Monday, December 9, 2013
A Million and Counting
Exceeded 1,000,000 yards in the USMS Go the Distance Challenge for 2013. Currently standing at 1,024,929 yards. Will try to squeak in a few more chunks before year end.
Solstice SCM Meet
I swam my first masters meet since last May over the weekend. The Solstice Short Course meters meet was held in Gaithersburg. Nice pool and a good turnout. I swam the 100, 200 and 400 free. having not trained for speed lately i did not know what to expect. The 200 free was the first event. I paced the first 100 and managed to increase my effort for the second 100. Man, I really felt spent though. It is amazing how a short burst of intensity can waste you as much as a long swim. In the 100 I felt as if I was spinning my wheels. Sprinting is truly not in the cards right now. In the 400 I again held a steady pace for the first half and tried to pick it up for the second 200. I felt pretty good and managed a respectable finish. Even though my times were not great I believe speed training and doing meets will help my conditioning for the open water season. I am not one to do 10,000 plus yards a day. My schedule and shoulders will not allow it. Training for meets will heilp me build my base. That's my theory at least.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Indoors and Loving it?
After a short (very short) dip in 48 degree water in the Magothy a couple weekends back, I am now committed to working on my conditioning in the pool. The cold swims are great for acclimatizing but at the colder temps I am not really getting any swim training out of it. While I greatly respect the accomplishment of my Ice Swimmer friends, I do not see this boy going below 50ish.
So now I am focused on some pool swimming and cross training to ad strength over the winter. I have singed up for a meet on December 7th and will try to do a number of meets between now and May. I find that the focus on speed and conditioning for meets is beneficial for my open water swimming too. I do not want to overlook conditioning for speed and strentgh as I prepare for the open water season. The one adjustment I will make to years past is that I do not anticipate tapering as much for meets. I will probably ramp up my yardage and just keep swimming through the various meets. Perhaps I will taper for Zones in April. At this point, I am undecided about going to nationals in California.
So without listing every workout, I have been doing 4000yds on the weekdays. I have resisted doing extra because my shoulder has been acting up some.
Over the Thanksgiving break I missed a lot of workouts, but I was able to meet up with Elaine Howley and Bob Frenald on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Elaine and I did 100 x 100 on 1:35. Bob stayed with the fast kids and did the set on 1:30. It was a nice 10,000 yd set which my ABC group will do in February as well.
Yesterday (Sunday) I did a 60 min Spin class and in the evening I did an hour of TRX workout. My goal is to ramp up the TRX over the winter quite a bit. I know it is great for my core and for my shoulder strengthening.
Monday (today) back to work from holiday after a nice 4000yd workout at Riva. Indoors is not nearly as rejuvenating as swimming outside but I do get better conditioning with timed sets.
So now I am focused on some pool swimming and cross training to ad strength over the winter. I have singed up for a meet on December 7th and will try to do a number of meets between now and May. I find that the focus on speed and conditioning for meets is beneficial for my open water swimming too. I do not want to overlook conditioning for speed and strentgh as I prepare for the open water season. The one adjustment I will make to years past is that I do not anticipate tapering as much for meets. I will probably ramp up my yardage and just keep swimming through the various meets. Perhaps I will taper for Zones in April. At this point, I am undecided about going to nationals in California.
So without listing every workout, I have been doing 4000yds on the weekdays. I have resisted doing extra because my shoulder has been acting up some.
Over the Thanksgiving break I missed a lot of workouts, but I was able to meet up with Elaine Howley and Bob Frenald on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Elaine and I did 100 x 100 on 1:35. Bob stayed with the fast kids and did the set on 1:30. It was a nice 10,000 yd set which my ABC group will do in February as well.
Yesterday (Sunday) I did a 60 min Spin class and in the evening I did an hour of TRX workout. My goal is to ramp up the TRX over the winter quite a bit. I know it is great for my core and for my shoulder strengthening.
Monday (today) back to work from holiday after a nice 4000yd workout at Riva. Indoors is not nearly as rejuvenating as swimming outside but I do get better conditioning with timed sets.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Pool Malaise?
