Category: Swimming

Training Day #66

Swimming’s Cancelled

So, today swimming is cancelled! Well at least it isn’t by choice. This morning I woke up to many canceled classes for school, and the only reason to go to the university was to go swimming. So, this would be one of the highlights of my day today. I was getting some excellent exercise and stretching out my legs in the pool. All was well when I left home. I ran into some heavy traffic on my way to the university pool, but all was well. I was enjoying my audiobook and looking forward to the swim.

Once I got to the parking garage, I enjoyed my audiobook on the walkover. Finally, I got to my locker and got ready for my workout. As I walked to the pool, the staff had closed the pool until further notice due to unforeseen maintenance issues. So, I had gotten up early and drove to my school only to do one thing, swim, and now it is closed. What a wonderful day! So I guess I’ll try again tomorrow, but I’ll check the website before I leave the house.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Check the pool website to make sure it is open! (Not sure if it would have stated this morning)
  2. Sometimes rest days are placed upon you not scheduled! Enjoy the day!

Training Day #54

Tempo Swim

Today’s swim is a tempo swim in preparation for the race on Saturday. The workout is one of the longest distances at 1,640 yards. The routine consisted of a warmup of 200 yards followed by five repetitions of 50 yards of freestyle stroke with 10-second rest. Then a steady-state swim for 850 yards followed by a 1-minute rest. The cooldown was 200 yards. The primary purpose of this workout was to ensure I could swim the entire length of the triathlon race and build confidence in myself. The morning started a bit normal and a little behind schedule; however, I had a reasonable amount of time to complete my workout without any issues.

In the 200 yards of the warmup, I did 50 yards of freestyle and 50 yards of backstroke. For the last 100 yards, I used fins for the first time to strengthen my legs and to practice the technique. After the warmup, I used the five reps of 50 yards to work on speed and improve my speed. This was very tiring and a challenge. For the steady 850 yards, I focused on lowering my cadence and heart rate to get to a comfortable pace with regular breathing. This was a good exercise in managing and pacing myself. I found myself with plenty of energy and could have gone longer if I needed it. This was a significant boost to my confidence in finishing the swim. The cooldown was a non-event. I just did 100 yards of freestyle and 100 yards backstroke.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Swim your race distances or further to build confidence!
  2. Practice relaxing and managing your pace when your HR is high.

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:40:37
hours
00:30:49
hours
0.84
mi.
2:17
min/100m
0:20
min/100m
0.00
ft.
298
kcal

Training Day #49

What a Swim Day!

What can I say about today that I can’t say of an unplanned day? So today was an interesting day! It started off to a slow start. I got up 30 minutes later and only left 5 minutes after I usually do. Due to the weather, I hit some unexpected traffic and didn’t get to the gym till 8:30. This is where my previous comments about preparing the night before hit me. I did not realize that I had taken my towel to swap out during my Monday swim session. (My wife even asked me last night if I packed a towel! SMH…) All I had were the clothes I had on, the ones for school, and a small sweat towel. I knew a target was nearby and a school clothing shop, but I only had time to stop at one. You guess it I chose wrong and the school store didn’t have a towel. So I ended up just using the small towel I had. It all worked out ok!

So for the swim workout, today was a leisurely swim. It started with 200 yards of warmup of mixed swimming followed by the main exercise of 4x 200-yard freestyle swim. Then concluded the workout with 200 yards of cool down. All in all, about 1200 yards of total swimming: I began the warmup with a mix of freestyle for 100 yards and backstroke for 100 yards. This was overall a good start. The 200-yard repeats went well, averaging about 2:09 minutes per yard. I felt like I was getting a good breathing rhythm and could go forever. The cooldown was uneventful just repeated the warmup with 100 yards of freestyle and 100 yards of backstroke. I rotated the exercise every 50 yards.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Always listen to your spouse when packing the night prior! It will save you some time.
  2. Even when things don’t go to plan, make the best of it and get your workout in!

