Being the bird of the water

 Today's workout: 

Warmup: 700

• 300 Easy
• 400 IM

Main Set: 2600

• 500 Snorkel freestyle
• 3 x 200's Free descending (3:20, 3:00, 2:46)
• 2 x (200IM, 100 Kick, 50 fast)
• 8 x 100's Desc 1-4 on (1:32, 1:28, 1:23, 1:17) on 1:40

Cooldown: 300

• 300 Snorkel freestyle easy

Total: 3,600 yards

Tread :30 with brick completely above water.  Goal was to do this 4 times, but only 10 seconds into the second set, my legs started cramping.  Need to do this more often, or do it near the start of the workout.  

• Today's Monday Motivation is the idea that we as swimmers, are the birds of the water for aquatic life.  They are looking up at their sky, and may be lucky to one day find someone up there at the surface swimming, looking down at them.  We live above the water in a realm that they can't survive in.  When we swim, we are passing through a barrier into their world.  We are the birds to them, which they may be in awe of. Be an awe-deserving bird.

Dude, don't be ashamed!

Marshy woke me up with his dog whine to go out at 6:20, so I got out of bed at 6:30 and got to the pool a

little early.

Warmup: 400 

• 300 easy
• 100 kick no board with fins

Main: 2800

• 3 sets of rolling 75's IM (fly/bk/br, bk/br/fr, br/fr/fl, fr/fl bk) on 1:30
• 1000 Free with snorkel (loved this)
• 3 x 200's pull on 3:00 (Got all on 2:40)
• 6 x 50's free - odd sprint! (:33, :33, :32) even active recover breast stroke

Cooldown: 400

• 200 IM easy
• 200 free easy

3,600 yards total

Last night I had a dream that I was asked to share a brief discussion on my religious beliefs at a MASSIVE event that Salesforce puts on called "Dreamforce".  I don't know why I was asked to do this, but I felt like it was a giant set up.  This would not be a topic at Dreamforce, but I definitely didn't feel saying "No" was an option.  Despite Salesforce having an equality group "Faithforce", I still felt like the company in general when I was working there was filled with a bunch of left-wing nutballs. And along with that a certain level of worldliness and cynicism. 

I could bear my testimony.  It's not like it was going to be a two-way conversation where there would be any kind of disputation going on.  Anyway, I was super nervous about the whole thing with the expected audience.  I woke up before I was able to deliver the address.  But was disappointed in my initial reaction. I should have been stoked to have been given that opportunity.   At some point in time every single person will know Jesus and the reality of his deity, mercy, and love.  Why was I scared to share that belief on such a huge scale?

Coaches Coin Concept

 One wonderful thing about swimming that I definitely don't experience while playing pickleball is that swimming allows me to meditate and think while I'm doing it.  When I'm playing pickleball, my mind can't wander and think calmly and conceptualize stuff.  You're completely focused on every aspect of the game.  Swimming laps is different.  I can think and meditate, and I absolutely LOVE that!

Today I was thinking it would be really nice to give all my swimmers at the end of the season a "Coaches Coin".  I've designed it and sent on the idea to OakCoins in Kaysville which will give me a proof and a quote.  I'm pretty excited about it. 

Here's today's workout:

Warmup: 700

• 300 easy
• 8 x 50's IM Stroke, Free

Main set: 2600

• 2 x 5 x 200's
• 1st Kick with fins/snorkel
• 2nd IM
• 3rd Freestyle
• 4th IM
• 5th Pull
• 600 Snorkel freestyle - It's these long sets where my mind really is able to go.  I miss doing long sets like this! I need to do more of these.

Cooldown: 300

Total 3,600 Yards

100 free sprint test today

 This morning I did the following.  A bunch of 400s:

• 400 Easy
• 400 Kick with fins/snorkel
• 400 IM
• 4 x 4 x 100's 
• 1st set of 4 free strong (1:28-1:29) on 2:00
• 2nd set IM on 2:15
• 3rd Free - kick with fins/board - no snorkel
• 4th  set 1st/3rd one sprint (1:10, 1:09), 2nd/4th free fingertip drag drill
• Very please with the 1:09 especially with the in water start, and I'm wearing a drag suit. 
• 400 free pull snorkel no fins (Freestyler paddles)
• 400 cooldown

3600 yards total

I acknowledge today that my body fat percentage must be prettay dang high.  I can float without even moving.  It's not like I'm in the GSL.  I feel good, but my fat amount should allow me to do some decent cold water exposure stuff this winter.  Gonna go fill up the ice pool in the back.....

Early Morning Swim

 This morning I took Cathi to the airport to catch an early flight to Houston to see Charlie. I dropped her off at 4:45am, so I drove straight to the pool afterward.

Warmup: 600

• 300 Easy
• 300 Kick with fins/snorkel

Main: 2400

• 2 x 5 x 50's finger drill free (start with 4 fingers, then 3, then 2, then 1, then fist swim) Slow but sure makes you glad you have fingers.  Amazing how much propulsion you get just having fingers.
• 2 x (200 IM, 50 kick, 200 Pull)
• 10 x 100's free on 2:00 Build

Cooldown: 300

Total: 3300

When I got out it was 6:45.  Most days that's when my alarm goes off and here I am getting out of the pool at that time.  Awesome!

