12/24 - 12/30

Short and sweet, just the numbers.

Monday 3,600 yards swimming and big weights lifting.

Tuesday 2.10 miles of walking with a little shuffling.

Wednesday 2,550 swimming, 2.23 of walking with a .23 mile shuffle. I also lifted weights.

Thursday I swam 6,700 yards and lifted weights.

Friday I only swam 3,000 yards and lifted weights.

Saturday I swam 3,500 yards and lifted more weights.

For the week I swam 17,684 meters and lifted weights five times. I also shuffled .35 miles total.

Thank you, Jesus.

One More Time

I did it again. Friday had been my long swim day for the past few months and for good reason: I'm off work and have more time. Since I've been off for the holidays, however, I have been swimming long on Thursday. I don't know why; it's just when I want to do it. And like a lot of things in life, to do it begins with wanting to. 

This Thursday, I started with a long, exaggerated warm up of

5,000 1:31:51 (1:49)

That works the all-day swimming muscles as well as the aerobic and fat-burning enzymes within the muscle cells. After that it was 

6 X 100 @ 2:05
3 X 50 @ 1:09
25 breast/25 free
500 small paddles
400 medium paddles
total: 6,700 yards +6,123 meters.

I don't think I have ever swum that far this time of year. Having the Twin Rivers indoor pool has been a Godsend. I am a bit worried that I may be peaking too soon. But live and learn.

Thank you, Jesus for the pool, the health, and the time to swim. 

12/17 - 12/22

Another good swim week plus some solid lifting. I already wrote about Monday and my 3,199 meters, and Tuesday and the 2,742 meters. I did not swim Wednesday, but did Thursday and scribbled about the 6,625 yards I did them. Saturday I swam again. It went like this:

1,800, then my drop set of

400 6:09
300 4:38
200 2:57 (PR)
150 2:14
100 1:28
100 1:29
50
50

The drop set now totals 1,350 yards and leaves me huffing for air. I  took some seconds off some of the turnarounds, but I swam the early reps way faster so that the lactic acid didn't start stacking until I got to the 100s. That is where I will add next week, either there or with the 50s. I already adjusted the workout in my watch, but I still will have adequate rest after the 400, 300, and 200. I starts getting huffy with the 150 and gets worse from there. It is a stamina set. Really, it works everything, endurance, stamina, and speed.

After the drop set, I did

150 medium paddles
100 large paddles
50 extra large paddles
2 X 25 with forearm paddles
total: 3,500 yards = 3,179 meters.

For the week, I swam 17,297 meters, and lifted weights three times. Praise be to God

Friday on Thursday Again

Not like last week when I had to do Friday's long swim on Thursday, but this week I chose Thursday because I wanted a long one. Maybe it's because I was off Wednesday, on the road retrieving  some weights.Anyway, I went to the pool about 10:30 am ready to bust out a Randy Beetsdwon swim and  that is exactly what I did. It started with the long, exaggerated warm up I love. It looked like this:

4,800 1:22:15 (1:43)
112 X 100 @ 2:05
700 small paddles
25 easy
total: 6,625 yards = 6,055 meterrs.

That's training right there. I don't care who you are. Then Trevor and I met at Plate City and I benched

13 X 95
12 X 115
8 X 137
8 X 137
8 X 137

Then incline benches for 

10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
I also did some cord work for the rotator cuffs. A good day. Thank you, Jesus.

Tuesday

The second day of my first full week off wasa another good one. I was late getting to the pool but I swam

1,800
50 for time off the deck. I need to practice this more because I was a bit surprised that I only swam one second faster than the day before when I pushed off the wall. I got a :36 the did 6 X 150 as

150 first 50 fast - 2:25
150 second 50 fast - 2:24
150 third 50 fast - 2:23
150 first and third 25 fast - 2:23
150 small paddles - 2:23
150 off fast, even easy - 2:20
250 easy
100 medium paddles
total: 3,000 scy = 2,742 meters.

