did:

10 x 200's - First 5 - 50 drill, 150 swim, second 5 kick with fins/and without.

Then Andy came and gave us a little more:

1200 - 3 x ( 2 x 200's - odd drill/swim even pull on 3:00)
600 - 8 x 75's odd IM rotation, even build on 1:15)
200 EASY

4,000 yards total with an afternoon GSL swim planned....

Paul told me this morning, that he is married to Jennifer Olson.  Wow that brought back some memories.  We swam together in High School and she was  really nice girl.  I remember asking her to the Christmas dance by making her a cake (Pedro stole my idea by the way), and at the bottom of the cake on top of the plate was a birthday card asking her to the dance.  She was turning 16 and I wasn't about to pass up asking her to the dance.  I really liked her a lot, but I got the vibe she didn't feel the same:  Swing and a miss!  :)

Tada!  The incredible shrinking Gords.

That's fine, I struck out many times over the years and some of them were quite humiliating.  It worked out in the long term, cause when the time came that I finally got a perfect pitch and BAM!  I put all my strength into a swing with Cathi, and man did I hit a GRAND SLAM!. The crowd is on its feet!

Oh here's a pic that Cameron took last night after he kicked my butt in the gym.  I must say I LOVE LIFTING!  It's making me much faster in the pool and looking and feeling like a hero.

Accepting a duel

This morning's swim was extra special.  I had more energy than I typically do.  Don't know why.  I should have been wasted.  Got to bed too late last night finishing up watching "The Life of Pi" which is a fantastic show.

Got it the pool on time and joined James and Paul in:

200 swim
100 kick
200 - 4 x 50's free strong on 1:00
1800 - 3 x { 200 free strong on 2:45, 2 x 75's free/back/free on 1:15, 100 IM on 1:45, 2 x 75's free on 1:15)
600 - 4 x 150's build by 50 on 2:30
600 - 4 x 150's kick (first 2 w/fins, second 2 w/o)

Then did the above workout all over again (minus the last 600 kicking set).
100 easy cool down.

Got out and there was a guy a couple lanes over who reminded me of Rob Dumouchel in appearance.  He head was clean shaven and had a humongous viking beard.  Except he was a lot more tatooed up and had a big loop ear lobe gauge.  I was walking towards my bag and he said, "Hey!  You want to do some sprints with me?"  I wasn't sure if he wasn't sure if he was issuing me a challenge to race, or what.  I mean I was already out of the water and finished swimming 6,500 yards at this point and he wants me to get back in and do some sprinting sets?  I couldn't turn it down no matter his intention.

He asked what I wanted to do, I said, "Your call.  I'm not sure what you're looking for."  So he said, "4 x 50's all out with 1:00 rest between.  Alternating free and breast".  Wow.  Alrighty then.

He had a drag suit on and I was pretty sure he was determined to surprise me.  He was only behind me by 1-2 seconds on each 50.  (28 free, 41 breast)  His name is James and I've seen him at the pool a few times. He swam in high school at West Jordan, and wanted to get back in shape.  I encouraged him to join us in the mornings at Masters.  He said the workouts on the whiteboard seemed pretty intense.  I assured him that he wouldn't be pushed more than he wanted.  That he would be challenged as much as he let himself, and that Andy is a very reasonable coach and not a slave driver.

Hopefully we have another regular swimmer.

6,700 yards in 2:10

No rest for the slow

This morning I got to Steiner at 6:15 and did the following before swimming with Wes' coaching:

12 x 200's - 150 free/50 choice

Then did Wes' ultimate speed workout:

300 free on 4:00
200 pull on 2:30
100 kick strong
1800 - 3 x (3 x 200's)

First round descending on 1:20, 1:15, 1:10 pace, Second round ascending on 1:10, 1:15, 1:20 pace, Third round hold steady on 1:10/100 base

I struggled on the second and third sets of each and ended up flip turning right into them.  No rest for the slow!

900 - 3 x (3 x 100's)

First round descending on 1:20, 1:15, 1:10, Second round pull steady on 1:15, Third round ascending on 1:10, 1:15, warmdown

200 kick
100 easy

6,000 yards total in 1:30

 

First Gridley Strait of 2013

This morning the sun was out and the wind had died down since yesterday.  I checked the forecast for this afternoon and it looked good.  I posted on Facebook on SLOW page, that I was going out this afternoon hoping I could get some friends to come.  Stacey bit and I'm sure glad.