Monday and Tuesday workouts at Riva have been sluggish at best. Feels like my arms are just dead. Probably because I am not used to interval training and have some catching up to do. 3000ds Monday and 4000yds Tuesday (Nov. 11 and 12)
Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, Nov. 9th Getting Chilly...
Met up with Alison at Elk Neck State Park. She's always so good about coming to Annapolis so I thought I would do the road trip this time. We headed to the Boat Ramp about 10am and prepared to swim from a small beach, which of course is posted "No Swimming." The water temp measured 51.8 from the dock and 52.5 at the beach so we averaged it out to 52 (ish).
I waded in to my waist and was having much difficulty deciding to take the plunge. Wasn't sure I could do it. I splashed my face and shoulders and even dunked down in the water before I finally got the guts to push off and swim. After keeping my head up for a bit, I put my face in the water and swam. The cold headache was immediate and in general it felt like pin pricks on my skin.
At 60 degrees and even 54 after about 200 yards the disconfort went away. This time it did not. I doubted I would swim far at all, but we both gave it it a shot. After a while I decided to swim to the half mile turn around point Alison told me she and Lanie did in the past. But Alison was a little bit behind me and I worried about separating too much so I circled back. Eventually we met up and swam to the dock together. At that point, Alison got out and I swam another loop to finish off a mile. I would say after about 3/4 of a mile my headache was gone and I felt acclimated. But truthfully I was glad to get out after a mile. It took about an hour to fully stop shaking. Blueberry pancakes helped.
I waded in to my waist and was having much difficulty deciding to take the plunge. Wasn't sure I could do it. I splashed my face and shoulders and even dunked down in the water before I finally got the guts to push off and swim. After keeping my head up for a bit, I put my face in the water and swam. The cold headache was immediate and in general it felt like pin pricks on my skin.
At 60 degrees and even 54 after about 200 yards the disconfort went away. This time it did not. I doubted I would swim far at all, but we both gave it it a shot. After a while I decided to swim to the half mile turn around point Alison told me she and Lanie did in the past. But Alison was a little bit behind me and I worried about separating too much so I circled back. Eventually we met up and swam to the dock together. At that point, Alison got out and I swam another loop to finish off a mile. I would say after about 3/4 of a mile my headache was gone and I felt acclimated. But truthfully I was glad to get out after a mile. It took about an hour to fully stop shaking. Blueberry pancakes helped.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tuesday, Nov. 5th
Pool Swim at Riva
600 w/u
8x50 drill/swim on :50
2x400 pull on 6 min
3x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
2x300 swim on 4:30
3x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
2x200 swim or pull on 3 min
2x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
Right shoulder hurt for most of the workout. Need to get back on my stretchcord exercises.
600 w/u
8x50 drill/swim on :50
2x400 pull on 6 min
3x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
2x300 swim on 4:30
3x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
2x200 swim or pull on 3 min
2x150 stroke sandwich on 2:20
Right shoulder hurt for most of the workout. Need to get back on my stretchcord exercises.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Qualifier Wrap Up - Sunday, Nov 3rd
Woke sore but otherwise fine.
A few things I want to remember from the swim:
1. My core felt fine the whole time. Never was uncomfortably cold although I shivered a little on some feeds while still. Extremities seemed fine.
2. I've been trying to switch to liquid only feed for speed. But thank god Alison brought peanut butter sandwiches and bananas. They were a godsend.
3. First round of feed did not dissolve well in the bottle. Need to see what that was about. Chunks of powder not yummy. Mix is carbo pro and whey protein powder.
4. Cold seemed to make me tighten up sooner and caused me to slow my pace and struggle some. I usually do fine in chop but when water got a little rougher I felt a little underpowered.
5. Recovery was fine.
6. Dragging my legs is a problem. I know kicking is not a big part of marathon swims but I need to find a way to keep legs stretched and engaged. My hip flexors, especially left one were killing me.
7. Spirits were good throughout. Even when I was a little discouraged when we needed to do an extra diversion to finish the 6hrs off I knew I would make it.
8. forearms hurt today. Right bicep was hurting too for some reason.
