Skip to main content

Base Week 1 Friday - 3000 meters of swimming

AM: 3000 meters swimming total - All drills (no timed sets)

1) Warmup: 500 meters

2) Strength Sets: 6x150m paddles (50m left hand only, 50m right hand only, 50m both)

3) Symmetry, Hypoxic Sets: 4x200m freestyle with snorkels

4) "Putting It All Together" Set: 1x500m freestyle (untimed)

5) Cooldown: 300 meters


Paddles can be tough when swimming normally with both hands, but with only one hand pulling, it can be extraordinarily difficult. Add to that trying to keep my form through the entire drill as my shoulders were tiring. So when I get to that part of the set where I can use both arms, I felt extremely smooth in the water.

The snorkels are another tough set. Try breathing through a straw and you'll understand how it might feel in the water when taking breaths. I usually do 100 meter sets with snorkels, but I decided to give 200 meters a try. That distance can make people faint if this set was done wrong. The object here is to keep everything constant and smooth so that I don't waste my breath.

The result of the paddles and the snorkels, is a nice, heightened sense of my stroke and my movement through the water in the 500 meter set toward the end. It just feels so great feeling the water just slip by me with a perfectly smooth stroke.

The paddles, fins, and snorkels are the perfect "toys" to develop a perfect stroke. If your pool doesn't have them, definitely pick them up at an online swim shop because they are essential to your stroke development.

Weekly totals so far: 6000 meters of swimming, 30 miles of cycling, 16 miles of running.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RACE: WATCHUNG WINTER ULTRA

M Tu W Th F Sa Su Total Swim Off 2000m Off Off 2000m Off - 4000m Bike 15mi. Off 15mi 10mi 10mi Off Off 50mi Run 4mi. Off 5mi 4mi Off 21mi - 34mi RACE: WATCHUNG WINTER ULTRA Result: Did not finish (finished 2 of 3 laps for 21 miles) Conditions: Hazardous ice rutted trails covered with newer snow. Weather: Cloudy sunless day with temps ranging from 18 to 26 degrees. Little wind. Time: 5 hours 15 minutes. Pace was 15 min/mile. I had to make the decision to stop after 2 laps and is never easy to do so. These were easily the toughest conditions I've ever been on, although I have a feeling that this is the norm in the ultra world and that these conditions are tame considering where other ultras are held. That's OK though. Training in tough conditions will help me toughen up, right? Who knows, maybe I'll be out there one year at the Arrowhead 135 in northern Minnesota with temps as cold as 10 degrees below zero because of this race, right? Still, the positives I can take from thi
2 comments
Read more

Week 1 - Thursday - 20 mile Mountain Bike on Asphalt

PM: 20 mile Mountian Bike on Asphalt Course: 6 loops of Great Kills Park Time: 1:17:44 (15.5 MPH) Loop splits: 1) 14:01, 2) 13:37, 3) 13:19, 4) 13:41, 5) 13:15, 6) 9:45 (short loop) Weather: 65F, Windy, P. Cloudy With my road bike inoperable at this time, I have to do the next best thing and take my mountain bike out on the course, hence the noticeably slower speed. I will be on my mountain bike as well as on my Computrainer for the rest of the year while I shop around for a new road bike. As for the workout, this was again at an easy pace, so that I can gain the miles needed for my base. I ended up the workout very energetic, and not tired, which is what is needed in base training. Tomorrow I go back to the pool. For the week: 3000 meters of swimming, 30 miles of cycling, and 16 miles of running.
Post a Comment
Read more

Original Framework for 2011 Season

The 2011 season will have see 2 -3  100 mile ultramarathons. The one in May is the Massanutten 100, and hope to be in good base shape when I toe the line. I am not sure if I'm doing Vermont again, but I placed it into the framework just in case. My decision will depend on how the training works out.  The big "A" race has got to be the Leadville 100, The Race Across The Sky. This race absolutely scares the wits out of me because of the high altitude (10,000 ft+ in most places). I have got to be in pristine shape if I am to ever finish this race. Throw in a Double Ironman in October and a few other ultras and here is the overall framework for the season: (it's a bit hard to see from here, but click on the picture to see it more clearly) I have two sets of 4-week Base mesocycles in the beginning to adapt and set a good base, after which I start to build on that base for three mesocycles. This should put me on pretty good shape to tackle Massanutten. The longer Overdistan
Post a Comment
Read more