Last year I did a Gridley Strait a little too early in the season and had quite a struggle with it especially at the end.  That was on March 29th last year.  This year I waited a couple weeks longer, and still it was a struggle. The water felt cool getting in, but not terribly so.  Stacey and I ventured in and I had my Swimmer Buddy board which had the GPS and water packed on it.  I must say Stacey is quite the swimmer.  I did not have to hold back at all in order to keep her close by.  She was within 15 feet of me the entire swim.  That was fantastic.  I was able to keep a high stroke rate which was necessary to endure the cold water.

Forgot to hit the capture button on the GoPro that I had
set up on the Swimmer Buddy Board so all I got was stupid
pics of me turning it on, when I thought I was turning it
off.  Duh!

I took a water temp a couple times and it ranged between 56 and 57 degrees.  That's a little cold for me.  When we got about 250 yards or so from Black rock my hand was starting to brush the sandy bottom.  We stood up and took drinks and then swam back.  I was shivering and Stacey hardly seemed cold!  I absolutely had to go almost at a sprint in order to not go into hypothermia.

When we arrived back there were lots of people walking around taking pictures.  I had my ear plugs in and could hear Stacey answering their questions that they were shouting from the rocks.  I was almost in a tunnel vision mode like last year.  Not as bad.  I actually felt comfort breathing to the side during the swim and seeing her there.  Last year I went solo and that seems to make it harder mentally.  When we got out I was shivering pretty good and couldn't talk very clearly.  Stacey on the other hand seemed barely phased by the cold.  I think that was probably her 3rd or 4th swim in the GSL.  I'm very impressed!

GPS showed we swam exactly 1.97 miles in 57 minutes.  Including the drink break near Black Rock.
Not too shabby!

Buttering up Nikkole

This morning's workout was another fantastic speed workout.  I love it when Paul comes cause then there are three of us to swim hard against each other.  When it's just me and James I don't like as much cause I feel like when I try my best I fear that I'm being perceived as taking the challenge on a personal level.  But if there are more than the two of us, it's a group trying to hold a fast pace, rather than "mano a mano".

Got there late as usual, and they were halfway into their 50 set, so I just picked up where they did and then cycled back to the beginning at the end to get the full workout:

300 swim
200 - 4 x 50's free on :45
2000 - 5 x (200 free strong, 100 build, 4 x 25s sprint)

Even sets pull, odd no equipment.  Swam a 1:04 pace on the pull, and a 1:07 pace on the no equip.  Felt strong and loved this set!

50 elementary backstroke recovery
600 - 4 x 150's rotating broken IMs
400 kick (200 with fins, 200 without)
100 easy

Then talked with Nikkole who is a relatively new triathlon athlete.  She has swam a couple times with Masters, but in a different lane and Andy has been working a lot with the new swimmers which is great.

Talked with her about the SLOW club and the GSL race.  I think we might be seeing her in May out in the GSL in the morning training swims.  She seemed open minded and willing to train out there.

3,650 yards total in 1:05

Shirts for GSLOW

Yesterday I got the proof for the GSLOW race.  I think they look awesome.  What do you think?  On the back will say:  "I swam it!  Thank you!  Thank you! Sam I am!" with a list of the sponsors.

This morning I had a Dentist appointment in Layton, so I swam at Surf N' Swim:

100 easy
200 free
300 fly/back/breast by 100
400 kick with fins
500 agility paddles
600 - 3 x 200 IM on 3:30
700 free
800 - 4 x (100 free fast under 1:20 straight into 50 stroke/50 free drill) on 3:30
900 pull
900 pull

800 - 4 x (100 free fast under 1:20 straight into 50 stroke/50 free drill) on 3:30
700 free
600 - 3 x 200 IM on 3:30
500 agility paddles

8,000 yards total in 2:10

I have a cool safety enhancement for all swimmers who swim at GSL Marina.  The project materials should all be collected here in the 10 days or so.  Then I have to pitch it to Dave Shearer for approval, which I don't think will be an issue.  I'm excited to reveal it!

Meeting Paul Welch

For the first time in history, I was in the pool earlier than James (by :25 seconds).  Usually I'm the slacker and taking my time getting ready, taking a shower, and showing up after the warmup is over.  I was extra motivated to kick it today cause of my weekend of less swimming than normal, and more eating than normal.  

James introduced me briefly to the guy who I noticed a couple weeks back who was really fast.  His name is Paul Welch.  He's a Jamie Patrick lookalike.  He swam in lane 3, James in 2 and myself in 1.  It was nice cause we all got leave at the same time and push each other.  Here's the workout Andy came up with:

300 swim

400 - 8 x 50's - 25 stroke, 25 free

2000 - 2 x (400 pull strong at 1:10 base on 5:00, 100 negative split, 300 pull strong on 1:10 base on 4:00, 200 negative split)

400 - 8 x 50's kick with fins

400 - 2 x 200's 25 spring, 25 easy

100 easy

This workout for me was awesome.  I was energized, felt strong and was able to hold the lead on nearly all the sets.