9. Need to research best method for feeding off larger boat. Bottles tied to line or feed pole?
10. I think signal cards for feed stops are good idea. I have trouble seeing bottle waving sometimes.
11. Need to keep working on my damn straight arm recovery. Left arm is bad.
A few things I want to remember from the swim:
1. My core felt fine the whole time. Never was uncomfortably cold although I shivered a little on some feeds while still. Extremities seemed fine.
2. I've been trying to switch to liquid only feed for speed. But thank god Alison brought peanut butter sandwiches and bananas. They were a godsend.
3. First round of feed did not dissolve well in the bottle. Need to see what that was about. Chunks of powder not yummy. Mix is carbo pro and whey protein powder.
4. Cold seemed to make me tighten up sooner and caused me to slow my pace and struggle some. I usually do fine in chop but when water got a little rougher I felt a little underpowered.
5. Recovery was fine.
6. Dragging my legs is a problem. I know kicking is not a big part of marathon swims but I need to find a way to keep legs stretched and engaged. My hip flexors, especially left one were killing me.
7. Spirits were good throughout. Even when I was a little discouraged when we needed to do an extra diversion to finish the 6hrs off I knew I would make it.
8. forearms hurt today. Right bicep was hurting too for some reason.
9. Need to research best method for feeding off larger boat. Bottles tied to line or feed pole?
10. I think signal cards for feed stops are good idea. I have trouble seeing bottle waving sometimes.
11. Need to keep working on my damn straight arm recovery. Left arm is bad.
Qualifier Do Over - Saturday, November 2nd
After a week of nondescript pool swims and some very warm weather, I decided to regroup for my qualifier. We are going to keep it simple this time. Kayak support and stay close to land. Mapped out a 4 mile loop round trip from Addie's house to Ulmsted Beach and back in the Magothy. We will stay close to the shore the whole way and do 3 loops to hit my 6 hours. Kevin had the idea of bringing his tandem kayak so he could paddle and Alison could focus on feed and observation.
Once again ABC stepped up. I had folks volunteer to take shifts in back up kayaks and folks at the home base preparing feed to restock Alison after each loop.
I also has 2 nurses and a doctor volunteer to be on hand for recover. Joanne was especially eager to use her anal thermometer to check my core temp. yikes.
We set out at 10am and I immediately felt comfortable in the water. The temp read 58 at the dock but Alison checked it during the length of the course and it really held steady at 60. The first loop was just fine. Steady pace. Stroke count in the 70s. Core and extremities fine. When I returned to the dock area for the end of the first loop my spirits were lifted by ABC folks standing on the dock cheering. Alison and Kevin paddled to shore to take a short break and to refuel. Traci met me in her kayak and escorted back to start loop 2. Within minutes Kevin and Alison were back along side. I notice in the second loop that my shoulders felt very tight. I was not feeling cold at all but I could tell the colder water was effecting my pace and tightening me up. At the 3 mile turnaround I tried some backstroke and curled in a ball at feed time to counter stretch a little. At one point I saw a big nettle under me (visibility was great) but he drifted off without making contact.
On the third loop I was joined by a flotilla of kayakers in addition to Kevin and Alison who were in for the duration. We proceeded on the course and hit the one hour mark much sooner in the distance mark. I could tell my stroke was slowing and i was stiff in the shoulders. About this time my legs became dead weight and my hip flexors were killing me. Every once in a while I made my self kick to stretch things out but it was not effective. Alison later said my stroke count was down to the mid 60s. Eventually I made it back to Addie's. To the cheers of my buddies, i exited the water navigated the stairs fine and entered the warm house. The nurses took over and got me bundled up on the sofa. Alison, ever prepared, had heat packs ready for under my arms and for the back of my neck. I shivered a lot but never felt at risk. Joan made some wonderful chicken soup and after two bowls of that and some hot tea I felt almost normal. Within an hour I was good to go.
I can't thank the ABC group enough. Alison and Kevin stuck it out the entire 6hours in a kayak. Traci, John, Suzie and Sally all kayaked in shifts. Chris came by on his wave runner for a loop. Dan was ready to paddle at the outset but stayed behind to prepare feed for the end of the first loop. Joan, Maureen, Erin and Danny all helped on land. Joanne, Sandy and Lisa gave medical support. Addie graciously let us invade her house and set up a home base. What a great group of swimmers. That is what open water is all about!