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:28:29
hours
00:25:44
hours
0.68
mi.
2:21
min/100m
1:51
min/100m
0.00
ft.
241
kcal

Training Day #47

Monday, Swim Day!!!

I can tell you that preparing for the training session the night before is key for continuing to stay motivated for my training. The training schedule had a benchmark for today which consisted of 300 yards mixed warm-up, 5x 50-yard freestyle swim with a 15-second rest in between, 400 yards of freestyle swim, and 2x 25 yard mixed swim. Then a cooldown of 150 yards freestyle swim. I was excited for this swim because I got some new gear to try out, a swim cap and tri-shorts.

This morning was off to a slow start. I got to the pool about 30 minutes later than usual. This made me rush to the pool and forgot my swim cap for the first 300 yards. After the warm-up, I took a short break to grab my swim cap because we were moved from one pool to another due to swim classes. After the short break, the swim went according to the plan. This workout felt great, and I got into a good rhythm of breathing and swimming.

Every week, I feel like I’m getting fitter and faster. All I am shooting for is 1% improvement.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Packing your bag the night before relieves stress and reduces forgetfulness.
  2. Swim with new gear during training to get use to the way it fits and functions.

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:34:49
hours
00:24:32
hours
0.65
mi.
2:20
min/100m
0:07
min/100m
0.00
ft.
225
kcal

 

Training Day #41

Swim Day!

It seems that I missed two swim workouts last week due to my schedule not populating correctly on my calendar. However, I’m got back to the pool today! The swim routine was an easy day to build some distance consistently. The workout started with 200 yards of mixed warm-up. The main portion was 200 yards freestyle with a 30-second rest between each repetition. Then a mixed cool-down swim of another 200 yards.

It seems that my watch is not counting my laps correctly because it also tells me I have finished 200 yards, about 15 yards short of the end of the pool. Other than that, this workout was pretty good. I felt great for the entire routine. After my 200 yards warm-up, I did 5x 200 yard swims with the last 100 yards using paddles to work on my form and pull on my strokes. There was a 20-second rest between each 200-yard repetition.  I wanted to use the paddles for more of my main workout, but they seemed to fall apart during early attempts to use them. I have been using the equipment at my school, but I believe it is time to invest in my kit to ensure I get the correct size and function.   My cool-down consisted of using the kickboard to work on my kick for 200 yards.

Overall, I felt perfect for this routine. This swim distance was my longest swim so far.

Key Takeaways:

  1. I need to invest in my swim gear, like paddles and fins.
  2. Eliminating stressors before your training week helps keep you focused on training.

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:51:27
hours
00:37:54
hours
0.80
mi.
2:58
min/100m
0:12
min/100m
0.00
ft.
274
kcal

Training Day #31

I got made a personal record today! I swam a total of 1250 yards! While it wasn’t continuous 1250 yards, it is the most I have swum in a single session. I began this session with a 200 yard warm-up with a mixture of kicking and freestyle drills. For the main portion of the workout, I completed three continuous laps for 300 yards. Similar to the training on Monday, but 100 yards short. I did feel the difference, and it was pretty nice. I have been working on my lap turns for the last two weeks, improving my times drastically. I have no more wasted energy by grabbing and pushing off the side.

Overall, I felt that is workout was an excellent addition to my routine. I did end this session a bit early again due to my class schedule and procrastinating on my homework. Some lessons are hard to learn!

Key Takeaways:

  1. DO YOUR CLASSWORK BEFORE YOUR NEXT WORKOUT!!!
  2. Continue to make 1% improvements! They add up over time!!

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:39:47
hours
00:28:56
hours
0.71
mi.
2:32
min/100m
0:10
min/100m
0.00
ft.
252
kcal

Training Day #29

Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! What do we do? WE SWIM!