Then stayed after, and did my own thing:

3500 - 7 x 500's odd pull (desc paddle size), even no equipment

500 - 4 x (25 weighted free, 50 sprint), 200 anti paddles

7,600 yards total in 2:15

Kayaker appreciation Barbecue and spring kickoff

Today at noon I met at the GSL Marina pavilion with Sue, Todd, Kate, Stacey, Jim, Rachel, and new comers: Tanya Harris and Kirk Parker.  We were joined by kayakers: Ryan Frehse, Lucy and Jacob Gridley, and Angela Sandberg and her crew.

Kate, Sue, Stacey and me about to get in.

I wish I had taken pictures at the barbecue.  Lots of good food and fun with friends.  We did the raffle drawing and Kate picked out the name of..... Esther Stokes!  I called her afterwards and dropped it off at her place.  She was thrilled.

It was overcast this afternoon with a slight breeze.  I was a little cold to be honest.  The water though didn't feel bad at all.  We swam outside the marina and I did a loop out to the second red buoy north of the marina and the round trip took 25 minutes.  A route that I'll put conservatively at .90 miles.  I brought my GPS this time, but look a doofus left it in the car.

When I got back the wind had picked up a little and there was some chop starting to form out there.  It was fun, but would have been better if it were sunny and a larger group that participated in the swim.   But with it still being 60° it is a little too cold for many.

It was a lot of fun getting together with everyone.  Thanks to Sue and Todd for cooking up the chicken and everyone for bringing lunch.  It was delicious.


 

400s at Surf N Swim

Today I'm staying home to work, and so my swim this morning was at Layton Surf N' Swim.  Water temp was 85°F.  Ugh.

Did 10 sets of 400:

2 x  {

200 free, 200 breast

400 kick with fins

2 x 200 IM

400 pull large paddles

400 pull agility paddles

4000 yards total in 1:12

Looking forward to tonight's butt kicking session with Cameron Brown.  He's gonna work me into the ground! Here's some cool pics he took last week.

 

 

 

Two new recruits

Today was a first for a couple of new friends who showed up at 4:30 to swim with me:

Rory Duckworth and Pete Loebach

Rory and I get out and watch Pete
 finish his first lap.  

Rory was on his way to check out the TT race at Saltair and did one 400 yard lap and Pete and I did two more laps.  The water was 61 on my watch, but felt colder than Tuesday.   The wind chill was probably the main difference.  The forecast earlier this week showed Tuesday to be rainy and stormy with Thursday being nice.  It was the other way around.  I didn't feel good leaving these two fine gentlemen on their own for their first swim so I stayed within the Marina with them.

They both said it was a good experience and seemed to enjoy themselves.  Rory said he would like to come out as much as he can on Thursdays and possibly a Saturday here or there.  Excellent!

Pete is doing an Xterra triathlon in Las Vegas next week and wanted to get in an open water swim before then.

Today's swim:  3 laps of 400 yards = 1200 yards 

Reunited with Robin Masters

This morning I slept in just a little and drove to SLCSC for one of Wes Johnson's workouts.  Got there before the official start time of the group and did 1000 yards to warmup.  Then joined the group in their own warmup:

300 warmup
450 - 6 x 75's kick/drill/build to sprint last 25
500 - 500 straight neg.split on base (1:15/100 = 6:15)
500 - 5 x 100's on 1:20
400 - negative split on base (5:00)
400 - 4 x 100's on 1:15
300 negative split on base
300 - 3 x 100's on 1:10 (ended up flip turning on everything.  No way to swim fast enough to even open turn those 100 times)
200 negative split on base
200 - 2 x 100's on 1:05  (again, this time was out of my league as well as everyone else in my lane.  I was in position 4 out of 5 in the fast lane)
Then the workout ended and I continued with:
100 strong with an extra minute to rest for the last sprint of the day!
100 sprint for time (1:04).

I can go way faster than that, but at this point, I had already sprinted so much that  I was fatigued and this was the best I could do.