Once again ABC stepped up. I had folks volunteer to take shifts in back up kayaks and folks at the home base preparing feed to restock Alison after each loop.
I also has 2 nurses and a doctor volunteer to be on hand for recover. Joanne was especially eager to use her anal thermometer to check my core temp. yikes.
We set out at 10am and I immediately felt comfortable in the water. The temp read 58 at the dock but Alison checked it during the length of the course and it really held steady at 60. The first loop was just fine. Steady pace. Stroke count in the 70s. Core and extremities fine. When I returned to the dock area for the end of the first loop my spirits were lifted by ABC folks standing on the dock cheering. Alison and Kevin paddled to shore to take a short break and to refuel. Traci met me in her kayak and escorted back to start loop 2. Within minutes Kevin and Alison were back along side. I notice in the second loop that my shoulders felt very tight. I was not feeling cold at all but I could tell the colder water was effecting my pace and tightening me up. At the 3 mile turnaround I tried some backstroke and curled in a ball at feed time to counter stretch a little. At one point I saw a big nettle under me (visibility was great) but he drifted off without making contact.
On the third loop I was joined by a flotilla of kayakers in addition to Kevin and Alison who were in for the duration. We proceeded on the course and hit the one hour mark much sooner in the distance mark. I could tell my stroke was slowing and i was stiff in the shoulders. About this time my legs became dead weight and my hip flexors were killing me. Every once in a while I made my self kick to stretch things out but it was not effective. Alison later said my stroke count was down to the mid 60s. Eventually I made it back to Addie's. To the cheers of my buddies, i exited the water navigated the stairs fine and entered the warm house. The nurses took over and got me bundled up on the sofa. Alison, ever prepared, had heat packs ready for under my arms and for the back of my neck. I shivered a lot but never felt at risk. Joan made some wonderful chicken soup and after two bowls of that and some hot tea I felt almost normal. Within an hour I was good to go.
I can't thank the ABC group enough. Alison and Kevin stuck it out the entire 6hours in a kayak. Traci, John, Suzie and Sally all kayaked in shifts. Chris came by on his wave runner for a loop. Dan was ready to paddle at the outset but stayed behind to prepare feed for the end of the first loop. Joan, Maureen, Erin and Danny all helped on land. Joanne, Sandy and Lisa gave medical support. Addie graciously let us invade her house and set up a home base. What a great group of swimmers. That is what open water is all about!
Monday, October 28th
Pretty much decided after Friday's chilly 39 degree air/ 54 water dark swim at 6am that morning swims are done for the season. Rest of the gang has hung it up and I can't dress for work in parking lots in cold air. But weather was warmer so....Kevin and Danny met me for a swim after work :)
58.4 water! it felt so much warmer than 54! every degree under 60 seems to be huge. After looking at the 5 day forecast it appears a warming trend is coming this week. Temps in the 70s Thursday and Friday and night temps not too low. May try to do qualifier after all!
58.4 water! it felt so much warmer than 54! every degree under 60 seems to be huge. After looking at the 5 day forecast it appears a warming trend is coming this week. Temps in the 70s Thursday and Friday and night temps not too low. May try to do qualifier after all!
Qualifier Attempt, Saturday October 26th.
Hastily lined up a boat and several volunteers to assist me and Alison on my 6hr qualifier. Hoping water warmed up a bit because air tempt is a little better. Scheduled to start at 11am to give sun time to warm things up.
Arrived at Addie's house, our home base, and began prep of feed and dry clothes, etc. Annette and Danny brought the boat around from Matt's house. Alison and Annette conferred about the temperature. It was still 54. The crew took the boat around to some protected coves to search for warm water. When they got back they reported temps were 54-65. 57 at most. We decided to cancel the swim because chances of my success at that temp were not good. Consensus is I don't need to be prepared for 54. I was very disappointed but Annette was concerned about safety. In my head I agreed. Dan and I went for a short swim. Maybe 30 mins. Could've gone longer but my heart wasn't in it after canceling the swim.
Had a great team of volunteers lined up to help. Can't tell you how heartening it is that folks just jump on board to help in a moments notice. ABC rocks!
