Punishment

Yesterday I was planning to do an OW swim @ GSL marina in the afternoon, but as I was heading there from work realized I left my USP pass in my other car.  So I thought I'd go home and get it and then swim @ Antelope Marina.  But when I got home I was dying of hunger and ate something, and then I got caught up helping kids with various things and also realized that I've been wanted to put a picture together for the Wasatch Front Polar Bear Club I'm trying to organize.  So I took the time to put together a cartoon that will go on the hoodies that members of the club can purchase.
Here's the pic.

Do you have what it takes!

So since I flaked on my swim yesterday, I went to bed early so that I could get up early for a longer swim today, and punish myself with a 12K swim.  Although punishment really has a negative tone to it.  I would just say "make up" or something.  Today's workout was far from punishment.  It was actually quite fun!

Got up at 0350 and was in the water at 0501.  Here's what I did:

4000 - 2 x 2000 < :30 ri
Right into Masters workout at 7am:
300 warmup
400 - 8 x 50's touch and pull drill on :45
300 - 6 x 50's kick on 1:00
Main Set:
2500 - 5 x 5 x 100's free (first 2 sets of 5 on 1:30, 3rd set 1:25, 4th - 1:20, 5th - 1:15 pull.  2 min rest between sets of 5)

The guy who I swam with today and yesterday, his name is Chad.  Kind of a bigger dude.  Doesn't look like an athlete (alot like me!) But he's pretty quick.
After the main set, I moved over to the north end of the pool because the HS kids were kicking us out.  I continued with:

700 easy
4000 - 1000 pull, 1000 free no equip, 1000 pull, 1000 kick with fins  < :60 between sets

Total Distance: 12,000 yards
Time: 3.5 hours


More info on WFPBC coming soon....

Rejoice!

I'm extremely happy with how my shoulder is doing.   Last Saturday's swim was fantastic!  I was looking forward to this morning all weekend.  My first workout with Masters for the winter.  This morning I got up at 0415 and was in the water at 0525 and did:

2000 yards easy
Then joined masters on their workout. Swam with Kris, Jill and one other guy which I didn't get his name.

400 choice warmup

200 - 4 x 50's on :60
200 - 4 x 50's on :50
200 - 4 x 50's on :40

200 kick no board (alternate free and dolphin per 50)
200 - 8 x 25's kick on :45

200 - 50 one arm fly, 150 back
200 - 50 one arm fly, 150 breast
200 - 50 one arm fly, 150 free
200 IM

400 - 4 x 100's pull free on 1:30
200 - 2 x 100's all out (I wanted under 1:10 on the first one and got 1:06.  Wanted under 1:05 on the second and got 1:03) Very Happy!  Not bad for pushing off the wall and having a recovering shoulder!
100 easy
200 - 100 back, 100 breast cool down

5,100 yards total

I would have gone on, but I figured I better not press my luck.  I'm still supposed to take the rest of this week off.  Will do some medicine ball work today.

Disobeying Doctors orders....first swim post surgery (2 weeks early)

If the doctor only knew how great my shoulder feels he'd probably be OK with it.   Three days after my surgery, all pain in my shoulder was gone no matter what movements I made.   The Dr. said I could get back in and do some light swimming the third week after my surgery.   I spent the last three days watching young kids at the SDRC swim meet swim, and I was getting really antsy!  Plus today is the first day of the six month virtual open water race.

I'm doing the 250 mile event around Long Island.  Today I took Lucy out to GSL Antelope Island Marina and swam out to egg island and back.  I took long and easy strokes and my shoulder felt like a million bucks!  I didn't have any pain at all.  I'm wishing I was down at Slam the Dam today, but it was good to see the kids perform in their first swim meet.   Lucy did very good today keeping up and staying close in the kayak.  She had the GPS and when we got out it read:

Total Distance: 2.15 miles
Time: 1:04


Not bad at all.

