Long Course!

After work I hit Plate City for only the second time this week. I did a workout I saw Josh Bridges do. It was the stationary bike and bench presses alternating. I did seven sets of each going about a minute on each bike leg, getting off and going straight to the bench. The bench looked like this (warm up sets added)

15 X 45
10 X 65
10 X 95 (bike started before this set)
10 X 100
10 X 105
10 X 110
8 X 115
8 X 120
6 X 125

Of course I played with the hack squat machine. Dude, I forgot pictures again, and I don't even need weight on that thing. I did the first set of 8 with no weight and then only added a five and another five for two more sets. I did leg presses for the first time in months. I enjoyed using the fifty pound plates. I did 100, 150, 175. It was a good workout and then I was on my way to DSU.

I went to DSU Thursday night because I wanted to practice my dive start off real blocks. All I have done recently is off the deck at the Twin Rivers tiny pool which is only about four inches from the water's surface. Would my goggles survive the added height of the blocks? Better to find out now than to get to Biloxi and have a catastrophe.

I also like to go that way now and then because we have grandchildren over there. And dogs. Sadie, my daughter's relatively new boxer, goes ape when I show up. Like Smu, she likes me a lot and I don't mind at all.

Quinton called while I was there and said the place in Carroll County was on fire. Great. I contemplated going back, but after calling Junior Barrentine, I decided to stay and do my swim.

When I got to the pool, I was shocked that I had forgotten that they switch the pool to long course this time of year. It has been a bit, and I was excited to see what it felt like after months of tiny pool swimming. I began to warm up and then after only a couple of laps, I noticed that the others swimmers were doing a kick set. What?! Cagri didn't wait on me! Then they were doing a pull set. I'll just do my own thing, I thought. 

I got to the wall and was getting my other Garmin out when I heard Cagri announce the set. I'll just jump in, I thought. The set was a ladder, one to four and back down again. Swim it anyway you want: use paddles, fins, mix it up, whatever. I like. That's 2,000 meters on top of what I already did. The whole practice went like this:

1,200 warm up 23:26 (1:56)
100 1:41
200 3:43 (1:47)
300 5:21 (1:46)
400 7:17 (1:49)
400 7:16 (1:49)
300 5:28 (1:49)
200 3:37 (1:48)
100 1:52 then
200 easy
6 X 100 small paddles @2:16
total: 4,000 long course meters.

After that, I crawled out and put my cap on the test my goggles on a dive start. It worked, the technique I developed in the tiny pool of pulling my cap down over the top of the goggles. I only did one dive.

I learned a couple of things. One, I learned my goggles will survive a block dive. Two, I learned I can get to the wall in a long course pool in under 2:00. Remember, last summer I could not do it. I am fitter and faster now but I don't know if I can do a set of 20s or not. Thank you, Jesus.