The Swim Plan

Hi, It's Laura.

Remember when I said that I could not swim? Turns out I can and I am just a tad better than I thought I was at the sport.

Part of my getting ready to get ready plan is focusing on my swimming. I need to swim a mile in the triathlon and this time around I would like to do it better.

The only way to get better is to get in the pool and swim (Malcolm Galdwell's 10,000 hour rule). I want to just go and swim but I need a plan to accomplish the task. There is no better way than to break it down into smaller more conquerable parts.

Knowing that I needed to improve my swimming I sought out professional help. In doing my research last winter, I found an article covering the basics of swimming. I actually found a lot of articles that cover the basics of swimming. But this one spoke to me and seems to make the most sense.

You know how you start looking for something on the internet and you click on an link and in that article you click on another and another and another and another…. You have clicked on so many that you have no idea how you got where you are. Well that is how I found this one: 0-1650.

I read through the plan at first and was a little intimidated. The plan is broken down into 6 week increments and you increase your distance a little every week.

Week one for instance: swim 4, 100 meter sets, breathing for only 12 breaths between each 100.Then 4 sets of 50 meters with only 8 breaths then finally 4, 25 meter sets with 4 breaths in between WHAT?! I will drown!

Clearly, I did not.

The author is trying to expand your aqua lungs (your aerobic capability in the water). Here, today and the end of week 1, I can already see a difference.

Monday morning I did my first drills and did ok. I pushed through and at the end was surprised at how not difficult it was. The entire swim session took me 25 minutes. Hmmm.

Wednesday I got back in the pool, same drills and felt awesome. I felt strong and felt that this was totally a doable plan. My breathing was definitely better on Wednesday already and I finished 5 minutes faster than Monday.

Today. slightly hung-over. Not my fault though, I blame The Snow Bunny. She just went through a personal issue that we tried to fix with wine. (Wine, as I have found out, is only a short term fix. Damn it!)

The pool was packed. It looked like Saturday at the grocery store. I decided, because I was slightly hung-over, I would swim slowly. (This is not a joke, I really thought I could.) I would swim slow, practice technique, take nice long strokes...

Did you know that when you add technique you actually move faster because you are more efficient? Ooops! I tried, I really did. I did however stay in the slower lane and tried not to be too frustrated with the other people (due to the hangover this was actually possible).

When I finished my 700 meters I looked at the clock and realized I had only been in the pool for 15 minutes! I was shocked that it only took 15 minutes to do the workout (which now I would not even call a workout).Well Yahoo! Done for the week!

Next week is 900 meters with a different break down of drills. I will keep you posted on the progress.

The plan now is to focus on getting up to swim a mile (swimming 3 days a week). Once that is accomplished, I can cut back swimming to twice a week through Jan, Feb and March but still swimming a mile every time. I am hoping that will keep me in enough shape to start training in March. We shall see.

BTW, I did not have a single fight in the pool today.

Enjoy the weekend!

Play hard!

Laura

 

Welcome Back

Hi. It's Laura.

I didn't think I would do this again but here we go with a new blog for a new triathlon.

I tried to write over the summer after the last triathlon but found myself uninspired (oh the irony) in what to write about. I know I go on and on about goals and, now having found a new one, I feel I have more validity to what I what I have to say.

In addition, it keeps me honest. Honest about my motivations as well as keeping me on track and motivated since I will have to write about it (yes, I know, choose to write about it).

Since is this is our first day back, my intention is to keep it short and sweet we will see how that goes.

Let's start with what was learned from the last triathlon: IT WAS HARD!

The training itself was not so bad (as I remember it [Editor’s note: This is the same memory that allows women to have more than 1 child]). I didn't go back and re-read any of my posts. Each section of the race, when I thought about it, was not so awful. Overall it was hard and I can't quite put my finger on why at this moment.

What I learned from the swim? I can't swim. I only learned to swim in September of 2011 which makes me not that good. Last year was all about just getting through it. This year I would prefer to have a good time coming out of the water with an easy run to T1 (transition one is the transition from the swim to the bike). T1 is about a half mile away from the water's exit. The run is in bare feet. Last year I walked it and I peed in my wetsuit along the way. I was already tired and a little gross from the water. (Reminder, we swam in the Hudson River.) I have a plan.

What I learned from the bike ride? It was tougher than I expected. I had been pedaling my tail off all spring long and missed one aspect of training, hills. I need to focus on hill repeats, especially hill repeats on good steeps with distance. Getting off the bike into the run was painful.

I was suffering from cramping in my upper hamstrings as well as a crampy tummy. I was prepared for the tummy but not the hammies. I am already working on strengthening those upper hamstrings.

What I learned from the run? It was the most difficult of them all. Oh and I also learned: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I did not realize the day was as hot as it was because I started my adventure in the water and was wearing my cycling/running clothes underneath my wetsuit so my clothes were wet to start which had an early cooling affect. Sweat took over after a while but sweating is dehydrating. The spray guns that the organizers used were wonderful to cool my outside but didn't help for my insides. I run often even when not training for an event and had no idea that my normal 6 miler would be so grueling. I am hoping to fix that this year by training for a half marathon in March which will kick off my official triathlon training.

Right now I am getting ready to get ready by finding things in my off season that need work and focusing on those areas.

I finished the triathlon last year in 3:46:45. My goal was 3:30. My goal for this year is 3:30 and secretly hoping to finish in 3:15. I will be happy at 3:30 and ecstatic at 3:15.

I hope I can inspire you with my blogs to go out and try for your goals no matter how difficult they may seem.

Play hard!

Laura