Saturday 2 mile swim

 Here's the workout I did this morning:

Warmup: 900

• 3x300's - 1st Free, 2nd IM, 3rd Kick with snorkel

Main: 2600

• 
  4 sets of (300 pull, 200 IM, 100 free, 50 kick)

Drill:

• 4 sets of treading with 10 pound brick for :30 seconds.  
  
• I had originally prescribed a minute, but scratched it out as I realized how tough this really is.  

Cooldown: 100 free easy

3,600 yards total

Feeling really good.  I was able to hold under 4 minutes on the 300 pulls (under 1:20 pace).  Granted this is a pull set, but still for me at this early stage of coming back, felt pretty good about that pace.  Eventually, I'll get pull sets under 1:15, but I'll take it. 

Dude, I'm feeling firm

 I noticed that my chest and biceps (and probably my butt) are feeling more firm than they used to.  I've

been going for nearly three full weeks and I'm feeling GREAT!  I'm on a hole on my belt that I haven't been to in a while.  I've got a long way to go, but I'm heading in the right direction. 

Today's workout:

Warmup: 350

• 250 Free
• 100 kick with fins

Main: 1,750

• 10 x (100 free on 1:45, 50 back/breast on 1:15, 25 kick)

Drill: 900

• 6 x 150's pull with snorkel - focus on 1st quadrant being nice and controlled, streamlined with a glide.  Descending on these.  Do these on 2:30 intervals.

Cooldown: 300

• 200 IM Easy
• 100 IM Easy

One of my HS swimmers was swimming in the next lane over and I could see she was working on her flip turns. At the end of the workout, I gave a few tips that should help her. It's great to see a swimmer come in on a fall break to work on swimming.  When a swimmer comes in when they don't really have to, it makes me think they like it.  You could be sleeping in on a day off.

3,300 yards total

Sprint work

 Got in the pool by 8 am and did the following:

Warmup:

• 400 Easy
• 200 kick with fins

Main:

• Snorkel kicking with fins: 4 x 150's alternating dolphin, flutter, swim by 50
• 4 x 100's - first 2 flutter with arms at side, second 2 flutter on back arms at side

Sprints:

• 10 x 25's free on 1:00, try to hold :16 or better (Success)
• 8 x 25's back on 1:00, try to hold :21 or better (Success)
• 6 x 25's breast on 1:00, try to hold :21 or better (Success)
• 4 x 25's fly (not one arm, the real thing) on 1:30, try to hold :16 or better (Success)

I was actually really surprised I was able to hold those 16 second 25's on the fly.  It didn't feel very clean, but the clock doesn't lie.  Excited to think of the possibility of what I could get once I get stronger.

Distance:

• 800 pull with buoy straight

Cooldown: 200 IM easy

3,300 yards total

I'm feeling a little pain in my left shoulder, so I really need to monitor that and don't overdo it. I think I'll stick to 3000 or so and not feel inclined to increase. I need to be mindful not to put a lot of torque on the shoulders. I'm not a young buck anymore, and another torn rotator cuff is definitely not worth it.

Every Breath Feels Good

 Today during the sets of using a snorkel, I REALLY enjoyed those sets.  It's as if every time I breathe while swimming with face looking down in the water instead of breathing off to the side, it's as if each breath has a little more sweetness to it.  It actually felt really good to breath.  I think with my lungs being able to breath at will while swimming instead of having to time my inhale/exhale in rhythm with my stroke made the act of breathing feel wonderful.  

Here's the workout:

Warmup:

• 300 free easy
• 2 x 100's kick with fins
• 2 x 150's free with snorkel

Main:

• 4 x 100's IM
• 4 x 150's Snorkel freestyle
• 4 x 50's kick 
• 4 x 200's Pull Build ( was able to get these around 2:50 which isn't great, but given the first two I'm intentionally holding back just a bit, and then building to strong on the 3rd and 90% effort or so on the last 50)

Drill:

• 6 x 25's free - first 2 only get 4 breaths, second 2 get 3 breaths, last couple of 25's get 2 breaths
• That was not that difficult actually. Didn't really have to hold my breath very much.

350 cooldown

3,300 yards total

Supplemented my Swim Gear

 I recently acquired new swim gear:  

• Speedo Pull Buoy
• Speedo Snorkel
• Speedo Training fins

I decided to put them to good use this morning.  Here is the workout:

300 Warmup

4 x 100's Kick with fins

500 Free w/snorkle

600 - 3 x 200's pull on 3:15

500 - 2 x 100 IM, 100 free, 2 x 100 IM

400 - 100 free, 100 kick, 100 breast, 100 back

300 cooldown

3000 yards total

Yesterday I felt some strange sensations in my shoulder which made me wonder if I'm aggravating my left rotator cuff.  Gotta be mindful of that.  But today's swim felt fine.  Got used to the snorkle, and really like it now.