As for the kids events, here's what they did this weekend:

Jacob
1650 free - 31:54:46
500 free - 8:53.89
200 free - 3:11.51

Lucy
500 free - 13:32
50 back - 51.75
50 free - (I thought I captured this on film, but didn't end up getting it)
50 breast - 1:05.40

Jonas
50 free - 1:16.41

These are all PRs!  These kids all started with the swim team 4 weeks ago.  You should have seen how much they have improved in that time!  I think the biggest two things for them to work on now are: 1) Long, reaching arms.  They've definitely got the bent elbows down.  Too much.  They need to focus on slowing their stroke rate down and getting long full strokes.  2) Jumping off the block.  Jonas never practiced jumping off the block before this meet and he did it in the meet.  Here's a little video of his 50 free:

I love his energy!  He puts a smile on my face!

Calcified Bursitis removed

Went in this morning and Dr. Richards prepped me on the procedure and said there would be some pain with the anesthetic shot going right into the tendon.  He told me about it in my previous visit so it was expected.  I laid down on the table and he cleaned the area of skin where the entry of the large needle was going.  I just closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.

He said, 'OK, you ready?'.  I said I was and then barely felt anything at all.  The whole procedure on the pain scale was a zero including the numbing shot.  I don't know if that's abnormal, or a serious answer to my prayers and the prayers of many friends and family.  He said there were two calcium balls that needed to be removed and the whole thing took probably a little over 15 minutes.  Again there was no pain and he said that the removal went very smooth and that they looked like they were already starting to dissolve and that the procedure was most likely going to be very successful.

I'm  hopeful that I'll be back in the water doing some kicking with fins by October 3rd, and slowly working my upper body more and more back to full recovery by the end of October.  If you're praying for me, keep going!  Thank you! It's working.

Driving with a flat tire to the tire store

This morning I got to my Dr's office promptly at 8am this morning.  When I went to sign in, the office attendant said the Dr. called in sick and that I would be able to be have my surgery today.  She said I could see him first thing on Monday instead.   My instinct was to argue but I realized it would get me nowhere.  Besides.  Believe or not, Dr's are human too and although you don't see it often, they get sick too.  So I took the Monday appointment and drove Cathi back home.  I could either go to work, or continue with my day's plan:  Go assist Will with his 24 hour swim.  I was planning to just go and be a deck support, but I figured I might as well swim as much as my shoulder would allow.

When I arrived they had already been going for 4 hours.  I got in and did the following:

3700 - 24 x 150's free, 100 leftover (pulling)
3700 - 21 x 175's free, 25 leftover (pulling)
Took 800 MG Ibuprofen and finished my 24 oz Gatorade
3700 - 18 x 200's free, 100 leftover no equipment - I felt really good on this set.  I swam even lengths with a faster cadence (not worrying about efficiency, but just a faster cadence), and odd with long smooth strokes.  Shoulder didn't hurt much on this set until I got to the 15th one.
Another 800 MG Ibuprofen and several crackers and cheese
3700 - 16 x 225's free pull
My shoulder was getting bad at this point, but decided to keep going
500 - 2 x 250's free - After the second set of 250's I dropped out as my shoulder was going from throbbing pain to sharp and intense.  I continued on doing breaststroke which didn't seem to have any impact on my shoulder.  However it was very slow and boring.  (Breast is my least favorite stroke).
500 - 10 x 50's breast no rest.

At this point, I realized my goal of getting 39 miles was way out of the question.  I tried going back to doing some free, but it just wasn't going to work.  I pulled out for good and went and took SDRC Meet posters around to lots of different pools.  Also took Austin to the club and then went home for a private walk with Cathi and the two Saint Bernards.

Can I just say that Will is a monster!  That guy just kept on going and his pace was insane.  If I were to do this event on my own I would have opted for maybe 3500 yards but he was doing 3700 yards, and then spending like maybe 4 minutes for a quick rest and nutrition break.  Just a little too short in my opinion.  But he was on target to hit 50 miles in one day.  That is simply unbelievable!  I mean I wouldn't even consider running a marathon in one day, but doing 50 miles in 24 hours?  Even at this time,  he's been going all day long and still has 9 more hours to go until he's finished.  I wish I could have been a better partner on his event!