Trevor was out so I had to work out again alone. We skipped bench Monday because we like to do that together. It is nice to have a spoter, but I didn't want to miss another session on the bench so I sis 

11 X 95
10 X 115
5 X 147
5 X 147
5 X 147
3 X 152

Then I did some inclines and declines and lots of rotator cuff stuff. A good day. I woke up this morning a pound lighter than Monday. Praise the Lord.

Monday

I woke up on a Monday morning and I didn't have to go th work. That is such a nice feeling. Sunday night I had made a list of things to do. Number one was to study, which I did as soon as i sipped down a cou of starter fluid. With cats on the bed and coffee in my cup, I starte number two on the list: blog. I wrote my weekly report and started another post, a piece of fiction about the last days of a dying man. I'll post it when it is worthy. I only wrote a few sentences, but I made some notes.

Then I had a couple of errands to run. I went to the recycle bins to dump and then to the back to do my Christmas shopping. Next-- three guesses what I did-- you got it. I went to the pool. Lately, Monday had been test day. I have been making some swims for time to see where I am and how I am progressing. For the last three Mondays, I have swum a 500 with the results looking like this:

8:23
7:53
7:34

I did the 500 after warming up with 1,800. I not only set a PR in the 500, but I got one at 300 in the same swim. I glanced at my watch after flipping and gliding and after four 50s and the time was 3:03, down from my record 3:08.I did an easy 200 with small paddles ro recover while swimming and then did 50 for time. On the 50s, I peek at the watch when :

200 small paddles
150 kick with gins (my second round of these)
11 X 50 @ 1:09 ewyh medium paddles
150 kick with fins
200 small paddles
total (without kicking): 3,500 yards = 3,199 meters.

Since it was Over 60s night, I had to workout at Plate City alone. I did upper back and lost of my rotator cuff work. As a result of all that work, I woke up this morning a fraction of a pound lighter despite eating Larry's fish last night. A good day. As I type this, CC is on my right leg, purring hard and being the queen of the house. That's how I like it. Thank you, Jesus for good health and nice cats.

12/10 - 12/16

I had a nice week in the water and a better one with the weights. Monday, since I had to work late because of final exams, I lifted first and swam second. I usually do it the other way around. On the bench, I pressed

10 X 95
10 X 115
6 X 142
6 X 142
6 X 142
3 X 147
7 X 137

In the water, I swam 3,100 yards which included a 500 for time in 7:53.

Tuesday, I swam 3,600 but did not lifting because Trevor was out and I had to work late once more. Wednesday I hit the weights hard and hot the water for 4 X 500 and then 6 X 50. The 500s looked like

9:01
8:47
8:49
8:29

Thursday was this week's Friday. I did a total of 6,500 yards which included one 4,600 yard straight swim.  Afterwards I did a bunch of bench pressing. 

Friday, Penny and I sent to Jackson and I purchased a small medicine ball, some tubing with handles,  and a couple of pair of Olympic plates. Saturday, I was back in the pool and back at Plate City. in the pool, I played around and did some breast and back strokes which I almost never do. I finished the day with 2,525 yards. 

For the week, I 

lifted weights four times, and
swam 16,477 meters.

Now if I can just get back to some shuffling. Thank you, Jesus , for what you allowed me to do. 

Friday on Thursday

Friday is my long swim day. Long swim, like long run and heavy weights is a relative term, a movable one. Right now, a long swim for me is around 6,000 yards. In the past, I learned that a good way to train for marathon swimming, is to do traditional pool work that includes lots of drills and sprints of various distances and rest intervals. Add to that one day of volume and you have the recipe for endurance. Usually I wait until after the first of the year to begin my buildup. I have already started this time in part because I have the opportunity with the new Twin Rivers pool and I have the hunger after being dry for almost ten months and doubting I would ever be able to swim again. Now I can swim. Thank you, Jesus.

This week, Penny wanted to go to Jackson Friday so being off work, I did Friday on Thursday. Here's how it went:

4,600 1:21:17 @ 1:45 pace
10 X 100 @ 2:05
10 X 50 medium paddles @1:06
400 small paddles
total: 6,500 yards for a total average pace of 1:42. That is training right there. 

