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.