May have to look to the spring.
Arrived at Addie's house, our home base, and began prep of feed and dry clothes, etc. Annette and Danny brought the boat around from Matt's house. Alison and Annette conferred about the temperature. It was still 54. The crew took the boat around to some protected coves to search for warm water. When they got back they reported temps were 54-65. 57 at most. We decided to cancel the swim because chances of my success at that temp were not good. Consensus is I don't need to be prepared for 54. I was very disappointed but Annette was concerned about safety. In my head I agreed. Dan and I went for a short swim. Maybe 30 mins. Could've gone longer but my heart wasn't in it after canceling the swim.
Had a great team of volunteers lined up to help. Can't tell you how heartening it is that folks just jump on board to help in a moments notice. ABC rocks!
May have to look to the spring.
Friday, October 25th
Damn water down to 54.7 and air is 39. Met Danny and Kevin for a swim at 6am at the Cape marina. Danny kayaked and Kevin swam w wetsuit. It was very tough getting going. Face freeze and headache at back of neck. But after about 200 yards I felt fine. Arms and legs ok. Feet cold. Hands stiff. Core fine. Only swam about 45 mins. Afterwards had to dress for work in the parking lot. My feet were frozen and I couldn't feel anything. Got a couple scrapes because I couldn't feel. After dressing I got in the car and shivered uncontrollably. Kevin had some coffee which was great but I was spilling bc shaking so bad. Against my better judgment I turned on the heat. Text Alison, my support crew, to tell her water is now 54. She replied don't turn on the heat. Ha. How did she know? I turned it to very low :)
Wednesday, October 24th
OW again at Laura's. Water temp dropping 60.7. It's getting colder at night so water is dropping faster. Better ramp up the qualifier. Was scheduled for Nov. 3rd but I am thinking this weekend may be best shot.
Monday, October 21st
Morning swim at Laura's. Dark all the time now. 64.5 cold air but manageable swim Went to red roof inn. 1hr.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
October 15th - Riva
4000 at the pool.
600 w/u
mini pyramid 25-50-75-100-75-50-25 (1:30 base)
4x25; 4x50; 4x75 - 1:30 base
2x50; 2x100; 2x150 1:30 base
100; 200; 300 1:25 base
4 x 150 stroke sandwich on 2:30
8x75 kick sandwich on 1:15
600 w/u
mini pyramid 25-50-75-100-75-50-25 (1:30 base)
4x25; 4x50; 4x75 - 1:30 base
2x50; 2x100; 2x150 1:30 base
100; 200; 300 1:25 base
4 x 150 stroke sandwich on 2:30
8x75 kick sandwich on 1:15
October 12 -13 Deep Creek Search for Colder Water
This past weekend I ventured to Deep Creek Maryland to try to find colder water for some training swims. Alison Meehan, Janet Manning, Darren Miller, and his friend Max all met up at Jim Clifford's house. Jim was very gracious to offer his lake house as a home base for our swims.
Saturday Afternoon - Water Temperature 63.5. Air tem mid- 60s.Swim length: 90 mins.
Janet, Alison and I all swam. Darren and Max paddled and Darren joined us swimming at the end. I was a little apprehensive because I had in my mind that I had no issue at all down to 65 degrees but that the work was going to begin below that. It was an arbitrary number but it stuck in my head. So when the thermometer read 63.5 I was a little worrisome. However, I know I need to get comfortable down below 60 so I was ready to begin. To my surprise, I entered the water with no problem and began swimming without issue. I felt a little cold at first but nothing dramatic. Of course, the more I swam the warmer I got and I soon was totally comfortable. At no point did I feel cold challenged. After I finished I got out on the dock and stood without drying off in my speedo. I wanted to see how my body did with recovery and didn't want to immedately wrap myself up. At no point did I get violent shivers or feel extreme cold. Eventually I dressed and warmed up steadily. When we returned to the house I did succumb to peer pressure and get into the hot tub and have a beer.