After going home, taking nutrition, and resting, I lifted at Plate City. Trevor was out and it was rainy out so Ii was happy to get a good lift in. I did on the bench press

10 X 95
10 X 105
10 X 115
10 X 125
10 X 130
1 X 135

on the incline bench press, I hit

11 X 90
10 X 95
10 X 100

Then I moved to the decline and pressed

11 X 80
10 X 85
10 X 90

I also did lots of cord work and tried to do some flys but my shoulder really did not like that too much so I only did one set. Friday on the way to Jackson, I could feel my pecs getting tight and sore. I love that. Why is it that the only muscle in my body that ever gets sore is the pectorals? Maybe because I don't work any of them as hard. Anyway, that was one good training day and I am thankful to Jesus Christ for blessing me to be able to pull it off. The shoulder is not 100 %. Maybe it will never be, but as long as I can do the kinds of things I did Friday, I am a happy man. 

New Toys

I mentioned in an earlier post that I placed my first order in two or more years from SwimOutlet.com. So what did Santa bring me?  First, I acquired some new goggles. Those are always needed, and to swim with a new pair is incredibly refreshing. It always amazes me how much better I can see when I put on an unused pair. Swim with old goggles long enough and you begin to hit your head on the wall while failing to negotiate flip turns. That doesn't feel good and can be dangerous. 

I also got a pair of fins that fit. For the last few years, I have been operating with a pair one size too large. To make them work, I would sometimes pack a pair of heavy boot socks in my swim bag. But I really don't like treating big socks like that. Besides, that necessitates putting on the socks, and packing the wet heavy ones back into my bag at the end of practice. What that meant practically was that I did little work with fins. My mind goes all over the place on the need to even do kick sets. As a marathon swimmer, kicking is not a big deal. But with this new interest in the big swim meet on the coast, I am beginning to think like and train like a pool swimmer and that means kicking.

Besides goggles and fins, I also picked up a new jammer. Jammers are to swimmers what barbie dolls are to little girls. You can never have too many because putting on a wet one is not fun. Usually my daughter gives me jammers for Christmas. I hope she does that again this year. I have decided that I like the cheap ones from Sporti the best. They are a little thinner and thus they are more comfortable than the more expensive models and don't start pulling down in the back like the thicker ones do. When your jammers started drifting down, your concentration is challenged. Nothing is worse than having something to worry about when you are trying to do a really long set or worse, a marathon swim.

And finally, I bought a new pair of paddles. Paddles also are like barbie dolls. I have lots of them, and I want more. This latest pair is an extra, extra large set from TYR. Mostly I bought them to see if they were really as big as advertised. They are as humongous as advertised. I do most of my paddle sets with Speedo Power Paddles. I have the small, medium, and large pairs. Now I have a really extra large pair from another company. Those things are so big they frightened me a little. I used them last night and refused to swim over 25 yards at a time with them. They will either make you strong or destroy your shoulders one. Or both. I will continue to use them but sparingly, and  hopefully I will build an immunity to their destructive potential.

Notice how the clear TYR dwarfs
my go-to Speedo paddle.

So now I am planning my next order. I want more goggles, more jammers, and more paddles. I even thought of getting a tempo trainer and a mono fin. Not that I need anything, but what does need have to do with it? That's right, nothing. Thank you, Lord for toys and time to play with them.

Tuesday

After a big training day Monday, I wanted another Tuesday. I was at the Moorhead campus all day giving exams, reading bad essays, and making one schedule. When I found a high gear and headed east, I was wound as tight as a two dollar watch.

