Justin Johnson's swim vid

Met up this morning with my former co-worker and friend Justin Johnson.  He's a triathlete and wanted some tips and video analysis of his swim.  So I was there at 5:15 at the pool where I took some video.  Here's the video with analysis captioned into it:



I pointed him to a few videos for helping correct some of the small flaws:

Initiating pull with the elbow, and avoiding crossing over:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr9Wg0Trubk
Pulling through:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4
Kicking:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZ5-oatDg8 

I definitely don't want to come across as a know it all, or that I have the perfect stroke.  I definitely DO NOT.  In fact Dennis gave me a tip this morning that helped me focus the rest of the workout.


What other suggestions would you make if you were the coach?

Afterwards I started my swim with Salt, where Kyle came up with the workout:

200 warmup
1000 - 8 x 125's (50 back, 75 dps swim) on 2:15
Main set, all pulling various paddles sizes
900 - 400 free :15 ri, 500 - 4 x 125's free descending on 2:00
775 - 400 free :15 ri, 375 - 3 x 125's free descending on 2:00
650 - 400 free :15 ri, 250 - 2 x 125's free descending on 2:00
525 - 400 free :15 ri, 125 - 1 x 125 free strong
700 yards warmdown

4750 yards total in 1:40


Dennis told me I'm not pulling with my elbow.  This morning I didn't get a good warmup and my upper lats were sore, as well as my triceps.  Because of this I was failing to really focus on the very start of my pull and getting lazy.  Something to work on for sure.  Here's a little video of what I should be doing:


As you could see, today's workout was shortened for a couple reasons.

1. My arms are toast!  
2. I hit my major goal for the month of February swimming a quarter million yards (actually swam 253,450 yards for the month)

So I rewarded myself with getting out early.  In fact, I'll take it nice and easy the rest of this week by swimming less than 5000 yards per day.  Then I'll pick it back up on Monday.  I killed it this month and feel like a little R and R is in order.

Depleting Distance workout

This morning Randy came up with the workout.  Yesterday he told me, "You're gonna love tomorrow's workout".  Well, it actually was not very fun.  Not because the workout sucked, but because I just wasn't able to hold a decent pace and my arms were wasted.  But I did get through it.

600 free
600 - 150 free, 150 back, 150 free, 150 breast
400 - 8 x 50's (25 kick, 25 one arm fly) on :50
4000 - 4 x 1000's (1st one - 200 free, 50 kick 4 times, 2nd one - 175 free, 75 kick 4 times, 3rd one 150 free, 100 stroke 4 times, 4th one - 125 free, 125 back pull)

At this point I was completely drained!  Decided to just warmdown and get to work.  Good thing this is a non-leap year.  I need the extra day to hit my 250K goal for the month.  

300 easy
400 - 8 x 50's alternate IM, free


6,300 yards total in 2 hours


Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Quickening my base

Was in the water at 0515 and did:
1000 free

Then joined SALT:
800 - 100 free, back, breast, kick, IM drill, choice, free, back
450 - 6 x 75's free/back/free on 1:10
1600 - 4 x 4 x 100's free (1-4 on 1:30, 5-8 on 1:25, 9-12 on 1:20, 13-16 on 1:15 (pull))
1800 - 3 x 4 x 150's free (1-4 on 2:10, 5-8 on 2:05, 9-12 on 2:00 (pull))
350 easy

Then did my own thing:

1000 pull large paddles
1000 pull small paddles


9,000 yards total in 3:00


Felt good about the 100s on 1:15.  Was able to hit all those.  Cut out just a little early cause Monday morning's are a little crazy at work.  Will make up for it tomorrow.

Topping off the weekend with some 2Ks

Swam this afternoon at SDRC and did sets of 2000:

2 x  {2000 free, 2000 big paddles, 2000 finger paddles}
300 easy
12,300 yards total in 3:10

The Evangelists really had a crowd this afternoon and spent 95% of their time talking and 5% swimming.  I'd love to find out what the heck they talk about for so long.

Good workout today.  But my watch ran out of juice at 8000 so I had to count the yards myself.  Good to keep my mind in the game.

Total for the week is over 44 miles.  Pretty good especially having taken two days off this week.

.39 miles in 44 degrees

Goody and Me near the marina opening
Photo by Josh Green

This evening I met Goody, Josh, Jim at the Marina.  Goody was in a hurry and was first in the water.  I hung out a little for Jim and we got in and headed to the opening to join Goody.

I definitely noticed that I didn't get my cold water swim last week.  It was tough this week!  My breathing the first minute was hard to get under control.  Not hyperventilating, but definitely quicker than normal.  But once I got about 200 yards into it, I was fine and slowed down.  I met up with Goody for a quick picture by Josh who had his boys with him and like a good father didn't just go swimming leaving them on shore.  But he came out to take pictures and cheer on the rest of us.  What a nice guy!
I decided to swim out of the marina out towards the buoy.  Here's a satellite pic with my path outlined:

.39 miles of swimmng in 44 degrees

Goody took the temp for me while I was getting ready.  It came to 44 degrees.  After our swim Josh took a temp with his.  Amazing, it wasn't off by two degrees like it normally is.  It read 44 degrees too!