Sunday morning - We ventured out about 10 am. When we got to the dock the temperature read 62.5. Air temp low 60's. Swim Length again 90 mins. Janet and I swam first with Darren and Alison paddling. Alison got in at halfway point and swam 2 miles with us. I could feelt he water was colder. Janet said she felt warm but I definitely could feel a brief cold headache when I first got in. But again once I got going I felt fine. There was a little wind so the water was a tiny bit choppy. That made the swim more interesting. When we finished our first loop, Darren got in and we all waded around a little. He suggested I just float and get used to the cold without moving. So I floated and could definitely feel my body getting cold but it was still manageable. After 10 minutes or so of floating I swam a few more laps close to the dock and got out. Again I did not rush to bundle up. I felt a little shivery but did not have any trouble warming up once I got dressed.
All in all, it was a successful and reassuring swim. I know I have a lot of work to do with much colder temperatures but it was good to know I was able to push the bar a little farther down without much trouble. Of course 90 minutes is not enough time to gauge by either but it is a start. I plan on swimming in colder water as long as I can this fall. Thanks to Janet for putting this trip together and to Alison for supporting me by paddling yet again. Glad she got some swimming in too. It was great to meet Darren and his advice was really appreciated.
Saturday Afternoon - Water Temperature 63.5. Air tem mid- 60s.Swim length: 90 mins.
Janet, Alison and I all swam. Darren and Max paddled and Darren joined us swimming at the end. I was a little apprehensive because I had in my mind that I had no issue at all down to 65 degrees but that the work was going to begin below that. It was an arbitrary number but it stuck in my head. So when the thermometer read 63.5 I was a little worrisome. However, I know I need to get comfortable down below 60 so I was ready to begin. To my surprise, I entered the water with no problem and began swimming without issue. I felt a little cold at first but nothing dramatic. Of course, the more I swam the warmer I got and I soon was totally comfortable. At no point did I feel cold challenged. After I finished I got out on the dock and stood without drying off in my speedo. I wanted to see how my body did with recovery and didn't want to immedately wrap myself up. At no point did I get violent shivers or feel extreme cold. Eventually I dressed and warmed up steadily. When we returned to the house I did succumb to peer pressure and get into the hot tub and have a beer.
Sunday morning - We ventured out about 10 am. When we got to the dock the temperature read 62.5. Air temp low 60's. Swim Length again 90 mins. Janet and I swam first with Darren and Alison paddling. Alison got in at halfway point and swam 2 miles with us. I could feelt he water was colder. Janet said she felt warm but I definitely could feel a brief cold headache when I first got in. But again once I got going I felt fine. There was a little wind so the water was a tiny bit choppy. That made the swim more interesting. When we finished our first loop, Darren got in and we all waded around a little. He suggested I just float and get used to the cold without moving. So I floated and could definitely feel my body getting cold but it was still manageable. After 10 minutes or so of floating I swam a few more laps close to the dock and got out. Again I did not rush to bundle up. I felt a little shivery but did not have any trouble warming up once I got dressed.
All in all, it was a successful and reassuring swim. I know I have a lot of work to do with much colder temperatures but it was good to know I was able to push the bar a little farther down without much trouble. Of course 90 minutes is not enough time to gauge by either but it is a start. I plan on swimming in colder water as long as I can this fall. Thanks to Janet for putting this trip together and to Alison for supporting me by paddling yet again. Glad she got some swimming in too. It was great to meet Darren and his advice was really appreciated.
Friday, October 11, 2013
October 11th
Friday workout at Riva
1000 wu;
400 swim; 2x200; 4x100
300pull;2x150; 4x75
200IM; 2x100IM; 4 x 50 IM order
100 kick; 2x50 kick; 4x25 kick
Pushed hard on the 400 and 300 sets. Shoulder good!!
All free sets on 1:30 base.
Followed work out with 2 x 1000 on my own
6000yds total
1000 wu;
400 swim; 2x200; 4x100
300pull;2x150; 4x75
200IM; 2x100IM; 4 x 50 IM order
100 kick; 2x50 kick; 4x25 kick
Pushed hard on the 400 and 300 sets. Shoulder good!!
All free sets on 1:30 base.