I got home and tried to unwind. Trevor texted that he was working late so I decided to hit the pool hard and drop the weights. As usual, I had the pool all to myself and swam

1,650 31:01

Then I did what I have named a drop set that morphed a little from last week. It is swum on a 2:00 base starting with 400, dropping to 300, then 2,00. Last week I went to 100 and 2 X 50. This week I inserted a 150 in the mix to up the whole set to 1,250. I also cut a couple of seconds off the first rest interval and one second off the second. That made little or no difference since I swam the 400 about 20 seconds faster than last Tuesday. It is a nice set that works endurance, speed, and stamina. I will take some more time off the early intervals for next week and add another 100. I'll keep adjusting this thing until I create a monster that I can do. The drop set looked like this:

400 6:33
300 4:52
200 3:09
150 2:25
100 1:33
50 :44
50 :47
total for set = 1,250

After the drop set, I did a straight 700 with small paddles and then a kick set with fins of 3 X 50. The swimming amounted to 3,600 yards. This is only my second kick set of the comeback, and I am cramping like a mean woman. It will get better. I hope. I enjoyed the swim, and felt refreshed, like all the frustration of the day were washed away as I left the pool. Thank you, Lord Jesus for letting me swim.

Pool Matters

I have a new focus: the pool. As a result I did something last week I haven't done in about two years or more. I placed an order with SwimOutlet and my new toys arrived Saturday afternoon. I had already swum for the day so I didn't get play with them then. Monday was the start of exam week so I was not even sure I could swim at all. I worked until 5:00 and then Trevor wanted to work out so we hit the weights for some serious bench pressing. I did

10 X 95
10 X 115
6 X 142
6 X 142
6 X 142
3 X 147
7 X 137

That's seven sets plus I did some other stuff, especially on the tubing, working on the rotator cuff muscles and the fast twitch pulling muscles for swimming. In the last post I related that I think that work is beginning to pay off. Since it was still early, I decided to go on to the pool even though I don't like to swim after lifting. At the pool, I swam

1,600
500 for time (7:53, last week it was 8:23)
200 small paddles
100 kick with fins (one of my new toys from SwimOutlet)
4 X 50 medium paddles @ 1:12
4 X 50 large paddles @ 1:16
50 for time (:38, this is more evidence that my weights, tubing work, and sprints are reaping a harvest)
4 X 25 extra large paddles (more new toys, these things are HUGE)
200 swim with fins
total: 3,100.

A pretty good day considering I was not even sure I could swim due to the craziness of the exams Thank you,Jesus.

12/3 - 12/9

I swam, I swimmed, and I swum. That's what I did last week. By the way, the declension of the verb "to swim" is swim/swam/swum. If you say, write, or think "I have swam," I will not be your friend and I might even throat punch you. You have been warned.

Monday I swam 2,787 meters in the little pool and bench pressed

10 X 95
9 X 115
15 X 120
5 X 142
5 X 142
5 X 142
Decline bench press 13 X whatever is on the bar. So it was a pretty good day.

Tuesday, I swam 3,107 meters and did some Plate City stuff on my own since Trevor was out. Wednesday I did more weights and more swimming, 3,153 meters worth. Thursday, Penny and I had a ministers' and wives' banquet so there was no Plate City for me, but I did get into the pool and do 3,199 meters.

Friday is my long day. I did lots of tough sets during the week trying to recapture what little speed I had. I did 

4,200 straight in 1:16 (1:49 per 100 yard)
9 X 100 @ 2:00
2 X 500 @ 9:552 X 500 small paddles @ 9:55 first was in 8:13
4 X 50 @ 1:12
50 for time (:39)  This is the first evidence I have that I am getting some of it back. The first time I broke :40 since my comeback.
50 easy
total: 6,400 yards = 5,849 meters. 

Saturday was one of those cold and rainy days that makes working out at Plate City something I am not going to do. So I went to the gym at Twin Rivers, which I do once or twice per year. I did the whole upper body then went to the pool. and swam a bunch of slow and short repeats until I made 2,300 yards. I then tapped out. So for the week, I

lifted weights four time and 
swam 20,197 meters. 

If I just had some running in there it would be a good week. Nevertheless, thank you, Jesus for some nice swimming.

Friday Morning

It is Friday morning, and the day lies before me like an open road waiting for me to come and drive. What will I make of this opportunity at life. Friday, everyday is a gift from from God and should be treated as such. I do have plans.