15,800 yards total


Can't wait for my Monday morning appointment!

Meeting Michael Slade in the Great Salt Lake

Michael Slade setup his camera right on the
rocks at Lookout point for
an early morning photo on the lake.

This morning drove the GSL Marina and met Michael Slade, he's a professional photographer who teaches photography at BYU and UVU.  He's also writing a book on the GSL.  He met me there to take a few photos.  But when I got there it was still dark so I swam out to the Eastern Red Buoy a couple times until he was setup and there was enough light for taking a picture.  After a couple laps to the buoy, I met him at the lookout point and he took a few pictures with the lake and Stansbury Island in the background.  It was only about an 8 minute stop and I was off again on my swim to Black Rock and back.  Thanks to Michael for taking the time to get up early for the picture.  It was my pleasure to be a model for the day.  All alone, I would be unworthy, however having a sweet background makes it turn out not so bad.  Can't wait to see how they turned out.

My shoulder was giving me issues once I got to the marina opening and it wasn't just the annoying pain, it was the grindy kind.  Made me so glad that I chose to go with the surgery on Friday rather than tough it out.  I'm not looking forward to the procedure itself, but I'm looking forward to getting that piece of crap bone taken out and getting better so I don't have to deal with the grind.

When I got out at the boat ramp, there were like thirty people at the top of the ramp taking pictures, clapping and cheering!  I was so embarrassed.  I should have hammed it up and bowed a few times, but I definitely don't like being in the spotlight and tried to just walk nonchalantly to my car.  Michael was still there and I told him about Dr Spencer Richards.  He is definitely a doctor I would recommend for sports related injuries.  After Friday I should have even more experience with him to tell more.  I actually went to West High with Dr. Richards.  He is the same age as my brother, Russell.  Spencer and Russ used to play basketball for West High together.

Total Distance: 2.8 miles
Time: 1:20 (including drink break and picture taking)

Getting a head start on recovery

The last mile of today's swim was a reminder that the left shoulder is still something to be considered.  I was very happy with the quick recovery from Bear Lake, however today was the first time with shoulder pain since then.  So the question is do I live with the pain for two more weeks and do the surgery after Slam the Dam, or do I just get going on it now and get a head start on the recovery so that I can get back in the water say mid October rather than the end of October?

I decided to just get going.  Which means I'll have to sacrifice my Slam the Dam entry. Which would probably turn out to be pretty painful with the state this shoulder is in.  So I have surgery scheduled for this Friday with Dr. Richards.

Today's swim was a double horned straight - 4.3 miles in 2:08.  Pretty uneventful swim and as you can see not the fastest.  Went well until the last mile, then while I swam in pain I thought through the above decision.

Total Distance: 4.3 miles
Time: 2:08

Michael Slade is meeting me out at GSL Marina on Wednesday morning for a photo shoot.  Good timing as I'll probably have that be my last real swim for the year out there.  After that it'll be considered a polar bear swim.  The water today was 69°.  It's dropping fast.

Evening swim with Goody

Met Goody at the GSL Marina at 5pm.  We went down the rocky path to the water's edge at the water covered Silver Sands Beach.  On our way out to the eastern Buoy I looked forward to sight once and saw the big metal Utah State Parks boat off in the distance heading towards us.  It rounded the corner of the red buoy and headed towards the marina.  It was a good 200 yards off, but it was going at a good clip so I stopped swimming and waved at who I assume was Dave Shearer in the boat.

We rejoined at the eastern buoy and swam to the opening of the marina, and got our bearings on Black Rock.  I did an experiment on this afternoon's swim.  From the Marina opening to Black Rock I changed my stroke rate to a much higher than normal rate and focused on a high turnover and an immediate pull instead of a long and controlled glide and pull.  This was much more comfortable for me and put less strain on my shoulder as it involved alot more pec muscles and less on a long catch and pull which puts a good amount of effort on the shoulders.  I liked the faster pace.  I felt like a machine.  I could care less if it wasn't as pretty or included slightly more splashes.  I didn't have ANY issues with my shoulder and they felt great.  However my lips and tongue were on fire and they had enough!