Followed work out with 2 x 1000 on my own
6000yds total
October 9th - OW
Magothy swim - 2.00 mi. Kevin and I went a little longer than the others. Staying darker longer. Start at 6am and swim in dark and sunrise. 67 degrees. Windy 10-15mph. choppy (for the Magothy)
October 8th - Pool Swim
Back to Riva for 4000yds in the pool in 80 minutes. 1000 w/u ; 8x50 on :50; 6x150 stroke sandwich; 200 kick; 4x200 on 3mins; 4 x 125 IM; 200 cool down
Felt good in the pool. Shoulder doing very well. Was able to push some sets for the first time in a while.
Skipped Monday because got home from trip late (yes lazy)
Felt good in the pool. Shoulder doing very well. Was able to push some sets for the first time in a while.
Skipped Monday because got home from trip late (yes lazy)
College Visit to See Nora Oct. 4-6th.
Friday - Sunday took a long weekend to visit Nora in Providence. Kept thinking about the cooler water I could jump into but this was a family time outing :)
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Thursday, October 3rd - Riva Swim
4000 yds in the pool. I was beat from yoga the night before. Arms fatigued and tight. But I hung in there. 1000 warm up. Followed by a 2000 yard set of 100s and a broken 1000 set (the Erin 1000).
Wednesday, October 2nd - Yoga night
Tough class once again. Lots of Chair Pose, Eagle, Triangle and Half Moon Pose. Core and legs were beat. Guess thats good though.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wednesday, October 2nd
Back in the Magothy.
2 miles from Laura's to Ulmsted beach. Kevin with me again. One jelly sting by the Big Unit dock. Water temp 69. Air 65...WTF? Indian Summer I guess. Shoulder feels fine. A little tight in general but no shoulder issue.
Skipped the hot tub in favor of a nice cold outdoor shower. Yay.
2 miles from Laura's to Ulmsted beach. Kevin with me again. One jelly sting by the Big Unit dock. Water temp 69. Air 65...WTF? Indian Summer I guess. Shoulder feels fine. A little tight in general but no shoulder issue.
Skipped the hot tub in favor of a nice cold outdoor shower. Yay.
Tuesday, October 1st - Riva
Back to the pool for a workout. Captain Andy's call. 600 w/u and then sets of 5x300; 5x200; 5x100 (all broken in quarters, halves, whole). 4000 with the team. Then I stayed after and did 2 x 1000 on my own. Maureen kept me company for second 1000.
Total: 6000yds.
Total: 6000yds.
Monday, September 30th
Morning swim at Laura's. Kevin was hanging with me and we decided to go a little longer. Water temp 68. Air a warm 60. Went about 2.5 miles. Calm water. Hot tub after. Lelane, Alison and Maureen say no more hot tub for me. Ugh.
Saturday, September 28th - Night Swim
Night Swim in the Magothy
Addie Welch graciously allowed me to swim from her beach on the Magothy and Alison M. once again agreed to support me. We set out from Addie's at about 7:30. There was little moonlight and lots of speeding boats in the main channel. We were going to swim side by side equipped with beacons but the boat traffic and low visibility led to a change of plans. We returned to the dock shortly after starting out and Alison jumped in a kayak and paddled with me for the entire trip. We clipped her light on the kayak and I sighted off of that. We swam along the shore and across Deep Creek and then along the opposit shore to Laura's house. The roundtrip with initial false start was about 3 miles. Water temp still a warm 68-69. Air temp a little chilly but very manageable.
Thanks Alison
Addie Welch graciously allowed me to swim from her beach on the Magothy and Alison M. once again agreed to support me. We set out from Addie's at about 7:30. There was little moonlight and lots of speeding boats in the main channel. We were going to swim side by side equipped with beacons but the boat traffic and low visibility led to a change of plans. We returned to the dock shortly after starting out and Alison jumped in a kayak and paddled with me for the entire trip. We clipped her light on the kayak and I sighted off of that. We swam along the shore and across Deep Creek and then along the opposit shore to Laura's house. The roundtrip with initial false start was about 3 miles. Water temp still a warm 68-69. Air temp a little chilly but very manageable.