When I got out and put my parka on I noticed that I was chaffed up real bad!  On my stomach and under my arm pits.  Wow.  My stroke must look like real crap when I'm swimming like mad and trying to stay warm.  I need to remember to put on some grease cause it doesn't take very long to get serious rub burns going in the Great Salt Lake.  I keep forgetting that little fact.

I got out and Jim was coming back. He spent a few more minutes in than I did.  He's getting to be very resilient in that cold water!

I'm rounding the buoy and Jim
is coming up on it too.  

Anyway, I had to hurry off as I was supposed to go to a dinner out with Cathi and her side of the family.  I was supposed to pick her up at the train station in Woods Cross.  Usually I'm done shivering by the time I get to the Hunter Douglas warehouse near the airport, but this time I shivered the whole way to Redwood Road where I got off to take a quick shower at my parents house.  I took my heart rate when I got on I-80 and it was high!  I wasn't breathing hard, but I could tell my heart was freaking out.  I was a little concerned about going 80 miles an hour down the freeway and having my body go through recovery like that.  I told Cathi that from now on, if we plan anything right after a cold water swim, that she needs to give me some time to recover slowly.   I'd rather pass out and wake up in a warm parked car, than in a brilliantly white place looking up at St. Peter who is shaking his head and looking at me like I'm an idiot, cause I just wrecked on the freeway while passed out.

Total distance: .39 miles (680 yards) in around 8 or 9 minutes.  I forgot to start my stopwatch duh!

Awesome JGal workout

Today I was in charge of the workout, so I dug up this one from when JulieAnn Galloway was my coach.  I started out a little early and did 600 free easy, followed by this workout by JGal:

800 warmup
600 - 12x50 down drill, back swim, focus on strokes :50
3000 - 30x100 (10 on 1:40 [can use equipment], 10 on 1:30, 10 on 1:20 fast) descend through rounds of 10,

last 10 HARD!  (Challenge: Only use paddles or fins on the first 10, go naked on the others)

200 stretch out free
500 - 20x25 odds sprint evens easy on :30
300 warmdown
total 5400

Then joined masters round 2:

600 - 6 x 100's (kick 50, swim 50)
300 IM kick/drill/swim by 25
100 - 4 x 25's slow/fast on :30
900 - 4 x 225's 25 flutter kick no board w/head up, 200 free easy
700 - 4 x 175's IM (25 fly, 50 other strokes)
500 - 4 x 125's free build on 1:40
200 easy
1000 - 2 x 500's big/small paddles
100 free grandpa swimming


10,400 yards total in 3:15


Shoulders did MUCH better today, no issues at all and I was holding 1:12-1:14 on my hundreds on the second set and 1:10 on my last set of 10.  Kick butt speed today!  Holding steady with speed demon Kyle Treadway who was in the next lane for most of the 100s.


Here's a very entertaining video of JGal's channel crossing with the very animated Nick Adams as videographer and support crew member.

Rough one

This morning the clock went much faster than normal and I was five minutes late getting in the water.  Not a big deal, but only got 600 yards in before SALT practice:

600 free warmup
400 - 4 x 100's touch and pull w/finger paddles
3 x (4 x 100's free (r1: on 1:30, r2: on 1:25, r3: on 1:20), 200 back, 6 x 50's (r1: kick, r2: desc 1-3, r3: 2 fast, 1 ez (twice))

I was holding 1:15 on these and felt great!  On the last set, I did pull them, and held 1:10

400 - 4 x 100's hypoxic breathing
600 pull
300 warmdown

Then did my own thing:
400 kick with fins
2000 pull big paddles
1000 pull finger paddles
500 free strong no paddles
500 PT paddles
100 easy


10,100 yards total in 3:00

Shoulder was a bit more touchy than normal, but nothing major.  Got through it without too much discomfort.  Nothing that a little Vitamin-I can't take care of.

Tomorrow I am in charge of bringing the workout.  Will probably just go dig up a nice one that JGal gave me a couple years back.

Facial burns

Everytime I spend all day in the pool, the next day my face feels like it's on fire!  Today was no exception.  I got in and did 1000 yards before masters and then joined them (Randy's workout this morning:

600 warmup
125 kick
150 IM
75 IM
1050 - 6 x 175's on 2:30 (middle 25 back)
900 - 6 x 150's on 2:15 (middle 50 back)
750 - 6 x 125's on 2:00 (middle 75 back)
600 - 6 x 100's kick with fins on 1:45
450 - 6 x 75's rolling IM on 1:15
300 - 6 x 50's warm down

Then joined Masters Round 2:

400 Free warmup
1000 IM Pyramid:

25 fly
25 fly, 50 back
25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast
25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast, 100 free
25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast, 100 free
25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast
25 fly, 50 back
25 fly

750 - 3 x (200 free fast (get under 2:40, on 2:50), 50 back easy on 1:15)

200 kick
300 pull easy


8,650 yards total in 3:00


Felt stiff in my shoulder blades, but the outer shoulders are feeling fine.  Felt great on my 200's fast near the end.  Was swimming strong and didn't feel affected by yesterday's swim.

