Swim the Suck Training Camp Is Open

Training for Swim the Suck 2014 has begun in earnest. The Swimmer Profiles have been posted on the website, Randy Beets is talking trash on Facebook, and Karah Nazor, the race director, has chosen sides and is pulling for Randy. That kinda hurt my feelings, but somebody needs to be on his side seeing how I have a whole Facebook page, "Vicarious Butt Beets," dedicated to cyber-bullying the tall guy.

For our profiles, when we registered we were asked to list four athletic accomplishments. Here is my profile as it appears on the website:

Notice the Athletic Achievments. That's what you call trash talking and when you do it the need to back it up sky rockets. His STS profile ends with "I Will Defeat Zane Hodge at the 2014 Swim the Suck."

It's on!

Last week I only

ran 11.59 miles,
swam 10,787 meters,
biked 37.4 miles, and
lifted weights 2 X.

That's not enough, especially the swimming, I need to hit around 20,000 meters per week between the pool and the pond. This year I plan to focus more on high quality sets particularly 100s with short turn arounds. I have been working for several weeks on reducing rest time on my 100 repeats. It seems I can go forever @ 2:00. I've been chopping seconds off. At 1:59, no problem. At 1:58, no problem. At 1:57, problem. There's the sticking point.

I have actually removed a second from the early reps each time I have attempted the workout. I call the set off when I get down to under ten seconds rest and consider that a failure. One day last week, Brent Baily and I did ten. The first two reps were @ 1:56. Yesterday, Monday, alone, I decided to go for eleven (the first three were @ 1:56). After eleven, I felt more and more comfortable. I was going to go all the way-- twenty is a full set-- then after eighteen, Lance, the pool guy, yelled "Zane," when I got to the wall. He pointed to the sky. "Lightning." It was over.

I could have done it. Only two more and for the first time every I would have completed the entire set at a little under 1:57. That night, I reprogrammed my watch. Now the first four are @ 1:56. I'm not sure when I will swim it again. You need to have some fire in the belly when you swim that one. But I plan to do it at least once per week.

I have some other sets I have worked out that are new and I feel will help me beat Randy Beets. I would describe them, but since he could read this, I will keep them a secret.

Yesterday, I first went to Carroll County and ran 7.75 miles. I did three half mile repeats on a hill that is probably about a seven% grade. I need to do that once a week also. I only got 3,300 meters at the pool, but that's not bad if I can swim every day.

Since I need to take my daughter's bicycle back to her house in Boyle, I may stay over and swim Masters tonight at DSU tonight. Before leaving town, however, I have a little more to do in the yard and on the gym. Soon I will write about the backyard gym, Plate City. I have been working on it, making improvements, over the past couple of weeks. I can't imagine anyone in the entire county having a better home gym. It is outdoors, which is both a plus and a minus. But I have acquired and built a vast array of weights and machines. Now to consistently use it all to beat Beets' butt again.