Right now, besides my computer, I have a cat on my left side and a hot mug of coffee on my right. This is how I like to begin a  day. There is a bill I need to pay and I have an appointment with a financial adviser. Dad used to  fill that role and this is just one of many ways I miss him. When it came to matters of money, his word was gold to me.

After the business, I plan to go to the:

  a) gym
  b) dentist office
  c) pool

Yeah, the plan is to bust out over 6,000 yards. It's been a good swimming week. Today should make it better.Thursday was a good one. I swam

50 (equipment adjustment)
1,500
then I did a set of the following all on a 2:00 base:
400
300
200
100
50
50  After that I swam
250 medium paddles followed by 50s @ 1:16 
4 X 50 large paddles
4 X 50 medium paddles
4 X 50 small paddles
total: 3,500 yards.

I am not sure what shape today's big swim will take. I might just make it up as I go. The key concept for my Friday swims is volume. During the rest of the week, I am striving to regain my lost speed. I'll let you know if I get it back.

Wednesday

Trevor usually gets off work early on Wednesday, but for me it is one of my long days. He texted about 1:00 and wanted to know when we were working out. That meant I would not get to swim before the weights which is how I like to do it. So we hit the weights then I went inside for some nutrition and rest before going to the pool. At the pool, I swam

1,500
5 X 100 @ 2:05
250 medium paddles
3 X 100 @ 2:12
900 small paddles
total: 3,450 yards.

I am beginning to notice something about myself. I am consistently tapping out when the sets get tough. On the first 100s, I quit after five reps. Why? It's like I have no tolerance for swimming pain anymore. On the second set of 100s, I increased the interval to give myself more recovery time and still stopped at a mere three reps. What the heck?!?!?!  I remember training for Swim the Suck a few years back and wearing two Garmin watches and doing up the 26 X 100 at under 2:00 in the long course pool. I can't accept the possibility that I just can't do it anymore. Maybe I am so far removed from top form that I can't yet embrace the discomfort that comes with hard interval training. I had thought that the prospects of the Senior Olympics had filled my motivation tank to the top. But when it gets difficult in the pool, I am taking the easy way out.

Either I don't have the heart for hard swimming anymore, or I don't have the heart for hard swimming anymore. Sigh. Maybe it will return. I'll try again today and see what choice I make when I am gasping for air at the end of the lane. Maybe today I won't be a coward. Help me, Jesus.

Start of the Week

I started the week with that new motivation i wrote about yesterday. The water was 90 degrees hot but what else is new? I have water. Monday I swam a total of 3,050. I wrote about that one already. Tuesday, I did 

100 (equipment adjustment)
1,300
5 X 50 @ 1:06
200 medium paddles
5 X 50 @ 1:09
200  medium paddles
5 X 50 @ 1:12
850 small paddles
total: 3,400 yards.

Notice the change in interval times. I am looking for the right interval, one that gives me plenty of rest but doesn't waste time. Later, when the speed is built (I hope), I will cut the rest time down to work on heart rate and lactic acid neutralization. 

Trevor texted and said he had to work late so he couldn't workout, but I was  already out of the pool or I would  have done another 1,000 or more. Anyway, I decided to do a swim session at Plate City. I did walking curls and the Swim Pull and lat pull downs, etc, stuff to target the swimming muscles. Now I am itching to get back into the water. My 50s were not any faster, but that is still the goal. Than you, Lord. Goals are fun.

New Motivation

I met someone in the pool the other day. She comes from Durant and swims with Linda Gail Fondren. She is an older lady, and she asked me if I knew about the Senior Olympics. I did not and really didn't think too much about her attempts to interest me in them. It seems there are State games and National games. Sometimes a seed someone sows requires the right time to germinate and sprout. This one sprouted several days later.

I was at home hanging out with the cats when what she said came to mind so I did what everyone does now: googled. The more I read, the more I became intrigued. Of course I looked up the swimming. The events, the individual ones, are all done in age groups. The longest swim they have is 500 yard short course. I looked up past results and almost jumped out of my seat. "I can beat those times!" I almost shouted out loud. I searched and searched and with the exception of the sprints (I am an endurance swimmer), I could have won them all last year.