Then I talked with Wes.  Earlier he had given me some feedback on my stroke which was exactly why I went.  I wanted his expert opinion.  And he gave me some things to remember:

1. Head position. He noticed that the water level was on my forehead, where it should be more at the very top of my head.  I need to look straight down in the water.  I think part of the reason why I was doing this is because I wanted to make sure I was keeping up with the person right in front of me and was doing more looking forward underwater than I typically do.  Especially in open water, when I can't really see much in front of me anyway.  But it's something to be more mindful of.
2. Earlier catch on my right arm.  He said that my right arm catch is more straight at the start and about halfway through is when I bend my elbow instead of getting that bent elbow at the start of the catch like my left are is doing correctly.  Didn't notice that and yes I paid more attention to that after he mentioned it.  

At the start of the workout, Wes said, "You know Robin?"  He must have known that she was my High School coach.  I was so happy to see her and to swim with her.  She still is a speed demon and was right ahead of me in third position in the lane.  There was a young woman probably in her 20s that was in first position and holy crap was she fast.  She was nearly lapping me on those 500s.

After everyone left I continued with:
250 easy
250 - 50 ankle strap, no buoy or paddles fast stroke rate, 200 pull agility paddles with ankle strap
250 - 50 ankle strap, no buoy or paddles fast stroke rate, 200 pull large paddles with ankle strap

5,500 yards total in 1:30  Looking forward to swimming in GSL this evening!  Going for Gridley Strait for sure.

New Mesh Bag

300 swim
200 kick
200 IM kick/swim
200 IM stroke/free
200 free
200 IM
900 - 3 x (200 pull strong on 2:30, 100 sprint on 1:30)
800 - 4 x 200's pull big to small finger paddles on 3:00

3,000 yards total in 1:00

I went over 250 miles yesterday in GTD so I just earned a new Nike mesh bag.  Nothing fancy, but something to replace my dirty old green one that is getting a hole in it.

I found out that Joelle Beard is going to swim Catalina two days before me!  How awesome is that.  I'll actually be there that day getting prepped for my swim.  I'm planning to be one the beach the day she arrives and greet her at the finish.  That would be so cool to see and inspirational for my own swim.

Meeting Bert

Bert visiting from Florida wasn't even
affected by the temperature, or the salt.
Definitely "Stud of the day" award
winner.

This afternoon when I got to the Marina, I got all ready to go, when the car next to me there was a guy wearing some board shorts who said, "Are you getting in?"  I said "Yeah, there's a group of us that usually go on Tuesdays or Thursdays."  He said he was visiting from Florida and just had to try swimming in the Great Salt Lake.  I totally admired his adventurous spirit!  I took pictures for him with his camera as he got in and swam around a bit.  I gave him a Got Salt magnet, and talked with him about the lake.

He said he swam in the Atlantic ocean just yesterday, flew in today and is going skiing in Park City tomorrow with his friend.  Dang!  How awesome is that.

What a beautiful afternoon for a swim!  The water
was as flat as glass.  The forecast for Thursday looks to be
even better than today!

I was stalling my own swim, because I was hoping someone else was planning to come.  But at 4:45 pm I was still alone.  Good thing I broke out my Swimmer Buddy and packed it in my car last night.  With that thing I feel OK to go by myself.  Those sailboats can see me quite a ways off with that thing.

I left my cap in my bag in my car, and was about to walk back up the ramp to get it, but took a quick temp with my feet and figured the water was probably warm enough to go without a cap.

I swam outside the Marina and out to the red buoy that is 1/2 mile north east of the lookout point.  Total round trip swim was 47 minutes.  I'm going to log it as 1.5 miles.  Next time I'll pack along my GPS to get an accurate distance instead of estimating.

I took a few temp samples throughout the swim, and it ranged between 60 and 61 degrees.  Very nice!  I'm really looking forward to Thursday.  I'm planning to swim a double Gridley Strait.  Cannot wait!  I sure hope someone comes out to join in the fun.  It really is a crime to have this lake to myself!

Halfsies

This morning I came up with the workout, which went by quickly, and easily.  Nice workout:

2000 pull
1000 free strong (get 14:00)
500 kick with fins
-------
1000 free strong (get 14:00)
500 kick with fins
250 stroke
------
500 free strong (get under 7:00)
250 stroke
100 back/breast

6,100 yards total in 1:45

Snooze button blues

This morning I hit the snooze button, and it didn't come back for round two, so I woke up late and got to the pool an hour late.  Boo!

Did the Masters workout twice through, just as James was leaving:

500 - 300 free, 200 stroke
200 - 4 x 50's kick
1800 - 3 x (400 pull, 200 back/breast) go strong
500 - 4 x 125's (first round do weighted 25's, 100 strong,  second round Kick with fins)

6,000 yards total in 1:45