Thanks Alison
Friday, September 27, 2013
Acclimation
Read in Lynne Cox's book that she used to sleep with the windows open in cold weather to get used to cold conditions. So I decided i would try sleeping on the futon on our porch. It's been going well but last night I got pretty cold and bagged it at about midnight. Ha. Wonder if it helps?
9-27-13 OW Swim
Swam at Ulmsted in the Magothy. Shoulder fine. Water temp was warm maybe 69-70. Dark conditions for the first half. Great sunrise. Air temp low 50s. Swam about 1.75 miles. Dentist appointment early.
9-26-13 workout
Only 2000yds in the pool this morning. Felt kind of out of it and my shoulder started to hurt a little so I decided to not push it. Usually take a day off during the week from swimming but have made all days this week.
Yoga 9-25-13
Did a 75 minute yoga flow class. Lots of core work. Had to back off on some stuff that seemed to be stressing my shoulders.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Preparation Strategy
Just wanted to put down some thoughts on preparation strategy for the EC:
1. OW Training - Continue swimming outdoors as long as possible this fall. Water temp is about 68 now. Continue swimming until temp dips below 55.
2. Pool Training - Continue training with ABC at the pool 3-4 days per week. Monitor shoulder pain but try to increase yardage when possible from the regular 4000 yds each morning to at least 5000 yds. Supplement regular swims with long sets after. 1000 straight swim is good variation from shorter sets.
3. Yoga - Wednesday night class. Consider adding one more yoga class per week.
4. Spin - One weekend spin class per week. If weather is nice may ride outdoors instead of spin.
5. TRX - Resume regular TRX workouts at home. 3 times per week is good goal.
6. Stretch Cords - Maintain regular use of stretch cords for shoulder strengthening.
7. Massage - Once per month.
8. Acclimatizing- in addition to outdoor swims, introduce cold showers and ice baths to routine. Sleep outside on the porch in cold weather.
Cold water temperature and potential for hypothermia is my biggest concern for EC swim. Need to research importance of body fat and potential weight gain. Wife is not supportive of that strategy.
1. OW Training - Continue swimming outdoors as long as possible this fall. Water temp is about 68 now. Continue swimming until temp dips below 55.
2. Pool Training - Continue training with ABC at the pool 3-4 days per week. Monitor shoulder pain but try to increase yardage when possible from the regular 4000 yds each morning to at least 5000 yds. Supplement regular swims with long sets after. 1000 straight swim is good variation from shorter sets.
3. Yoga - Wednesday night class. Consider adding one more yoga class per week.
4. Spin - One weekend spin class per week. If weather is nice may ride outdoors instead of spin.
5. TRX - Resume regular TRX workouts at home. 3 times per week is good goal.
6. Stretch Cords - Maintain regular use of stretch cords for shoulder strengthening.
7. Massage - Once per month.
8. Acclimatizing- in addition to outdoor swims, introduce cold showers and ice baths to routine. Sleep outside on the porch in cold weather.
Cold water temperature and potential for hypothermia is my biggest concern for EC swim. Need to research importance of body fat and potential weight gain. Wife is not supportive of that strategy.
The purpose of this Blog is to provide a chronological record of my training and other events leading up to my attempt to cross the English Channel on September 19th/20th, 2014. I recently paid my deposit to lock my slot in for next September and now am getting orgainized. My boat pilot is Fred Mardle with the Channel Swimming Association. I have begun to assemble my crew. My longtime friend and support crew, Alison Meehan, has agreed to crew for me. As an experienced open water swimmer herself she understands what swimmers go through in marathon swims. She crewed for me on my 25 mile Search for Memphre in 2012 and I am very grateful for her willingness to pitch in for the EC swim. I am also fortunate to have a circle of marathon open water swimmers and Channel vets I can lean on for advice and support including Liz Fry, Elaine Howley, Lelane Rossouw-Bancroft, Alison Meehan, Maureen Rohrs, Charlotte Brynn, David Barra, Sarah Thomas, Gordon Gridley and Annette Holmgren. Additionally, I am always thankful for the support of my home base open water swimming group, the Arundel Breakfast Club. I plan on leaning on folks for support and advice relentlessly in the coming year. I hope they don't all disown me.
So is the making of my adventure...let the work begin!
So is the making of my adventure...let the work begin!
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