Met up with Goody at Blackrock and we both took a drink from the Gatorades I packed in my SSD and we talked for a bit and then took off for the last leg beg to the marina.  This time instead of the faster pace, I did the normal "TI" swim:  slower pace, but more efficient pulling and long catch.  It was a little faster, but not much more.  About the same considering its a mile both ways.

Goody and I chatted afterwards for a good bit.  It's been a while since we last swam together.  It was good to get together.  He's got some very promising stuff going on right now.  He's involving a coach in his workouts and I remember when I used JGal as my coach.  My speed improved dramatically, and my motivation was high.  But then I realized over time, that I was able to motivate myself by staying involved in events like this Virtual Open Water Race, as well as USMS' Go the Distance, not to mention setting short term, mid term and long term goals to help me measure my progress.

As we neared the finish a couple of rowers were just exiting the marina.  He asked if I swam out there much and I told him 2-3 times a week and he asked if I was interested in joining him on a relay team for ROW-SWIM-BIKE.  That would be awesome!  I'll be looking into that.  Sounds like alot of fun!

Total Distance: 3.2 miles (6.4 miles in the GSL for the day)
Total Time: 1:45 (included lots of good conversation and a drink break) (3:14 daily total)

Disturbance in the Force

This morning I was in the water at 6:35am heading towards the eastern Marina buoy for a 5K swim in the GSL. I instantly noticed that the number of sea monkeys had dropped significantly.  I would estimate a 80-90% are dead.  It was kinda nice to see clear water rather than what often looks like a blizzard of white brine shrimp under the water.  But after a few minutes I missed them.  They added to the "disco affect" which put me in a trance like state while swimming.

I was wondering how many millions of brine shrimp had passed away just in the past 24 hours and felt a little bit like Obi Wan during a troubling moment on the Millenium Falcon when he said, "I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced."


Today's swim was nice and easy.  Yesterday's workout was more about speed and keeping up with the fast.  Plus I'm planning to swim with Goody this evening.  Probably the same route.  


Total Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 1:29


Here's a eulogy song I dedicate to all my recently passed friends in the Great Salt Lake.

Early morning swim at Salt Lake City Sports Complex with Will Reeves

Since SDRC is still closed for pool maintenance I decided to go to SLC Sports Complex.  Last weekend when I went there I was pleased with the 50 M pool and was eager to be a die-hard and show up at 5:30am for some good mileage.

When I got there I saw Will Reeves by the poolside.  I knew he swam here, but not what time of day so I was glad to see him.  He had a workout all ready to go and I threw out my planned workout so I could join him and the other fantastic swimmers there.  The outdoor pool doesn't open until 6am so I had to deal with the inside 25 yard pool for the first half hour:

700 - 250 free, 200 back, 150 breast, 100 one arm fly
900 - 3 x 300's IM
1600 yards
then we moved to the 50 M pool:

I don't remember all the sets, but I do remember the running total.  That's one thing I have against most coaches.  They don't consider that the students actually log this stuff, and I don't have a good enough memory for all the different sets.  It would be nice if the coach had a printout for every lane, that way I can snag one after the workout.  Today, I just kept a running total in my mind.

Ended up doing 7000 M total in the outdoor pool.  That consisted of two separate workouts with two separate groups.  I met Kyle Treadway, Gary Shaw, another fit dude named Chris.  Also Randy Philpot who was the coach for the first hour.  Good workout, and I got a real good second wind from 7:30 - 8:30am.  That was my best hour.

I love seeing the sun come up over the mountains.  Usually when I do its from within the GSL, but today it was from the inside of the SLC Sports Complex outdoor pool.  Very cool.

Also, Will was able to get the Salt Lake Tennis Club to agree to allow him to get a group to do a 24 hour swim on September 23rd. I'm on board with that.

Daily Total (Meters converted to yards): 7650 + 1600 = 9,250 yards 
Time: 2:45