President's Day swim

I love paid holidays!  That typically means a crazy long swim!  Since doing a crazy long swim outside is still out of the question, that means it's a long day at the pool.  


I met Josh, Goody and Kim at SDRC at 5am.  Josh and I shared a lane and Goody/Kim shared a lane until it got really busy and then we shared a lane for about an hour and circle swam.  Josh was all about doing sets of 2000 all without equipment.  Here's what I ended up doing:

The four of us:  me, Josh, Goody and Kim

I started by taking 800 Mg Ibuprofen knowing it was going to be needed in a few hours.


1000 free warmup (14:20)
1000 free side by side with Josh (14:25)
1000 pull (13:38)
1000 finger paddles (14:27)
2000 free (29:27)

2000 free (29:23) 

1000 finger paddles (14:11)

I couldn't have a better pacer for the English Channel.  Josh and I were doing sets of 2000 synchronously.  It was fun!

1000 - 10 x 100's kick on 1:55

(10,000) 3 min break

1400 - 7 x 200's odd free, even IM :10 ri

2000 free (28:21)
1200 free (17:40)
1800 free (25:28)
600 - 3 x 200's IM 
1000 free

(18,000) 3 min break

Distance work:

8000 - 4 x 2000's your choice on 31:00

First one side by side with Josh, 2nd pull big paddles, 3rd finger paddles, 4th no equip. 

(26,000) 3 min break

7500 - 5 x (500 free easy pace :20 ri, 400 free regular pace :15 ri, 300 free strong pace :10 ri, 200 free :05 ri, 100 sprint (get under 1:15) 1:00 ri)

After 20 miles of swimming, my hand is all pickled!

(33,500) 3 min break

1000 - 10 x 100's kick with fins

900 - 3 x 300's choice on 5:00 (all free desc paddles, last no equip)

150 Grandpa

35,550 (20.19 miles) total in 10 hours including bathroom breaks, feedings, picture taking, and rest between sets.


Here's what the swimsense logged.  It couldn't log the kicking sets, and it messed up a couple times because I had to stop to throw a water polo back over the bulkhead a few times.  


Josh was there for 20,000 yards and got his own PR for distance in one day.  Very nice!  Goody and Kim did 10,000 yards and that was the longest distance this year they've done.  When we weren't circle swimming I tried just swimming right next to Josh and maintaining the same pace.  That was fun!   


Ninja girl was there and she asked how far we were going.  

Ho Ho Ho, taking a much deserved bubble bath

A couple of pains: 

1. My face is fried!  
2. My shoulder feels just fine, but the muscles in my upper back around my shoulder blades and in to my neck need a good massage.  
3. The beard did the protection against chaffing only so long before I started to get rub marks on my right shoulder.  I applied some channel grease between a set and after that it was much better.

My feedings today consisted of 36 ounces of my special Orange/Vanilla Perpetuem mixed with Grape and Pineapple juices.  It was yummy!  I also had about 4 cereal bars throughout the workout as well as one Foosh (100 mg caffeine).  I also took 800 MG Ibuprofen about 24,000 yards into it.  


Felt great to finish the prescribed distance and not bad time either thanks to Josh.    If I was on my own I would have really slowed down and taken it easy.  Thanks bro!  

QUAC meet

A very well organized swim club in Utah named QUAC put together a meet.  I only signed up for the 100 and 50 free and then agreed to do a few relays with friends.  I met Ben, who is putting on the Bear Lake race this year.

Got in a lane and did 1000 yards free easy for a warm up.  Then we started the meet by having Josh, Goody, Chad and myself in a 200 free relay.  We got a 1:46 and actually won!  It was awesome.

Our Relay team, Josh, myself, Goody and Chad Starks

I then had to wait for a few events, but it went really quickly, cause I was talking with Ben in the stands when I looked down and Goody was up on the blocks looking up at me with his hands up like he was saying "What the heck Gords!"  I missed my 50 free.  Dang it!  There was another break and I got in and did 300 free easy.

I helped Goody by being his counter on the 500 free.  He said his goal was under 7:30 and he ended up with a 6:52.  He was happy with that and it was cool to see him destroy his goal.

We did a 200 medley relay and ended up with a 2:12 I think it was.  Not too bad.
I made sure to pay attention and when my 100 free came up I was on the blocks ready to go.  I ended up getting 58.22.  I wanted to get anything in the 58 second range or less so I was good with that time.  Two years ago I was more geared for sprinting and was 3 seconds faster in the 100, but today, I'm slower, fatter, greyer, and sporting a beard.  Oh well.

Had lots of fun and its good to see everyone at the pool trying hard to swim their best and improve themselves. I walked into the locker room to change before heading home.  There were tons of naked dudes in there all changing.  I was like... Uhh, I think I'll shower at home.  Collected my stuff and drove home.

On Monday I'm planning a good long swim.  Should take about 10 hours or so.\\


1,650 yards total - Raced 3 x 50's in a relay, and 100 free, then 1500 yards of easy swimming.