Every time I go swimming this song always comes to mind. Thanks, Disney! This week starts out with a nice swim routine. The focus of the workout is to continue to built distance through constant laps. I started with 100 yard of warm up strokes. I used paddles to improve my form and build a little strength in my pool for 50 yards. Then I used the kickboard for 50 yards to work on my kick. I still have trouble doing two things at once, but I’m getting better.

The main part of the workout was 400 yards of continuous laps. This really stretched my endurance and performance on this distance. This is kind of dishearting because I will have to go twice this distance for the upcoming race. Speed is not my friend just slow and steady. I did this for two repetitions and had about 90 rest in-between each set. I ended this workout without one set of the 400 yards due to running a little late to the gym and having homework to do before class. So I ended my workout with a 200 yard freestyle cool down.

Overall, I felt pretty good for this workout. It just pushed my limits for swim endurance, which is great!

Key Takeaways:

  1. Do your homework the night before! Don’t procrastinate!
  2. Swimming is about slow and steady for endurance.

Training Statistics:

Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:36:26
hours
00:24:29
hours
0.62
mi.
2:26
min/100m
0:10
min/100m
0.00
ft.
220
kcal

Training Day #24

Yet another swim day! Todays’ swim workout was very similar to Monday’s workout. The planned training was “Tech Swim.” The routine started with a mixed swim of 200 meters to get warmed up. I began with the basic freestyle swim with no paddles for 50 meters. Then I moved into sidestrokes (apple pickers) for 25 meters on each side. I then grabbed a kickboard and practice kicking for 50 meters. I use a freestyle stroke now and then to keep me moving at a little quicker pace. I am plodding when it comes to just using the kickboard. After the kickboard, I did about 50 meters of the freestyle swim and focused on kick rhythm.

After the warm-up, I did the “Tech” part of the routine. First, I swam two 25 meter laps at a fast pace with a 30-second rest in between each 25-meter lap. Then I swam one 75 meter lap at a quick but consistent rate. At the end of the last lap, I rested for one minute before starting over.  This was one repetition that I completed three times.

The second part of the workout was a 150-meter freestyle swim. The main focus was to swim continuously for the duration. I took this opportunity to practice the underwater flip turns. The purpose of this is to help stop wasted energy from stopping at the side of the pool to turn and push off again. The first time flip turn was terrible. I got disoriented for a second and a lot of water when right up my nose. It was uncomfortable! However, as I continue to practice, the better I got! Minor improvements are all that matters!

Overall, it was a good workout! Every day I spend in the pool, the more confident I am. Tomorrow is a rest day!!

Key Learning Points:

  1. Focusing on the kick rapidly increased my speed!
  2. Water will go up your nose during a flip turn if you don’t breathe out!
Elapsed Time Moving Time Distance Average Speed Max Speed Elevation Gain Calories Burned
00:32:11
hours
00:20:39
hours
0.55
mi.
2:19
min/100m
0:48
min/100m
0.00
ft.
196
kcal

Training Day #22

The plan for Monday was an open water swim session. However, I haven’t been swimming for long and turned this session into a pool swim at my university. In this session, I focused on my technique instead of distance. Since I haven’t swum regularly in the past few years, the focus is to get comfortable in the water and improve my breathing technique. The gear I have been using is just an ordinary pair of swim trunks and swim goggles. The university has paddles and kickboards that are free to use, and I did a few laps with each of them to improve my form and practice my leg kicks. Since I have started swimming, my leg kicks have always been the weakest portion of my swimming. I like to use my upper body to swim!

The actual workout was 200 meters of freestyle swimming followed by 200 meters laps repeated twice.  Then a cool down swim of 200 meters  mixed swimming (i.e. any stroke) this is the point I used the paddles and kickboard. This workout totals to 1000 meters of swimming.

Key Learning Points:

1. Slow swimming helps improve form and increases distance with less fatigue
2. I need to improve my swimming kicks

 

(Credit to the featured image is NCSU Health and Wellness Center)