Needless to say, I am planning on signing up and competing this year. And already, this has had a huge impact on my pool swimming. I have been swimming regularly but not particularly hard. I like the zone two stuff, the all-day pace that I am so adept at, but really hard intervals, the kind of swimming pool swimmers do, I have always shied away from. That is one thing I miss about swimming with the crew at DSU. Having a coach is like going to school. They make you do things you would not do on your own, like hit the hard intervals over and over. Yesterday I hit the pool with a zeal I have not had in years. I did the following:

1,350
500 for time (8:23, the fastest swum at the Senior Olympics was 9:55 by someone ten years younger than me)
200 small paddles
200 for time (3:09)
200 small paddles
100 for time (1:27)
500 small paddles
total: 3,050.

Now I can't wait to go back today. I am planning some 50s on a longer interval and lots of them. Since my shoulder injury, I have lost some speed, not that I ever had a lot. Under Coach Petya, we used to swim 20 X 100 @ 2:00 often. I would swim the first four under 1:20 and do them all under 1:25. Now, the best I can do is 1:27. Sigh. But I plan to get those seconds back. I have been thinking, planning, scheming on how to do it. My plan involves Plate City, of course, and the pool. The missing motivation is back with a vengeance. I always wanted to swim, just not swim too hard. Now I want to swim hard, to pay the price for speed so that I can compete not only in the "distance" events (500 is a long sprint for me), but the sprints as well. Follow the journey if you care to. The dates for this year's Olympics have not yet been set, but last year they were held in late April and early May on the coast. That gives me time, motive, and opportunity to get into much better form. Thank you, Jesus.

How will all of this pool training impact my training for that thing I don't mention until after the first of the year? It should help me and help a lot. Speed is always nice to have and I learned long ago that training like a pool swimmer most of the week, and reserving one day for volume is very effective at building endurance. In short, it will make me a more well-rounded athlete, and as one strength guy I watch on YouTube says, "Strength is never a weakness." That part of the training has always been a part of my all-day swimming program, only now I am already hitting the weights with an energy I never have had before. After my last two Plate City sessions, I came inside with my arms trembling. I never did that in the past. Thank you, Lord.

11/26 - 12/2

I had fun, but not as much fun as I would have if I could have run. I can, however, swim and lift and I did plenty of those. Monday I did not get to swim. I have already forgotten why, but something threw a monkie wrench into my plans. It might have been Over 60s. Yeah, that was it. Another chance to miss a workout and overeat. They are everywhere. I did lift. 

Tuesday, I swam 

1,000
2 X 50 small paddles
100 small paddles
2 X 125 small paddles 
total: 1,600 yards.

I also lifted weights.

Wednesday I swam again. This time I did

1,100
6 X 50 @ :55
700 small paddles
total: 2,100 yards, plus weight lifting.

Thursday I swam and lifted again. In the pool, I swam

1,200
7 X 50 @ 1:00
750 small paddles
total: 2,300 yards.

Friday will be long day from now on. I won't mention why. I only start using that word after the first of the year. I swam

2,350
7 X 100 @ 2:00
450 small paddles
6 X 75 @ 1:35
450 small paddles
12 X 50 @ 1:03
300 small paddles
1,000
total: 6,300 yards. 

This was my longest swim of the year and the kind that builds endurance. For some reason, Trevor and I did not lift. I remember now, it was the Christmas parade that knocked us out.

Saturday it was

1,300
3 X 50 @ :55
200 medium paddles
4 X 50 @ 1:00
200 medium paddles
5 X 50 @ 1:03
800 small paddles
total: 3,100 yards.

After watching Alabama beat Georgia for the SEC title, I went outside and hit it pretty hard, working shoulderes, and swim muscles. 

For the week I

swam 14,074 meters, and lifted weights four times. That is Beetsdown training. Thank you, Jesus.

Thursday I